Ethics Corner: A John by Any Other Name

By: Allan Wolper There had to be a cover-up. How else could a sex ring operate openly from 1995 to 1999 in a small city like Frederick, Md., without having political or professional business interests to protect it? That's what prompted The Frederick News-Post, The Associated Press, and Daniel Trey, a local contractor/gadfly, to file a lawsuit that would unseal the records of the prostitution ring.

The Maryland Court of Special Appeals in February agreed, and demanded the city open to the public 8,500 pages of documents dubbed ""The Black Book"" containing the names of dozens of alleged

local johns. The News-Post spent $3,000 to buy from the city a copy of the entire bawdy booty of the chief madam, Angelika Potter, then published a series of articles on the case without identifying anyone in her files.

Now Frederick Mayor Jennifer P. Dougherty is wondering whether the newspaper is protecting the reputation of one of its own. The mayor noted with some irony that the News-Post is refusing to disclose the name of a prominent local media figure listed in Potter's financial ledger.

""The public doesn't know who those folks are,"" Mayor Dougherty told me. ""The News-Post wrapped up its stories too quickly. Those names should be made public. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.""

Dougherty said the News-Post had no ethical qualms in 2001 about publishing a story connecting then-Alderman Blaine Young to Potter's sex ring ? effectively ending his political career. Young said at the time that he hired some of the women to dance at parties.

""It is a very clear case of them managing, and not reporting, the news,"" said Dougherty, who was elected in 2001 on a campaign to open the Black Book. ""The News-Post fought for three years to get the names of the prominent people released. Why did they fight so hard if they weren't going to name anyone? I want them to report the truth. I don't think we're there yet.""

Naming Potter's alleged media customer is a sensitive issue at the News-Post. Two of the reporters assigned to the sleazy saga ? Katherine Heerbrandt and Michelle Yoffee-Beard ? have written freelance articles for the publication of the media person listed in Angelika's ledger.

""We struggled whether to name anyone,"" Yoffee-Beard told me. ""The allegations were there, but there was nothing in the Black Book or anywhere else to back it up. The decision whether to identify anyone was made by our editors.""

None of the area media, including the four weekly county newspapers owned by The Washington Post, have identified any of the alleged local johns in the ledger.

The case is a murky mess. Angelika Potter, first charged with three felonies, was allowed to plea bargain herself down to a single misdemeanor that resulted in a $100 fine and no jail time. And none of the johns or the prostitutes were charged with anything. That sweet slap on the wrist is what made reporters first speculate that Potter was treated kindly with the proviso that she not disclose who her customers were. But no one has been able to prove that.

Even stickier, some alleged local johns told the News-Post that they used phony names when they were serviced, only to discover later that the madam wrote down their real names in her ledger.

Prostitutes and those they work for are not the most trustworthy of souls. No matter how legible the material in the ledgers might be, there is no way to know whether any of those notations are the work of creative minds.

What is shocking about all this is that the News-Post is closing down its operation without using the gold mine of sources in Angelika's wondrous Black Book.

""We're through with the story,"" said Robin L. Quillon, the newspaper's vice president and acting publisher. ""Our intention was to see whether any public official or prominent public figure was identified who might have had influence in covering up the original investigation. Our stated mission was never to publish the names of private citizens.""

Quillon said he did not consider the media person whose name appears in the ledger to be a Public Figure. ""We wanted to find out how a prostitution ring could be so prevalent,"" he added. ""We didn't want to identify him because he wasn't a public official.""

The problem with that answer is that private citizens ? especially if they wield economic power ? can often persuade or influence politicians to look the other way.

The News-Post has done a fine job of forcing a reluctant City Hall to open Angelika's Black Book. But its job is just beginning. It has to finish what it started. Its readers will expect no less.