That Liberal Media: Axe Finally Falls on Cohen (Reporter Who Broke Bush DUI Story...)

Portland Phoenix ^ | 4-11-04 | Alex Irvine

[veronica]

The Portland Press Herald, after several years of getting its nerve up, has fired reporter Ted Cohen, who in July 2000 unearthed the story of George W. Bush’s 1976 DWI arrest in Kennebunkport.

Cohen’s editor promptly spiked the story, with the result that it didn’t get out into the national media until just before the 2000 election.

The discovery that the Press Herald sat on the story embarrassed executive editor Jeannine Guttman and made the paper an object of ridicule among journalists. Since then, Cohen says, "the working atmosphere has just been strained beyond words. I would say that it became much more trying once Ryan Blethen succeeded Andrew Russell as regional editor and as my superior."

Ryan Blethen, crown prince of the Press Herald and son of owner Frank Blethen, is widely considered to be a shining example of nepotism in action. In a profession that normally demands years of reporting service before editorial slots open up, Ryan Blethen was made regional editor only a few months after joining the paper. Asked whether anyone at the Press Herald thought Blethen’s promotion to regional editor was deserved, Cohen responded, "As Dwight Eisenhower said when he was asked about the good qualities of his vice president Richard Nixon, ‘Gimme a couple weeks and I’ll try to think of some.’ "

He goes on to tick off Blethen the Younger’s transgressions: denying overtime, "calling me at home on days off, falsifying my timecard, throwing away an expense report of mine, leaving phone messages on my answering machine when he knows I’m on vacation . . . this is a man of pure fiction."

Even after the newspaper’s own doctor, Dr. Jane Glass, validated Cohen’s concerns about nepotism poisoning the work atmosphere at the paper, the Press Herald refused to take her suggestion that Cohen be assigned to another editor or that a mediator be called in. "I’ve been able to work with anybody else in 30 years," he says. "I’m the most productive reporter the paper has — and I’m an old man. So, once in 30 years, you might make an exception."

Neither Guttman nor Blethen would talk to the Phoenix, but Guttman and managing editor Eric Conrad released a statement on April 6 that began, "Ted Cohen is obviously a disgruntled former employee . . . A release that Ted sent out on Monday contains so many false and misleading statements that we are not going to respond point by point." Guttman has previously said, and the statement reiterates, that Cohen essentially resigned by demanding to work with another editor.

Cohen says he has a certified letter firing him. "It’s payback," he says. "I’m going to fight." As the Phoenix went to press, he announced that the Portland Newspaper Guild has filed a grievance on his behalf. In addition, "I’ve been talking to my lawyer. He’s looking at where and how to appeal this. If it means a lawsuit, bring it on."

[veronica]

What a rant. :)

[Army Air Corps]

"As the Phoenix went to press, he announced that the Portland Newspaper Guild has filed a grievance on his behalf."

Awww, poor baby goes running to his union to defend his idiocy.

[blackie]

Another liberal victim ~ don'tcha just love 'em. :)

We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists, democrats and the mainstream media are sad ~ very sad!

~~ Bush/Cheney 2004 ~~

[Verginius Rufus]

Did he "unearth" the story about the 1976 DUI, or was it passed along to him by Chris Lehane or another Democrat operative? The paper sat on the story for a very good reason--releasing it a few days before the election was when it would have the maximum impact. That story, and the accompanying media feeding frenzy, turned a comfortable Bush lead into a virtual tie.

[NewHampshireDuo]

Let's see, Cohen was the reporter who wrote the hit piece but his former editor Russell spiked it causing the paper much shame. As I remember it was a Dem lawyer in Portland who made the story public. That I guess would lead the paper to becoming humiliated at the spiking. Now we have Blethen junior, another jerk, who fires Cohen.

[NewHampshireDuo]

I can't remember the lawyer's name who broke the story but I think he was known for wearing a baseball cap everywhere he went.

[weegee]

The "revived" public Media Schadenfreude and and Media Shenanigans list: PING!

[Maria S]

"Did he "unearth" the story about the 1976 DUI, or was it passed along to him by Chris Lehane or another Democrat operative?"

What do you think?

[Calvin Locke]

[Ryan Blethen]...is widely considered to be a shining example of nepotism in action.

Oops, I thought it said the

Still, Punch Shulzberger should be the only one referred to as "a shining example of nepotism". At least in the newspaper biz.

Cohen must have wanted the job.

This report too, is from the Portland Phoenix. The "Phoenix" family of papers is essentially "alternative"
weeklies - read that as anti-establishment, where bad is good, and good is bad, in my experience from reading a few
issues of the Boston Phoenix.

[weegee]

Have to wonder if this October Surprise dirty trick cost George W. Bush any votes (he certianly took a dip in the polls leading to the election).

If this cost President Bush as little as 0.53% of the vote then it cost him the popular vote that Goreons brag about. Albert Gore Junior, the REAL "junior" in election 2000, only got 0.52% more of the popular vote (and even at that it is not error free, that is just the certified total).

[veronica]

I can't remember the lawyer's name who broke the story but I think he was known for wearing a baseball cap everywhere he went...

He was a real dingbat as I recall.

[Tacis]

I can't believe a newspaper would spike a story to protect a Republican candidate. I can see it spiking a story so as to gain maximum impact by running at a more strategic time. It is like Bush catching/killing Bin Ladin between now and the election. The newspapers will automatically argue that it was a contrivance to influence votes. This presstitute may have wanted the immediate noteriety and be pi**ed that the story was held for another reason. As always, the unions protect the inept and wrong doers.

[Paul Atreides]

Ryan Blethen, crown prince of the Press Herald and son of owner Frank Blethen, is widely considered to be a shining example of nepotism in action. In a profession that normally demands years of reporting service before editorial slots open up, Ryan Blethen was made regional editor only a few months after joining the paper.

Just like an old bag, whose husband is elected president, feeling that her position as first lady grants her unlimited power?

[adam_az]

add me to your list pls!

[NewHampshireDuo]

He was a real dingbat as I recall.

Tom Connolly (praise Google) and it was a "long billed fishing cap." What a slimeball.

[McGavin999]

They did a survey after the elections. As many as 4,000,000 Christian conservatives stayed home because of the story.

[Wilhelm Tell]

So what did Cohen do that was wrong? He unearthed old dirt about W and wrote a story. That's fair game. I cheered when anyone had dirt on Clinton, so I have to accept it if someone reports something negative but true about someone I may supoort. The newspaper, however, held the story for months until days before the election, so the story would have maximun impact on the election. That is dishonest. That is turning journalism into propaganda (not that that is so unusual). I know nothing about the situation, but it sounds like Cohen had a personality conflict with his boss or was otherwise the victim of office politics. I have seen such things many times and have been on the losing side a couple of times, too. The person who should have been fired was not Cohen, but his boss who suppressed the story until it was more politically useful.

[Verginius Rufus]

I don't remember all of the details because of the lapse of time (it's been an eventful 41+ months), but I seem to recall Lehane being involved, or at least rumored to have been involved...and a Democrat judge may have had a role in getting the information.

Some freeper advanced the theory, soon after the story hit the news, that the information may have come from the FBI file on G. H. W. Bush. That's plausible enough: when Bush ran for V.P. in 1980, the story was fairly new, and the FBI might have run into it while gathering information on Bush 41's immediate family...thus it would have become known to the Hildabeast in 1993 and filed away for future use.

When Bush 43 ran for governor of Texas, twice, his opponents were not aware of the story, so it couldn't have been easily discovered by some casual snooping at the courthouse. (The event was already 18 years in the past the first time he ran for governor.) So it could have been a tip from Hillary to Lehane that there was something to be found in that courthouse.

[NewHampshireDuo]

So what did Cohen do that was wrong?

It certainly isn't clear from this article that he did anything wrong.