Question, verify and then ring the bell

During the past two weeks there has been a lot of conversation in Las Vegas about who bought the Las Vegas Review-Journal and what it means for the future of journalism for our neighbors.

That conversation was important here because the Pahrump Valley Times was acquired as part of that $140 million purchase.

In 2015, this paper has gone from being owned by family interests in Arkansas to one of the largest publicly-traded media companies in the United States to the 18th richest man in the world. My point of view from Pahrump is that being owned by a company controlled by Sheldon Adelson, a Las Vegas resident worth $28.9 billion, is not a bad place to be. I'm sure there are many smaller newspapers that would love to have that type of financial security.

While media watchers in Las Vegas may be concerned about the influence this large GOP donor may try to sway over the newspaper in Sin City, I am not worried here in Pahrump (or Tonopah where I am also the editor) about any outside influence. I never had any before the sale, and I don't anticipate any now.

In the 15 months I have been editor here, and the 3 ½ years prior as editor in Boulder City, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has not tried to influence anything I have done although we are part of the Review-Journal family. We have run stories that previously appeared in the Review-Journal, such as today's story on the front page about Yucca Mountain, but I alone made those decisions because of their importance to the Pahrump and Nye County readers.

The upside is the Pahrump Valley Times ownership is more financially secure than any owner previous, and that should allow us to continue to try to do important, professional journalism in the future for you.

Which leads me to my next point. On Saturday morning, on my Facebook timeline came a post from Pahrump resident Dwight Lilly. It stated: "QUESTION $$$$$$$$$ Who in Nye County government is off to the Bahamas on the taxpayer's dime at a cost of $7,850.52? I assume the check to Atlantis was not a charitable donation…"

His post received immediate comments including, "Whom was it and are you turning it over to the DA's office?"

Another post stated, "Find this person and proscute (sic) … that is county's money ... not a vacation holiday … on tax payers (sic)…"

Sounds sensational! Scandalous! And turns out the truth is not scandalous at all. Nor was it the county's money, to boot.

I would normally not comment on what private citizens post on their social media pages, but Lilly has recently been calling himself a journalist because he has a radio show somewhere. He has been sitting at the media table during the public meetings. He has also had some recent guest editorials in The Mirror.

As journalists, we have a duty to the public to be skeptical and verify before posting information, even if it is on personal social pages. The community looks to journalists for accurate information, and take what we say as fact.

So back to Lilly's post.

While there is a resort in the Bahamas called Atlantis, there is also one in Reno where many government employees stay when conventions are held in the area. Including the FireShows West Conference and Expo, which was held Oct. 5-8, at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

The conference offers training in fire, operations, Hazmat, prevention and leadership. The county sent 18 employees involved in emergency response to the convention. They stayed at the Atlantis in Reno, one of the host hotels offering special rates. Some stayed four night, others five nights. At $69 per night, plus the $15 per night resort fee, plus 13 percent tax, that comes to, you guessed it, $7,850.52.

This was approved by the Nye County Commission at its Sept. 1 meeting when a $20,294 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation was accepted to send 18 first responders to the conference. The county has participated in this grant program for the past six years, at least.

So, if the grant was for $20,294, and the hotel was $7,850.52, where's the rest of the money?

I am glad you asked.

Conference registration was $3,510, $4,128.50 was per diem for the 18 attendees (they need to eat), and $3,521.73 was distributed for travel to and from the conference. With some attendees carpooling, and others not staying a fifth night, the county actually returned $1,477.09.

I welcome the additional eyes on government. The Pahrump Valley Times has limited resources and we can't be everywhere. But there is also a responsibility to being a journalist. What should be demanded by the public is an understanding of the ethics that guide professional journalists everywhere.

The first principle pushed by the Society of Professional Journalists is to "Seek truth and report it."

The first line under that principle is "Journalists should take responsibility for the accuracy of their work. Verify information before releasing it."

Truth: $7,850.52 was spent at the Atlantis Casino. However, it wasn't in the Bahamas and it wasn't county money.

So how was I able to verify the information? I asked the county, something Lilly apparently didn't do before Saturday's post.

As the late, great writer David Foster Wallace wrote, "You can't unring a bell."

Arnold M. Knightly is the editor of the Pahrump Valley Times