(Apartment buildings in City of Gori after
Russian air strike on August 10.)


Gay Georgian Leader's Photos from Gori War Zone

I haven't received any word recently from Paata Sabelashvili, the leader of the Inclusive Foundation, Georgia's only gay advocacy organization, who is also a photographer, but through Googling, I know that he's been in the Gori region and was mentioned on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs official timeline of the war. As soon as I hear from Paata himself, or hear from one of his colleagues, I'll share the update here.

Over at Artmika's GayArmenian blog, he shares some cyberattack news being perpetrated by the Russians, alleging the Georgian president is a homosexual:

Over the last few days my mailbox’s ‘spam folder’ caught number of ‘gay Saakashvili’ messages (referring to Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili). Obviously, I did not open them expecting that this could be a kind of fishy, computer virus spreading spam. Today gay.ru posted news by Security Lab which provides details of that spam attack.

"Mikheil Saakashvili gay scandal! New of this week!" messages contain a reference to the fake BBC news link. It re-directs to the site which starts downloading a malicious code into the user's computer. Experts note the size and technical execution of this spam attack ... There were 44 identified computer sources of that spam indicating the formation of a new botnet.

This is from the Georgian foreign ministry's web site:

13 August

14:45 Paata Sabelashvili, photographer, reported from highway nearby Gori that mini-bus with Georgian civilians have been robbed by Ossetian separatists, one of the passengers, 25-year old women has been kidnapped by the attackers.

Last week, Paata had a dozen of his photos posted on the Civil.ge web site, which describes itself thus:

Civil Georgia is a daily news online service devoted to delivering quality news and analysis about Georgia. Civil.Ge is run by The UN Association of Georgia, a Georgian non-governmental organization, in frames of ‘National Integration and Tolerance in Georgia’ Program financed by USAID. Civil Georgia is also supported by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, German Foundation and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Here are more of Paata's front-line photos from the Civil.ge site:

Apartment buildings in City of Gori after Russian
air strike on August 10, 2008

Internally Displaced Persons in Mtskheta
Reception Center near Tbilisi, August 12

Georgian President Mr. Mikheil Saakashvili
in city of Gori, August 11


Russian troops close to city of Gori, August 13

Dear Paata, take care of yourself and please find a small degree of comfort knowing that my friends and I stand in solidarity with you, and we're very concerned for your safety and the security of all Georgians.

(Top to bottom: Tom Moulten, Jesus LeBron, Brendan Fay.)

Brendan Fay: Out of Hospital,
Explains His Accident

A few week back, my friend and extraordinary global gay advocate Brendan Fay was in tremendous physical pain and suffering from many medical problems, said his partner Tom Moulten in emails. But the messages never said what brought on all the medical troubles.

Mutual friends from Poland and around the USA wrote and asked me how Brendan wound up in hospital, and I told them all I knew was what was in the emails.

Over this weekend, Brendan sent out a photo and this letter to friends and family, thanking everyone for their support and love, providing us with intimate details of his rehab, and how a swimming accident off Fire Island precipitated his new disabling condition.

Here's hoping Brendan continues to recuperate properly, and with his fabulous team of healers, is soon able to get back to more of his activism. The movement needs him.

And did I say more activism? Even with all his medical concerns, and drugs he's taking, Brendan is putting time in on a new film! Nothing can stop that wild Irish spirit of his.

This is his note:

It's getting a little late - but you have all been so good I am letting you in a bit on life since i left since Burke rehab hosp a week ago.

I‘m still amazed at the accident on n July 19 when the rough waves at Fire Island pulled me under and dragged me along the sea bed fracturing my leg.

I am grateful each who were part of the rescue, recovery and healing . From the first moment I called from the water for help to getting home so many people have been kind and generous.

Tom brought me out in the wheelchair to Key Food and the local veg and fruit shop. We went to the barber who cheered when I made it from from the wheelchair to his chair fro the hair cut! It felt so good to be out side.

Our friends Jesus and Alex came out today wheeled me all around Astoria park and down by the river.

Getting up and out of the house made possible by the little miracles of daily life which to now I took for granted. As strange as it seems I now have a sense of gratitude for the simple ability to pee and poop!

I left Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains a week ago and I’m so happy to be back home in Astoria with Tom & the cats. It feels great be back at the computer working on the John McNeill film.

The recovery is slow and steady. The body says "easy does it". Theres a piece that says I really don't have the patience. Since childhood my pace has been stop and run!

At night I am in bed earlier instead of at the computer till midnight. The cats enjoy having company on the bed.... except in their more feisty moments and they want to leap right on the fragile leg!

Visiting nurse service also arranged an aide to help with showering and lunch prep. I understand we are lucky/ blessed with our insurance. However along with all your get well cards the envelopes with windows starting arriving the other day.

I am so appreciative of your many visits, calls and cards from friends and family in Ireland and New York. Our neighbors in Astoria have dropped by. The prayers, cheers and good food are helping me heal and recover. Every call and card has been good morning medicine!

Above all these days and nights I have renewed gratitude for our fragile bodies, the kindness of strangers and the gift of great friends, neighbors and family.

With thanks & hugs to each
brendan

UCSF Must Correct 'Flesh-Eating Gays' Story
in German Arabic Magazine

Remember the worldwide dissemination of lies, hysteria and homophobia stirred up back in January when researchers and the press office at the University of California at San Francisco were pimping their studies about gay men and drug resistant staph infection? If you were half paying attention to gay or health news web sites earlier this year, you know that much alarmism and stigma toward gay men was generated by UCSF's mishandling of scientific data and research.

The Australian, a daily paper down under, summed up in a single headline what many people around the planet assumed was the case from all of UCSF's misinformation: "Flesh-Eating Bug Spreads Among Gays."

Well, the stupidity of UCSF's actions and words have come back to haunt German gays today. From the UK's Pink News web site this afternoon:

A German Arabic language magazine is being investigated by police after it published an article claiming that shaking hands with gay men can transmit disease.

Al-Salam magazine printed an article entitled "A flesh-eating bacteria and sexual abnormality', which says that gay men carry deadly diseases and that Muslim men should not shake their hands as 'one never knows what kind of bacteria and germs are found on them."

The article is accompanied by graphic photographs of skin diseases.

Al-Salaam is free and distributed to restaurants and cafes around Berlin.

The article was reported to police by the Lesbian and Gay Association of Berlin-Brandenburg (LSVD), who are now investigating the issue.

LSVD spokesperson Alexander Zinn told TheLocal.de:"We have reported it as a crime to the police and it is now being examined to determine whether it should be dealt with as defamation or incitement." . . .

Damn, if we had comparable media laws in the USA, dozens of domestic publications and media outlets, starting with the SF Chronicle, would face investigations from the cops, something gay health advocates such as myself can only dream about!

Changing USA's media laws aside, I am sending this post over to the UCSF gay liaison and several of the university's top public relations officers, with a note asking them to reach out to the gay German group LSVD, and work with them to correct the defaming reporting in the Al-Salaam publication. I will be contacting Barbara French, head of UCSF's public information office, Wallace Raaven of the media office, and Shane Snowden, the LGBT health advocate for the university.

I believe the vast public relations and gay resources UCSF has at its fingertips, should make very public effort to tamp down the lies being spread in German-Arabic publications about gay men and drug resistant staph infections.

Gay men and our health advocates at UCSF need to spring into action when medical misinformation is spread through the press, whether media in the USA or elsewhere on our very small planet.

Biz Journal: AIDS Executive's Pay
Higher Than Colleagues

The editor of the Washington Business Journal has today printed my letter responding to a column last week from members of the board of directors at Food & Friends, in which the authors made weak arguments attempting to justify a high six-figure salary for the executive director. Of course, I'm glad the debate about this issue continues and hope that donors to and clients of this service agency let the board members know Shniderman's pay is excessive.

This is the text of my letter in the Washington Business Journal this week:

What Price Friends?

Dear Editor:

As a person with AIDS who has long chronicled how some AIDS service organizations divert too much money from vital programs, and instead spend money on avaricious compensation packages for executives, I know the great lengths board members will go to in order to kill the messenger that exposes questionable allocation of nonprofit dollars.

Craig Shniderman, executive director of Food & Friends, was compensated $357,447 in 2007 for his services managing the group’s revenue of $7.6 million.

Leaders of his board claim that “Shniderman gets paid similarly to what his peers at similar agencies around the U.S. get paid.” This claim is easily disproved by looking at San Francisco’s Project Open Hand, a hot meals program for people with AIDS and other ill people, that had $10.9 million in revenue and paid its executive director $182,880.

In short, the leader of a similar group, in another city with a higher cost of living
earned slightly less than half of what Shniderman took home last year — even though his organization raised more than $3.3 million more in revenue than Food & Friends did.

By receiving such a large salary, Shniderman is cheating the charity’s clients — with the overt support of Robert P. Hall III and Chris Wolf, the current and past presidents, respectively, of Food & Friends’ board.

Cutting Shniderman’s compensation would go a long way towards helping persons with AIDS and showing average donors, who don’t make anywhere near $357,000 annually, that the 501(c)(3) puts the needs of economically disadvantaged patients first. Should the nonprofit experience a fundraising fallout, clients will suffer because of the misplaced priorities of the board.

Prez Debates: Reporters Waive Dispute Rights

Tomorrow is the the deadline for journalists to apply to the presidential debate commission for credential to cover the debates in the fall between Obama and McCain. The commission's web page for the application process seems pretty standard for this kind of historic event. Submit your name, Social Security number, list your media outlet, etc.

But the commission also imposes this disturbing condition:

The applicant waives his or her right to dispute or appeal the denial or revocation of credentials.

I have many issues of contention with the debate commission, starting with being controlled by DNC and RNC leaders, funded by corporations, and lacking in transparency in how it operates and arrives at its decisions. Oh, and it also keeps out third and independent candidates, unless, like in 1992 with Ross Perot, they've got lots of bucks to buy their way into the debates.

Seeing that reporters must give up some basic rights if they're denied credentials, makes me queasy about who and how the national debates for presidential candidates will be conducted. Is it old-fashioned of me, to think journalists should be able to dispute a decision by the commission?

To further drive home the point that the commission is above appeal or reproach, or needs to be fully accountable to the press and public, the commission gives itself the right to remain silent when questioned:

If you have any questions about your application please send your contact information and request to: mediarequest@cpdebates.org. We will reply to valid requests only and reserve the right to offer no explanation for security reasons.

Um,that's a bit draconian, in my view, and unworthy of American democracy. If reporters are to be turned down for credentials, I'd like the two major parties and the corporations controlling the debates to explain why and allow reporters to file appeals.

That isn't asking too much from a democratic institution running the debate show this fall.

Lesbian Vet Comes Out Against
"Gay Orgies" Stereotyping

The letters column in the Stars & Stripes military newspaper has been crackling with letters in the past few days reacting to a recent reader's note opposing open gays in the armed forces, for many reasons, including the fear that gays in the military would equal "[o]rgies on demand."

The most intellectually and and emotionally moving letters was from a lesbian, forcefully arguing for the US military to accept openly gay soldiers. This appeared in today's edition of the Stars & Stripes:

Normally I do not justify outlandish allegations with a response, but I can not remain silent on this issue any longer.

I am a Navy veteran and served a large portion of my time out to sea. I am also a homosexual. I served my time in the armed forces as a known lesbian and I was not alone. There were several known homosexuals onboard. My command and co-workers were aware of my orientation, and I discussed my relationships with my shipmates as they shared information about their families. When you are segregated months at a time with the same handful of people at sea, you form a cohesiveness that is unquestionable. Gay and straight, my friends and shipmates were my family. I have fond memories of the investment I made in my country.

I have had it with reading letters and columns from individuals claiming that if a gay servicemember is allowed to serve openly, it would be detrimental to good order and discipline, and that homosexuals are deviant in nature and geared only to sexual satisfaction.

With all due respect to the retired lieutenant commander who wrote in his Aug. 6 letter "Against gays in military" that there would be "[o]rgies on demand," I was certainly never a part of, invited to or aware of any orgies, forced sexual situations or "preying on friends and foes."

I did my job, I served my country, I received an honorable discharge and I did it as a lesbian ...

Valerie Crutchfield
Fort Monmouth, New Jersey

Letters such as this one go far in educating both veterans and currently active members of the military who oppose lifting the the ban on open homosexuals. Thank you, Ms. Crutchfield, for serving the nation, and the gay community, with valor and pride.

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Georgian, Russian & Polish Gays
Opine on War in Caucasia

I have lots of news to share today from a few different gay perspectives regarding the war in the Caucasia region, starting with a brief note from Paata Sabelashvili that he sent to me:

Thanks again for being so supportive!

I do not think you can do much for the community and inclusive right now. But the thing is that we are in no unique position. The entire country suffers equally (at least in this way there is some equality) and we are hoping that everything will resolve soon.

Thanks you again for thinking of us!

I will keep you posted.

His dark humor, seeing something good from the war for gays, in that they are suffering just like every other citizen of Georgia, is admirable and I'm not sure I would have his strength if I were faced with living through a war. When I hear from him again, or our mutual friends, I'll share his message here.

Add this short news note to the "there's always a homophobic angle to the other side's cowardice in a war" files. It comes from an ultra-nationalist Russian news and political advocacy web site:

HOMOSEXUALISTS IN GEORGIA ARMY

One of killed georgian soldiers in Chinvali wore stockings. Photo of one of Georgia Army oficial was found in his pocket. On other side of the photo - name of the oficial and a erotic message.

Is it just me and my jaded Western homosexual sensibility that sees this as just too pat a "news report" to put much stock in its truth? About the only thing missing from the story is that a rainbow flag was also found in his pocket.

In other news from Russia, a spat has broken out between gay groups and leaders based in Moscow over the incursion into Georgia. According to Nikolai Alexeyev and his GayRussia group, have issued a statement deploring a rival gay leader, Ed Mishin, and his organization Gay.Ru for their endorsement of Russia's military action. Mishin and Gay.Ru have not made an English translation of their endorsement available the public.

FYI, Alexeyev and GayRussia are the activists responsible for attempting to stage gay pride events every May. This is from their announcement posted to the Gays Without Borders site:

Russian LGBT site Gay.Ru known for its opposition to the openness and public manifestations of LGBT community in Russia, expressed its full loyalty to the military intervention which current Russian authorities launched against independent Georgia . . .

The site Gay.Ru fully supported governmental version of the events in Georgia writing in its article: “There is an operation now being conducted in South Ossetia to force Georgia, which started military conflict with ossetians, to peace”.

This information resource which belongs to gay businessman Ed Mishin (Mikhail Edemskiy) repeated in full the official formula concerning this military conflict announced by Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev.

According the site, we are witnessing not the military aggression of one state against the other, but a sort of a military “operation”. This is exactly what is being said in the official Russian propaganda of controlled state media.

This is not the first time when the site Gay.Ru demonstrates its full loyalty to the current political regime in Russia. In 2006 it was regularly used for attacks against the conduct of Gay Pride march in Moscow . . .

Meanwhile, the war of Russia against Georgia provoked negative reactions from many European LGBT activists, especially from Eastern European countries . . .

Russian LGBT Human Rights Project GayRussia.Ru condemns all military actions and supports peaceful ways of international and national conflicts resolution by means of negotiations.

You know a gay movement is strong outside the USA and Western Europe when there are competitive gay advocacy groups sparring with one another!

Meanwhile, from Poland, longtime gay advocate and political organizer Lukasz Palucki, offers up his views of the situation over there:

Reporter Siergey Podsosonny called feew times to Georgia, but without results. His friends cell phones dosnt work. (even in Tibilisi). There are also problems with internet connection to Georgia (russian army destroyed lot of fiber channells).

You know WHO will be next ? I think that Ukraine. Russia will try to use russian minority. In my country people think that we should prepare to send polish army to support Ukraine in future, becouse West World will not help them, like they didnt help Georgia. Today presidenst of Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are going to Tibilisi to support Georgia. From last news: russian army is preparing to attack Tibilisi. They are going in one polish plane in next 20 minutes.

When I first time heard about this war (saturday evening) I was on Black See, on the ship from Koktiebiel to (port in south Ukraine) there was gay party organised by ukrainian gay community. I meet lgbt people from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and other ex-sovet country.

This what is really amazing for me that russian gays who was there, support the war ! So please dont expect form lgbt community in Russia to think in "west way". Remeber that they dont have free media. There are gay-russian-nationalist even in Ukraine.

I find it a fascinating window into a small part of gay life abroad to read these messages from my friends in the countries close to the war-torn Caucasus region. Their fears come across in their written messages. Nikolai Alexeyev sent this reply to Lukasz Palucki:

Thanks for the information that you sent. It is very useful and interesting. The only thing I want to oppose is your statement concerning the support of Russian gays to the war in Georgia. I can tell you that me and my fellow activist Nikolai Baev and GayRussia as an organisation were totally against what Russia is doing in Georgia which we consider as an invasion of an independent state. I can guess that many Russian people as well as gays are in favor of this operation and this war as they are under the same propaganda pressure from the authorities and media but we have always been independent and liberty minded people and will never support such military actions.

And finally, from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, a thirty-ish queer blogger, Jere Keys, looks at the dearth of coverage about the war from other USA gay blogs, and the history of gay people in Georgia:

I’ve noticed that the LGBT blogs I read have not had much to say on the Georgia-Russia conflict. I’ve been doing some research on Georgia to find out how LGBT issues relate to the young democracy. Here are a couple of items I turned up.

Georgia was the first country in South Caucasus to decriminalize homosexuality when it joined Council of Europe . . .

I’m concerned about how the Georgia-Russia conflict will play out for Eastern European LGBT people. Will other former soviet nations redouble their efforts to become more “European” - or will they react to the war as a reason to move very cautiously in human rights? Will Orthodox Christianity continue to influence politics in ways as great or greater than Evangelical Christianity has gripped the Republican agenda in the U.S.?

That's about all I have to share today on this story, other than to say I believe my blog is just one expression of solidarity with gay Georgians and all people in the area suffering Russian bombs, and I hope a cease-fire is soon reached.

Georgian Gay Leader is Alive and OK

[UPDATE: Paata Sabelashvili, the leader of the Inclusive Foundation, who is very much out-of-the-closet, has written to me and the global gay community. His letter is posted in the comments section below. Read what he says from inside war-torn Georgia. Just click on comments page. -michael]

With the outbreak of war between Georgia and Russia over the disputed territory of South Ossetia in recent days, I grew concerned for all people in the region, and especially so for gay people in Georgia.

After scouring the net for any word on either newspaper or blog sites about the fate of Georgian gays, and not getting any hits, I posted a query to the Gays Without Borders group on Yahoo. Replies were soon posted on the Gays Without Borders listserv, which are shared here. The first is brief, but provides positive news.

Hi guys,

I've been in touch with the head of Georgian only LGBT NGO - Inclusive Foundation. He is OK, well, as 'OK' as the rest of the population.

Best Wishes,
Artmika

Our friend Artmika is a gay Armenian man and he often shares news from his part of the world. Of course, it's great news that Artmika reached the leader of the Inclusive Foundation, and I've asked him to convey my concern from America to the gay citizens of Georgia, and to keep members of Gays Without Borders informed on any developments for gay people in the war-torn region.

BTW, things are so bad for gays in Georgia that leaders of the gay group can not be publicly identified without seriously jeopardizing their safety and security.

Another nugget of good news is that the web site for the Inclusive Foundation, with pages both in Georgian and English, is still up and functioning. Not only was I surprised to learn they had a web site, and in two languages, given the terribly repressive societal homophobia gays face in Georgia I'm impressed there's an advocacy group there and they have a dynamic web site, I was surprised the site was operational, given Russia's cyberattacks on Georgia's web sites. Click here to visit Inclusive's site.

The second, much longer reply, came from a gay friend in Moscow, with lots of background information on gay in the countries on Russia's southern border.

Dear Michael,

I am not surprised that you didn't find any information about Georgian or Ossetian gays in internet. The problem is that they don't exsist visibly.

I know this problem very well as former Soviet citizen myself. This is the same fear to come out, the same hate and pressure from homophobes like in other former Soviet or Socialist countries. If in Eastern Europe, like Poland, Baltic countries or Russia we try to make LGBT community visible, so this is almost impossible in Caucasian countires like Georgia, Armenia or Russian Rupublics like Chechnya, Ingushetya and other.

It doesn't mean that gays and lesbians don't exist in there. They are just not visible. LGBT groups are a very rare thing.

Last year there was a rumour (just a rumour) that Georgian gays would make manifestation in Tbilisi. There was a very hard reaction from Georgian Orthodox Church and politicians who demanded to ban any rally of gays and lesbians.
Orthodox Chruch has very strong influence in Christian republics of Caucasus. The Muslim ones are influenced by muftis.

The most of population in this region live in rural areas. So there are no as big cities as for exemple in Russia where LGBT people can feel relatively safe. Therefore Caucasian gays and lesbians are forced to hide their identity, marry to women and men.

Homophobic violance and harassment are widespread.

Another point. Family values are still very strong among Caucasian people. Homosexuality is regarded "dishonour" of the whole family which should be "washed with blood". So this is very dangerous for Caucasian gays and lesbians to be visible in their societies.

Some of them prefer to leave their countries and to go abroad, for exemple in Moscow. I often met in Moscow some gays and lesbians from Caucasian areas which find in big cities an opportunity to be themselves.

Best regards,
Nikolai Baev

Many thanks to Artmika and Nikolai for their messages, which I hope to receive more of in the coming days. And want to say I prayed in church today for a speedy end to the violence and killing in the Caucasian nations. There is nothing much I can do from San Francisco about the terrible situation over there, except express my concerns through emails and blogging.

AIDS Group Protests Reporting Exec's $357K Pay

The current and past president of the board of directors of Food and Friends published yet another attack on me for exposing back in June that the head of the service organization is making $357,000, this time as an op-ed in the Washington Business Journal in response to an article it published last week.

On numerous DC and AIDS related web sites, the board and top executives at Food and Friends have spent an inordinate amount of time and energy lambasting me for reading their IRS 990 form and sharing figures from it on my blog, and with reporters. Typical nonprofit reaction when the greed is exposed: Kill the messenger.

The problem here is not me blogging about what an AIDS executive earns, and reporters writing stories. The issue is that the donating public in the Washington area didn't know about Craig Schniderman's high salary and supporters of the agency are expressing their displeasure over the compensation.

Even though I'm not happy the writers here attempt to portray me as on a rampage about my demand that Schniderman's salary be cut and the money instead diverted to better meals and supplements for people with AIDS, when all I did was blog on the subject and answer questions when Blade and Post reporters called, I'm pleased the issue is alive into its third month of media attention.

What is most disturbing about the board presidents' column is the last line:

Ultimately, it will be the clients of Food & Friends who will suffer from any fallout on fundraising caused by the unwarranted news flurry containing flawed and incomplete comparisons.

In other words, instead of attacking the real problem here, Schniderman's high pay, if it causes a fall in donations, the leaders of the board will inflict suffering, probably in the form of reduced meals and juices, on people with AIDS, just so the boss can make $357,000.

The shameless way in which Food and Friends puts one HIV negative man's compensation package over the needs of poor and sick people is disgusting. With "friends" like Richard P. Hall and Christopher Wolf, clients of this agency have much to worry about.

August 8, 2008
Washington Business Journal

Food & Friends Defends Salary
by Richard P. Hall III and Christopher Wolf

D.C.-based Food & Friends prepares and delivers 20,000 meals each week to people with life-challenging illnesses. Despite recent reports, the agency is not “cutting services to lower costs.” Cuts in federal funding have required Food & Friends to slow its rate of growth, meaning it cannot add new clients as quickly as in the past . . .

The executive director of Food & Friends is Craig Shniderman, a 35-year veteran of social work and nonprofits, who has served nearly 14 years in the job. Shniderman is the person who rescued Food & Friends in the mid-1990s from dire financial straits and moved the agency from the church basement to its current home by running a $9 million capital campaign . . .

So, last year, Shniderman received a salary of $270,290, as well as $31,318 in various insurances and a pension plan and $55,839 in deferred compensation . . .

Rocco Associates observed that: “Shniderman holds two master’s degrees (in educational psychology and social work) and has 26 years of experience as a chief staff executive in not-for-profit organizations . . . "

None of these facts fully justifying the compensation given to our skilled executive director seem to matter to a blogger from San Francisco, who recently went on a rampage against the salary. Moreover, as explained in an article in the Washington Business Journal, “How Much is Too Much?” (Aug. 1-7), that blogger’s campaign led to a story in the Washington Blade, and that led to a story in The Washington Post . . .

That blog-inspired reportorial trail led to the Washington Business Journal article that included a bare budget-based comparison of Shniderman’s compensation done by a firm called Abbott Langer.

Without any independent investigation, the Abbott Langer firm concluded Shniderman was being paid too much (“$150,000 above the average for groups with similar revenue”). The firm ignored the fact that Shniderman gets paid similarly to what his peers at similar agencies around the U.S. get paid — for a job that draws from a national labor pool.

Unfortunately, for some who simply read headlines or incomplete newspaper stories, there is the real potential for a backlash. Indeed, some of the e-mails lobbed into Food & Friends in response to the stories have been quite mean-spirited. Ultimately, it will be the clients of Food & Friends who will suffer from any fallout on fundraising caused by the unwarranted news flurry containing flawed and incomplete comparisons.

Robert P. Hall III is president and Christopher Wolf is past president of Food & Friends.