Could the FIU prof and his wife accused of being Cuban spies be headed to trial? Sounds like it might be heading that way. Not because of the not guilty pleas -- that happens in every case -- but because the lawyers' comments seem to suggest a fight is ahead. Read here and here.
In other news, Herald writer Ana Veciana-Suarez pleaded guilty to a contempt of court charge for not disclosing her father's criminal history during jury selection in a 2003 civil trial .
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Hmmm -- one reporter reports a story, commits no crime, does not get prosecuted, but gets fired, allegedly because the reporter's work interfered with The Herald's integrity. Another reporter commits a crime -- lying under oath -- gets prosecuted and convicted and The Herald simply writes a story about it. Publisher Fiedler fired one immediately, before any prosecutor ever considered the issue. In the other case, Fielder won't comment (or act) because the matter is still pending before a judge. I guess The Herald cares about the integrity of its reporters only when the reporter is not controversial. Or, maybe it's just another example of pandering -- firing the one who writes provocatively about Miami's largest community, but not the one who writes nothing of interest and is herself a member of that community. Call it the DeFede/Veciana-Suarez dichotomy.
ReplyDeleteI thought Defede was wrongly fired.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the actions of Defede bear no relationship to those of Veciana-Suaraez.
Defede's "impropriety" occurred AT the workplace and in the course of his work on behalf of the Herald. That's not true of Veciana-Suarez. Her "off-duty" actions, right or wrong, don't directly implicate the Herald in any way.
Besides, the Veciana-Suarez incident didn't involve the tragic and very public death of a prominent member of the community.
I see no double standard.