The essay that challenged a powerful institution.

An institution under public scrutiny

On August 9, 1997, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin published “Broken Trust,” an essay by Samuel King, Charles Kekumano, Walter Heen, Gladys Brandt, and Randall Roth. Its target was the governance of Bishop Estate, the charitable trust associated with Kamehameha Schools.

What the writers challenged

The authors criticized trustee compensation, the selection process, and potential conflicts involving the judiciary. Those were the authors’ arguments and allegations; publication of an essay is not itself a criminal judgment.

From criticism to investigation

The newspaper’s subsequent chronology records that Governor Ben Cayetano directed Attorney General Margery Bronster to investigate on August 12. Later that year, a court-appointed master criticized investment and management practices. The estate disputed aspects of the criticism and subsequently agreed to follow nearly all of the master’s recommendations.

Why keep the original record?

This is a story about oversight of a community institution, not a basis to label everyone associated with it a criminal. Reading the original essay alongside the later chronology shows the difference between an accusation, an institutional response, and a documented action.