By: (AP) A Tampa Tribune reporter resigned after being confronted with questions about a fabrication in story that was published in Wednesday's editions.
The newspaper said Brad Smith made up an anecdote at the beginning of the story about a woman who had her Jeep towed while she was visiting nightclubs.
Janet Weaver, the Tribune's executive editor, apologized to readers in a signed letter on Thursday's front page.
"We recognize that we have a covenant with our readers: to be truthful, to be fair, to be credible," Weaver wrote. "I am sorry that we've failed you in this case. We will rededicate ourselves to earning and keeping your trust."
The woman in the story, who is an acquaintance of Smith's, told the St. Petersburg Times that she called Tribune editors Wednesday to complain about "significant inaccuracies" in the story.
Smith violated newspaper ethics policies by writing a story about an incident in which he was involved and which involved his friends, the newspaper said. He did not disclose his involvement to his editors, Weaver said. Smith could not be reached for comment because a working phone number for him could not be found.
The paper will review Smith's past work, Weaver said.
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