Media 6-19

An appeals court on 6/13 ruled against Santa Barbara News-Press owner Wendy McCaw’s libel suit against reporter Susan Paterno, whose 2006 American Journalism Review article “Santa Barbara Smackdown” focused on the initial turmoil at the daily. The court ruled that McCaw’s Ampersand Publishing had not proven malice on Paterno’s part to the point that she should give testimony. Analysts conjecture that this ruling seriously hurts any chances of McCaw’s lawsuit prevailing. (/paterno619)