Speaker asks legal counsel to review Independent article  

Harvey Hodder, Speaker of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, today forwarded a letter to The Independent from Stewart McKelvey, legal counsel for the legislature, asking them to immediately withdraw current unsold issues of the Independent and print a front page retraction and apology of the story entitled, �You�ll never see this again,� written by Independent staff reporter Stephanie Porter.  

�It is my opinion, and that of legal counsel of the House of Assembly, that this article is misleading, inaccurate and an absolute misrepresentation of the facts that were known to The Independent,� said Mr. Hodder.  �The article does not correctly identify the nature of constituency allowances of Members of the House of Assembly and leaves a false impression that many members spend in excess of their allocated amounts.  This is clearly not factual and the story is irresponsible.  I am shocked that the paper permitted such unfair information to be printed and put into the public domain.�  

The Independent article was accompanied by a picture spread on page 1 and indicated that 34 Members of the House of Assembly overspent their allowance, which is false.  The paper wrote this even though this information was contained in a House of Assembly report, referenced by Ms. Porter.  The Speaker of the House of Assembly says his legal representation has not yet heard back from The Independent.  

�Recent events have highlighted the need for openness and accountability and it is incumbent upon the media to act responsibly in dispensing information, especially when it comes to the reputations of individuals in the public domain,� added Mr. Hodder.   

Media contact: Harvey Hodder, Speaker of the House of Assembly, (709) 729-3404  

2006 07 04                                                        4:05 p.m.