"The Vilest Man in the Newspaper Business": F. G. Bonfils’s Case against the Rocky Mountain News

• Autores: Ken J. Ward
• Localización: Journalism history, ISSN 0094-7679, Vol. 45, Nº. 3, 2019, págs. 270-287
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Denver Post publisher F. G. Bonfils sued the rival Rocky Mountain News for libel in 1932. This research details the efforts of News investigative reporter Wallis Reef, who was sent on a months-long fact-finding mission to bolster the News’s case by documenting Bonfils’s history of crime and corruption. In presenting Reef’s findings, this work provides detailed information on a crucial episode in the long and consequential history of the newspaper war between the News and Post. Using investigative reports maintained by Reef that document his efforts day by day, it provides evidence that lends credibility to long-held rumors of fraud on the part of Bonfils. Along the way, this work explores how Reef navigated his tenuous position as investigative reporter/private investigator and the impact of his work on the News’s defense against Bonfils’s libel case.