Last night, after we published our story on how the Healey administration sloppily deleted a new MBTA podcast that had billed itself as an example of "transparency" and "open communication," we asked our readers if anyone had downloaded a copy before the state sent it down the memory hole.
And as it turned out, someone had. Thanks to reader Derek Darko for extracting the file from his phone and sharing it with the rest of us:
The administration's handling of this 28-minute recording might set you up to expect explosive revelations, but it's actually a fairly anodyne conversation.
However, there was one passage that comes across as bitingly ironic, in light of the Healey administration's bungled attempt to hide the podcast.
"If people don't have information, that's where the frustration comes in," says said General Manager Phillip Eng, about 8 minutes into the podcast. "That's where the lack of trust, lack of confidence in us. And the only way to rebuild that is to just continue to work and focus on improved communication, transparency in what we do. And a key part of that is right now."
"You've absolutely hit the nail on the head, trust is such an integral part of any organization, particularly in this industry. And people like to know that they can rely on the information that's being provided," responded host Andrew Cassidy, the MBTA's Senior Director of Digital Strategy.
What did you think of the podcast? Is there something controversial that we're missing? Sound off in our comments below.
