N.Y. Post Suspends Page Six Contributor

[AGENDA21]

NEW YORK Apr 7, 2006 (AP)— It started with a few seemingly innocuous gossip items about billionaire businessman Ron Burkle. The New York Post's Page Six, a supermarket of stories about bold-faced names, said the "party-boy billionaire" was dating a supermodel. Another story detailed "Spiderman" star Tobey Maguire flying on Burkle's private jet for a New Year's weekend at his Aspen, Colo., mansion.

Burkle, a 53-year-old divorce, was not amused.

The stories, he said, were bogus and had to stop. Page Six contributor Jared Paul Stern is suspected of demanding $100,000 and an annual $10,000 stipend from Ron Burkle in exchange for not writing negative stories about him, the Post said.

Now, the newspaper has suspended Stern amid a federal investigation into the extortion allegations.

Stern's attorney, Edward Hayes, was hopeful that criminal charges against his client would not be necessary. He said, "Burkle is a reasonable guy and there's no need to press it further."

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=1820113&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

[itzamirakul]

1. Stern is representative of those folks whose greed simply supersedes

their common decency and their commonsense.

So...why shouldn't drug dealers get off without jail terms if folks like Stern are allowed to get off easily?

Oh, that's right...we have to keep enough criminals in jail to provide jobs for the folks who live around the prisons.

[Maccagirl]

2. Page 666

They were finally stupid enough to pick on the wrong guy ($$$$$$). Too funny by half!

[XanaDUer]

3. The Post is only fit to wipe your butt with.

Always has been.