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  • From: "Toni Hawryluk" <tonihawr AT msn.com>
  • To: "Homestead mailing list" <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Homestead] media "news" ...
  • Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 08:23:13 -0800

FIRED FOX TV REPORTERS FEATURED IN INDY FILM "THE CORPORATION" ARE STILL
FIGHTING FOX NEWS DISTORTION; WILL CHALLENGE RENEWAL OF WTVT FOX-13 LICENSE

The whole sordid story of media misconduct in Tampa is a centerpiece of the
new independent film "The Corporation."

Here is a quick summary of the developments in our long-suffering efforts to
seek justice through the court:

On December 2, 1997, Fox dismissed Jane and Steve.

On April 2, 1998, Jane and Steve filed a civil lawsuit against WTVT/Fox
charging they were fired for refusing to broadcast what they knew and
documented to be lies and distortions in a series of news reports about
bovine growth hormone and for threatening to expose the station's misconduct
to the FCC.

On August 18, 2000, following a five-week trial, a Florida state court jury
found that Fox terminated Jane for opposing the broadcast of a "false,
distorted, or slanted news report" and awarded her $425,000. Fox appealed.
(Steve, who represented himself at trial, received nothing on his identical
claim.)

On February 14, 2003, the Florida Court of Appeal overturned the jury's
verdict

(though not its finding that the story was false, distorted or slanted).

The decision was based largely on the grounds that since it is not against
any promulgated law, rule, or regulation

for a licensed broadcaster to deliberately distort the news or lie on the
air,

Akre and Wilson were never deserving of protection as whistleblowers in the
first place.




  • [Homestead] media "news" ..., Toni Hawryluk, 12/11/2004

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