New York Times Sued for Defaming Lobbyist
Accused McCain of a Romantic Affair With Vicki Iseman
Jan 2, 2009
The rumor began with the Drudge Report on December 27, 2007, alleging that Primary Presidential candidate John McCain was trying to hush up a story about an affair with Washington lobbyist Vicki Iseman. The New York Times(NYT) eventually printed the information with the result that Ms. Iseman is now suing them for $27 million, charging defamation and damage to her career and her health.
The Published Story
The story that was published in February 2008 by the NYT and examined Ms. Iseman's relationship with Senator John McCain over a decade earlier. Both Iseman and McCain denied anything had ever happened. The Times stood by its story however it was criticized by Clark Hoyt the newspaper's ombudsman.(Financial Times 12/31/2008)
The Defamation Suit Timing
The defamation suit could not come at a worse time for the New York Times. As with most newspapers in the United States, readership is shrinking along with advertising revenue. It is currently faced with a $400 million revolving credit facility due in May 2009. The newspaper has been courting buyers for assets including a 17.5 stake in the Boston Red Sox baseball team and possibly by the Boston Globe paper.
The McCain Iseman Timeline.
On December 20, 2007, the Drudge Report headlined "McCain Pleads with NYT to Spike Story" and declared that Sen. John McCain was appealing to the New York Times to halt an upcoming story that, allegedly, linked him to some sort of improper activities with a Washington lobbyist, Vicki Iseman. Drudge also reported that McCain had hired a high-powered criminal defense attorney, Bob Bennett.
The story broke in the NYT on February 20, 2008. The Times did quote McCain as saying that the relationship was not romantic and that he never showed favoritism to Ms. Iseman or any of her clients.
The story was then published in the Associated Press (AP) and written about by Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post. The AP reported that John McCain had said that "he had never done any favors for anybody--lobbyist or special interest group." McCain had called executive editor Bob Keller earlier in the month to deny the allegations and complain that he was not being treated fairly by the times. (Editor & Publisher, 12/30/2008)
The Defamation Law Suit
In the lawsuit filed against the NYT, four of its reporters and two editors, Ms. Iseman is suing for $27 million in damages, charging defamation and damage to her career, and declaring that any claims of "inappropriate contact with the senator, romantic or otherwise, are false. The lawsuit claims that other media outlets were investigating McCain's ties with Iseman and that the Times was so concerned about being scooped that it printed a story "to pack the maximum sensational impact with the minimum factual support." The lawsuit contends she suffered an "avalanche of scorn, derision, and ridicule" that damaged her health.
The fact that there was disagreement at the NYT between the investigative reporters and editor Keller plus the criticism of the newspapers ombudsman about publishing the story may work in Ms. Iseman's favor.
Coming at a time when the NYT is already under financial pressure, this lawsuit was something the newspaper could have done without.
For a complete time line: Editor & Publisher
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