Corrected Info on Fattah

Please note an update to Wednesday night’s post on the Philadelphia mayoral election aand Chaka Fattah’s decision not to release his tax returns. Thursday’s Inquirer reports that there is, in fact, a confidentiality agreement that allows NBC10 to terminate Renee Chenault-Fattah’s contract if there is a breach of confidentiality. The Inquirer says that Chenault-Fattah provided a copy of the contract to the newspaper. On Wednesday the Daily News had reported that NBC10 refused to confirm the existence of such a clause, which led me to make my original posting. At the moment I can’t spot anything wrong with the Daily News’s reporting, and I’m a little uncomfortable at how a news outlet like NBC10 winds up having such influence over a story. But that’s the pitfall that comes with this situation.

Please note a further update to this story: NBC10 has waived the confidentiality requirement, and Chenault-Fattah says she still won’t let Fattah release the tax return information.

I’m starting to think that Chenault-Fattah is the one who comes off looking the worst in all of this. And I’m just cynical enough to briefly wonder if that’s the idea.

It also occurs to me that with Fattah in Congress, where he votes on defense appropriations and telecommunications policy, there’s probably more of a conflict of interest potential with GE (the parent company of NBC10) than there would be if Fattah were to win the mayoral race. What a world.

About Dave Thomer

Born and raised in Philadelphia. Studied philosophy at Fordham University in the Bronx, where I made many great friends and met my wonderful wife. We moved back to Philadelphia, where I studied philosophy some more and became a teacher. Online and off, I'm looking for ways that we can be better citizens and build stronger communities.

March 30, 2007 @ 1:30 am

So Now What?