The New York Times vs. Bay County

Why does it not surprise me that Abby Goodnough, a New York Times reporter, came to Bay County just long enough to twist the facts about airport relocation – and then mock us in a way only a “sophisticated big city reporter” can.

I’ll give The New York Times this – they are definitely more skilled at shading the truth than NPR. Goodnough’s piece wasn’t as inept as Greg Allen’s hit job – but it was just as irritating, primarily because of its condescending, “I’m-from-New-York-and-I-know-better-than-you” tone.

Where to begin? Let’s start with the headline: “In a Quiet Part of Florida, a Bid to Bring in the Crowds.”

Memo to the Times: The primary service area for the relocated airport – from Destin to Port St. Joe – attracts between 8 and 10 million visitors each year. It is the second largest tourist market in Florida, after Orlando.

Why does every out of town reporter insist that no one visits Florida’s gulf coast beaches? We may not be New York, but this story line they keep pushing is insulting – and worse, it’s not true.

Then there is the discussion of the size of the new airport. Goodnough calls the airport “supersized” with more acreage than LaGuardia and Newark airports combined. I can only conclude that Goodnough is being intentionally misleading.

The new terminal at our relocated airport will be approximately 100,000 square feet and have 7 gates. LaGuardia has over 100 gates and millions of square feet of terminal space. Newark has over 100 gates and millions of square feet of terminal space as well.

Goodnough works for The New York Times. She knows about LaGuardia and Newark. I can only conclude that she is intentionally misleading her readers with her “supersized” comment and comparisons.

It is true that our airport will have more acreage than LaGuardia or New York – but how is acreage really relevant? That land is not going to be used in our lifetime, and Goodnough knows it.

If anything, having that much land is good planning. It provides a much-needed buffer around airport operations and it will provide the Airport Authority tremendous flexibility for decades to come.

Today, many airports are constrained and wish they had more land. Panama City’s Airport Authority is planning for the long-term. With 4,000 acres, we are virtually guaranteed to never outgrow our site. Ever.

Here's a meaningful acreage number Goodnough chose to ignore: 40,000+ acres. Goodnough makes an almost incidental passing reference to the West Bay Preservation Area – the 40,000-acre conservation area designed to protect West Bay. How can a serious reporter ignore this part of the story?

If part of the discussion is about protecting the environment, doesn't one of the largest conservation efforts ever in Florida warrant more than a passing mention?

Local environmentalists helped design the West Bay Sector Plan that allows relocation of the airport – why aren’t any of the dozens of local environmental leaders supporting the project in the story?

Airport Executive Director Randy Curtis tells me he spent three hours with Goodnough, explaining the project, the need, the FAA’s demand forecasts and the constraints that exist at the current airport. None of it turned up in her story. Like NPR's Greg Allen, she didn't even mention the five years of review and analysis done by the FAA. It's like it never happened!

But let me repeat: The FAA spent five years preparing and producing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project. The team conducting the EIS had a combined 690 years of professional experience across 20 disciplines. This process generated more than 2,000 pages of analysis, including 350 analytic charts, tables and maps and detailed responses to thousands of public comments.

In completing the EIS, the FAA coordinated its work with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, which participated as a cooperating agency. Additionally, the FAA sought comments from and responded to dozens of federal, state and local agencies on various aspects of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project.

But as far as The New York Times is concerned, it never happened.

I’m told that Airport Authority Chairman Joe Tannehill went out of his way to call Goodnough when he heard she was writing the story because apparently it never occurred to Goodnough to talk to the person in charge of the project!

On the other hand, it appears she had the NRDC’s phone number on speed dial. She managed to fit in three quotes from the New York City-based organization that seems to know so much about how to meet the challenges we face here in Northwest Florida.

I guess I am hopelessly naïve. I used to believe journalists approached their job in a serious effort to get at the truth (or at least provide a full accounting) of the stories they worked on – but clearly that is no longer the case.

Today, advocacy passes as journalism, and reporters write the story they want to write – then find the facts and quotes to support their point of view.