THE “NEW” ANN ARBOR  News is still churning out the same old “content-for-clicks” journalism that it was criticized for serving up to the community by the Columbia Journalism Review, as well as the American Journalism Review in separate articles in 2012 and 2013. While we can disagree whether those two publications have the journalistic gravitas to draw such conclusions, the circulation numbers of The Ann Arbor News speak volumes about what the community is prepared to pay money to read. When the former Ann Arbor News closed in July 2009, the daily circulation was upwards of 42,000. The present weekday circulation as reported on the company’s website is 22,000.

On December 6, 2013, The Ann Arbor News posted “Ann Arbor council member accused of behind-the-scenes bullying on crosswalk issue.” The piece attacks Ward 3 Council member Stephen Kunselman, and it’s not the first time the newspaper has published this kind of “reporting.”

Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition members were obviously stinging from Kunselman’s criticism of their pedestrian crosswalk ordinance, as well as his refusal to support it. The Ann Arbor News took the opportunity to report  as “news” a private conversation at which no one from the newspaper was present: “WBWC members, including Chairwoman Erica Briggs and former board member Matt Grocoff, argue that Kunselman — in their private meeting — stated he believed no data was necessary to overturn the city’s crosswalk ordinance and that he preferred to ‘use emotion’ to guide his decision-making because data just ‘intellectualizes’ the conversation.”

Erica Briggs alleged, “When I would try to talk to him (Kunselman) about facts and data, that was the response I was given. He said it three times within the same conversation and he said it in a lot of different contexts, but the meaning remained the same.” Mr. Grocoff corroborated her interpretation of Kunselman’s “bullying” comments.

Ms. Briggs, a former mayoral appointee to the City Planning Commission, worked closely with Mayor John Hieftje and former Ward 5 Council member Carsten Hohnke on the pedestrian crosswalk ordinance. She is passionate about pedestrian safety, and for that she deserves our thanks. The Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition is a small non-profit whose members have advocated for alternative transit funding, as well. Matt Grocoff produced videos for use in the campaign to convince the public that Ann Arbor should make it easier and safer for pedestrians to cross busy streets, such as Plymouth Road. Both Briggs and Grocoff are firmly in support of the pedestrian crosswalk ordinance the WBWC helped craft and shepherd through City Council. Kunselman, disagreed with their “data” based on his own experiences—the Council member is a bicyclist and enthusiastic downtown walker.

In publishing Briggs’s and Grocoff’s thinly veiled personal attack, The Ann Arbor News chose content-for-clicks over journalistic ethics. While Briggs and Grocoff are entitled to their opinions about the private meeting they had with the Council member, their complaints demand detailed context and closer scrutiny.

Council member Kunselman is once again forced to defend himself against allegations made for overtly political purposes: he is planning a run for mayor and is very unpopular among supporters of our current mayor, including members of the Downtown Development Authority, as well as the Planning Commission. Both DDA and Planning Commission members have used Twitter to openly lambast Kunselman, along with other Council members. Articles published in the October 29th and November 19th issues of The Indy documented the sometimes racist and sexist criticism of Council members by a group of Hieftje’s appointees.

Did Stephen Kunselman “bully” Erica Briggs and Matt Grocoff in a private meeting? One fact is clear: the reporter certainly did not know. To publish such allegations is irresponsible and unethical. When there is a disagreement over public policy, everyone involved, including the public and elected officials, should expect fair, balanced reporting. The Ann Arbor News/AnnArbor.com has a history of government reporting that focuses on personalities and conflicts, rather than context and issues. Content-for-clicks journalism does a disservice to us all.