Knoxville Metro Pulse
The Newport (Tenn.) Plain Talk axed
Gary Butler for investigating reports -- apparently against his editor's wishes -- that an official had killed a bear without a valid hunting license. "The Plain Talk is owned by the Jones newspaper family in Greeneville," writes the "Ear" columnist (second item). "One of the Jones' brothers, Alex, has a sinecure at Harvard where he writes books about the newspaper industry and frequently advises the national media on ethics."
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"I definitely was fired because of it," says Butler. "I was told the technical reason for my dismissal was insubordination. When I asked what that means, they said: 'You investigated a story about Iliff McMahan.''"
(Knoxville News)
