Newspaper sacks editor for giving wrong information about colleague’s death
KATHLEEN Glanville says she was sacked from her job at The Oregonian in light of her report into the death of the paper’s editor Bob Caldwell, 63. The paper reported that Caldwell had suffered a fatal heart attack while driving:
“According to a family friend, Caldwell was running errands Saturday afternoon when he didn’t come home as planned. Police apparently found him in his parked car in Washington County and rushed him to a hospital.”
That was not so.
Caldwell had died following a sexual encounter with a 23-year-old woman. He had died in her flat. The woman told police Caldwell has been paying her for sex for about a year.
The “family friend” cited in the original report was Kathleen Glanville. She had spoken with Caldwell’s wife, Lora Cuykendall, and not told her paper the truth, instead passing on false information.
Glanville was then sacked. She makes her views known on Facebook:
I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to The Oregonian for the many years that I had the privilege to work there. I was fired this afternoon because in the midst of great sorrow for the loss of my dearest friend, I did not share with the paper the embarrassing details of his death, which I knew only because of my close relationship with his wife.
I understand the need my newspaper felt to punish my violation of journalistic ethics in some way. There are times in people’s lives when you have to make a decision about what is most important. I am sorry that my decision — which came from love — cost me my job. I will always cherish the many people who I have worked beside for so many years.
I loved working at The Oregonian — it was my life.
What could have been gained from knowing that Caldwell had paid for sex? And should his friend have been placed in a position where she was privy to potentially embarrassing information and expected not to reveal it in a report?
Posted: 16th, March 2012 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
