Opinion: We need reporting that informs rather than undermines

As Chair of the Board of New Bedford Research & Robotics (NBRR), and as an Advisory Council member and longtime supporter of The New Bedford Light, I was shocked by the recent story, “City gave robotics grant despite stark warnings.” The article reflects not only a lack of understanding of municipal grantmaking, urban redevelopment, and nonprofit operations, but also simply presents as fact the two-year-old opinions of a consultant whose concerns were all either addressed or disproven.

Most troubling, however, are the factual inaccuracies that risk misleading the public and tarnishing the reputation of an organization doing good work in New Bedford. Among the many we found, two stand out.

First, throughout the story, the article inaccurately refers to memos as being authored by the “city’s auditors.” This is simply false. Rick Taylor was not engaged as an auditor. He served as an accounting consultant, as his title makes clear in two of the memos. The distinction matters. An auditor provides an independent, objective opinion on financial statements; a consultant offers advice. Conflating these roles creates a false impression of wrongdoing where none exists. The city’s official audit firm is Hague, Shady, & Co. The City Auditor is Quillan Lowney. To describe Taylor as “the city’s auditors” is both incorrect and gives undue weight to his incorrect assertions.

Second, the claim that the project “has fallen far behind its original schedule” is flatly wrong. The project remains on schedule, as was clearly conveyed to the reporter last week. To state otherwise is to ignore the facts directly provided. We also spent a significant amount of time explaining to the reporter that our lease structure was based on recommendations from independent third parties.

But perhaps most troubling is not just what the story got wrong, but what it left out. These memos were written years ago. Since then, NBRR has demonstrated time and again its ability to be a responsible financial steward, fully compliant with all grant requirements. That history was well known to The Light and yet, for reasons that are unclear, purposefully disregarded. Readers were left with an outdated and distorted account from a lone accountant whose opinion was rejected.

What the article also fails to capture is the remarkable work happening today. NBRR-supported startups and partners are already helping to transform New Bedford’s economy and build opportunity, creating or enabling more than 20 jobs to date. One startup incubated at NBRR, Orpheus Ocean, is advancing technologies that will make a splash in the offshore industries that are central to the region’s future. Another partner has launched a clothing line made from robot-printed sustainable materials, a cutting-edge innovation rooted in New Bedford. And NBRR continues to open its doors to the community, hosting programming that has already connected over 1,500 students and 65 paid interns to the promise of robotics and advanced manufacturing. These examples represent the true spirit of the organization and the very progress that the city should be proud to highlight.

This is the real story: one of progress, compliance, and community impact. It is the story of a nonprofit doing the hard work of fostering innovation and creating jobs in a historic city that deserves a vibrant future. And it’s the story of people putting it all on the line to make that future happen.

NBRR worked with the city to strengthen its position as an ARPA grant applicant. The result was a new set of requirements for NBRR, which we accepted. The process worked exactly as it should have.

NBRR exists to advance opportunities for young people and to support the transformation of New Bedford’s regional economy. Our work is rooted in transparency and community benefit. To see that work distorted by misreporting is deeply disappointing and damaging. The Light has positioned itself as different from traditional outlets, claiming to focus not on daily news but on stories with impact. But when every story is treated as an “investigation,” nuance is lost, context is ignored, and the people and organizations striving to improve New Bedford are unfairly disparaged.

That is the greatest disservice of all: a false picture of our community, painted not with accuracy but with suspicion. I urge The Light to correct its inaccuracies and recommit to its mission of reporting that informs rather than undermines.

Ben Anderson is chair of the board for New Bedford Research & Robotics.

Editor’s note: Jennifer Maxwell, senior grants auditor and procurement officer for the city at the time, and Rick Taylor, accounting consultant at the time, were co-authors of two out of three risk assessment memos on which The Light based its reporting. In a fourth memo, the city’s chief operating officer, Christina Connelly, refers to Taylor as “the City’s contracted auditor.” Those memos were kept secret from The Light for months — with the city claiming attorney-client privilege — until a judge ordered the city to release the memos to The Light late last month. 

In a news story published June 3, 2025, The Light cited grant documents to report that the project was behind its original schedule. In its grant application, NBRR said it aimed to finish the work by summer 2023. In the risk assessment documents, the schedule for completion was updated to June 2024. The story also quoted NBRR as saying it’s still on track to meet all its goals. 

Ben Anderson, board chair, is quoted in the story as saying the nonprofit wasn’t involved in internal city discussions, but it acted on city recommendations. He is also quoted in the story that NBRR is in full compliance with grant requirements.

The Light recently published an op-ed about positive developments at NBRR.