This past Sunday, the New York Times ran a story on the Democratic Party considering changes to its presidential primary calendar.
A DNC committee had recommended placing two more states into the first few weeks of the calendar- a time period that has belonged exclusively to Iowa and New Hampshire.
The Times story differed from other coverage in only one peculiar way.
New York Times senior political reporter Adam Nagourney wrote that New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner refused to speak, and hung up on him.
Every other paper that covered the story seemed to have no problem talking with the state's top election official.
New Hampshire Public Radio's Dan Gorenstein went to find out if Gardner had a beef with the Old Gray Lady.
As he tells the story, Saturday was fairly typical for Secretary of State Bill Gardner.
He started mowing his lawn until the rain began.
Once inside he continued his chores.
Then around 2 o'clock the phone began to ring.
The press wanted his reaction to news that the a DNC committee had picked Nevada to hold its caucus between Iowa and New Hampshire.
First it was WMUR. Then the Boston Globe. The Concord Monitor and the Union Leader also checked in.
T.8
:53 they were asking me if I was ready to say when the primary was going to be, or what I was going to do about this.
Gardner says he talked freely with the reporters.
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:16 we have been on this tightrope before. And we hadn't backed off. We hadn't in the past and we aren't going to now. And I said the action that is proposed....does diminish the value of the NH primary and does dishonor it's tradition.
He says he went to bed Saturday night thinking nothing of the interviews.
He didn't even look at the papers until late Sunday afternoon.
No surprises there.
The surprise came on Monday morning.
:06 I was sitting at my desk, I can see Bill, he was sitting at his desk. And he was reading the articles from the newspaper...
That's Assistant Secretary of State Karen Ladd.
...and all of a sudden I heard him say, 'now, wait a minute. This isn't right!'
Gardner came to Ladd's desk and read her the excerpt of the story written by New York Times political reporter Adam Nagourney.
Quote: Reached at his home on Saturday to see what he might do, Mr. Gardner responded, "do not call me here," and hung up the telephone. End quote.
Gardner told Ladd, that was total fabrication.
He says he hadn't even talked to Nagourney since the Saturday before the New Hampshire primary back in 2004.
But Gardner's immediate concern was not what happened, but the political fallout.
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:02 I knew some of my colleagues across the country would read this, and a lot of other people would read this, and it, it didn't reflect well on the state of NH...to have some one hang up...and it played into some of the ways that we have been referred to, doing this process of what the schedule is for the next cycle. Some have said NH is arrogant. NH is privledged...Senator Levin said it's like we are spoiled brats here...and to me, that's not the way any of it is.
Gardner prides himself and the state on holding an open, accessible and inclusive contest every four years.
Gardner says he's never bothered to call reporters when they change a word or two of his quotes.
He shrugs, it's just not his style.
But given that the Democratic Party is expected to vote on the calendar change in August he felt he had to clear the state's name.
But before he called Nagourney, Gardner thought to himself...
T.9
1:38 my father is William G. and I am William M....
2:17 ... I thought immediately could this have been my father. And it's not characteristic of him, but I wanted to at least check to see whether he got the call.
It wasn't his dad.
A quick Google search of 'William Gardner New Hampshire' comes up with seven hits.
Maybe, Nagourney did talk to Bill Gardner.
Just not Bill M. Gardner, Secretary of State of New Hampshire.
A call to the New York Times reporter straightened it out.
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2:12 he looked into what number he called, and I told him that wasn't my number or in the part of NH that I lived. And then he said...he had called the person, and he said, 'I thought that person was you.' And he asked me if I believed him, and I said, 'I believe you.'
Wednesday morning the Times ran an editor's note, explaining that Nagourney had a called a Rochester, New Hampshire number asking for Mr. Gardner.
He was told, 'yes, this is Bill.'
The editor's note goes on to explain that Nagourney called back later, and left a message, but received no response by deadline.
In an email to NHPR, Nagourney says he is sorry he didn't confirm it was the Bill Gardner.
But he adds, as soon as the paper learned of the error, it moved to correct it, quote prominently and hastily, unquote.
For Gardner's part, he says he's satisfied.
For NHPR News, I'm DG.
