Media experts defend KVPR’s decision to name officials in Fresno police chief scandal

FRESNO, Calif. – Media pundits defended KVPR after the company drew the ire of the Fresno Police Officers Association (FPOA) last week for appointing Fresno police officer Jordan Wamhoff, who claimed he missed out on a promotion because Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama was having an affair with his wife.

KVPR was the first news outlet to make Wamhoff’s name public.

KVPR decided to publish Wamhoff’s name last Thursday after it was revealed that he is also an elected official in Madera County and had apparently pressured at least one member of the Fresno City Council via text message to meet a series of demands, including Balderrama’s resignation within 30 days and a flexible police position for himself.

In return, the text said, Wamhoff would not take any legal action against the city, except for a claim for compensation. The text also said Wamhoff would sign a non-disclosure agreement, which, if signed, could keep the deal secret from the public.

Media experts say such demands, coming from someone who holds dual roles as a police officer and elected official, are of public interest.

“The public has an absolute right to know all the facts of this case (and) the identity of everyone involved, including the officer, especially if he is making demands,” said Jim Boren, executive director of the Institute for Media and Public Trust at Fresno State University and former editor of the Fresno Bee.

“These people – Chief Balderrama and the officer – are public officials who are on the public taxpayers’ list,” he said. “Their names are part of the public process.”

The morning after KVPR published its story on Wamhoff, the FPOA sent a press release to more than three dozen recipients, including The Fresno Bee, Univision, the Los Angeles Times and several area media outlets.

“KVPR’s lack of discretion and ethics in this matter is shameful,” the press release states, calling Wamhoff a “victim” whose protection “KVPR had no interest in.”

In its statement, the FPOA thanked the Fresno Bee for “demonstrating integrity and ethics by choosing not to publish the victim’s name.”

A few hours later, The Bee ran an article about the text message, mentioning Wamhoff by name, and backed up KVPR’s reporting by confirming that other council members had received a similar text message.

Wamhoff, 38, has been with the Fresno Police Department since 2011, according to his LinkedIn profile. In 2022, he was elected to the Madera County Board of Supervisors, making him one of the most powerful elected officials in the county and a well-known figure in the San Joaquin Valley.

He did not respond to several messages from KVPR seeking comment.

Wamhoff’s lawyer Brian Whelan would neither confirm nor deny whether his client had sent the text message with the list of demands.

Whelan told KVPR via email last week that his client would agree to an interview if KVPR signed an agreement not to use his name and to give him editorial control over the story.

KVPR declined because agreeing to these terms would be a clear violation of the policies of NPR, its affiliates and most news organizations.

Non-disclosure agreements, or NDAs for short, are uncommon in American journalism. Chip Stewart, who teaches media law and ethics at Texas Christian University, believes that NDAs between journalists and sources or subjects violate basic rules of reporting.

“We will not be complicit in covering up (people’s) misdeeds in order to gain access,” he said.

Whelan also told KVPR that mentioning Wamhoff’s name would be unfair to the officer’s three minor children, a sentiment reiterated in the FPOA press release.

“Publishing his name would expose these children to ridicule, bullying and immeasurable mental and emotional suffering,” it said.

Stewart said that exploiting a person’s status as a parent of young children to evade responsibility would make reporting in the public interest virtually impossible.

“You are in a position of public trust,” he said. “How on earth are you supposed to report on public misdeeds and corruption when they’re going to embarrass you by asking, ‘What about your family?'”

“The privacy rights of police officers and government employees take a back seat to the public’s right to know what their government is doing and how it is spending its tax dollars,” Stewart added. “If there is a possibility of corruption, abuse of power or waste or fraud by the government, people have a right to know about it so they can do something about it in the next election.”

The first allegations against Balderrama came to light in early June after the city announced it had launched an “administrative investigation” related to an “inappropriate off-hours relationship with a non-city employee.”

The city attorney’s office said it had hired an independent investigator to determine whether Balderrama violated agency policies, but did not provide further details.

After the investigation was announced, Balderrama sent a letter to the police department.

“I own my mistakes, I alone must answer for them and I will pay for those mistakes for the rest of my life,” he wrote.

Balderrama, who was on paid leave, declined to comment for this article.

A senior city official who showed KVPR the text message said the investigation focused primarily on whether Balderrama abused his power by passing over Wamhoff for a promotion.

The source, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal and because he is not authorized to discuss the case, told KVPR that the investigation is nearly complete and will likely conclude that Balderrama neither abused his power nor violated city policy.

The city has not made any announcements regarding the investigation.