Ohio Newspaper Sitting On Stories! Contact them & tell them to publish!

[Timshel]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050709/ap_on_re_us/newspaper_legal_concerns

"The Plain Dealer, Ohio's largest newspaper, is holding two investigative stories based on leaked documents because they could result in the type of court showdown that led to a New York Times reporter being jailed.

The Plain Dealer is trying to find a way to publish the stories without relying on the documents, editor Doug Clifton said Friday.

"It was documentation that would have been illegal to share, so there wasn't any ambiguity about what we had," Clifton said......"
<snip>
"The stories dealt with local and state government. Clifton told The New York Times in Saturday's edition that "the material was under seal or something along those lines."



This is big, in so many ways! Who knows what these stories are about (maybe election 2004 or Coingate!), but regardless we need to remind them of their job as the public's watchdog!


Douglas C. Clifton
Editor
Phone: [phone]
[e-mail]

Managing Editor
Tom O'Hara
[e-mail]
216.999.4737

Alex Machaskee
President and Publisher
216.999.4217
[e-mail]

Robert M. Long
Executive Vice President
216.999.4386
[e-mail]

[ClintonTyree]

1. Local and State Government....

have nothing to do with National Security, which is the reason Miller is in the slammer right now. There's no reason for them to NOT publish these stories except fear of reprisal or apathy.

[acmavm]

2. Whatever. Isn't this a bush** endorsing newspaper? Could they be

playing this situation?

The outing of Plame was a crime and anyone who participated or knew about it could be construed as being a co-conspirator. (I know that's rather broad, but knowing full well the details of a criminal act prior to its commission and not acting to prevent it does make one an accomplice.) An unjustifiable act.

Now, maybe these stories are about criminal acts that have already been committed. This is not the same thing. Whistleblowers have a right to legal and civil protection when they are reporting on the criminal activites of others that have already taken place.

I'm being simplistic but then again other than the Crawford Iconoclast I've pretty well had it with the media in this country.

[MercutioATC]

11. Nope. It's the Cleveland paper. They're pretty liberal.

[Timshel]

3. I am rather hoping it has something to do

with the 2004 Elections! That would be something to be scared about publishing, considering the reprisals don't always go the legal route...?

[clydefrand]

4. I have written my email to Mr. Clifton

I asked him why someone would give him the information if he/she didn't want it published. Strange, don't you think?

[Timshel]

5. True, True

Didn't think of that. Maybe they didn't mind it being published until they thought they could go to jail for it. Or maybe they gave them the information with the hopes they could build their case around it, and not use the information given specifically. Isn't that what Felt/DeepThrout did?

[ClintonTyree]

7. And what good....

is the information if they won't publish it? Why would you even HAVE to protect sources of you're not reporting it. Hey, we've got the goods on these SOBs but we can't tell anybody about it because our sources would get fingered. :wtf:

[Timshel]

9. Maybe

they were given the information in the hopes that it would lead them to other information or sources that they could publish. I have no idea... I have stopped trying to to figure out why the media acts the way it does. :shrug:

[madrchsod]

6. i read about this yesterday

and i think someone told them a story that they cannot get another confirmation. i`m sure they know it has "legs" but without further sources they can`t publish something that maybe a huge lie....i don`t blame them for sitting on the story but it is interesting that they went public-maybe they want someone else to come forward.

[Timshel]

10. Hopefully it will work! n/t

[Timshel]

8. Not on Yahoo page anymore

Looked on their news page as well and it's gone... ;-(