:26:00
Thats what
this is about.
:26:01
And because we
put up a fight
:26:03
because we stood up
to this big corporation
:26:05
and we stood up
to your editors
:26:06
and we stood up
to your lawyers.
:26:07
And we said to you
:26:08
look there ought
to be a principle higher
:26:10
than just making money.
:26:11
And she wrote a
letter back and said
:26:13
you are right thats
exactly what it was.
:26:15
You stood up
to us on this story
:26:16
and thats why
we're letting you go.
:26:19
Big mistake
:26:20
Big mistake
:26:22
That says retaliation.
:26:24
You cant retaliate
against employees
:26:27
if theyre standing
up for something
:26:29
that they believe is illegal
:26:30
that they dont want
to participate in.
:26:33
So that gave us
:26:34
the whistleblower
stats that wanted
:26:36
in the state of Florida to
file a whistleblower claim
:26:39
against our employer.
:26:42
Two or three years
later we got the trial.
:26:44
Five weeks of testimony led
to a jury verdict of $425000
:26:50
in which the jury determined
:26:51
that the story they
pressured us to broadcast
:26:53
the story we resisted
telling was in fact false
:26:56
distorted or slanted.
:27:01
Fox News
appealed the verdict.
:27:04
Five major news media
corporations filed briefs
:27:06
with the court in support
of Fox appeal.
:27:14
You may recall that Jane Akre
a former reporter here
:27:16
sued Fox 13 in
a whistleblower lawsuit
:27:19
claiming that
she was fired
:27:20
for refusing
to distort her report;
:27:23
the Appeals Court today
threw that case out
:27:25
saying Ms. Akre had
no whistleblower claim
:27:28
against the station
based on news distortion.
:27:30
Fox 13vice president and
general manager Bob Linger
:27:33
says the station
has been completely
:27:36
vindicated by the ruling...
:27:37
What Fox neglected
to report is this
:27:40
Jane sued Fox under Floridas
whistleblower statute
:27:43
which protects those who try
to prevent others
:27:46
from breaking the law.
:27:49
Buther Appeal Court judges
found that falsifying news
:27:52
isnt actually
against the law.
:27:54
So they denied Jane her
whistleblower stats
:27:57
overturned the case and
withdrew her $425000 award.