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Allegations aren't always news
(by Dave Lange - October 14, 2009)
COUNTY LINE, BY DAVE LANGE
Allegations aren't always news
Journalists sometimes are confronted with the question of whether something is newsworthy just because politicians or other publications say it is. That was the case with recent allegations that former Solon Mayor Robert A. Paulson, who is seeking to regain that office in the Nov. 3 election, may not be legally qualified to do so.
Mr. Paulson pled guilty to felony charges of mail fraud and filing a false federal income-tax return in 1998 for commingling campaign funds with personal expenditures. He had corrected the careless accounting before he was subjected to an exhaustive FBI investigation. His criminal record was sealed in 2004, which, according to Ohio statute, means, "The proceedings in the case shall be considered not to have occurred."
Regardless, they did occur, and the conviction is a legitimate reason for many Solon voters to choose one of the other two candidates for mayor.
The question of newsworthiness concerns the statement regarding Mr. Paulson published elsewhere that "we have strong reason to believe his conviction prevents him from being a safety director, a necessary duty as mayor." If there really was reason to believe that, it would be essential news for the citizens of Solon. But there was no reason to believe it. A subsequent, reluctant retraction acknowledged that strong reasoning for the allegation was completely absent and placed the blame on a political opponent.
Politics, even at the small-town level, can be dirty business. Those who report on it must be beware of getting sucked into cesspools. "Strong reason to believe" something should be supported by documentation -- or at least attribution to identified sources. Targets of accusations should not be blindsided by them. The burden of proof should be on the accusers, not the accused.
Faced with the prospect that the published but unsupported supposition about his qualifications to serve as mayor could be used in political propaganda against him, a supporter of Mr. Paulson sought a legal opinion from the city's law director. The law director, who has contributed to the mayoral campaign of Councilwoman Susan Drucker, didn't have time for that.
So Mr. Paulson obtained private legal advice, which quickly determined that there is nothing in Ohio law or the Solon city charter to prevent him from serving as safety director and fulfilling the requirements of office.
But the plot thickened. At last week's City Council meeting, outgoing Mayor Kevin C. Patton, who has endorsed Mrs. Drucker as his successor, chided Mr. Paulson for using "considerable innuendo -- very close to threats," because he had strongly urged his opponents not to use the published allegation in campaign literature. Instead of calling on the law director to clear things up expeditiously, Mayor Patton said he would forward the question about Mr. Paulson's eligibility to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and four state agencies, knowing full well that their responses would not be obtained so promptly.
So, the answer to our question was no, an unfounded political imputation published elsewhere was not objectively newsworthy. But its consequences have elevated it to subjective analysis on this opinion page. If, as I said, a mayoral candidate was determined to be unqualified for the office, that would be a major news story. If, on the other hand, an opponent disseminated disinformation, knowing it wasn't true, that would be a reflection on his or her character, which also would be newsworthy.
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