The Inquirer has Some Explaining to Do After Butchering a Story with “Erroneous Quote that was Misattributed to Mayor Parker”

The Inquirer published a Jeff Gammage story Tuesday night titled “New proposal would turn Philly’s Fashion District into a biomedical hub instead of a Sixers arena.”

It’s about a Comcast Spectacor executive and Philadelphia developer pitching the Washington Square West Civic Association on an alternative use for 10th and Market, where the Sixers want to build.

Before I even read the article, I saw it in a quote tweet from Inquirer political reporter Anna Orso, which shared a passage from the story:

That quote was retweeted by Inga Saffron and others, but deleted a short time later and the passage removed from the story. Kyle Neubeck at PHLY found the original paragraph, confirming that it was in the first version of the article:

For some reason, the Inquirer tried to stealth remove this section from their story but you can still see it in a snapshot from the internet archive. The second image is what it looks like now pic.twitter.com/suw1TQXegs

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) September 3, 2024

Original passage: “Comcast Spectacor confirmed details of the presentation Tuesday, after being contacted by The Inquirer. The company said the presentation followed a July meeting between CEO and Chairman Daniel Hilferty and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, at which the Mayor told him, “If you don’t want the 76ers’ arena, you need to give me alternatives.”

That’s quite different from “Comcast Spectacor confirmed details of the presentation Tuesday, after being contacted by The Inquirer.”

At the bottom of the story there is now a note reading “An earlier version of this story included an erroneous quote that was misattributed to Mayor Parker,” which is dubious at face value, malpractice at worst. The Delaware Valley’s flagship journalism outlet is carelessly misattributing quotes? And not just any quotes, but super-sensitive quotes suggesting some sort of quid pro quo between the mayor and Comcast-Spectacor that would just so happen to sink their tenant’s $1.5 billion arena proposal?

Of course, Comcast’s public position on the matter is not unclear. They do not want the Sixers to build on Market Street and want to partner with them on a new arena in South Philly. They do not want to compete with Harris-Blitzer Sports and Entertainment for concerts and other live acts, nor are they excited about the seemingly-inevitable prospect of losing a Wells Fargo Center renter. That being said, nobody can be naive enough to think that the political game is not being played behind the scenes, as some of Philadelphia’s most powerful entities slug it out in the most fascinating battle Philadelphia has seen in 25+ years.

So we’re led to believe what, exactly? That a veteran Pulitzer-winner used “an erroneous quote that was misattributed to Mayor Parker”? That Inquirer editors were asleep at the wheel? That off-record information from Comcast-Spectacor or the mayor’s office was accidentally put on the record? Whatever the explanation is, it’s a horrendous look. And the Inquirer’s arena reporting has been spotty for the better part of two years now, so people who have been following this story likely aren’t gifting the benefit of the doubt in September of 2024.

Beyond all of that, the story itself is total bunk, a complete nothing of an article similar to the one published a few months ago about a flimsy non-plan to turn 10th and Market into an immigrant welcoming center. This is a story about a meeting. It says that Jefferson Health is interested in a biomedical “Innovation Hub,” but notes that no Jefferson officials were at the meeting. The only thing of substance is a quote from Dan Hilferty talking about a “responsibility to share an alternative solution that creates benefits for all community members…,” which could be construed as interference with their tenant’s proposal.

Serious question – does Comcast-Spectacor have the right to present “alternative solutions” for a site they don’t control? Or should they butt out? Remember, Hilferty told us a few months ago that “the 76ers have their right to figure out what their best future is,” and has been consistent with that message, but does that include or not include competitive challenges to the location HBSE is pitching to Mayor Parker and the City of Philadelphia?

This would be like you, a renter, informing your landlord that you’re moving out. You bid on a plot of land with plans to build an apartment complex, but in comes your landlord to say, “you know what? I’ve got a better idea of what we can do with that area.” The person selling you the land says, “I’m going with these guys instead,” and now you’re back on Zillow looking for a different plot of land to buy. Was the landlord justified in efforts to scupper a would-be competitor? Or should they sit there quietly and accept the outcome? You tell me.

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