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October 10-16, 2002 on media Snarls Barclay
This month’s edition of Philadelphia Magazine features an interesting story about the renaissance of the Barclay Hotel, a once-famous society lodging with stunning city views and an impressive roster of guests. The 2,176-word article, written by Philly mag Senior Editor Amy Donohue, is replete with four pages of glossy photos showing off the ritzy interiors, and details how, after years of decay and mismanagement, the hotel has been successfully converted to a condominium by developer Alan Domb. What’s most interesting about this story, however, are the details that are not included. First, there is no mention that the story’s author, Donohue, was reportedly engaged to Jerry Pantelidis, the disgraced real estate developer who owned the Barclay from 1996-1999. According to press accounts and court papers, during the purchase of the Barclay, which was sold in foreclosure for $5.5 million, Pantelidis offered a series of misrepresentations about his personal financial worth, and ultimately misstated his intentions for the renovation of the 73-year-old, 22-story building, located on the east side of Rittenhouse Square. Secondly, although Donohue, quoting a source, refers to an unfortunate occurrence in the building called “the water story” (wherein building services, including heat, were suspended due to a lack of payment), she fails to attribute the problem to the blatant mishandling of the Barclay’s affairs by her former boyfriend. And even though the story is one that reports the triumph of a building whose past was checkered, at best, the story fails to refer to any of the horrors experienced by the well-heeled tenants during Pantelidis’ reign. The title of the piece, “The Barclay is Back,” poses for readers one very important unanswered question: “Back from where?” When asked, Donohue did not want to comment on how and why she was chosen to write this piece, nor did she want to explain why so many critical elements were left out of the story. Philly mag editor Larry Platt seemed offended when asked why Donohue would be chosen for this assignment, given the potential ethics issues, such as the conflict of interest that can be perceived when a journalist with extremely personal ties to any part of the story is allowed to cover that story. “Pantelidis is no longer the building’s owner,” Platt says, a little salt in his tone. “And Amy is not dating the building, so I can’t see any problem with her doing this story.” There are some differences of opinion in the media business about whether Donohue should have written the story. Stu Bykofsky, the Daily News columnist who broke the Donohue-Pantelidis engagement story on his pages in Jan. 1998, says he agrees with Platt. “What I’d like to know is what the statute of limitations is on who can and can’t write a story?” he asks. “It seems to be unnatural to not let her write the story when she has the best knowledge of the story and the best sources.” Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Gail Shister says that she believes one of the ultimate responsibilities of a journalist is, in fact, to disclose any personal relationship -- past or present. “When a reporter has or has had a personal relationship with a source, I think there’s an imperative to disclose this connection to a reader,” Shister says. “A reporter has to cover themselves about perception. My wife, Penny Jeannechild, testified at the Ira Einhorn trial, and in both the Daily News and The Inquirer, it was disclosed that she was the partner of an Inquirer reporter. I insisted on this, so that there would be no perception that we were skewing the story, one way or the other, because I work at the paper. In general, I’d say disclosure is the most important thing a reporter can do.” At the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Fla., the director of the ethics program says that reporters -- and editors -- have a responsibility to always avoid any questionable perceptions. “Journalists should vigorously avoid conflict of interest -- either real or perceived,” says faculty member Bob Steele. “Conflicts of interest can create unfairness to multiple stakeholders, including readers and other citizens who are connected to a particular issue or event that is the focus of coverage, and specifically those individuals who are involved in a particular story. Journalists who have a conflict of interest create questions about their ability to be fair in their coverage of the story, even if they themselves believe they are aboveboard. The journalist, through a personal relationship, creates a connection with a key player in the story that is not eliminated -- even if the relationship ends.” While sources say that Pantelidis and Donohue are no longer an item, Pantelidis is still making news on his own. Last November, the 42-year-old developer was indicted by the U.S. Attorney General’s office for allegedly using phony tax returns and financial statements to secure more than $3 million in bank loans and credit lines to finance several of his Center City developments. Pantelidis, who could not be reached for comment at his Walnut Street offices, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. But for those who lived through the dark days at the Barclay, Pantelidis is guilty of, at least, being a lousy landlord. “He’s one of the reasons I moved out,” says Silvia Mann, widow of the late philanthropist Frederic Mann, who lived at the Barclay for 40 years in a sprawling eight-room apartment. Two years ago, Mrs. Mann, who will be 90 in March, moved out. “One day,” says the still-feisty octogenarian from her new digs in the Philadelphia suburbs, “I met him in the lobby and I said to him, ‘Get out of here. You’re just a crook.’ And to my surprise, he did. He left. It must have been the mean look on my face. He was just a terrible, terrible man. I don’t know whether or not the reporter should have told the readers just how bad a guy that Pantelidis was -- but if you know him, it’s kinda hard to resist.” 
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