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Arrested Tampa Editor Called From Jail To Get Word Out
Jay Conner/'Tampa Tribune'
Janet Weaver
By Joe Strupp
Published: May 09, 2006 3:10 PM ET
NEW YORK Just hours after being arrested on a drunk driving charge early this morning, Tampa Tribune Editor Janet Weaver was on the phone from jail trying to inform editors at her paper of the incident so they could get the word out on the Web site.
"I tried to find people between 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning, but I wasn't able to get a hold of anyone," said Weaver, who was arrested at about 12:30 a.m. after being pulled over on her way home from dinner. "I am not great at remembering phone numbers and I have a list in my car and my purse, but [police] had taken them away from me, so I had to use my memory."
The 43-year-old editor, who said she had never before been arrested, also will have no input in to the Wednesday edition of the paper, and has not told editors how to cover the story of her arrest. The Tribune broke the story on its own Web site less than two hours after her 5:30 a.m. release.
"If it were up to me, I would place it on the front page," Weaver told E&P. "We have to hold ourselves accountable."
She stressed that any involvement she might have on the paper, even on stories unrelated to her arrest, would be improper. "I don't think it is appropriate for my fingerprints to be on that paper," she said. "You could argue that I was trying to figure into the placement of my story if I am involved in another story."
Weaver said she made four phone calls to different Tribune staffers while in jail, but was unable to reach anyone. She only had cell phone numbers and reached phones that were likely not on at that hour. "When you are calling from jail it is also a collect call, so someone has to accept the charges," she said. "I either got voice mail, or the phone was off."
When Weaver finally was released, she went directly to the Tribune offices, reaching the building at about 6:10 a.m., she said. "I wanted to get in touch with the deputy managing editor and give him a heads up," she said. "I also wanted to let my bosses know, that was something I wanted to do face-to-face."
Eventually, Weaver informed Deputy Managing Editor Ken Koehn of the arrest. He then called police and courts editor Howard Altman at home, directing him to get a story on the Web site. "I got called at about 7:30 a.m., the phone was ringing earlier than usual," Altman told E&P. "My boss said we had to mobilize earlier than usual. He just told me to do the story and get it out first."
Altman said he found the jail log and arrest information on the Web site of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, then called Weaver for comment. The paper even posted her mug shot, also found online, with the story. "I banged it out and wrote it from home and they go it up," Altman said. "The attitude here is great transparency and I appreciate that."
Tampa Bay area newspapers have had a history of top-level supervisors involved in legal problems receiving praise for openness, and punishment for cover-ups. In 1991, Tribune president and general manager James F. Urbanski came under fire for trying to cover up a rape at his home that involved a friend of his son, Mark. The incident eventually led to a conviction of the friend, while Urbanski's son was found guilty of lesser charges.
The elder Urbanski's failure to disclose the incident and his family's ties eventually prompted a stinging rebuke from his own editorial page, as well as his eventual forced resignation.
Several years earlier, Eugene Patterson, then editor of the nearby St. Petersburg Times, was arrested on a drunk driving charge. The paper played the story on Page One, at Patterson's insistence, prompting praise and removing any question of transparency.
Weaver said she had sought to inform Tribune Publisher Gil Thelan earlier today, but could not reach him because he is out of town. She said she had already spoken to executives at Media General, the paper's Virginia-based owners. "There will be a letter in my permanent file," she predicted. "But to my knowledge, that is the extent of it."
The editor, who joined the paper in 2004, said she has never had a drinking problem and described this incident as an unusual occurrence. "I don't go out that often," said the mother of three. "I am typically at home, at work or at work-related events."
Weaver said she had received e-mails from editors around the country today offering support, with some hinting that they could have just as easily ended up in her place. "They have said, 'there for the grace of God.'" She also said others should use her situation as a warning about driving under any influence. "I did not feel impaired," she said. "But clearly my breathalyzer showed differently."
When asked about the posting of her mug shot online, Weaver joked, "It's a lovely photo and we may use it as a holiday card, who knows?' On a more serious note, she said "it is not my favorite picture of myself, but it is what we do for any public figure. I am the story."
Joe Strupp (jstrupp@editorandpublisher.com) is a senior editor at E&P.
Doesn't sound like she got any special treatment. Hopefully she won't let it happen again.
And the Trib's version of the "news."
http://tboblogs.com/index.php/newswire/comments/weaver_arrest/
Tampa Tribune Editor Arrested
Posted May 09, 2006 at 07:16 AM
By HOWARD ALTMAN
haltman@tampatrib.com
Tampa Tribune executive editor Janet Weaver was arrested by Tampa Police early this morning and charged with driving under the influence.
Weaver, 43, was arrested by police near the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Howard Avenue North at about 12:30 a.m. Her blood alcohol content was measured at .085 and .081.
Florida presumes a person is intoxicated when his or her blood alcohol level is 0.08 percent or higher.
Weaver said she “was coming from Davis Island, where I had dinner and was headed out to I-275 to go home” when she was pulled over.
Weaver has been at the Tribune since July 2004, when she was hired to be managing editor and was promoted to executive editor in January 2005.
snip
Gotta give her credit. Sounds pretty honest and straightforward to me.
BTW, shouldn't it be .008 rather than .08?