My Mistakes with the Mission Inn ‘For Sale’ Story

Last Thursday evening, I published the story, Riverside's Iconic Mission Inn Hotel Up for Sale. I made a few critical mistakes that I would like to take a moment to explain and apologize to you, the subscribers and supporters of The Raincross Gazette, for the errors.

Following the release of my story, some controversy erupted on social media, and the next morning, I updated the story was updated and now sits with a new headline:Iconic Mission Inn Hotel Rumored for Sale, Owners Say 'Not True'.

If you missed it in the corrections added to the original story, here is a quote from Patrick O'Brien, General Counsel for the Mission Inn Corporation:

"The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa is a treasured historic property, and as such, ownership regularly receives interest and inquiries from a variety of parties. At this time, there are no active plans to sell the property. Ownership remains focused on the continued success and stewardship of the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa."

Yesterday, I received an email from a subscriber asking:

“Is the Mission Inn for sale, or was that an error in reporting? I’m confused since so many social media sites say no, and nowadays it’s hard to trust the news. I thought we could trust the Gazette, but now I’m not sure.”

So what happened?

I first heard the rumor a week before, and was instantly compelled by how big a deal the sale would be for Riverside. As former mayor Ron Loveridge said, "The Mission Inn is the anchor of downtown... it differentiates us from other cities—it connects us with the past and the present, and hopefully to the future, making it the most important part of our identity downtown."

The person I first heard the rumor from is someone I trust implicitly, so I began the work of reporting to see what facts I could gather and verify. I started a working document titled “Mission Inn for Sale” to track my notes and research. By the end of Friday, it was clear to me that a lot of folks in town had heard the same thing, and many of them independently verified different details of the rumors.

In that process, something else happened that really disturbed me. A few individuals with influence here in town encouraged me not to publish a story, arguing these deals are too sensitive to get the public involved with. Honestly, a part of me wishes I had listened to them and saved myself a lot of time, energy, and now embarrassment. But I believe in Riverside, and this city is as much the people as it is the place, and I believe everyone in this city deserves access to the details shaping our community so I determined to figure out how to tell the story.

Additionally, the Mission Inn was recently under fire for controversies surrounding the eviction of the Mission Inn Museum from its location in the hotel. In that process, I watched as rumors, partial truths, and slander spread on social media. At the time, I wanted the Gazette to help mitigate the damage by publishing the truth. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the skills to properly report that story or a reputation that would motivate involved parties to participate in our reporting. Last week, I saw this new story as an opportunity for redemption and a chance to publish the kind of community-strengthening news I long for.

So what went wrong?

While I was able to learn and obtain details and some documentation about the possible sale, I couldn’t use those details due to issues with the need to publish my sourcing to remain a trustworthy news source. Believing the story was still important to share with you, I decided to interview people who had verified the rumors and had a strong connection to the hotel and report on their awareness of the rumors. In my mind, the new theme of the story was “these people connected to the Mission Inn have heard it may be for sale, and I think you should know why that’s important.”
In putting these interviews together, I made a critical mistake when I wrote that “Jennifer Gamble, president of the Mission Inn Foundation, confirmed the hotel is listed for sale,” which was simply not true; she only confirmed the Foundation had also heard it was for sale. This was a significant mistake that did harm to both Jennifer and the Foundation, for which I am deeply sorry.
I didn't contact the hotel directly; in my experience, the staff working on-site here in town don't have access to ownership-level details, which makes sense given the corporate structure. I tried using my relational network to seek comment from the Roberts family but failed to make that connection; I should have reached out to the hotel’s attorney, whom I had been connected to sometime over a year ago – I just flat out didn’t think of that.
When I continued working to publish the story, I stayed focused on the body of the story itself. I forgot to properly review the working headline that the hotel was “up for sale” and revise it to clarify that my story was reporting the rumors.

I think that explains what went wrong as thoroughly as I can see it now. I’m sorry. If you see other mistakes I'm missing, I'm all ears.

I know that trust is the most valuable currency in journalism; it’s why I have stuck my face all over The Raincross Gazette to build a relational trust with our city while I work to build a newsroom worthy of institutional trust.

I believe Riverside needs a reliable local news source committed to keeping Riversiders informed and empowered, and I didn’t live up to that vision. I would have to write a thousand more words to communicate how deeply I grieve that mistake.

Please forgive me for breaking your trust and for adding chaos to our city rather than peace.

Thank you, and may you have a peaceful holiday.