Two More Star Veterans Flee Gannett

No self-respecting journalist could work for the Gannett-owned Indianapolis Star and so it comes as no surprise that two of the newspaper's more veteran employees would flee the sinking ship for dry ground. Former Star columnist and blogger Ruth Holladay has the scoop on the award-winning investigative reporter John Russell departing The Star for a new job at the Chicago Tribune. Russell had the excellent series exposing the highly-unethical relationships between IURC officials and Duke Energy executives. She also says Jeff Herman, a copy desk chief from the days The Star still had someone with that title, is headed to Austin, Texas where he will start a new job as a web editor for an IT company.

Holladay is promising more about what is wrong with Gannett in an upcoming post. Speaking of what is wrong with Gannett, did you catch the belated story the newspaper's Hamilton County beat reporter, Chris Sikich, wrote about the fact that Westfield Mayor Andy Cook's family business has failed for the second time in six years and is scheduled for a sheriff's sale next month? Only a Gannett reporter could put lipstick on that pig and Sikich found a way to do it. Read it to believe it. The Star knew all about Mayor Cook's financial woes and nearly $1 million in unpaid tax liens but said nothing about it before this year's municipal primary election, which is the general election in Hamilton County. The media seems similarly disinterested in a legion of complaints made by ex-employees of Cook's Hoosier Tradewinds trucking firm. And what "big scoop" is Star political columnist Matt Tully talking about? Advance Indiana reported this story almost a week ago. Who do you think you're fooling, Matt?

Another great scoop by @ChrisSikich. https://t.co/tBbbO3cduy

— Matthew Tully (@matthewltully) July 28, 2015

Big hat tip to the observant reader. The Star's grossly-incompetent president and executive publisher, Karen Ferguson, formerly known as Karen Crotchfelt (no pun intended) before she dumped her husband shortly after she moved to Indianapolis and started dating Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Rick Fuson, is now Karen Ferguson Fuson. Does that make her Fuson's fourth or fifth wife?

It's true. Rick @Bcrfuson and I got married. Just celebrated a wonderful honeymoon pic.twitter.com/b54apYj8Jd

— Karen Ferguson Fuson (@karenferguson33) July 26, 2015