'Boston Globe' Suspends Reporter

By: (AP) The Boston Globe has suspended a reporter for writing that a man went to a memorial to find comfort when he actually went there at the newspaper's request to be photographed.

Globe spokesman Richard Gulla refused Thursday to say whether David Arnold, a 23-year veteran of the newspaper, was suspended with or without pay. The suspension is for two weeks.

In an Aug. 7 story about the sinking of the fishing trawler Starbound, Arnold reported that Jim Aikens went to the Gloucester Fishermen's Memorial Wall of Remembrance "because he finds a morsel of comfort in the company of names that are now timeless."

On Aug. 14, the Globe corrected the story, acknowledging Aikens went at the Globe's request.

"We characterized it as mishandling of a story," Gulla said. "His characterization of the motivation of the man to go to the memorial, his characterization in the story, is not what actually happened."

Arnold did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. His office voice mail said he would not return to work until after Labor Day.

Asked why Caroline Louise Cole, whose byline also appeared on the story, was not disciplined, Gulla said he believed the story details in question were written by Arnold.

Robert Jordan, president of the Boston Globe Employees Association, also did not return a call for comment.

Last year, Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby was suspended for four months for failing to cite sources in a column. Patricia Smith resigned in 1998 after admitting she fabricated characters and quotes in her columns, and Mike Barnicle resigned later that year because he was unable to verify facts in a 1995 column.