Not Letting the Facts Get in the Way of a Good Story

In this election year, it's become normal for fact checkers to analyze and review just about every single speech, policy and proposal put forth by major candidates.  In an age of infinite distractions, the facts should be paramount and sacrosanct, so people can get straight answers.

Perhaps Yossi Atia, the developer seeking to eliminate the Stanley Hills Wildlife Corridor, could use a fact checker.

Here's a story on Mr. Atia from Wednesday's Los Angeles Daily News:

The three new homes, each about 3,500 square feet and 30 feet tall, are being built on what opponents argue is a substantial portion of the Stanley Hills Drive wildlife corridor. 

Bold added by us.  So one of the city's major newspapers is on record having reported that each property is "only" about 3,500 square feet.  However, here's what Mr. Atia's own website has to say about 2240 Stanley Hills Drive, one of the three proposed homes that would clog the Wildlife Corridor:

Conceived and developed by famed Los Angeles Real Estate Developers, The Atia Group, this 4,000+ square foot estate brings the best of city living, luxury and stunning architecture to the tranquility and serenity of Laurel Canyon.

Again, bold added by us.  3,500 and 4,000+ square feet might not seem like a big difference to some, but it's a big difference to the people and wildlife of Laurel Canyon.  Every inch matters as we protect our environment from outside forces.

This all begs the question: what's going on here?  Did the Daily News simply report an erroneous number?  Or did Mr. Atia deliberately supply them with false information, to make it seem like construction would be less invasive?  Is he falsely advertising the square footage on his website, in a bid to jack up interest (and prices)?  Is this misinformation a sign that Mr. Atia has even larger plans and projects in mind for our neighborhood that he's simply not disclosing?

The truth is: we don't know.  But, Mr. Atia, we deserve to.

Someone in the news recently said, "We're not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers." That was a pollster referring to one of the major presidential candidates.

Sounds like he could have been referring to Yossi Attia.