News Blogger Lauding Energy Co. 'Juiced' by Utility

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Community-owned nonprofit utility CPS Energy can do no wrong in the eyes of Robert Rivard.

In the past year alone, Rivard, one-time news editor of the San Antonio Express-News, creator of the Rivard Report news site and principal of the Arsenal Group public relations consulting firm, has written a dozen articles singing the praise of CPS Energy and its CEO, even as the latter drew flak for alleged expense account indiscretions and the energy provider sparked controversy over a solar power project.

Unfortunately, according to an Express-News article this week, Rivard neglected to mention in his paeans to CPS that the utility paid his Arsenal Group $41,000 last year to assess its public relations strategy and critique its communications department. Not to mention (as Rivard subsequently did) that CPS hired his spouse, a former Business Wire Veep, earlier this year to be its director of integrated communications.

The Express-News article reported that Rivard conceded that it was an oversight not to make a disclosure in the Rivard Report articles that CPS Energy was sweetening his personal pot through their professional relationship.  On the subject of conflicts of interest,"TUOL" can't top the late New York Times columnist and executive editor, A.M. Rosenthal, who once said that personally, he didn't care if  "[y]ou f--- an elephant, so long as you don't cover the circus."

"TUOL" hopes Mr. Rivard finds some utility in Rosenthal's observation.