Greg Dewar -- PG&E's sock puppet

By Steven T. Jones

For the past few years, I and many other local progressive voices have been targeted by nasty online attacks from Greg Dewar (who runs a couple of local blogs and trolls the rest, usually commenting as just "greg"), who always pretends to care about progressive causes, the Bay Guardian's credibility, and whether due deference is being paid to SF natives like him.

But now, we finally know the source of some of his vitriol: Dewar is being paid for his positions, although he doesn't disclose that fact to his readers. Dewar is coordinating PG&E's "Don't Sign the Blank Check" campaign on Facebook. When I confronted him with that fact, he didn't deny being on PG&E's payroll (we'll find out how much he got for selling out next month when campaign finance statements are due), but continued to express concern for the Guardian: "I have been reading the Guardian for far longer than you have, and it once was a model I used for my own paper, ages ago."

Thanks, Greg, but I don't think the Guardian -- or anyone else in San Francisco -- should be heeding your advice anymore.

Comments (14)

Greg:

Steve

After a long afternoon of your trolling attacks on me via facebook, you steal my photo from Facebook. Then you post a lie.

Go to this link, and read it. If you need to, get someone to read the big words for you:

http://www.gregdewar.com/2008/08/posting_to_go_light_this_fall.html

It states in nice easy to read letters what I'm doing. You are telling lies.

And you don't know shit about me. You just keep telling lies to fit your agenda. If you don't like my blog, don't read it. Don't like my posts? Don't read them. The great thing about the internet is that you can read what you like and ignore the rest.

It's very clear the Guardians standards have sunk when its City Editor can spend all afternoon on facebook stealing photos you have no permission to use, and send a long list of rude and lying emails to private citizens.

Posted by Greg | September 17, 2008 05:06 PM

Scribe

So, Greg, you spend all of August trashing the measure and defending PG&E on local blogs (often telling lies in the process about what the measure will do or how government agencies work), then get hired by PG&E at the end of the month. Nice tactic. And then you continue to write about the measure on politics blogs including Calitics with this weak disclaimer: "I do some work for Measure H, but my opinion on this issue was decided before I took the job." I'm sure we're all quite confident in your integrity and credibility now. Thanks for clearing that up.
Steven T.

Posted by Scribe | September 17, 2008 05:21 PM

Tony Kelly:

uhh greg,

this isn't your personal blog here.

if you're posting about Prop H here, and not disclosing that you are paid by the no on H campaign, that is pretty sleazy.

Posted by Tony Kelly | September 17, 2008 05:25 PM

the other greg:

Man, Dewar, give it up. It says something when the most damning response you have to something like this is that you don't like to have your Facebook picture posted.

Posted by the other greg | September 17, 2008 05:49 PM

Um, Eric has been pretty good at pointing out who I work for, but as I've said before, I did oppose H before I got hired. I don't like it, and I'm allowed to have that opinion.

My disclaimers on Calitics are identical to ones used by folks who worked for Mark Leno.

You can have an opinion that's contrary to the Guardian, based on how you see things. And if after doing so, I was asked to join the campaign, so be it. Eric Brooks was able to figure this out and made sure everyone knew, and I've never denied it. And of course, the Guardian is free to edit their comments however they like, as am I.

It's still pretty sad when folks have to spend their afternoons harassing people on Facebook. I mean, that's so high school.

Posted by Greg | September 17, 2008 06:05 PM

tony Kelly:

so greg, what do you actually do for no on H?
... post on message boards?

given how you claim you got hired, that would seem to be part of the job description.

which makes it doubly sleazy that you don't identify your employer unless someone figures it out.

Posted by tony Kelly | September 17, 2008 06:22 PM

joewmorse

If trolling on Facebook is "high school" then I guess getting *paid* to troll on Facebook is more junior high.

We always suspected Greg was a shill...now we know.

Posted by joewmorse | September 17, 2008 08:03 PM

Oz:

I don't have to even know the real story that's going on to know what you're doing is COMPLETELY unprofessional and makes me curious as to the competency of SFBG to keep someone on staff that will blatantly harass a fellow blogger.

Posted by Oz | September 17, 2008 09:31 PM

Mary:

So I hate the whole public power thing and I think that the Bay Guardian has been juvenile and not worth my time for several years. So if the only people who would ever question the SFBG's wisdom are selling their souls to do so, why am I not getting my passive paycheck yet?

Posted by Mary | September 18, 2008 02:51 AM

Jerry Jarvis:

Greg you hung out with the prog's pretending to be be one is what you are being set out for here. Your sheets have been pulled. Accept it and move on.

Posted by Jerry Jarvis | September 18, 2008 05:07 AM

Fascist tactics...like accepting money to troll on behalf of a privatized for-profit monopoly utility on the internet?

Posted by joewmorse | September 18, 2008 09:07 AM

Chris P:

Wow, no wonder people stay anonymous, when the Bay Guardian (and the ultra-liberals ‘cause they aint progressives) employ such fascist tactics.

Posted by Chris P | September 18, 2008 09:52 AM

Manish:

Hey Steve...

So would it have somehow been better if Greg got a job with the Yes on H campaign? Would you have had the same reaction if a vocal proponent of public power got a job with the Yes on H campaign? I hate to inform you of this, but I know a few vocal Obama supporters who are now paid employees of Obama's campaign..is this wrong somehow? Shouldn't enthusiasm for the campaign be a plus in hiring someone? Same holds for local campaigns...some people who are boosters of a particular candidate are now paid employees of that candidates campaign. There's nothing wrong with that.

Posted by Manish | September 19, 2008 05:04 PM

zach:

Sorry to ruin everybody's fun, but allow me to point out that this vitriolic mudslinging does absolutely zero to help voters figure out what Prop H really means and whether they favor it. Thanks, everyone!

Posted by zach | October 8, 2008 11:20 AM

Greg Dewar -- PG&E's sock puppet

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