Absence of Malice

WCCO-TV prevails in a potentially disastrous defamation trial

A A A Comments By David Schimke Wednesday, Aug 25 1999

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As for the effect the suit and Doty's invective could have on the relationship between law enforcement and the media, Tom Johnson's nightmare will not soon be forgotten by police, who are routinely asked to comment on cases in progress. "The ultimate question cops always ask me when I make a request for an interview is, 'Why is it better for me to talk to the media?'" Penny Parrish, spokeswoman for the Minneapolis Police Department, says. "It's getting harder and harder for me to answer that question. Because they simply can't get in trouble it they don't talk, and they can get in trouble if they do."

During a post-verdict debriefing in the WCCO newsroom last week, McDaniel said that one local reporter who'd been working on a story for that day's newscast told her he was already getting the cold shoulder from an official in Anoka County. "People saw what Tom Johnson went through and what Anoka County went through," McDaniel added. "We do have a little trust-building to do in our day-to-day business."

Mary Fallon

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As for former station attorney Paul Hannah, he hopes his colleagues and current media clients will keep in mind that when it was all said and done, WCCO just happened to get lucky. Next time, well, flip a coin. Another jury considering a different case with a more sympathetic plaintiff may well come down against the media: "I hope people don't think the Stokes verdict will give us carte blanche. As the trial went forward, as strong as the testimony was from the likes of Tom Gasparoli and Tom Johnson, my fear was that the jury wouldn't distinguish fact from emotion--that they wouldn't get it. But boy, you have to give them credit. That jury was working."

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