As painful as it may be to write, I once again agree with the Seattle Times in their efforts to have court documents unsealed from Susan Hutchison’s discrimination suit against KIRO TV:
Hutchison, through her lawyer, says she supports open records but not when it comes to intruding into the privacy of an individual who availed themselves of the court. That sounds too much like she supports open records — just not her records.
That’s called hypocrisy, especially coming from someone who claims to have been a journalist. (Though in all fairness to Hutchison, it’s hard to call reading words off a teleprompter “journalism.”)
Court records and proceedings are generally public by default, both as a First Amendment right, and as a matter of judicial principle, as public oversight of the courts is our primary safeguard in ensuring that justice is meted out fairly. Indeed, such openness is fundamental to our entire system of justice. Think about it: secret courts equal tyranny and oppression.
That’s why court records are normally only sealed under certain circumstances, such as closed adoptions, juveniles (criminals and victims), witness protection, trade secrets and national security. Personal privacy is generally not one of these circumstances, apart from obvious things like social security numbers. Choose to bring a civil suit and you choose to make the information disclosed by both parties public. That’s the way the system works, and that’s likely the second most common reason, after cost, that parties choose to settle disputes privately, before their dirty laundry is aired out in court.
Hutchison was an aging female newscaster demoted from her weeknight anchor job in favor of a younger (and less expensive) woman. Right or wrong, that’s not uncommon in the cutthroat TV news biz. Still, she probably could have secured a modest severance settlement out of KIRO TV, simply by threatening a discrimination suit. That too is common in the biz. But whatever KIRO TV offered apparently wasn’t good enough for Hutchison, so she exercised her right to sue in civil court.
Hutchison and her surrogates claim that KIRO TV’s willingness to settle proves her discrimination claims, but with the records sealed and the terms of the settlement secret, such assertions are totally unsupported. Perhaps little or no money changed hands. For all we know, Hutchison ended up paying KIRO.
What we do know is that Hutchison failed to win her old job back, and she failed to secure a comparable anchor position at any of the three competing stations, so while age and gender no doubt played a role in her demotion, it was a cold, cruel business decision based on ratings and performance more than anything else. I mean, not every female newscaster is shoved aside once their youth fades; for example, Jean Enersen’s reporting and interviewing chops have earned her a steady hold on the KING-5 anchor chair since 1972.
The Times warns that Hutchison risks “squandering credibility by fighting this case,” but really, how much credibility did she have to start with? As a newscaster, certainly not as much credibility as Enersen. And as a political candidate for executive office with little or no political or executive experience at all… well… um…?
Perhaps we’ll be able to answer that question better once the court documents are unsealed.
Hutchison and her handlers appear to understand that credibility no longer holds a candle to image.
Interestingly enough, the King County Superior Court Clerk made a typo when entering this case into their computer system. The plaintiff’s name is listed as Susan HUTCHINSON, as opposed to Susan HUTCHISON:
Case Number Name File Date Participant Cause Status
03-2-39320-7 Cox Broadcasting Inc 10-24-03 Defendant Tort-Other Docket Info Available
03-2-39320-7 Cox Holdings Inc 10-24-03 Defendant Tort-Other Docket Info Available
03-2-39320-7 Hutchinson, Susan 10-24-03 Plaintiff Tort-Other Docket Info Available
03-2-39320-7 Kiro Inc 10-24-03 Defendant Tort-Other Docket Info Available
03-2-39320-7 Woodin, Diana 10-24-03 Defendant Tort-Other Docket Info Available
03-2-39320-7 Woodin, John 10-24-03 Defendant Tort-Other Docket Info Available
Someone should make an issue of Susan Hutchison’s voting record. Susan S. Hutchison (DOB: 03/24/1954) failed to vote in the August or September primary elections in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007. I doubt that she has voted in hardly any school levy and other special elections at all. She didn’t vote in the presidential primaries in 2000 and 2008 either, but then again, she is trying to appear “non-partisan”.
I wonder if Hutchison will vote in the August primary this year? She didn’t vote at all in the last three odd-year primaries, in which King County offices were also on the ballot?
I guess goldstein agrees it’s also hard to call someone a president who just reads words off a teleprompter as well…. oh, and blows a trillion dollars on an increasing unemployment rate.
So much for Keynesian economics….
She believes in open government, but doesn’t want her use of the courts open for scrutiny.
She believes in democracy, but can’t be bothered to vote.
A real winner, this one.
Juvenile offender files are not sealed. Juvenile dependency files are sealed by state statute.
Using this same logic for open records, lets have a look a Obamas’ birth certificate and an explanation of spending almost a million dollars in legal fees to hide the fact he was born in Kenya.
mark @7,
Really? You’re a birther? Idiot.
How are things in the Flat Earth Society these days?
“I mean, not every female newscaster is shoved aside once their youth fades”
This talk of newscasters, abuse and youth fading had me recalling my stint as a janitor at KIRO during my first year of college back around 1970 – the era of Lloyd E. Cooney, Cliff Kirk, Ron Forsell, JP Patches, the Count and his Nightmare Theater, and Sandy Hill’s Dialin’ for Dollars afternoon movies. All before Goldy’s time but maybe Piper or somebody else recalls. The person I think of from the news staff back then is Ann Martin, who would fill in for Sandy on Dialin’ for Dollars and who eventually got the weekend anchor gig. All the newscasters were asswipes to some degree except for Ann. The black teen who was my janitorial cohort didn’t get a whole lot of respect and I didn’t get much more than him. But Ann’s kindness towards both of us was really something. She’d go out to make a kind gesture towards us and it added up to our viewing her as a very wonderful woman, so much unlike everybody else there at the station. Her gentle nature and high intelligence would have been notable in any setting. But more, in person she was incredibly beautiful whereas on the tube she came off as a little bit dowdy, say, compared to the supposedly beautiful and sexy Sandy Hill. Sandy, on the other hand, wasn’t really all that attractive in person, came off as a heinous bitch, but went on to host GMA or some other national morning show of the time.
Through the years I’ve occasionally wondered whatever happened to the very wonderful and beautiful Ann Martin. Yesterday my thoughts turned towards her again and so I did a search. The answers I found tie in somewhat to Goldy’s comment about aging newscasters being pushed aside. I searched and found that Ann went on to have a decades-long career, well into her sixties, I reckon, co-anchoring newscasts in L.A., pulling down well over a million a year. But in the end, she and her long-time male co-host, both aging, were finally, well, pushed aside.
I’m glad she had a long and successful career in newscasting. I tell ya, it couldn’t have possibly happened to a nicer gal. And unlike Suzie H, Ann appears to have handled her exit with a low-key grace.
I suppose the happy old republican agrees that the reason for both unemployment rate spikes were caused by the retarded Bush regime and that Obama got stuck with the mess.
Steve @ 10
I’m from L.A. Been here in Seattle since ’92. I vaguely remember Ann Martin – it’s been that long since I gave a flip about TV in L.A.
Quite a few clips of her stuff are on Youtube. Brings back some memories.
Gee I almost NEVER watch TV news now. I live off the net. And I don’t see going back.
@10 I seem to recall that in 1976, KIRO sent Ann Martin to cover the Washington Democrats’ election-night party along with some ultra-nerdy, wet-behind-the-ears male reporter. The party was rockin’ out pretty well (being that the Democrats did rather well that night) and Ann apparently started mingling and then…well, left with someone else. Took the poor guy about an hour to realize that she wasn’t coming back.
Well @ 12 America is a mess, oblahblah hired on to clean it up. Maybe he should get busy putting America back to work.
The fact is when we are drilling at home in OUR country it is good for everyone.
When we are not, its not good for anyone,
when coal miners are mining in this country,
When small family owned businesses are making money when factory workers have a factory to work in,when the steel workers go to work they take care of thier families and BTW have company insurance,
America pays thier bills and takes care of thier families when they are employed and that is what needs to be taken be care of before any thing else in this country,
Nothing he has said has come to pass, except his chicago and kalifornia cronies spending American’s(China’s) money that will haunt us well after he leaves office,
if you think these people that are unemployed in this country will not turn to crime to take care of thier families you have another think coming.
BUSH DOES NOT HOLD THIS OFFICE ANY LONGER,
It is like saying Woodrow Wilson left a mess,who really cares, that is just a copout.
8 Well, I might be an idiot but maybe the Ambassador from Kenya is one too and Obamas’ grandmother as well if you look around a little. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH4GX30tf14
9 They have a flat earth society? It truly amazes me the things liberals can sweep under the carpet in the name of dismantling this great country. Can you see it? Do you need to stand in a soup line first?
If that you tube link causes trouble try entering “Kenyan ambassador admits Obama born in Kenya” and you can listen for yourself!
Kirk out…
Great link about the peoples support for healthcare, liars, liars, liars,
http://www.libertysarmy.com/20.....an-people/
Goldy being a birther is not a bad thing when you are an American looking out for other Americans.Why wouldnt be every Americans right to see that the president of the U.S.A is an American. He does hold a public office.
Or do you just like to call people names?
oh look, its another Hutchison daily hit-piece…wow, the libdrools sure must be scared of her…
8 Plaintruth.com even has an article from Lou Dobbs questioning Obamas citizenship. Its starting to unravel boys and girls. Sooner than I even thought it would.