The Honolulu Advertiser pulled me off the Superferry story today because of this blog. Guess it was being circulated at the state Capitol, which absolutely astounded me, and Derrick DePledge, the Advertiser’s government reporter, ratted me out to the editors. They sent him to Kauai to cover tonight’s meeting with the guv, instead.

Earlier in the day, someone had called to advise the Advertiser editors that their new stringer (yours truly) was a freelancer for the Sierra Club — an apparent reference to an article I wrote a number of years back for Sierra magazine about pharmaceuticals and personal care products showing up in ground water around the world. (http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200211/hearth.asp)

It's OK to have opinions when you write for the mainstream press, you just have to make like you don't, and I've never been too good at pretending.

I don’t mind losing the Advertiser gig, but feel sad their coverage will now lack the perspective of someone who actually lives on Kauai. As people over here keep saying, “We don’t feel like we’re being heard.” And the truth of it is, we aren't.