BY The Associated Press
Michael Gallagher
|
A former Cincinnati Enquirer reporter fired for allegedly stealing voice-mails for a series questioning the Chiquita banana company's business practices has faced questions about his reporting before.
The FBI in 1986 challenged the existence of an unidentified source Michael Gallagher quoted in stories he wrote for the Lansing (Mich.) State Journal about alleged drug smuggling in Michigan prisons. Mr. Gallagher and the State Journal stood by the stories at the time, saying the source -- an unidentified assistant U.S. attorney -- was real.
Roni Rucker Waters, managing editor of the Lansing newspaper, confirmed Thursday that Mr. Gallagher worked at the paper from 1985 to 1987 but declined to comment further. She was not with the newspaper at the time. Then-editor Thomas Callinan, now editor at the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y., did not return calls seeking comment Friday.
Harry M. Whipple, president and publisher of the Enquirer, said the newspaper is reviewing what Mr. Gallagher has done since he joined the Enquirer in 1995.
Mr. Gallagher was fired June 26, two days before the Enquirer ran a front-page apology, renouncing his May 3 stories criticizing the Chiquita banana company's business practices. The newspaper said it believes Mr. Gallagher illegally obtained Chiquita employees' voice-mails in pursuing the story.
The newspaper also agreed to pay Chiquita more than $10 million to settle the case; Chiquita had not filed suit. A state grand jury is investigating whether property was stolen from Chiquita. Chiquita is suing Mr. Gallagher, who was not a party to the Enquirer's settlement. Mr. Gallagher did not return messages seeking comment on Friday. His lawyer, Patrick Hanley, declined to comment.
In his 1986 stories, Mr. Gallagher quoted "an assistant U.S. attorney who asked to remain unnamed" as saying a grand jury had begun hearing testimony on alleged drug-smuggling in a Michigan prison and predicted that guards and supervisors would be indicted.
The FBI investigated after the stories ran and accused Mr. Gallagher of fabricating the source. No grand jury had met, agents said. Mr. Gallagher and his newspaper defended his reporting; Mr. Gallagher later said he believed the FBI had started the investigation to discredit him because he had obtained information the FBI did not want publicized.
Dawn Moritz, an FBI spokeswoman in Detroit, said Friday she was not familiar with the prison stories and could not comment.
Previous stories
Judge got contributions from Chiquita execs, special prosecutor July 10, 1998
Ex-reporter tries to avoid testifying to grand jury July 9, 1998
Chiquita sues former Enquirer reporter July 3, 1998
Reporter fights subpoena July 1, 1998
Enquirer employees subpoenaed in probe June 30, 1998
Chiquita accepts apology, $10M from Enquirer June 29, 1998
An apology to Chiquita June 28, 1998
