Inquirer declines to cover Garrity’s press conference on Shapiro scandal
A governor who spends around $1 million or more of taxpayer funds burnishing his image on TikTok and other social media platforms may not need the help of the region’s largest newspaper.
But it seems that he gets it.
Broad + Liberty noticed that while the Philadelphia Inquirer did cover the Shapiro administration’s 2023 Mike Vereb scandal, it left out what the Atlantic says was “the most troubling detail of all” — that the email account of the alleged sexual harassment victim was wiped from the state server. The woman’s account was deleted while other state government employee accounts remained intact, as first reported by Broad + Liberty.
State Rep. Abby Major (R-60) said Shapiro, who is running for reelection, has not delivered on his promises of transparency.
The woman was paid a $295,000 settlement with taxpayer funds. Vereb, a Montgomery County Republican who had followed Shapiro from the state House to the Attorney General’s Office to the Governor’s Office, where he served as Secretary of Legislative Affairs, resigned.
When Vereb left his job, the Shapiro administration issued a press release that did not indicate any problems. Instead, it praised Vereb.
Officials at the Inquirer did not respond to requests for comment.
“It wouldn’t surprise us in the least that the mainstream media is avoiding substantive coverage of the biggest scandal of Gov. Shapiro’s tenure,” said Matt Brouillette, president and CEO of Commonwealth Partners, a free market advocacy group. “The Philadelphia Inquirer already effectively announced its endorsement of Democrats in 2026, so we’re not at all surprised they treat Shapiro with kid gloves.”
A representative for Shapiro’s opponent, Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R), weighed in.
“Treasurer Garrity’s campaign believes it is important to be as accessible and transparent to the media as possible,” said Garrity spokesman Matt Beynon. “She is prepared and willing to answer the tough questions, because voters deserve to have their prospective representatives held to the highest standards.
“All we have universally asked in return is that the same level of scrutiny be paid to the governor as is paid to the treasurer,” he added. “We are confident if that standard is applied and the governor’s policy and ethical failures are put side by side with the treasurer’s years of service to our commonwealth and the nation, voters will fire Josh Shapiro.”
Garrity held a press conference on Monday, blasting Shapiro over his lack of transparency regarding Vereb and also for taking some $2 million from Reid Hoffman, a billionaire whose name appears in the infamous Jeffrey Epstein files. Hoffman was never charged with a crime. Her campaign called on Shapiro to return that money or donate it to charity.
As of this article’s publication, the Inquirer had not reported on Garrity’s presser.
Linda Stein is an award-winning journalist who’s written for newspapers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Arizona. Before joining Fideri News Network, she was the news editor for Delaware Valley Journal. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Temple University and earned her undergraduate degree from Arcadia University. Contact her at lstein@fiderinews.com.
