As someone who knows Bill Keohan, the recent report regarding a paddleboarding dispute at Plymouth Beach was, on its face, preposterous. At first, I thought it must be a reporter working for a laugh…town humor, Unfortunately, I talked to a few folks who treated the article as serious reporting. And treating unverified accusations as hard news does real damage. It does an injustice to the young lifeguard involved, it unfairly casts aspersions on a dedicated public servant, and most importantly, it hurts our Town by dragging local discourse into sensationalism.
Responsible local journalism demands more than simply printing unproven claims. It seems unlikely that the reporter was digging around and “just came upon” this report from some months ago. The Independent has a journalistic duty to thoroughly investigate this matter by interviewing Bill Keohan and reporting transparently on the evidence—whether that includes cell phone location data, witness validations, or other objective documentation. Our community deserves the facts, not baseless theater.
– Joe Hutchinson