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Story concerning
Bainum’s wife simply
wasn’t worth publishing

Leading up to the mayoral election, depending on who was doing the talking, it was a smear or a legitimate issue that needed to be addressed publicly. We received numerous e-mails and phone calls -- some thoughtful ones and some mean-spirited, offensive ones -- asking us why we didn't write something about it.

"It" was stories and court filings posted online about two weeks before the election concerning Jennifer Toma Bainum, wife of mayoral candidate Duke Bainum.

The stories, on events that took place about eight years ago, flashed through the community by e-mail and word of mouth. They prompted internal discussions by news organizations about whether to report on it, and thus further spread it, or to let it lie.

The Star-Bulletin had investigated the issue before there were any online postings. We reviewed court documents and talked at length with several people and agencies involved.

We concluded that there was no valid, legitimate story to be published.

Further, the issue had nothing to do with the mayoral race.

Some who contacted us believed that we did not publish anything on Bainum's wife because the Star-Bulletin had endorsed Bainum in the primary and general elections.

To set the record straight: The news department at the Star-Bulletin is separate from the editorial department. Neither I, as editor, nor anyone else in the news department took part in discussions on endorsements for any office. The newsroom pursues stories from an independent vantage, unencumbered by editorial decisions.

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Frank Bridgewater is editor of the Star-Bulletin.
Call him at 529-4791. He can be reached at: fbridgewater@starbulletin.com or write to
500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.