Former 'Columbus Dispatch' Reporter Files Wrongful Termination Complaint

By: Joe Strupp A former reporter for the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, who was fired for alleged plagiarism in April, claims he was wrongfully terminated and has filed a complaint with the state's Civil Rights Commission.

Phil Porter, 53, worked at the Dispatch since 1991, even penning several columns in recent years about his battle with kidney cancer. In a press release sent out this week, Porter contends the paper used the plagiarism charge to fire him as part of harassment over his cancer.

"This is a case in which the Dispatch tried to root a reporter out because it wanted to avoid insurance claims tied to his treatment for cancer," Porter's attorney, Steven L. Hamann of Chicago, wrote in a statement.

Porter claims he was fired on April 4 because of a March 26 story he wrote about the retirement of a local businessman. A story on the same subject also had run in Business First, a local weekly paper. Porter says editors told him his version too closely resembled the Business First story, and accused him of plagiarism.

"It was common practice on the Dispatch business desk for [editors] to pass out stories previously written by Business First for rewriting," Porter's release claims.

Dispatch Editor Ben Marrison issued a statement saying it was his paper's policy not to comment publicly about personnel issues. "However, given that Mr. Porter has made a formal, public complaint, the company has the obligation to respond to the allegations with the facts," the statement added.

"Business First contacted The Dispatch to question why a story, which appeared in The Dispatch, written by Mr. Porter, so closely resembled a story that was published by Business First," the statement continued. "Upon reviewing the Business First story and Mr. Porter's original version, it was apparent Mr. Porter violated our Code of Conduct. The Dispatch carefully reviewed all of the circumstances surrounding publication of the article in question and terminated Mr. Porter."

The Civil Rights Commission has launched an investigation into Porter's complaint, according to The Other Paper, a Columbus area weekly. The review could take up to a year.