KNBC-TV in Los Angeles has an investigative reporting segment called Get Garcia, Get Results– it’s a catchy little local news moniker that I’m sure the promotions guys just love. But the problem is Garcia’s producer didn’t didnt tell the whole story. Read on:

October 30, 2012

Mr. Keith Esparros

Director of Content

KNBC-TV

VIA EMAIL

Dear Mr. Esparros,

I am writing to bring to your attention a clear violation of journalistic standards and ethics that came to our attention as a part of a report that aired on your station titled Get Garcia: How Mercurial is Your Fish?

The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) served as a resource on this story for producer Robbi Peele. With full and complete knowledge of the facts Ms. Peele failed to include in her story information that significantly changes the perspective we find in the reporting and serves to distort the narrative.

NFI provided her with important, independent, peer-reviewed, published science that makes up the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) federal nutrition policy on mercury in fish.

I, personally, sent Ms. Peele the source material for the FDAs mercury limit on August 23, 2012 3:34 pm (Eastern.) I am happy to share with you that email as well and any and all email exchanges we had in preparation for this story. Please keep in mind the science and the policy I provided her is not ours at NFI but is the FDAs.

Nowhere in Ms. Peels package does she report the simple, independent, verified detail that the FDAs own explanation of its mercury limit highlights the fact that it includes a built-in 1,000 percent safety factor FDAs action level of 1 ppm for methyl mercury in fish was established to limit consumers methyl mercury exposure to levels 10 times lower than the lowest levels associated with adverse effects (page 5 of 7.) A fish that approaches or even slightly exceeds 1.0ppm is actually still at a level nearly 10 times lower than the level where researchers have detected harm. Ms. Peele was aware of this scientific fact months before this story aired and she chose not to include it in her package.

Again, the science cited is not NFIs but is part of the independent, peer-reviewed, published science that makes up the FDAs federal nutrition policy on mercury in fish.

To publically raise health concerns about individual test samples that your producer knew fell well inside the 1,000 percent safety factor established by FDA scientists is not only a failure of journalistic standards but a clear violation of the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics that calls on producers not to, oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context. The context here is clear, accurate, independent science.

Please let us know how and when you intend to addresses this editorial issue on the air.

Thank you for your commitment to accurate and ethical reporting.

Gavin Gibbons

Director of Media Relations

National Fisheries Institute

cc: Mr. Todd Mokhtari

Vice President of News