Georgia Pabst Retires From JSonline Shortly After Allegations Of Bias Reporting Surfaced

Journal-Sentinel reporter was accused of leaving out financial facts from articles written about Esperanza Unida, Inc.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

November 22, 2014

Milwaukee, WI - On Friday, Georgia Pabst, a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (MJS) who reported about the Latino community retired by accepting a buyout from the MJS after recent allegations were raised by Robert Miranda, the former Esperanza Unida, Inc. executive director of omitting certain financial facts about the non-profit organization. When contacted by Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA), Miranda also made other allegations, "Pabst biased reporting during the Aldermanic race between Witkowiak and Perez was a cheap hack job done to the honor of Witkowiak and his political career. She was a friend to some, and a hack to others." Miranda is referring to former Alderman James Witkowiak and current Alderman José G. Pérez who defeated Witkowiak in 2012 in the Milwaukee 12th Aldermanic race.

Pabst was previously contacted by HNNUSA regarding a JSonline article concerning the financial deficit of Esperanza Unida and information provided to Pabst by Manuel "Manny" Pérez, the executive director of Esperanza Unida about several real estate mortgages totalling $600,000 ($600K) in loans from Marshall & Ilsley Bank (M&I, now BMO Harris Bank) to the late and former Esperanza Unida executive director Richard Oulahan dated June 14, 1994 and August 25, 1994. Pabst didn't respond to the HNNUSA inquiry. According to Pérez, there is no record of what happened to the loans that were authorized by Oulahan without board approval at the time they were made by banks.