The Other Shoe Drops in Dodge City, KS
The Dodge City Globe has fired Claire O’Brien, the reporter who found herself in the eye of a legal storm over her refusal to reveal the identity of a confidential source. Here’s an excerpt from the AP story (via the Topeka Capital-Journal):
Reporter Claire O’Brien said her firing on Friday from the Dodge City Daily Globe stems from comments she made to media outlets after she was found in contempt for failing to appear at an inquisition, the Kansas equivalent of a grand jury.
O’Brien told reporters at the time that the newspaper’s corporate owners had refused to pay for her legal representation and scuttled her efforts to find independent legal help unless she testified claims that GateHouse Media Kansas Holdings, which owns the newspaper, has denied.
On Sunday, O’Brien said she was fired in “retaliation” for making those public comments.
Claire will be a featured speaker at the SPJ Region 7 Conference, in a “super-session” on Saturday, April 10 at the Doubletree Hotel in Downtown Omaha.