INVESTIGATIVE journalism is often unpopular. By its very nature, it turns over rocks that powerful and influential people often would rather lay dormant.
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If one thing is very clear in the saga of Scott Neylon's letter-writing campaign detailed in this masthead since Saturday, it is that City of Newcastle would rather not be dealing with it.
The Newcastle Herald has raised these matters, after substantial investigation, and presented only facts we could confirm to readers.
That is the purpose of a newspaper - to advocate for the public's right to know about matters of public interest. In this case, that is a connection Mr Neylon has confirmed he has to City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath.
Both Mr Bath and Mr Neylon say Mr Bath had no part in writing the letters, and that he urged Mr Neylon to stop.
On the other hand, City of Newcastle's resolution at Tuesday's meeting served largely to obfuscate the point at issue; discrepancies around letters to the editor written by a man with links to Newcastle's top public servant stronger than his ties to the Hunter.
It is telling that the council saw fit to mention Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery more frequently than almost anyone else in the lengthy debate at Tuesday's meeting.
The bad blood between some elected councillors and Ms Hornery has been documented in these pages, but claims about her involvement in confirming details of the stories are unfounded.
Both Scott Neylon, whose numerous letters contained mistruths and attacks on public figures over many years, and City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath were given ample opportunity to put their case in our reporting.
Their responses have been included in Donna Page's coverage, and readers can make up their own minds about the sum of those parts.
The council has not offered the same respect to Ms Hornery or Herald staff in besmirching them on the public record, nor has it verified the truth of what has been alleged.
On the face of what has been reported, Ron Hoenig has decided there is enough unknown to warrant an investigation.
Several Hunter Labor MPs - not only Ms Hornery - have conceded there are questions that deserve answers.
The Herald shares the lord mayor's disappointment that ratepayers must bear the cost of an investigation that could have been avoided.
But while the questions have proven valid enough in the eyes of state leaders to warrant further scrutiny, the answers provided to date have evidently fallen short of assuaging those same concerns.
Instead of answering those questions, it appears a majority of elected councillors have chosen instead to shoot the messenger, and launch ad hominem attacks on a member of NSW parliament in a public way at the same time.
One councillor accused his colleagues of "muddying the waters" at the meeting on Tuesday night.
The balance of what was resolved indicates at best displays a split focus on what is at issue here, and at worst an unsubstantiated paranoia about agendas linked to party politics and gripes.
The agenda for the Herald is simple: finding answers to questions about discrepancies regarding letters to the editor under the name of a close friend of the chief executive of the City of Newcastle.
Those discrepancies include claiming residence in multiple suburbs around the region over a period of years when Mr Neylon was abroad.
Herald editor Lisa Allan has already committed to a review of verification processes for letters to the editor, an acknowledgement on our part that we wish to do better in the future.
With an investigation on the way, it is disappointing the council has taken the moment to steer an inquiry down rabbit holes on such a flimsy basis rather than clear the matter up and move on.
