BIW editor calls WHT series 'lies'
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 01:19PM Holy geo, energy fans.
Now with the independently owned Hawaiian Island Journal finally out of the way, Big Island Weekly Editor Kristine Kubat is flexing her editorial independence with a blistering review ofWest Hawaii Today's recent series opener on geothermal energy which touts geo as "clean, renewable and free."
It's all "lies," Kubat claims, manufactured to reinforce the premise for the series written by reporters Carolyn Lucas and Daniel Brock.
The Weekly and WHT both are owned by Las Vegas-based Stephens Media Group.
Auwe. I wonder if WHT Publisher Reed Flickinger and staff will stay calm about this or whether sparks will be flying inside Stephens Media. Congrats to Kubat if she's that secure in her job.
Too bad the online BIW editorial is not complete with a link to the geothermal series intro that Kubat cites. It's here.
And another note on the Journal. There's a small chance that the reports of its demise may be premature. I understand that at least one buyer is interested and that the newspaper's staff has remained largely intact, though unpaid, pending further developments. Nothing certain, but a flicker of hope remains.
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Reader Comments (23)
But I tread lightly here, since Stephens Media argued in court (unsuccessfully) that literary criticism on this blog is enough of a reason to keep Hunter away from his old job.
I wonder if whether they will apply that same standard to Ms. Kubat.
Perhaps, I should proof read my work before critiquing others.
Then again veracity and and proof reading are not equal sins.
A lack of veracity is a sin of commission. Proof reading is usually a sin of omission.
Kristine, you go, girl!!!
--you know who.
I don't think you guys should down her writing style. I did not know that there was a "standard" for alternative media writing. I guess sentence fragments are ok so long as they only appear under the Pidgin column or some other nostalgic feature.
I like what Kubat is doing. She has taken positions and has written editorials that disprove all of the Hawaii Island Journal's allegations that she would be "controlled" by her corporate bosses.
I agree. She get balls.
And, OHJ, other than the current one, which of her editorials disprove those allegations? I can't recall her ever bucking the Stephens Party Line before.
Anyway, the WHT series has two more pieces to publish on geothermal energy, and BIW has two more weeks to react to it. Pass the popcorn.
Another thing is that PGV has been dealing with salt water in their wells for at least the last 8 years. Not so bad if salt weren't so corrosive to equipment but it seems to me that sooner or later PGV is going to have to move elsewhere along the east rift to get more steam and less salt. With more development in the area, I wonder how many supporters would want them as a neighbor.
Also, while I haven't stopped the rest of my life to learn the details, I have managed to pick up along the way the ALL 'GEOTHERMAL' IS NOT CREATED EQUAL.
Iceland is not Hawaii is not Japan, etc.
Any knowledgeable folks able to elucidate at bit?
Perhaps, Ms. Kubat should have reserved her derisive criticisms until she had the opportunity to examine the series as a whole. Who reviews a play after the first act or a book after the first chapter? Her surly comments bring to mind the two old guys that sat in the balcony on the "Muppet Show" — only Ms. Kubat is less nuanced and entertaining.
Given her views — and documented aversion — to geothermal energy (not to mention her obvious affection for the radical and inflammatory), Ms. Kubat's shortsightedness in this instance certainly comes as no surprise.
I wouldn't deign to deny her freedom of speech, but perhaps she should hold her tongue — or pen, as the case may be — until all the facts are in.
Then again, maybe her free weekly has an early deadline.
Our geothermal source here on Kilauea is however, "hotter" than anywhere else on the planet, and the industry is still on a learning curve.
There was a blowout several years ago that sounded like a jet taking off continously for hours. I heard it six miles away! The old wells are capped with concrete in a steel sleeve and subject to corrosion.
If geothermal is to be viable here, they have to be cautious, and citizens should benefit with lower electric bills.