I don’t want to stoop to their level and give a point-by- point refutation, but will just let my reporting speak for itself and the love our Grouper mem

I don’t want to stoop to their level and give a point-by- point refutation, but will just let my reporting speak for itself and the love our Grouper members have shown us. I found that this sentence did not match the general tone of the article. It seems out of place in an apology to insist that, while you are a dishonest entrepreneur, you are an honest journalist. I'm sure the statement is true, it just seems like an odd topic to bring up in a relatively short, otherwise focused post.