news, pro Video

by KoretzkyNov 6, 20228:49 am

HOW TO MAKE PROJECT VERITAS LOOK GOOD

Here’s a one-question pop quiz for journalists…

Last weekend, which organization reversed course and didn’t tell anyone, then lied about it until they got caught, at which point they still refuse to comment?

PROJECT VERITAS – “the faux conservative group of pranksters pretending to be journalists”
SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS – “the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization”

Obviously, it’s the second one. Or I wouldn’t have anything interesting to write about.

Project Veritas is perhaps best known for losing lawsuits – both the ones it files and the ones filed against it. That’s because they call themselves journalists when, actually, their “investigations” are unethical and their video editing is deceptive.

Most journalists and politicians know all about Project Veritas. Apparently, SPJ leaders didn’t. They let Project Veritas sign up as an exhibitor at SPJ’s annual convention, called MediaFest. For a few hours last week, Project Veritas had a table near SPJ’s registration booth.

Then suddenly, it didn’t.

When some of the 1,000 college and pro journalists in attendance saw that table, they posed questions on the convention app. SPJ didn’t reply, so the questions quickly became condemnations. Eventually, an SPJ staffer – not, notably, an elected leader – posted this…

…but that’s not really true.

Specifically, this is a lie: “That decision was not brought to the attention of the SPJ staff.” If you watch the Project Veritas video above, they were smart enough to keep emails from SPJ staff before the convention.

SPJ doubled down on the lies when another staffer – also not an elected leader, because they were oddly absent – explained Project Veritas was asked to leave because they hadn’t paid for their table. Yup, watch the video. That’s not true, either.

If this was just another SPJ embarrassment – and I’ve documented more than a few of those over the years – it wouldn’t be worth any more kilobytes. But here’s where it gets sinister.

SPJ’s staff infection

At the end of Project Veritas’s smarmy video, founder James O’Keefe implores…

Be brave! Do something! Reach out to the Society of Professional Journalists and ask them why they won’t have Project Veritas at their conference.

Well, some of Project Veritas’s 1.5 million YouTube subscribers did indeed “reach out.” But not bravely.

They’ve been harassing the staffer with the most airtime in that video. By email. By phone. By social media. They’ve threatened her and her children.

I won’t repeat her name, but you can easily find it. Dozens of assholes already have. Here’s the thing: She had nothing to do with the decision to accept Project Veritas – or literally send them packing. Like most employees, she does what she’s told: “Here’s some paperwork, make sure it’s filled out correctly.”

Now, you’d think SPJ would be saying what I just did. To protect their employees and, you know, “be brave.” Instead, SPJ’s board of directors have said nothing all week.

Meanwhile, that employee told me, “I’ve locked every public facing account and will keep it that way for a while. I also screen my phone calls.”

On Thursday – four days after the convention ended and the employee’s nightmare began – I emailed the SPJ board I once served on: “I seek comment on the Project Veritas video and the controversy that preceded it.”

I received this reply: “The board hasn’t had a chance to talk about this yet, but we are having a meeting in executive session tonight which will soon be posted on the website. Hopefully we’ll have more to say after that.”

It’s now Sunday. They haven’t said or posted anything.

Yesterday, seven SPJ “regional coordinators” (of which I’m one) sent a letter to the board…

Our staff does not deserve abuse, period. They do not deserve abuse from within, from our leaders and members, and they certainly do not deserve abuse from those outside of our organization. … We are urging the board and its legal counsel to immediately issue a statement that redirects the scrutiny, hostility and acrimony away from our staff.

The board of directors hasn’t responded. Or even acknowledged the letter.

A very loud silence

I’m sure fear is one reason SPJ leaders are so quiet. They’re scared Project Veritas will sue them – and win, for a change.

After all, Project Veritas followed SPJ’s rules and sent people to staff their exhibit hall table. They drove four hours from their headquarters in Mamaroneck, New York, to the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC. They got hotel rooms. They put their other vile projects on hold.

More than compensation, Project Veritas will sue SPJ for its promotional opportunities. James O’Keefe is probably rehearsing another video script right now. So SPJ should immediately offer to reimburse Project Veritas’s expenses. Ask for receipts and cut a check. Swallow your pride, put this behind you, don’t look back, and all those other cliches.

Then issue a goddamned statement. Something like…

As SPJ’s elected leaders, the buck stops here, and the blame rests with us. We were planning our first in-person convention in three years with new officers and without an executive director (who recently accepted another job). It was a perfect storm of imperfection, and we apologize. But we also demand an apology.

Project Veritas purposefully sent their audience to harass an innocent SPJ staffer. We’re collecting those threats and will report them to authorities. In the meantime, we’ve asked Project Veritas and now ask everyone else: If you want to complain, email spjboard@spj.org. We’ll respond, but no one else you harass will. We’ve instructed staff and other SPJ volunteers to forward any communication on this topic to us.

Finally, it’s pathetic and frightening that an innocent staffer just doing her job is a target of such harassment. SPJ won’t tolerate it, and we won’t be intimidated by it.

“Be brave”

At this same convention a couple of nights after Project Veritas was booted, SPJ swore in a new president. Her name is Claire Regan.

“Journalists need SPJ now more than ever for support and solidarity,” Regan said in her installment speech. “I promise to work hard to make every SPJ member feel valued and empowered.”

I guess that doesn’t include SPJ staff.

But it’s not just Regan. The rest of the board are quiet cowards. They can’t pretend to support journalists if they can’t support their own employees.

If you’re an SPJ member, I might suggest you tell them that. But you can’t. The directors have removed their own contact information from SPJ’s website. Obviously, they don’t want to face the same harassment their staff is. How brave.

10Comments

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1

Anonymous on Nov 6, 2022 at 10:12 am
Reply

This is so unfortunate because Claire Regan is a wonderful person and committed journalist. Her first day as president is this controversy started by her predecessor, not her. There is no script for how to properly respond to something like this. I agree saying something, however limited, is better than saying nothing. But Claire is one person on a board of how many? She should not be singled out. Where are the other board members who also took an oath? How do we know they aren’t roadblocking Claire?
2

Billy OKeefe on Nov 6, 2022 at 10:33 am
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The fact that the first commenter read all that and can only express sympathy for Claire says everything about present day SPJ. Board members are lauded and protected, and at the end of the year they get all the awards for the hard work of staffers, who are taken for granted and left out to dry without a word of public support from anyone.

Claire wanted to be the president, leading is what presidents do. And she was on the previous board, which collectively ignored the sponsorship policy that was passed with immense fanfare two years ago, via a resolution, passed by delegates. SPJ wasted another year of hot air obsessing over delegate voting procedure overhauls that went nowhere. Why bother, if the result of those votes ultimately is shoved in a drawer and forgotten immediately?

This board is lucky the affected staff members are still there and still give a damn about this organization that shows so little regard for them. I am absolutely livid and, unlike the first commenter, not afraid to sign my name to it.
3

Anonymous on Nov 6, 2022 at 10:48 am
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Single her out? She’s the president! The leader of the Society. She had no problem being front and center at the convention. Where is she now? However, we agree on one thing. The board is AWOL. You can defend your staff and your Society without running afoul of legal problems. To hide behind an attorney is weak tea.
4

Anonymous on Nov 6, 2022 at 11:21 am
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The responsibility ultimately falls on Rebecca Aguilar, the acting president at the time of the conference, and Jennifer Royer, the interim executive director. They SHOULD have been the ones to approach Project Veritas and toss them from the conference floor rather than staffers, though Jennifer was involved at some point and has taken a lot of heat from Veritas. Also: They should have been the ones posting about Veritas’ removal in the conference app, not a staffer.

The third-party vendor should be tossed ASAP for not vetting Veritas.

It’s not up to staff to do the dirty work here. SPJ elects and, in the ED’s case, hires leaders to handle these situations.

Claire should have been there, too. She was elected VP/president-elect a year ago and oversaw the conference planning committee. She should have been involved. Where were Rebecca and Claire? The conference app and Twitter hashtag has the answers: Off posing for countless selfies, schmoozing and telling everyone what great leaders they are. As journalists, we show, don’t tell. Their inaction speaks volumes.

Meanwhile, Veritas is harassing many people involved with SPJ, not just staff. The organization is just so unprepared to handle anything. No crisis communication plan. No protocols. Just a rudderless ship, especially for the last 14 months under Aguilar. Raise a concern to the board? You’re labeled negative or worse. Balance a budget? Haven’t seen one since December. The organization is in terrible financial shape for the past few years and they have no answers. None.

So why would they step up and lead during a crisis, especially when Woodward & Bernstein are available for selfies just down the hall!

It’s only going to get worse, folks …
5

Anonymous on Nov 6, 2022 at 12:42 pm
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Billy OKeefe: Many of us aren’t including our names because we don’t want to be harassed ourselves, either by Project Veritas – or SPJ. Previous president Rebecca Aguilar had quite the reputation as a bully. I don’t believe I’m a “quiet cowad” and I would speak up if I thought it could matter. Who would I speak up to, though? SPJ talks about supporting members but they don’t really want to hear from them.
- 6
  
  Billy OKeefe on Nov 6, 2022 at 12:46 pm
  Reply
  
  Well, you’re right, it’ll never matter — because everybody hides behind anonymity because they already believe it wouldn’t matter. Why even comment then? Why be a member? What’s the point if this is your contribution?
  
  You know who would love to hear from you? The staff members who haven’t seen anyone stick their neck out for them. But since the result of that doesn’t matter to you, carry on justifying everything else you won’t do and then keep on wondering why it keeps getting worse.
7

A former SPJ and Foundation director on Nov 6, 2022 at 1:38 pm
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SPJ’s Code of Ethics says, “Acknowledge mistakes and correct them promptly and prominently.” SPJ’s leaders made a mistake. For your own sakes, acknowledge it and correct it. Immediately. It’s too late for “promptly,” but it’s never too late to hew to the Code. Leadership is more than tweets, meetings, Quill columns, and banquets. At at this point, no matter what you do, you will be criticized for it. So you have no reason not to do the right thing.
8

HCC HawkMedia Club on Nov 6, 2022 at 1:40 pm
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I really enjoyed this article and video and will use it in my teaching. I missed the conference due to funding issues related to Ian. I don’t understand the issue when you look at the purpose of the exhibit hall. In the early 2000s, we had hundreds of vendors peddling ideas, software and presenting issues that may or may not have been vetted for “ethics”. I don’t see this as any different or more controversial than when CMA had the Westboro Baptist Church as a keynote or Vice as one of our student media tours. You don’t have to “support” every view but barring certain views from the convention floor after you approve them is rediculous. We might consider changing our name to the “Society of Professional Socialists.”
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  Anonymous on Nov 6, 2022 at 1:46 pm
  Reply
  
  PS. This is my personal opinion, and not of my students. Richard F. Gaspar, Ph.D., Professor of Journalism
10

Anonymous on Nov 7, 2022 at 2:42 pm
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SPJ just issued a statement about the incident without naming Veritas. Nearly two weeks after the incident.

And what I find interesting about this thread is how people are posting anonymously out of fear not for what Veritas may do to them, but what SPJ, their OWN ORGANIZATION, might do to them. Or at least certain “leaders” in the organization.

I tell ya …