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Myatt sacked by newspaper
Bonesville.net Staff Report
�2004 Bonesville.net
The Raleigh News & Observer
has dismissed veteran sports reporter Al Myatt after receiving a complaint
from an unnamed individual about opinion columns written by Myatt for
Bonesville.net, the paper reported Friday.
Bonesville.net is a daily
online news publication covering East Carolina sports. In addition to Myatt,
it employs a number of other sports journalists from various print and
broadcast media companies on a part-time basis.
A part-time staffer for the
N&O for more than a decade and the paper's beat reporter for East Carolina
sports in recent years, Myatt has been a regular contributor to
Bonesville.net since the website was launched in 2001. He is also a writer
for the site's annual hard-copy publication, Bonesville Magazine.
In an unusual "Note to
Readers" published Friday in the sports section of the paper, N&O executive
editor Melanie Still said approval is required by supervisors for freelance
work outside the paper and that employees are barred from outside work that
presents a conflict of interest for the paper.
Still contended that editors weren't aware of Myatt's work for
Bonesville.net, though she noted that Myatt has written more
than 300 columns for the website. The N&O's editorial staff has cleared and
published sports articles that mentioned Bonesville.net since Myatt began
writing for the site.
Still did not address Myatt's
part-time employment with a Harnett County radio station or his freelance work over
the years for a number of national and regional print and online
publications.
Two well-known area
journalists contacted by Bonesville.net said it is not unusual for newspaper
sportswriters to contribute articles for pay to non-competing publications
about topics having to do with their areas of expertise. Both journalists
commented about their surprise that the N&O would report Myatt's firing in
such a high-profile fashion.
Still's remarks in Friday's
N&O supported the notion that Myatt is viewed as an authority on Pirate
sports and acknowledged Myatt's contention that he was unaware his part-time
work for Bonesville.net would be viewed by the paper as a problem.
"Myatt worked hard during his
years at the newspaper and developed extensive knowledge of ECU athletics,"
Still wrote. "He said he did not know he was violating our policies and that
he believed he had always covered events for the newspaper impartially."
Still noted that the paper
would hire a new reporter to cover ECU sports.
Myatt told Bonesville.net that
he intends to continue writing his twice-a-week column for the site.
A Wake Forest alumnus, Myatt
played basketball for the Demon Deacons in the 1970's. Before joining the
News & Observer, Myatt put in stints as sports editor for the Washington
Daily News and at the Rocky Mount Evening Telegram.
Bonesville.net publisher and
editor Danny Whitford praised Myatt's work for both The N&O and
Bonesville.net.
Whitford said Myatt's
association with the website has been prominent since 2001 and
indicated Myatt's role with Bonesville.net may be expanded.
Copyright 2004
Bonesville.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 11:47:54 AM
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