On Saturday, the Frederick News-Post published a story that focused on a parking space dispute between elected officials, and reporter Bethany Rodgers quoted Frederick County Councilman Kirby Delauter twice. Delauter represents District 5.
While the story’s focus is the change in county leadership and the parking grievances aired from another council member Billy Shreve, Delauter was outraged that Rodgers placed his name in the article.
Rodgers wrote that Delauter had taken some form of action to resolve the dispute: Delauter asked County Executive Jan Gardner to “take parking spaces away from her government affairs liaison and her chief administrative officer and designate them for the council. She has declined to do so, but is working to identify a fourth spot for council members.”
Delauter was not happy. He blasted Rodgers on Facebook and even threatened to sue her.
“Shame on Bethany Rodgers for an unauthorized use of my name and my reference in her article today. She contacted me by phone yesterday, I did not return her call and did not authorize any use of my name or reference in her article,” he wrote.
He further claimed that the reporter “embellished, twisted and downright lied” about what was discussed in the article.
Some journalists have responded to Delauter’s comments, arguing that when it comes to elected officials, the press does not have to ask permission to quote or reference them in an article.
The newspaper’s managing editor Terry Headlee said Delauter can decline to comment on any story, but to sue a reporter for a published name is misguided.
Tthe editorial board at the Frederick-News Post decided to raise the stakes even higher, publishing an editorial response titled “Kirby Delauter, Kirby Delauter, Kirby Delauter.”
The name appears in that editorial 28 more times.
