Nearly two years ago today — Sept. 2, 2022 — Jeff German, an investigative journalist for the Las Vegas Journal-Review, was found stabbed to death outside of his home. Within days, German’s fellow journalists and the police turned their attention to Robert Telles, a Clark County public administrator who was the subject of German’s reporting.
The New York Times’ Isabelle Taft noted, “A few months before his death, Mr. German wrote an article for The Las Vegas Review-Journal describing employees’ complaints that Mr. Telles had created a toxic work environment, demonstrated favoritism and had an improper relationship with a staff member. Mr. Telles denied the allegations. He lost his re-election bid a month after the article came out, and Mr. German kept reporting.”
Telles was eventually arrested and, on Wednesday, after an 11-day trial, he was found guilty of murder in the first degree.
The Washington Post’s Praveena Somasundaram wrote, “The prosecution rested its case on Aug. 19 after four days of witnesses and presentations that relied heavily on the evidence police recovered from Telles’ home, photos and surveillance video from the day of the stabbing, and a match between Telles’ DNA and DNA recovered from underneath German’s fingernails.”
The Las Vegas Journal-Review’s Katelyn Newberg wrote, “Jurors weighed eight days of testimony from dozens of witnesses, including detectives, forensic experts, and those who knew Telles, along with three days of testimony from Telles himself. Telles gave a narrative testimony to the jury, without being interrupted by his attorney, before facing cross-examination by prosecutors.”
During his testimony, Telles said, “This thing has been kind of a nightmare. I want to say unequivocally: I’m innocent. I didn’t kill Mr. German. And I’ve got a lot to share with you all.”
Without being asked a question by his attorney, Telles spoke for nearly three hours, and claimed he was framed and that German was murdered by a professional hitman.
The jury wasn’t convinced of what Telles had to share.
Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly said, “In the end, this case isn’t about politics. It’s not about alleged inappropriate relationships. It’s not about who’s a good boss or who’s a good supervisor or favoritism at work. It’s just about murder.”
In a statement, Review-Journal executive editor Glenn Cook said, “Today a Clark County jury delivered a measure of justice for Jeff German, and we hope it brings some solace to his family, friends and colleagues. Jeff was killed for doing the kind of work in which he took great pride: His reporting held an elected official accountable for bad behavior and empowered voters to choose someone else for the job.”
Cook went on to say, “Robert Telles could have joined the long line of publicly shamed Nevada politicians who’ve gone on with their lives, out of the spotlight or back in it. Instead, he carried out a premeditated revenge killing with terrifying savagery. Today also brought a measure of justice for slain journalists all over the world. Our jobs are increasingly risky and sometimes dangerous. In many countries, the killers of journalists go unpunished. Not so in Las Vegas. Our thanks to police and prosecutors, whose diligent work won this conviction. Let’s also remember that this community has lost much more than a trusted journalist. Jeff was a good man who left behind a family who loved him and friends who cherished him. His murder remains an outrage. He is missed.”
As Taft wrote for the Times, “Before his death, Mr. German had also begun reporting about a Las Vegas lawyer accused of running a $500 million Ponzi scheme that ensnared hundreds of investors. He left behind folders of court documents, and a Washington Post reporter picked up where he left off. The article was published last year.”
And for more background on that, here’s a story that my colleague, Amaris Castillo, wrote in early 2023.
Palin’s suit back in play
Two years ago, former Alaska Gov. and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin lost her closely-watched defamation suit against The New York Times.
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court granted her a new trial. The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in its ruling, “Unfortunately, several major issues at trial — specifically, the erroneous exclusion of evidence, an inaccurate jury instruction, a legally erroneous response to a mid-deliberation jury question, and jurors learning during deliberations of the district court’s Rule 50 dismissal ruling — impugn the reliability of that verdict.”
This all goes back to a 2017 editorial in the Times. Palin said the editorial wrongly linked a map that Palin’s political action committee had posted to the 2011 shooting that injured former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, killed six people and injured several others. The Times apologized for the piece, but Palin said her reputation had been damaged.
As CNN’s Hadas Gold noted, “Palin sued the Times, but a jury in 2022 found Palin did not prove ‘actual malice,’ the legal standard Palin had to meet in her defamation case because she is a public figure. But during deliberations, Judge Jed Rakoff ruled that Palin’s attorneys did not prove a key element of their case, and that he would have set aside the jury’s verdict should it have found for Palin.”
Palin’s appeal said the jury might have been swayed by what the judge said.
Palin’s lawyer, Shane Vogt, said, “Governor Palin is very happy with today’s decision, which is a significant step forward in the process of holding publishers accountable for content that misleads readers and the public in general.”
Meanwhile, a Times spokesperson said, “This decision is disappointing. We’re confident we will prevail in a retrial.”
The New York Times’ David Enrich wrote, “The case was also freighted with extra significance because Ms. Palin’s lawyers hoped to use it as a vehicle to overturn the Supreme Court’s landmark First Amendment decision in New York Times v. Sullivan. That 1964 ruling, as well as a handful of subsequent cases, has made it much harder for public figures like Ms. Palin to win libel lawsuits.”
Enrich added, “While many view the Sullivan decision as a linchpin of the free press, a growing chorus of mostly conservative critics, including Justice Clarence Thomas, have argued in recent years that the precedent unfairly shields news organizations from accountability when they harm people’s reputations. The appeals court’s 56-page ruling on Wednesday did not engage with the argument by Ms. Palin’s side that the Sullivan precedent was obsolete. Instead, the three judges — all appointed by Republican presidents — faulted Judge Rakoff’s handling of the trial. (In 2019, the same appeals court reversed his decision to dismiss the lawsuit before trial.)”
Reversing course
“Donald Trump was a terrible president.” Who said that? Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And it wasn’t like he said it years ago. He said it last month.
But as of late last week, Kennedy is fully endorsing and campaigning for Trump after his own independent presidential campaign crashed after months of barely hovering above the ground.
RFK also called Trump’s foreign policies “absurd and terrifying.” That, too, came just recently — in June.
Those are just two of the many times that Kennedy harshly criticized Trump. In a piece for The New York Times, Tim Balk chronicled, “12 Times Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Criticized Trump.”
Balk wrote, “Mr. Kennedy had spent the better part of a decade lobbing attacks at Mr. Trump, portraying him as a buffoonish, anti-democratic bully who led a feckless administration.”
And now he’s one of Trump’s biggest supporters.
A curbed enthusiasm
Actress Cheryl Hines, left, and husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attend the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” final season premiere in January in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Now that Kennedy has thrown all his support behind Trump, you might wonder what RFK’s wife, actress Cheryl Hines of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” fame, thinks of what her husband has done.
Not much, apparently.
Kennedy appeared on “TMZ Live” on Tuesday and admitted that his wife is not happy about her husband trumpeting for Trump.
Kennedy said, “She is a lifelong Democrat and the idea of me supporting Donald Trump was, like I said, it was something she would have never imagined, something that she never wanted in her life. I think it causes her a lot of discomfort and I’m very grateful to her for giving me support, but she was not somebody who was clamoring for this move. I would say the opposite is true.”
Kennedy said, “She went along with it because she loves me and she wanted to be supportive of me, but it was not something she ever encouraged.”
Stepping down
Adam Verdugo is stepping down as executive producer of the “CBS Evening News” just as the newscast prepares for major changes. Anchor Norah O’Donnell is leaving the newcast after the election and will be replaced by John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, with Margaret Brennan reporting from Washington, D.C.
In a memo to staff, Verdugo wrote that the “time is right for me to move on to the next chapter. This was not an easy decision to make, but as we know in this business, there is never a ‘right’ time.”
Carolyn Cremen will serve as interim executive producer through the election. “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens will take over as supervisor producer of the “CBS Evening News” later this year. Owens will continue to oversee “60 Minutes.”
Where to watch
(Photo courtesy of ESPN)
If you’re a sports fan, you know how tough it is to sometimes find the game you want to watch. Is it on ESPN? Fox Sports? CBS or another network? Somewhere like Amazon Prime or Peacock?
Well, ESPN introduced something Wednesday on the ESPN app and ESPN.com called “Where to Watch.” It’s a guide to let fans know where they can watch the game they want to watch. And not only is it for events being shown by ESPN/ABC, but it’s for all broadcast, cable and regional sports networks, as well as streaming services. Here’s a teaser video.
During an ESPN media event on Wednesday, Brian Marshall, Vice President of Sports Product & Technology at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, told reporters, “Fifty percent of our fans have told us they can’t figure out where to see their favorite teams play. So that led to our thoughts for this project. How can we help our fans out?”
Fans can search for specific events or teams and customize their guide to prioritize their favorite teams or the sports they most like to watch, and it all can be tied to their ESPN profile and personalization preferences.
I’m an avid sports watcher and usually can find the game I want to watch without too much trouble. But with more networks and, in particular, streaming services getting involved in live sports, a place that tells fans exactly where to go is a forward-thinking idea. And, let’s face it, it benefits ESPN, which shows more sporting events than anyone.
Media tidbits
- The New York Times’ Katie Robertson with “Russia Bars Numerous U.S. Journalists From the Country.”
- Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz has some strong takes in her Substack newsletter when writing about the journalists vs. content creators debate that gathered momentum at the Democratic National Convention. I started to quote some of what she wrote, but Lorenz said so much and there’s so much to unpack that you’re better off just reading it in its entirety.
- For Poynter, Gabrielle Russon with “University of Florida student journalists lead on breaking big stories about former President Ben Sasse.”
- Veteran journalist John Harwood — formerly of CNN, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, among other places — has a new piece out for Nieman Lab: “Warped. Election stakes couldn’t be higher. The media is still struggling to meet the moment.”
- ESPN and the United States Tennis Association have extended their relationship with a new 12-year deal. That means ESPN remains the exclusive rightsholder of the US Open in the U.S. through 2037.
- Awful Announcing’s Brandon Contes with “Rob Parker’s all-Black sports radio station ceases operations.”
Hot type
Good investigative work here from the Detroit Free Press’ Matthew Dolan: “Millions of older cars, trucks with dangerous defects aren’t getting fixed.”
The Los Angeles Times’ Stacy Perman with, “‘A hugely flawed system.’ Teachers flag safety problems for kids on film sets.”
More resources for journalists
- Public media journalists: Learn about our Digital Transformation Program.
- Try our free Grant Writing for Journalists self-directed course
- Lead With Influence is for leaders who manage big responsibilities but have no direct reports.
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.
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