Seabrook: Denise, your inner Democrat is showing

Yes, I sent out emails to the Republican Committee regarding your reporting on the September 10th Election Primary because I found it to be downright biased.

I also find it interesting that you hijacked and published those emails, but that doesn’t really matter, I stand by what I said.

While you certainly have credentials as a journalist, you often blur the lines between editorial and actual news reporting. I see your conclusions as premeditated, heavy handed, and personal. Most disturbing is that your pursuit of the news has given you a license of arrogance, and you seem to take such joy in tarnishing people’s reputations.

For a while you attacked Jodi Giglio. You can say what you want, but Jodi is a dedicated public servant of this town and a proven friend of the taxpayers.

Then it was John Dunleavy’s turn. You had bad words to say about him and rehashed old news about Costco. You can say what you want, but John had already addressed that issue and is also a dedicated public servant of this town.

Next it was Tony Coates’ turn, you questioned his reform credentials. And you can say what you want about him, but Tony has been clear about where he stands and has offered his own agenda.

The truth is the Republican party, may be embroiled in a bitter bloody primary but at least we have something to say. The Republican party has three candidates worth listening to. Yet for some reason you feel a need to tear them down one by one.

It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that you are a former elected official registered as a Democrat, or how you once declared Republican President Bush wasn’t your President.
And what about your Democrats?

The Democrat Town Board candidates have not made the pretense of offering one single idea.

Not a mention of that on your website

There was recently a debate between the Democrat Supervisor candidates where they fought and sparred at the Suffolk Theater. At that event they debated their visions on such important topics as eminent domain, increasing revenue for the town, taxation, EPCAL, and the down town. Not a mention of that on your website either.

Instead what is mentioned on your website is a negative story about Republican finances.

Also mentioned on your website is how Jodi Giglio offered an apology to this town, and how that wasn’t good enough for you. Or how you still slam John Dunleavy even after he offered legislation to stop future clear cutting. Or how you hammer Tony Coates on a campaign mailer from eight years ago.

Its seems that your more interested in sensationalizing “the inner baseball” of the Republican party then you are with reporting what both parties have to offer this town in regards to the issues.

You make fun of my reaction defending my political party by saying it’s “predictable.” What I find predictable is that RiverheadLocal is always finding fault with Republicans. And that only happens when you look at things through a biased point of view.

Be a journalist Denise. Don’t be a Democrat shill.

Frank Seabrook is a member of the Riverhead Republican Committee, founder and chairman of Peconic Republicans club, and a member of the Riverhead Town Zoning Board of Appeals. A  retired NYC police detective, he owns a building design and construction management company. He is the former publisher of New York Liberty Report. He lives in Wading River.

Denise Civiletti’s response:

I never blur the line between news reporting and editorializing. My editorials are always clearly marked and my opinions are never incorporated into my reporting.

I didn’t “hijack” any emails. They were forwarded to me. Evidently some people on your mailing list didn’t like what you had to say about me. Indeed, your party’s vice chairman, Mason Haas, called me yesterday to apologize on behalf of the committee for your embarrassing behavior. He wanted to assure me you did not speak for the committee.

You obviously live in an alternate reality. I’ve never “attacked” any members of our town board. Reporting on one of them breaking the law is not an attack. What “bad words” did I have to say about John Dunleavy? The Costco site disaster is “old news” I shouldn’t “rehash” because John Dunleavy had “already addressed that issue?” Seriously? He offered legislation to stop future land clearing? No, he didn’t. That was the supervisor’s idea. RiverheadLOCAL didn’t report on what the Democratic supervisor candidates said at the debate? Maybe you should read the story. And “instead” of reporting on the debate I ran a “negative story about Republican finances?” I wrote a story about your treasurer trying to correct the error of not reporting cash receipts on Aug. 19, a week before the debate. You claim Jodi Giglio offered an apology and that wasn’t good enough for me. The last editorial I wrote about Ms. Giglio’s permit issues was published July 13, three days before she issued her apology. You allege I once “declared” Bush was not my president. Where? When? I searched my published columns going back to 2004 and could find no such statement. But if I did say such a stupid thing, at least I didn’t publicly call him a “mother effin’ commie terrorist,” the words you used to describe the current president.

You make things up and then attack me for them. Maybe that flies with some people, but most people can see right through this kind of nonsense.

People who know me, or have read my news stories and editorials for the past 14 years, know the truth about my professionalism as a journalist and my character as a person. I hope and believe they know me as a concerned citizen, an advocate of good government and a diligent reporter who presents both sides of the story fairly and accurately. I hope they know I’m not arrogant and that I don’t “take such joy in tarnishing people’s reputations.”

I’m not the one sending out mass emails calling someone names like “snake.” You are. In fact, your accusations of bias here precisely describe the website you used to publish, which is why it could never be considered a credible news source and probably why it failed. 

Yeah, I’m a registered Democrat. So what? Like the vast majority of people,  I don’t look at everything through a partisan lens.  I certainly don’t practice my profession that way and I don’t appreciate your defamatory comments about the quality of my work and my ethics as a journalist.