When Miami Herald reporter Aaron Leibowitz made the decision to get in bed with shady political operatives under the guise of “investigative journalism,” he made the biggest mistake in his short career.
But the the buck for his #FakeNews disaster stopped right at the desk of his boss, Senior Editor Dave Wilson who gave him the green light to run with the story.
Unfortunately for the both of them, once it was revealed that Leibowitz inserted himself into a drama he created by filing a complaint against the subject of his article, Wilson now finds himself in the regrettable position of having to protect his disgraced protégé from the fallout.
In our previous blog, we told you that Miami Herald reporter Aaron Leibowitz, refused to give a sworn statement attesting to his apparently false allegations against Bay Harbor Islands Police Corporal Pablo Lima.
In an email dated January 21, 2020, Internal Affairs Lead Investigator Lieutenant Curtis Johnson asked Leibowitz if he was willing to provide a sworn statement regarding the nature of the attachment to his complaint. Leibowitz wrote back claiming that his editors “informed” him that he “cannot provide a sworn statement.”
Lieutenant Johnson then wrote back, “Thank you for your response. If I can ask, in reference to the one attachment of the meme of the Muslim Doll, to your knowledge was the attachment sent to the Town Manager manipulated in any way and did it appear to you that Cpl. Lima posted the meme of the doll.”
As we already reported in Part 2 of this series, Leibowitz deliberately manipulated the screenshot of the “Muslim Doll” meme by cutting out of the top of the Muslim Doll photo, thereby omitting the name of the person who actually posted that comment and giving the false impression that it was Pablo Lima’s comment.
In response to Lieutenant Johnson’s question, Leibowitz wrote, “I apologize, but I’m not in a position to answer such questions.”
Wait, WHAT?
He’s “not in a position” to answer questions about a screenshot he presumably took on his phone and presented as evidence in a complaint that he filed?
Well, if that doesn’t beat all!
After Lieutenant Curtis wrote back politely, saying, “Thank you for your time,” Miami Herald Senior Editor Dave Wilson responded with the following email:
How ironic!
If Miami Herald journalists “don’t participate in police investigations,” then maybe he shouldn’t have filed a complaint against Corporal Pablo Lima in the first place.
Just saying.
But, that’s not the end of the story … or the irony.
Six days later on January 27, 2020, and just one day after we posted our prologue to this series, The attempted takedown of Corporal Pablo Lima, and the Miami Herald reporter who got played, Miami Herald Senior Editor Dave Wilson sent an email to Bay Harbor Town Manager J.C. Jimenez and Police Chief Sean Hemingway bemoaning the “inaccurate and inappropriate characterization of Miami Herald reporter Aaron Leibowitz as “complainant” in the close-out memo dated January 22, 2020,” and demanding “that the public record be corrected by amending the memo to remove all references to Mr. Leibowitz as the “complainant” in this matter.”
He closed his letter with, “Please provide the Miami Herald with an amended copy of the closeout memo when it becomes available.”
Notice he said “when,” not “if” the amended close-out memo becomes available.
It’s almost as if he fully expects the Town officials to do his bidding without question.
It’s almost as if he really thinks his declining rag is one of the Top Ten Newspapers in the country instead of Number 47.
It’s almost as if the Senior Editor of the Miami Herald is completely unaware that altering a public record is illegal.
Florida Statute 119.07 (2)(b) states, “The custodian of public records shall provide safeguards to protect the contents of public records from unauthorized remote electronic access or alteration and to prevent the disclosure or modification of those portions of public records which are exempt or confidential from subsection (1) or s. 24, Art. I of the State Constitution.”
Florida Statute 119.10 (1)(a) warns that a public officer who “violates any provision of this chapter commits a noncriminal infraction, punishable by fine not exceeding $500.”
The Close-Out Memorandum issued by the Bay Harbor Islands Police Department on January 22, 2020 is a documented public record. Amending it would be akin to putting a genie back in the bottle.
By attempting to intimidate Bay Harbor Islands town officials into “altering” or modifying” this public record, Miami Herald Senior Editor Dave Wilson is asking the the Bay Harbor Islands records custodian to break the law.
Ironically, since Miami Herald journalists “don’t participate in police investigations,” that rule also applies to Miami Herald editors.
Dave Wilson can’t have it both ways.
One final thought before we end this series.
In our previous post we said that only way Aaron Leibowitz could have possibly known that Corporal Lima had applied for the job of Police Chief was if someone inside Town Hall or the Police Department, or someone who has ties to Town officials, had tipped him off.
So, on January 27, 2020, we made a public records request for “copies of any and all correspondences, including letters, emails, texts, telephone records (both public and private cell phones), and faxes between the Miami Herald, including reporter Aaron Leibowitz (cell #914-960-2739) and any Bay Harbor Islands public officials, including Town Manager, Town Attorney, Town Clerk, Town Mayor, and Town Council Members, from the beginning of this fiscal year, October 1, 2019, through and including the present date, January 27, 2020.”
One of the items we received in response to our request was a cut and paste copy of a series of text messages between Bay Harbor Islands Council Member Jordan W. Leonard and Miami Herald reporter Aaron Leibowitz.
We couldn’t help but notice chumminess and familiarity between an allegedly unbiased reporter and an elected official.
Just saying.
In the most recent text on January 20, 2020, Leibowitz referred to a rally held the previous evening in support of Pablo Lima, calling it “absurd.”
Because we all know it’s totally “absurd” to support a law enforcement officer whose life is being destroyed by false accusations of wrongdoing.
Well, apparently it is if you’re the person who made those false allegations in the first place.
Nothing says “objective reporter” like publicly mocking the subject of a story.
Nothing says “professional journalist” like whining about being criticized for writing that story.
Now that Miami Herald reporter Aaron Leibowitz has been exposed as a deceptive, manipulative and biased reporter, we can only hope that Karma does what she does best.
Free country.
Lol.
Haha.
Stephanie
This is a sad witch-hunt.
One of the main claims in this tirade is that Leibowitz altered a photo to make it appear as though Lima “liked” the russian doll picture, but that’s simply a misunderstanding for how the information displays, and the actual claims my Leibowitz.
Your own reporting shows that Leibowitz specified that Lima “liked” the comment that starts “screw these liberals” as he writes in his own words, and yet this seems to go right past you and you fixate on the russian doll, which is not a part of his “complaint”.
The fact that the investigation chose to erroneously fixate on the russian doll is a shortcoming in their own limited understanding of modern technology and user interfaces.
You even clearly pointed out in your last post that it’s OBVIOUS to anyone with understanding the Lima didn’t like the russian doll comment, and yet nowhere do you demonstrate the Leibowitz claims that Lima liked that comment.
The only one who seems fixated on the Muslim Doll issue is you. Nowhere did I say that Lima “liked” that meme. This is what I did say:
However, when he attached a screenshot of this comment, he very deliberately included the previous comment, which is a picture of the now infamous “Muslim Doll,” and which had a total of three “likes.”
“By using this particular screenshot, Aaron Leibowitz made two very calculatingly deceptive moves:
He deliberately cut of the top of the Muslim Doll photo, thereby omitting the name of the person who actually posted that comment and giving the false impression that it was Pablo Lima’s comment.
He deliberately cut off the bottom of the second comment reflecting its number of “likes,” thereby giving the false impression that Pablo Lima was one of the three people who “liked” the Mustlim Doll photograph above it.
Aaron Leibowitz did not have to use a screenshot of the “Muslim Doll.” He could have merely scrolled up the page to screenshot just the comment below it, per his complaint, as well as the number of “likes” it received.
But, by including this inflammatory photo in his screenshot, Aaron Leibowitz was counting on a knee-jerk reaction of disgust for Corporal Lima from Town officials when they received and reviewed his complaint.”
I emphasize two important points: (1) Aaron Leibowitz did not have to use a screenshot of the “Muslim Doll,” and that (2) by including it, he “was counting on a knee-jerk reaction.”
The investigator, who it appears was also of the same opinion, did not “erroneously fixate” on that photo, either, nor did he accuse the reporter of claiming that Lima “liked” it. In his email to Leibowitz, Lt. Johnson merely wished to clarify two things: (1) Whether or not Leibowitz had knowledge if the photo was manipulated in any way, and (2) if it appeared to him that “Cpl. Lima posted the meme of the doll.”
By asking these questions, Lt. Johnson was attempting to determine the reason why Leibowitz included that photo as an exhibit to his complaint when it was completely unrelated to the nature of the allegations. Therefore, your claim that the investigator had a “limited understanding of modern technology and user interfaces” is patently false.
I forgot to mention, but also stated in your earlier reporting is that Aaron Leibowitz was obviously set up by some third party in the know who wanted to get at Pablo Lima, and yet all the focus seems to be on Leibowitz and his asking the police department for comment.
Also, you don’t give a motive for Aaron Leibowitz filing a complaint, or demonstrate that he understood his questions would be construed as an official complaint, which seems a gap in the line of reasoning to claim he set up Pablo Lima.
I once again remind you that, in his complaint, Leibowitz did not ask the police department (or anyone else for that matter) for a comment. Read it again.
Yes, the reporter was set up by a third party whose main objective was to destroy Pablo Lima’s career for personal, vindictive reasons. I focus on Leibowitz because, as a supposedly professional journalist, he had a duty to examine the motives of the person who led him on this “witch hunt” (your words, not mine) against Lima in the first place.
As I explained to him after his article was published, when I gave him detailed information that I uncovered about a public official in another city I cover, it was for the sole purpose of rooting out corruption in government. I have absolutely no personal connection to the official in question, nor do I have a personal vendetta against that person. Leibowitz’ “source” in the Lima matter, however, does have a personal vested interest in causing problems for the Corporal and, especially, his wife, Commissioner Anabelle Lima-Taub. Although Leibowitz agreed that he needed to be more discriminating when gathering his intel in the future, at the time I did not realize the extent of the reporter’s collusion with his “source” until I reviewed all the material, including the investigation report as well as the email exchanges.
This “source” most likely took the screenshots, instructed the reporter on what to write in the complaint, and then sat back to watch the fireworks. I happen to know who this person is, and I also happen to know this exactly is the type of scheme this person is capable of cooking up. Not one person I’ve spoken to about this saga is surprised because it has this person’s manipulative fingerprints all over it.
It’s disappointing that Leibowitz didn’t question his source’s motives before getting sucked up into the drama.
Leibowitz’ obvious motive for filing the complaint against Lima, knowing full well it would result in an Internal Affairs investigation, was to be the first to report a breaking news story. DUH!
Thank you for reporting one bully at The Herald. There are many more.
They take an attitude increasingly draconian and controlling and think the First Amendment is a license to say whatever they want and sway any opinion.
A lot has to do with their Editorial Board.
Thank you for bringing to light that this was “fake news”, and appears to have been done intentionally with allegedly “a cut and paste copy of a series of text messages between Bay Harbor Islands Council Member Jordan W. Leonard and Miami Herald reporter Aaron Leibowitz?
Just for the Record: When Jordan W. Leonard was our alleged “bullying” Town Mayor, and (BHI) Taxpayers paid for hiring Consultant Stanley B. Price for “Church by the Sea,” the following (05-16-2016) had been stated: “The sole issue presently pending before the Town is zoning. To tie the BDS to the zoning issue is a RECIPE FOR DISASTER for the Town…the Constitution of the United States provides for the balancing of competing interests and both sides must be adequately protected?”
After I received that cut and paste copy, I requested from the clerk the actual screenshots of the text messages. Anyone can alter a cut and paste copy, and such a copy does not constitute a legitimate public record. For example, I have no way of knowing if Jordan Leonard responded to any of those text messages because he did not include them. As soon as I receive the actual screenshots, I will post them either here or in a new blog post.