Comments on: UPDATE: Transparency Board Official Calls Phantom ZIPs “Nonsense”

By: Recovery.gov: 77 more jobs, $183 million more received in Kansas in last quarter

Recovery.gov: 77 more jobs, $183 million more received in Kansas in last quarter — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 19:29:53 +0000

[...] Transparency Board Official Calls Phantom ZIPs “Nonsense”, Watchdog.org, Jan. 6, 2010. [...]

By: Stimulus Data and Spending in Kansas in Q1

Stimulus Data and Spending in Kansas in Q1 — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:27:28 +0000

[...] Transparency Board Official Calls Phantom ZIPs “Nonsense”, Watchdog.org, Jan. 6, 2010. [...]

By: Fed website shows more stimulus jobs than NH report

Fed website shows more stimulus jobs than NH report — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:05:18 +0000

[...] Phantom Congressional Districts and non-existent Zip Codes, as the result of data entry errors from stimulus recipients. Ed Pound, spokesman for the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, said that the phantom [...]

By: The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : Phantom Stimulus Beneficiary

The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : Phantom Stimulus Beneficiary — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:36:15 +0000

[...] First there were stories, thanks to the enterprising Watchdog.org reporters (Disclosure: I worked with them on the Massachusetts election last week), about the Recovery Act funds that went to phantom Congressional districts. Then came their reports about money going to non-existent zip codes. [...]

By: Zip Code, Reporting Errors Found on Nevada Pages of Stimulus Website

Zip Code, Reporting Errors Found on Nevada Pages of Stimulus Website — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:24:13 +0000

[...] to watchdog.org, Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board spokesman Ed Pound dismissed the recent findings as [...]

By: TLS

TLS — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:15:48 +0000

Thank you for posting my comments. At this time, I am still awaiting your Virginia affiliate to post similar comments I made on their site. I do hope they have enough similar integrity to post comments from readers that don’t happen to agree with them, as long as said comments are professional, as mine were. Again, thank you for posting my comments.

By: TLS

TLS — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:28:25 +0000

I would agree with Mr. Pound at recovery.gov in his assessment of your reporting about “erroneous” zip codes.

Apparently no one within your organization (or your state affiliates’ organizations) has bothered to drill down into any of the award details. If you had done so, then you would never have published this nonsense. For example, I personally reviewed the 14 cases that your affiliate virginia.watchdog.org (Old Dominion Watchdog) reported. In all cases, the stimulus funds were awarded to a project and/or to companies within the state of VA.

Now, we can argue all day as to where the economic benefit lies when federal funds are awarded via contract or grant to a company within one state doing a project in another state. That is certainly a debatable point. However, that does not excuse the shoddiness of your reporting on this subject matter.

As a result, I believe you owe the public a retraction/correction if you truly want to be considered a credible watchdog organization.

Thank you.

By: Recovery.gov director calls fake zip codes “much ado about nothing”

Recovery.gov director calls fake zip codes “much ado about nothing” — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:16:33 +0000

[...] reporters found this week about 170 fake ZIP codes reported to have received stimulus funds. But in total, about [...]

By: karen

karen — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:22:31 +0000

Most of these are transposing or mistyping digits. The money is still going to the project for which it was intended, searching by zip code and then opening the award clarifies it all. Way to jump on a soap box with a half truth! This is ridiculous.

By: Recovery.gov Blasts Watchdogs, But Admits Errors and Promises Fix

Recovery.gov Blasts Watchdogs, But Admits Errors and Promises Fix — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:58:53 +0000

[...] have found hundreds of millions of stimulus dollars reported going to nonexistent zip codes. A computerized analysis by Earl Glynn of Kansas Watchdog and Bill McMorris of Watchdog.org found more than $375 million [...]