Newspaper shuts columnist's Web site
After the Hartford Courant demoted columnist Denis Horgan to Travel Editor, he announced last month he was starting his own Web site at www.denishorgan.com and would continue posting commentary there. A very clever idea, and one that was received well by his fans. But the experiment did not end well.
"When the Hartford Courant's editor decided to kill my column and those of several of its veteran writers, you were kind enough to speak up in criticism," Horgan said in the March 20 issue of the weekly Hartford Advocate.
"...Your effort and my own desire to retain something of the voice that I have been so proud to share for so long inspire me to try a new way to be heard. I am launching www.denishorgan.com, a free website in which I will place columns and observations on the issues, events and personalities around us. Once I figure out the mechanics, this page will allow for discussions and comment -- as well as e-mail access, of course. I am doing this on my own time and through my own resources, separate from any duties I have at the newspaper. I'm not sure how this will be received but I certainly think that it is worth a try."
Now, in an April 17 posting on his Web site, Horgan writes, "It is with the most profound regret that I am compelled to announce that the editor of The Hartford Courant, a proud and wonderful newspaper of which I am honored to count myself a staff member, has ruled that I am no longer allowed to operate a column on this web page. Despite the fact that this page is operated on my own time and at my own expense, that it does not compete with the newspaper or draw upon any of its resources, the editor has ruled that its operation is a conflict of interest. It is not my role to explain this decision, one with which I disagree deeply, but I have no option but to suspend the column or commentary activities here. The page will remain open as I explore my rights and options."
Courant editor Brian Toolan tells Editor & Publisher, "Denis Horgan's entire professional profile is a result of his attachment to The Hartford Courant, yet he has unilaterally created for himself a parallel journalistic universe where he'll do commentary on the institutions that the paper has to cover without any editing oversight by the Courant. That makes the paper vulnerable."
It certainly seems hypocritical for a newspaper -- which would traditionally uphold and defend the First Amendment -- to stymie the free speech of one of its employees when that speech did not conflict with his duties in any way. It'll be very interesting to see how this plays out as he explores his "rights and options."
Apr 24, 2003 | E-MAIL | SAVE | PRINT | PERMALINK | DISCUSS(1)
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