Last month the St. Paul Pioneer Press joined the growing list of local media organizations facing a high-profile gender-based lawsuit. The PiPress is headed toward a courtroom drama with its deposed theater critic, Jayne Blanchard, who was fired on May 16. Sex discrimination and violation of free-speech rights are the issues cited by Blanchard in her legal action, most of which was filed shortly before her firing; her attorney also claims the termination was an act of vengeance stemming from her lawsuit. PiPress counsel Laura Davis argues Blanchard was dismissed for "proven dishonesty." According to one newsroom staffer, the entire episode was "like watching an auto accident happen in slow motion. From Jayne's first suspension to the time she was fired, you could see a way out for everyone. But things just kept getting more... More >>>