LETTER: NewsLanc erred re Intell reporters

"To the publisher,

"This is P.J. Reilly from the Intell writing. In your editorial, you state that reporters from the Intell, including me, were allowed to make a 'dubious plea bargain' in the Kirchner case. Please be accurate in your statements. No reporter was offered a 'plea bargain.' That indicates admission to a crime. In fact, none of us was even charged with a crime. It is certainly your right to opine all you want on whether we should have been charged, but, the fact is we were not and please don't make statements, such as we were 'allowed a dubious plea bargain.' That is grossly inaccurate.

P.J. Reilly"

EDITOR: P. J. Reilly is correct. There was no plea bargain per se. Rather, the reporters were offered immunity for testifying against the coroner. There is a difference, albeit somewhat nuanced. We regret our error.

But shame on Reilly and the other reporters for allegedly breaking the law and on Tom Corbett, Attorney General, for not prosecuting Intelligencer Journal Editor Ray Shaw as a co-conspirator.