By: Joe Strupp Boston Herald Editor Ken Chandler has not asked his reporters to back off from appearing on radio and television talk shows even though the Herald faces a libel suit from an area judge that targets comments made by reporters on several broadcast and cable outlets.
In fact, Chandler says he is encouraging such involvement by Herald writers, claiming that it helps promote the tabloid.
"I think reporters should be able to go on TV shows, it is part of the freedom of expression and debate," Chandler, a former New York Post publisher, told E&P Tuesday. "They should be able and be encouraged to go on broadcast outlets and should not feel intimidated."
Chandler's comments stem from a high-profile libel suit filed more than two years ago by Superior Court Judge Ernest B. Murphy, which is set to go to trial in January. Murphy's suit, according to The Washington Post, claims that a Herald story published in February 2002 libeled him with claims that he was a lenient judge and did not take into account victims' trauma.
In one case, the Herald reported that Murphy, referring to a 14-year-old rape victim, said "tell her to get over it." The judge contends he never said it.
The libel case is unusual because some of the allegedly libelous elements are not from stories reporters wrote, but from comments they made during radio and television appearances, including on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor."
Chandler, who came to the Herald in March and was not editor when the original story ran, declined to comment specifically on the case. But he stressed that he is supportive of his writers and does not believe they need to curb broadcast and cable appearances.
"We have complete faith in them to represent the paper out there," Chandler said. "It brings the stories to a broader audience and encourages interest in the newspaper."
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