'Cleveland Scene' Journo Claims He Was Fired Over Spiked Story Alleging Pol's Affair

By: Mark Fitzgerald A former investigative reporter for the alternative weekly Cleveland Scene is suing parent Times-Shamrock Communications Co., claiming he was fired over a spiked story that alleged a Republican candidate for governor of Ohio had an affair with a former campaign aide.

In a lawsuit filed in Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Court of Common Pleas, James Renner alleges he was wrongfully terminated after complaining in an e-mail to Times-Shamrock CEO Matthew E. Haggerty that the story had been killed only because the politician threatened to file a lawsuit if it was published.

"I was told by both my publisher and my editor that the story was spiked because we couldn't afford another lawsuit, meaning Times-Shamrock couldn't afford another lawsuit," Renner said in a telephone interview Thursday.

Times-Shamrock CEO Haggerty declined to comment in detail in a telephone interview, but said Renner was terminated not because of the story subject but because the story did not meet journalistic standards for the Scene, which the company bought last July.

"Our decisions concerning whether or not to publish any story, including the story referenced in Mr. Renner's lawsuit, is never dictated by the threat of potential litigation, as Mr. Renner alleges," Haggerty said in a statement. "Rather, Mr. Renner's draft story was passed over for publication because it did not meet management's basic standards of journalism as required of all our reporters and editors, and applied universally to any story considered for publication in Times-Shamrock newspapers. Just as we will not shy away from publishing a good newsworthy story, no matter how controversial or even when faced with threatened litigation, nor will we disregard our basic journalistic principles in the interest of publishing a story that does not meet our standards simply because it is politically interesting and has the potential to create a splash."

Renner was not fired "due to his involvement with the story or his interest in its publication," Haggerty added.

In addition to demanding reinstatement, Renner is asking the court to declare the unpublished story he submitted to Scene was not defamatory. The lawsuit names as a defendant the gubernatorial candidate, Ohio State Sen. Kevin Coughlin.

Coughlin, who could not be reached, called the allegations he had an extramarital affair with the aide "completely false," in comments to Akron Beacon Journal staff writer Phil Trexler.

''I'm not going to comment on what is obviously a stunt to try to get attention for scurrilous allegations that even Scene Magazine refused to print,'' Coughlin told the Beacon Journal. ''I'm just not going to think about it, or comment on it.''

The article has been widely distributed by Ohio-based blogs.

Renner says Haggerty and his bosses in Cleveland encouraged him to investigate the affair allegations. Then Coughlin's lawyer sent a letter to Times-Shamrock threatening legal action "even if Cleveland Scene never published a story regarding Defendant Coughlin alleged affair, if its employees, specifically Plaintiff Renner, continued to contact Defendant Coughlin's associates and 'harassing' them," according to the suit.

"As soon as [Haggerty] got the letter, the word came down -- fire Renner," Renner told E&P.

He added he believed spiking the story in the face of a libel suit would demoralize the staff and set a bad policy, so he e-mailed Haggerty.

The e-mail, exhibit A in the lawsuit, includes this passage: "The real reason it is not being published is clear -- this story opens us up for a lawsuit and you don't want to take that risk. That's the newspaper business, guys. What you've done is start a policy wherein you will pull a story if someone threatens a lawsuit enough -- and that kind of cowardice destroys newspapers. If I had known the caliber of the men who run this company, I would have been a little more hesitant to put in my application for employment-and I hope Matt would have been more hesitant to bring this company to you."

Renner said the employee handbook encourages "open and frank" dialogue with management. "Apparently, it's only open and frank if you agree with them," he said.

Renner's lawsuit also accuses Times-Shamrock and Haggerty of defamation and harm to his professional reputation. In addition to reinstatement, it seeks unspecified monetary damages of more than $25,000.