Editor strikes back at critics by suing them

[Baron Scicluna]

A paper in Michigan writes a story about a meth bust at a farmhouse where, a couple of years earlier Rick Snyder and the GOP had a fundraiser. Paper had mentioned the fundraiser and posted a file photo of it with the story of the bust.

Several people were in the file photo and objected, rather vehemently. The photo was removed, but one person wrote a letter to parent company Gatehouse to complain about the editor. Editor decides to sue them, and a couple of others, claiming they tried to get her fired.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grandrapids/index.ssf/2013/07/ionia_newspaper_editor_files_d_1.html

To me, publishing the info on the fundraiser is relevant, but if nobody in the photo was involved in the bust, then it seems the people in the photo have a right to be upset because it looks like they're being linked to the drug bust.

But I found the lawsuit to be funny, merely because how many of us have had people threaten to have us fired if we don't print Little Jimmy's picture in the paper or run Little Janie's cheerleading results? That'd be a fun one to pull on readers.

"You run this or I'll tell your boss. Maybe you'll lose your job."

"Yeah, go ahead. I lose my job, and I'll sue your ass."

 

[Ace]

It's only a free country these days if your lawyer works pro bono.