Dallas City Wire

After being cast in a negative light by D Magazine, hotel mogul Monty Bennett is calling out what he calls blatant hypocrisy by the Dallas lifestyle magazine.

Bennett, who is chairman of the Ashford Group of Companies, was accused by D Magazine’s Arts Editor Peter Simek of paying to be published in various media outlets across the country, including the Dallas City Wire. 

"I think it's sad to see so-called 'journalists' behave so irresponsibly," Bennett said. "It's sad to see what's happening to local news here in town and around the country. The quality has dropped off so badly."

Bennett thought it was rich that Simek would accuse him of something his employer does routinely.

“D Magazine itself employs a whole pay-to-play model,” Bennett said in an interview. “They brazenly seek out companies and organizations to pay them so they can write flattering articles about them, then they accuse other publications of pay-to-play. It's so hypocritical."

"Does anyone really believe that their Best Doctors section consists of the best doctors in Dallas, or just the ones that paid them?,” he said.

For example, a board-certified plastic surgeon, is among the physicians featured on D Magazine’s sponsored content page along with a real estate firm and a clothing line.

Bennett, who knew the magazine's recently deceased publisher Wick Allison, said the magazine has deteriorated since his death. 

“Thanks to reporters like Peter Simek, D Magazine is in dire financial straits,” he said. “They seem to be panicking over there."

In the story about Bennett, D Magazine referenced an Oct. 20 New York Times article. But Bennett said he was never called by Simek for a chance to respond and the Times didn't bother using his quotes in its article either. 

"He didn't bother to call me or email me to verify any of it," Bennett said. "Maybe he didn't try to verify it because he knew it wasn't true. Everyone is so tired of this attack culture where the media bullies anyone who's successful, anyone who is a businessperson, or who disagrees with a reporter. Their raison d'être is to portray people who believe or live differently than them in a bad light. I think people are sick of it. I know I am."

Bennett added that this isn’t the first time media outlets have published fake news about him or other business people.

"Every business person I know ducks for cover when a reporter calls because in every situation the reporter writes something negative and often with materially inaccurate facts," he said. "Is every business person on the planet such a bad person that they deserve the public scorn so many reporters heap upon them? I doubt it.”

Juliette Fairley is a Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni who has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Texas Monthly, Time Magazine and many other publications.