-----Original Message-----

From: Discussion of Investigative Reporting Techniques and  Training [mailto:IRE-L@PO.MISSOURI.EDU] On Behalf Of Steve Wilson
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 9:31 PM
To: IRE-L@PO.MISSOURI.EDU
Subject: Re: Into The Buzzsaw

In a recent post about the Kristina Borjesson-edited book "Into The Buzzsaw," an individual whose rants are no stranger to this list dusted off and re-posted (yet again) his vicious personal attack against me and my former investigative reporting partner, Jane Akre. 

His point was to convince anyone who will still listen to him that Ms. Borjesson was "snookered" when she included Jane's chapter in her book which details how Fox pressured Jane and me to broadcast what we knew and documented to be false and distorted information on rBGH in Florida milk and then fired us after we refused and threatened to blow the whistle to the FCC.  

Like so many others, I generally don't take the time to respond to his posts anymore.  Three years after the fact, he is welcomed to repeat as frequently as he likes his personal conclusion that Jane and I are nothing more than "false martyrs" and our story of the Fox-rBGH fight amounts to nothing more than, as he so cleverly-if-not-eloquently keeps phrasing it, "cowshit."

Equally important, though, is what he never mentions: If Kristina Borjesson was snookered, she's got plenty of good company.

At the head of the list, of course, are the six jurors who heard five weeks of trial testimony in 2000 came to a starkly different conclusion than our inciteful (sic) critic.  They unanimously agreed that Jane was fired for no other reason than "...because she threatened to disclose to the Federal Communications Commission under oath, in writing, the broadcast of a false, distorted, or slanted news report which she reasonably believed would violate the prohibition against intentional falsification or distortion of the news on television if it were aired."

Also on the list, the foundation that awarded Jane and me the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for the stand we took in the battle to broadcast a fair and honest story on Fox Television.  They were snookered, too?

Then there is SPJ, the Society of Professional Journalists.  That organization bestowed one of its rarely-given Award For Ethics upon Jane and me...and then stood firm when Fox tried to pressure the organization to rescind it, claiming our charges were false and we'd never win our whistleblower lawsuit. 

The Alliance For Democracy and the Shafeek Nader Trust are two other respected public service organizations that have also presented us with their highest awards.  Gullible, all of them, too?

And let's not forget the thousands of individuals throughout the country and literally around the world have also supported our effort, many of them with donations which have helped us keep our lawyers fed as best we could while the issue drags through the courts. 

Snookered?  ALL those people?  I think not.  Or, on the other hand, if we're that good at it, maybe Jane or I should try a run for Governor of California, eh?

Steve Wilson 

Subject: Re: Into The Buzzsaw  
From: John Sugg <john.sugg@CREATIVELOAFING.COM>  
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 09:08:21 -0400  
To: IRE-L@PO.MISSOURI.EDU  

Wilson is good at spinning his own story. For the record, the SPJ award was highly criticized by the membership; it was essentially given at the whim of one person who clearly didn’t know the whole story. SPJ declined to give Wilson/Akre money for defense. The jurors did not believe Wilson at all. They ruled against him on all counts. He lied, and they knew it. The split decision undoubtedly reflected sympathy for Akre, but that verdict, too, was overturned. The duo won zip. Wilson’s animosity stems from the fact that his lies were exposed.