(LifeSiteNews) — Dear Friends,
Let’s begin, as we always do, with the Sign of the Cross…
I’m so glad to be back with you and speaking to you again as the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of LifeSiteNews.
The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster—for all of us—and especially for those of you who’ve put your trust in LifeSiteNews.
I’d like to take a few minutes to explain what’s been happening, as much as I’m able to, without interfering with the internal investigation currently underway.
As many of you know, on July 2nd, in the context of a LifeSiteNews Board of Directors meeting, several members of the Board supported my removal as CEO and from the Board of Directors.
I was blindsided and afforded no opportunity to defend myself from a premeditated effort that involved a series of false accusations and misleading assertions. False testimony and distorted statistics were used to sway a slim majority of the Board of Directors against me.
By July 16th, by the grace of God, the chairman of the Board of Directors had concluded that the events of July 2nd had been null and void due to several procedural defects. Those who had offered the false testimony in an effort to deceive the Board of Directors simply had not bothered to obey the Bylaws that govern LifeSiteNews.
On July 18th, the Board of Directors concurred that the previous vote had been invalid and affirmed that I remained CEO and Editor-in-Chief. On July 22nd, the Board of Directors met again, following all proper procedures for removal of a Director, and removed one member of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors then reaffirmed once more that I remained CEO, and a Director.
So, I am now fully reinstated as Editor-in-Chief of LifeSiteNews.
In the interim, however, some defamatory accusations had been made public. Specifically, portions of recording of the July 2nd meeting were improperly leaked, and those out-of-context recordings (which did not include any defense from me) falsely accused me of (1) personally gaining financially from a LifeSiteNews transaction, (2) making misrepresentations to a donor, and (3) nepotism regarding the fact that two of my daughters are LifeSiteNews employees. It is important – both to LifeSiteNews and to me – that the record be corrected just as publicly as the detractions. So as the Board of Directors has urged me I’m starting with this.
First, the allegation of personal profit related to the purchase of a building in Ontario, was completely, 100%, false.
Here’s what actually happened: LifeSiteNews purchased a new building in Ontario to serve as our video production studio. Using a technique that many nonprofits employ when holding real estate, LifeSiteNews set up a separate company in which I was the sole Director, but LifeSiteNews owned 100% of the shares. I hold no ownership and receive no financial benefit from this LifeSiteNews real estate holding company. There was no personal financial gain, and nothing irregular about it. We used the same sort of holding company mechanism when purchasing a building in Virginia years ago.
Second, I was falsely accused of inflating the cost of a particular expense when asking a donor for $80,000 for a project that would only cost us $10,000. This, too, was completely false.
Here’s the reality: A generous donor heard about a video series project we were planning and offered to help fund it. Our internal calculation was that the project would cost us $10,000 to produce, a fact which I conveyed to the donor, while also presenting research that showed the general industry cost of producing a similar video series was $80,000. I further informed the donor that if an external group asked us to produce the series for them, we would charge $30,000. All of these figures were presented to the donor, who very generously responded by making an $80,000 gift to LifeSiteNews. There was no misrepresentation to the donor. None at all.
Third, with respect to the fact that two of my daughters are employed at LifeSiteNews, being a co-founder doesn’t mean my children are disqualified from working for the mission I helped build. Of course, I recused myself from their hiring decisions. In fact, one of my daughters joined LifeSiteNews as a Major Gifts Officer during a critical staffing shortage. She left a secure, full-time career and took a $35,000 pay cut in order to serve the mission.
Even worse, the individual who aired the leaked recording claimed that my daughters only worked two hours per day, which not only wasn’t true, it was never even alleged. Since their early teenage years, both of my daughters spent countless unpaid hours volunteering for LifeSiteNews, entering data, answering phones, sorting mail, and maintaining records. My family has always sacrificed for the mission of LifeSiteNews, and these false accusations in an effort to defame me were especially unfair to my daughters.
Each of these allegations was completely false—and clearly designed to damage both me and our mission. It has been deeply painful to face these false accusations—especially from people I’ve worked with so closely, for so long.
The Board of Directors has launched a full independent investigation, which is already bringing great clarity to everyone involved.
This ordeal has caused great distress to me and my family—and, I know, to many of you.
Fundamentally, I believe this wasn’t about legal or financial misconduct, but rather differences of opinion regarding the editorial voice of LifeSiteNews. Obviously, many are uncomfortable with my public stance on corruption within the Church. I am grateful for the steps the LifeSiteNews Board of Directors has taken to ensure such differences of opinion were not permitted to let these false accusations stand, and that we are now united in moving forward to restore the trust of our readers and donors through unswerving dedication to our mission.
I’m not a perfect CEO. In fact, I’ve never claimed to be a great manager. My leadership has always been about vision, direction, and content. My flaws are real and obvious to those close to me, but they are not unethical or illegal.
I believe, as Scripture says, that “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” And I trust that from this very trial and hardship, God will bring good – great good!
My commitment to LifeSiteNews, to the truth, and to the mission of defending life, family, faith, and freedom—has not changed.
Most emphatically, I want to thank each and every one of you who reached out with prayers, calls, texts, emails, and comments. You’ve supported me and my family through one of the most difficult moments of my life. I am grateful beyond words.
I know how much LifeSiteNews means to you.
And I want you to know—we’re moving forward. In the next few days, we’ll be rolling out a new plan to address the concerns regarding the various opinions as to where our point of editorial emphasis ought to be. I am confident you’ll embrace this plan with the same hopeful enthusiasm as I have felt in crafting it.
Please keep me, our Board of Directors, and all of us at LifeSiteNews in your prayers as we move forward.
God bless you, my friends—and please, keep praying and supporting this mission.
