Dirt@Chicago Tribune

[rmsmith 1]

'Chicago Tribune' columnist resigns over sexual relationship with teen

CHICAGO (AP) Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Greene resigned after acknowledging he engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a teenage girl, the newspaper said Sunday.

In a note on the paper's front page, editor Ann Marie Lipinski said Greene, 55, acknowledged the sexual conduct with a girl in her late teens whom he met in connection with his column.

"Greene's behavior was a serious violation of Tribune ethics and standards for its journalists," Lipinski said. "We deeply regret the conduct, its effect on the young woman and the impact the disclosure has on the trust our readers placed in Greene and this newspaper."

The Tribune first heard of the allegation after receiving an anonymous complaint last week, prompting an inquiry by editors and other Tribune officials, Lipinski said in the note. The conduct occurred "some years ago," she said.

Greene was suspended by the paper, which then sought his resignation. He submitted it Saturday night.

Gary Weitman, a spokesman for Tribune Co., said the newspaper and company would have no further comment. He said Greene did not leave a statement and he did have a phone number to reach him. Greene did not immediately respond to a email message Sunday from The Associated Press.

Greene's column on social issues and American life appeared in the Tribune four times a week and was syndicated, appearing in newspapers around the country. He also has written several books and provided commentary on Tribune-owned WGN TV.

[bodypilot90 0]

classy guy isn't he?

[diverdriver 6]

In every group in society you will find people that (or at least at a certain time in life) do not meet the minimums of a professional standard. At every newspaper, every DZ, every PTA, every airline. You will find people that violate the company or public trust. Even the FBI and CIA have moles. And they are supposed to be screened better than anyone else. 2 Pilots showed up still drunk from the previous night's partying. There's crap to go around in every group.

Chris

edited punctuation

[kallend 2,106]

Quote

In every group in society you will find people that (or at least at a certain time in life) do not meet the minimums of a professional standard. At every newspaper, every DZ, every PTA, every airline. You will find people that violate the company or public trust. Even the FBI and CIA have moles. And they are supposed to be screened better than anyone else. 2 Pilots showed up still drunk from the previous night's partying. There's crap to go around in every group.

Chris

It's interesting to compare the column inches the Trib devoted to their columnist Bob Greene with the column inches devoted to Ron Passmore's autopsy. Hypocrites.

[Derekbox 0]

What the hell???

"Late Teens" I dont know what that means to you, but to me that means 18/19. Now they didnt elaborate on her age which I dont really care about... If she was 18+ what he did was 100% legal, and only broke the papers ethical codes... What BS. what if this guy met her at a bar, which would also be legal???

I think the newspaper is just pulling some "politcal" B.S. Covering there ass when someone comes along and says "hey they knew about the relation." That is where real damage is done. The paper didnt mention anything about a wife, so as far as we know this was a case of 2 consenting adults doing what 2 consenting adults choose to do in there (what they believed to be) privacy - which as far as I know and am concerned is the beauty of being american. But Im sure there will be people out there who disagree and believe we need to baby and protect our younthy from such predaters (she contacted him now didnt she...). When my daughter is 18, she can only date other guys who are 18, 17 is to young and 19 is to old.... Grow up people, this is the year 2002. We don have Freedom of choices. So him being suspended then resigning (and loosing his career) over this is a uge crock of bull. Ohh yeah what if she was 17, well how much longer until she is 18, days weeks a couple of months....

Sorry to rant but this really hits a soft spot with me. When Im 60, 70, 80, 90 I plan on kicking it with some pretty young ladies if they and I so choose to do so.

Derek

P.S. whats this have to do with skydiving? People of all ages screw around with *gasp* people of all other ages....

[Jessica 0]

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It's interesting to compare the column inches the Trib devoted to their columnist Bob Greene with the column inches devoted to Ron Passmore's autopsy. Hypocrites.

Oh, please.

A guy who years ago had consensual sex with a woman who was, from what I understand, a legal adult, thereby violating his newspaper's ethics policies, vs. new information that Ron Passmore may have been impaired by marijuana?

My God. I'm not going to argue about whether the Trib's heavy coverage of Skydive Chicago is good or bad, but comparing that story to this one is ridiculous.

I'm not even sure why this was posted in the first place. Is the Trib now the sworn enemy of skydivers everywhere, and we must rejoice in the bad things that happen to it?

Skydiving is for cool people only

[JohnnyD 0]

Don't take this out of context, but I don't recall SDC getting much coverage in the Chicago Trib. They are pretty far away.

[eeneR 3]

Um what rock were you living under?

She is not a "Dumb Blonde" - She is a "Light-Haired Detour Off The Information Superhighway."
eeneR
TF#72, FB#4130, Incauto

[JohnnyD 0]

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Um what rock were you living under?

Howdy Naperville. I grew up in Dimmick, between La Salle and Mendota. Right next to Ottawa. Quite a ways from Chicago.

[flyhi 24]

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At every newspaper, every DZ, every PTA, every airline. You will find people that violate the company or public trust. Even the FBI and CIA have moles.

Next thing you know, you'll be telling us that even the Presidency is not immune from this.

BTW, Greene wrote a very interesting book about the pilot of the Enola Gay a few years back. Can't remember the name, but I think it was something like, Duty: A Father, His Son, and the Man Who Won the War.

Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

[diverdriver 6]

I find it ironic that they left the innuendo in there that she may be under the age of 18. The same journalistic style they used on SDC they used for one of their own. They easily could have printed her age at the time of the relationship but chose not to.

Chris

[scottbre 0]

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I find it ironic . . .
The same journalistic style they used on SDC they used for one of their own.

Whew! Good thing we got that comment somewhere in this thread. The threads just don't seem to have the same pizzazz unless someone is zealously attacking or defending SDC.

"Your mother's full of stupidjuice!"
My Art Project

[diverdriver 6]

If I remember correctly, this was posted by someone living in Washington. I didn't bring it up. Nor do I care where this guy sticks his dick. It seems that they have an issue with telling the story the way it is. My original post tried to difuse anyone wanting to attack the Trib for their dirt because of what has gone on in the recent past with SDC. I don't feel there is anything to bash the Trib for on their last article and the disparity of reporting this affair deep in the paper with small print. Their last article on Ron's tox report was direct and truthful. And they made a point in saying that Johnny's (the other instructor) report came back negative for alchohol and drugs. They easily could have left that tidbit out and left the innuendo in there. But they didn't.

Now....if you think my comments are "zealously....defending SDC" then I think you are misinterpreting my words. I was try to get across the point that crap happens everywhere and we should all let it go.

Chris

[Jessica 0]

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My original post tried to difuse anyone wanting to attack the Trib for their dirt because of what has gone on in the recent past with SDC.

And I, for one, appreciated it.

And no, Remster, I have not recently sent a resume to the Trib.

Skydiving is for cool people only

[AndyMan 7]

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Hypocrites.

John, that is way over the top, and completely unfair. A death in druged out misadventure vs. a reporter having consentual sex with an adult. You don't see a difference of severity here?

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[Remster 30]

HEY! Keep the contents of my PMs private, or I'll stat doing the same with your more, how should I say, private ones you keep on sending me on an unsolicitated basis...... now my U'll be linked to yet another post that gets locked.... sure to help with some accreditation or another...

Remster

[kallend 2,106]

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John, that is way over the top, and completely unfair. A death in druged out
misadventure vs. a reporter having consentual sex with an adult. You don't
see a difference of severity here?

Yes I do. One is an unknown guy doing himself in, and the other is a nationally syndicated celebrity reporter victimizing a schoolgirl he met when doing a column on high schools. Which do you think is more newsworthy?

[kallend 2,106]

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Quote

It's interesting to compare the column inches the Trib devoted to their columnist Bob Greene with the column inches devoted to Ron Passmore's autopsy. Hypocrites.

Oh, please.

A guy who years ago had consensual sex with a woman who was, from what I understand, a legal adult, thereby violating his newspaper's ethics policies, vs. new information that Ron Passmore may have been impaired by marijuana?

"Oh please" yourself. Greene was a celebrity reporter in his 40's and "happily married". The girl was in high school. He is old enough to be her father.

Ron Passmore's only victim was himself. The Tribune has now run FOUR multi-column stories on Ron's death.

[wildblue 7]

Good christ professor, step back for a second, you're sounding like tandemterry's counter-part!
There's lots of strange old men that have sex and/or marry females young enough to be their daughter. And yes, some of them are even married at the time.

I also don't think "The Tribune has now run FOUR multi-column stories on Ron's death." is a fair statement - the articles seemed to focus more on SDC and Roger than Ron.

I think Chris made a very good point in his response earlier. And you never know, they may run another story or two on Mr Greene.

it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality

[kallend 2,106]

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Good christ professor, step back for a second, you're sounding like tandemterry's counter-part!
There's lots of strange old men that have sex and/or marry females young enough to be their daughter.

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Bob Greene is not a strange old man, he is a nationally syndicated, married, celebrity newspaper columnist who has written extensively on child abuse and exploitation.

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And yes, some of them are even married at the time.

I also don't think "The Tribune has now run FOUR multi-column stories on Ron's death." is a fair statement - the articles seemed to focus more on SDC and Roger than Ron.
-------------------------
They were all about Ron's death, three were the week immediately following, and one last Thursday.



I think Chris made a very good point in his response earlier. And you never know, they may run another story or two on Mr Greene.

Dog bites man - no story
Man bites dog - story.

Seems to me that skydiver smokes pot and bounces is a "dog bites man".

Nationally syndicated, married columnist who champions childrens causes screws high school girl young enough to be his daughter - that's a "man bites dog" story.

[JDBoston 0]

There's a difference between conduct that seems immoral to some people and conduct that is criminal. Adultery, for instance, is not a crime. Neither is having consensual sex with a legal adult, no matter how much younger they are. I think it's absolutely ridiculous for some guy to lose his job because he had consensual sex with some girl years and years ago, unless this guy was a screwup or unreliable in other ways and this is just the excuse they used to force him out.

The girl must have been of age, otherwise I'm sure they would have mentioned the words "statutory rape," and if there was enough meat to the allegation to get this guy canned, then I'm certain they knew her age and identity. The only victim here is the guy's wife, and hell, maybe she didn't even know about it until somebody decided to drop the dime on him, years after the fact. Either way, I'm sure she's very grateful to that anonymous tipster for letting her dirty laundry out in public. Do we even know that they're "happily married"? Do we know if they're even still together?

Joe

[kallend 2,106]

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I think it's absolutely ridiculous for some guy to lose his job because he
had consensual sex with some girl years and years ago, unless this guy was
a screwup or unreliable in other ways and this is just the excuse they used
to force him out.

Ron Passmore did not write a nationally syndicated column that condemned drug abuse. He abused drugs and HE paid the price.

Bob Greene writes (wrote) a nationally syndicated column that condemns child abuse. He screwed the schoolgirl while researching an article about her high school.

We're not talking legality here, we're talking ethics and hypocracy.

I'm a college professor, and I'd get fired for screwing one of my students regardless of how old she is.

[JDBoston 0]

But child abuse and screwing an 18 year old are not the same thing. I don't know enough about his writing to say what DEGREE of hypocrisy there was, but I still don't think it's anyone else's business unless there was some other aspect to it that wasn't revealed. More to the point, I don't think it's been clearly established that any harm was done to anyone. If that's not the case, I'd be happy to revisit my opinion. I just don't think it's possible to make the blanket statement that it was unethical, or even equivalent to child abuse, without knowing more of the particulars.

Joe

[diverdriver 6]

John, the Trib article didn't say it....but was she 17 or 18? Did one of the other Chcicago papers print something else?

[kallend 2,106]

There are laws, ethics, and morals. They are not the same thing.

For a married man to screw a schoolgirl is immoral but not necessarily unethical or illegal.

For a newspaper reporter to use his position to get access to that schoolgirl and screw her is unethical but not necessarily illegal. The Tribune editor clearly states that Greene's conduct violated their code of ethics. That would appear to be definitive.

CNN and other media outlets apparently thought this a really big story and splashed it, while ignoring Ron Passmore's story. Only the Tribune has devoted more space to Ron than to Greene.