The News Sentinel takes Lumpy for a spin
Testimony ended yesterday in the trial of News Sentinel Editor Jack McElroy's lawsuit against Knox County Commission. Although Commissioner Greg "Lumpy" Lambert was never called by the defense as a witness, he was called to the stand yesterday during the plaintiffs' rebuttal.
Today's News Sentinel reports on Lambert's testimony in this front-page story. Its characterization of Lambert's testimony is decidedly negative; the spin begins in the second paragraph:
[Lambert's] latest accounts of the events surrounding the process to replace term-limited officeholders vary sharply from [his] earlier sworn statements.
That "vary sharply" phrase amounts to an insinuation that Lambert perjured himself yesterday. However, the "sharp variance" boils down to Lambert saying that, in his opinion, the chief winner of the outcome of Black Wednesday was Commission Chairman Scott Moore, rather than former Sheriff Tim Hutchison, as he asserted in sworn depositions several months ago. A change of opinion is hardly perjury. It's also not much of a sharp variance, since Moore is basically Hutchison's errand boy on County Commission.
The article also says this, perhaps as another attempt to insinuate that Lambert has changed his story:
In his sworn deposition, Lambert freely admitted lobbying fellow commissioners, brokering deals and backing the panel’s so-called gentleman’s agreement of deferring to the wishes of particular districts.
His testimony Thursday, however, included no such confessions.
Not exactly. This WBIR story on Lambert's appearance yesterday says:
Lambert also acknowledged talking to Commission Chair Scott Moore for more than seven hours adding that some of the time they did discuss candidates.
Lambert admitted having conversations about replacing the 12 term limited officer holders with Commissioner Paul Pinkston as well.
This WATE story mentions Lambert's admission yesterday of "deliberating":
Lambert admitted to discussing the appointments during those [cell phone] conversations [with Moore].
"My tounge [sic] was wagging to Chairman Moore about a number of issues." said Lambert.
"Was your tounge [sic] wagging to Chairman Moore about the appointments to the Knox County commission? yes or no, you are under oath." asked Moncier.
"Yes, but not for 7 hours." replied Lambert.
And this:
"We'll stop short of that magic word 'deliberate,' because that's what you've been told never to admit, isn't it? Never admit you deliberated because that might be something that would get you in trouble in this lawsuit."
"Actually, I think in the request for discovery, I said if a conversation between two people is deliberation, then I deliberated," Lambert replied.
The paper says his testimony included "no such confessions," yet the quotes above clearly demonstrate exactly the opposite. Lambert reiterated on the stand yesterday that he engaged in deliberations behind the scenes; the News Sentinel's assertion that Lambert's testimony "varied sharply" from his prior depositions turns out to be nothing more than spin.
The article continues with its assertions that Lambert's testimony has changed over the months; it cites two examples characterized as "plucking words and ideas from the prior testimony of other" commissioners. Those "plucked words and ideas" include his silly statement that there is "no back room" in the City County Building (which Scott Moore said) and his use of the word "simplistic" in the same context as Commissioner Hammond's testimony.
How exactly do these constitute "sharp variances" from his earlier depositions?
Rather than a straight report of yesterday's proceedings, the front page of our city's only daily caps off its coverage of the testimony with an inaccurate and misleading account of one of the key players in the case. Ironically, if the article had merely stuck to the facts, the story would have been even more damning of County Commission's case, since Lambert admitted again yesterday that he deliberated in secret with other commissioners.
That revelation, unfortunately, is omitted in favor of spin and misdirection.