Peake, who doesn't consider himself to be a public figure despite his media profile, feels these broadsides and others made him seem like the bad guy, whereas "I think I'm the victim." He says being targeted by Mink made him feel "sad and angry," and he describes the coverage of the incident, which received attention from publications such as USA Today and Rolling Stone, as "an example of the way most of the media today deals with any issue that impacts someone who is a conservative." Moreover, he believes the criminal-libel statute has a place on the books, given how difficult it is to win a civil judgment in such matters. "There ought to be some way for people who are libeled this severely to get some satisfaction without spending their life's fortune and five years going through with a lawsuit to get practically nothing," he maintains. Without legislation, he adds, "you can say anything about anybody without any fear of consequences as a practical matter."
The ACLU's Glenn counters that libel prosecutions should be challenging, because if they weren't, "we'd be frightening people from speaking. So for him to say 'It's hard to bring a civil suit, therefore I ought to be able to institute a criminal action' seems ludicrous to me. Maybe he should pull out his copy of the Constitution and give it a good read."
Courtesy of Rocky Mountain Bullhorn
Nathan Thrailkill's cartoon put Fort Collins's mayor in
an uncomfortable position.
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That's not a bad idea for all of us.
9 wants to know: Channel 9 anchor/reporter Andrew Resnik is hardly the first person from his station to get in trouble with the law. Recall that fellow anchor/reporter Mark Koebrich was cited for disturbing the peace and minor assault in August 2001 for allegedly punching a Channel 9 technical engineer in the face at Invesco Field. Resnik, in contrast, was busted for buying three Ecstasy pills outside a November 16 Phil Lesh concert at the Fillmore Auditorium
Even though this transgression will probably strike many readers of this publication as far less serious than handing out a knuckle facial, Resnik was dealt with rather harshly by his employer after pleading guilty to one count of possessing a controlled substance and receiving a deferred sentence on January 6. (If he stays out of trouble for eighteen months, his record will be cleared -- and he has no prior criminal history.) Channel 9 president and general manager Roger Ogden suspended Resnik without pay for nearly two months, and when Resnik returned on January 12, he did so as a general-assignment reporter, having been stripped of weekend anchoring duties. Resnik is reticent to call this a demotion, not wanting to insult any of his reporting colleagues, but Ogden has no such qualms. "It's definitely a demotion," he says.
Ogden reveals that the feedback he's received from viewers about keeping Resnik has been mixed: "Some folks thanked us for giving him another chance; others were fairly critical of our decision. But as I told both groups, all you can do is look at the individual, the facts, the history, the background and make a decision. It might have been better from a strictly business standpoint to let him go, but that's not how I approach things. We try to be fair -- and I think people who make mistakes and admit it deserve another chance in some cases." Regarding the disparity between the treatment of Resnik and Koebrich, Ogden says, "There were some consequences for Mark, but it was a different situation. This charge was more serious. Mark's thing was a misdemeanor involving a couple of folks who lost their temper for a moment."
Resnik isn't complaining. He wrote Channel 9 staffers a lengthy e-mail calling his misbehavior "a terrible mistake, bringing shame and frustration not only to myself and my family, but also to my extended family at 9News. I am aware of the feelings of shock, disappointment and anger that many of you have gone through as you heard this news. We all take pride in the station we represent...and my absurd actions undermined that pride." In a separate interview, Resnik underlined these points even as he heaped compliments upon Ogden for keeping him on the payroll. "I'm just really grateful to be back, and I think the powers that be showed a great deal of mercy and compassion," he says.
Talk about a difference in cultures. Around here, the worst someone could probably expect after an Ecstasy arrest at a Phil Lesh show would be ridicule for being cliched.
