OPEN LETTER TO MR. RICHARD BLANGIARDI GENERAL MANAGER HAWAII NEWS NOW AND CALL TO ACTION.
Dear Mr. Blangiardi, 21 October 2016
It is unfortunate that Hawaii News Now would not fact check misinformation shared by Representative Matt LoPresti on this morning’s Sunrise show, correcting his claim that a TRO was granted, knowing we already resolved this issue in April and this TRO was dismissed with prejudice.
The incorrect information shared by Representative LoPresti and lack of response by your local team is very discouraging, and just one more in a long line of attempts by this dishonest, arrogant, elitists, narcissistic candidate to tip the scales in his favor; because he is unable to run on the strength of his own voting record and fears he will lose.
We have worked very hard to stay on the high road and not mix it up with Representative LoPresti who continues to harass and use your news station and the Campaign Spending Commission as his own personal tools with which to create the illusion that we are in a contentious race or are running an illegal campaign.
For the record, we are not interested in Representative LoPresti, or anything he stands for. We avoid any contact with him, care nothing about his personal issues with us or his lack of integrity and dishonest approach to running for office. He is an embarrassment to this community and the position of State Representative, and is definitely not a friend of the people.
I highly doubt that this message will find the light of day as it appears your station has already made its choice for support clear. But at the very least I would expect that your station is capable of telling the whole truth, not just the fabricated stories by a desperate candidate looking for support in his bid to remain in office. Your little disclaimer in the online version of his interview is insufficient since the original interview was live and reached your enormous TV audience precisely at a time when your viewers were deciding whom to vote for. Your station allowed me to be characterized as “guilty” when I was actually exonerated.
I wish I could believe this was a mere mistake or oversight by your team. But Mr. Uyehara brought up the subject and asked the question about this issue which your news department mishandled only a few months ago. The time to correct Representative LoPresti would have been as soon as the lie came out of his mouth. Instead, your live broadcast continued while Mr. Uyehara kept nodding his head in agreement -- a clear signal to viewers that there was nothing wrong with Representative LoPresti’s outrageously false assertion. It also didn’t escape my notice that your interviewer asked about my three decades old criminal history but didn’t bother (just as HNN has never bothered) to ask Representative LoPresti about his far more recent arrest for drunk driving.
Several months ago, Chelsea Davis breathlessly and mistakenly reported that the judge ruled against me in this matter. After several days of objecting to your news team led by Mr. Platte, a half-hearted correction was aired. However, today, you allowed Representative LoPresti to use your live TV audience to spread this lie after mail-in balloting has already started. This simple yet apparently deliberate oversight, attempting to paint Representative LoPresti as a viable candidate to remain as State House Representative, has only helped to reassure me of the need for honest, truthful, transparent leadership in our community.
I’m hoping you will do the right thing to correct this injustice by making several announcements over the next three days before voters mail-in their ballots or go to polls for early voting.
Respectfully,
Bryan Jeremiah - Candidate
State House of Representatives District 41
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FLASHBACK – Matt LoPresti vs Keoni Dudley, 2010
2011: LoPresti: Ewa Neighborhood Board 'Most Dysfunctional in USA'
2016: Ewa Beach House Campaign: Stolen Signs, Bolt Cutters, and Confrontations with Police
HNN: Ewa Beach campaign for state House turns ugly as accusations arise
PDF: Matt LoPresti Criminal Transcript
PDF: Bryan Jeremiah Criminal Transcript