Would You Trust EMMY AWARD WINNING Journalist Art Harris To Deliver Your News?

I get upset when someone lies to me as most people do.  I want the same with my news too. I want news I can trust and depend upon. The trend in today’s so called news is sensationalism because drama or the misfortune of others delivered in a flamboyant manner is what attracts viewers/readers.

I have been loosely following the investigation into the death of Michael Jackson. He and I grew up together (not literally of course) and I care about why he died. Just like I care about why Anna Nicole Smith and her son Daniel died. In my opinion, all three deaths were due to someone else’s negligence or worse. Those who may have been negligent were in positions of trust. Doctors and a lawyer.

When Daniel Wayne Smith died and then five months later, his mother followed him into the hereafter, I fancied myself knowledgeable about her life and who she surrounded herself with, namely Howard K. Stern. I saw him as a soft spoken devoted manager/errand boy with a law degree who was getting a bad rap and I wanted to talk about it. But oops! My perception was way off. That is evidenced by Stern and two of Anna Nicole’s doctors facing criminal charges in connection with her death.  Lesson learned. Questions and research have shown me that Anna Nicole’s mother should have never been treated like she has been.

What’s that got to do with Art Harris? Harris is not a hobbyist blogger like me. He makes his living reporting on national television and seeking what he calls, “The Bald Truth” on his blog site.  Shouldn’t so called professionals trusted with bringing you the news of what is going on in the world today also be responsible for bringing you an unbiased version? Shouldn’t the public be able to trust their word?

Anna Nicole Smith’s mother Virgie Arthur is suing Howard K. Stern and Art Harris amongst others for conspiracy to libel and defame her.  She through her Houston, Texas attorney Neil McCabe of the O’Quinn law firm take issue with articles Harris has written such as, “Is Virgie Arthur A Grandmother With A Past..” and other assorted bashing and trashing attempting to paint the late model’s mom as an unfit mother during the Anna Nicole baby daddy bonanza. Then there was a television appearance where he interjected personal bias when he and another defendant thought up the idea to travel to Texas and interview for CBS/Entertainment Tonight, an ex stepson of Mrs. Arthur’s . When the ex step-son denied harming Anna Nicole and said that her mother, Mrs. Arthur would have shot him, Harris said, “people will question that answer”.  It’s all in the Fourth Amended Petition.

The outcome of this lawsuit like more and more in this day and age depends heavily upon electronic  evidence gathering, aka computer forensics. So far, of the 10 defendants, not one has not engaged in some type of stalling, diversion or attempt at trickery. That’s where my beef about honesty in journalism comes in.

Harris who conceded jurisdiction and pretended to cooperate, has been caught red handed in deception by omission at a minimum. Harris turned over three computers and/or hard drives but forgot to tell the mutually agreed upon appointed forensic expert and Special Master Craig Ball that his Dell Laptop computer had its hard drive switched out on December 16th, 2008. That was well after Harris was sued and just days after Plaintiff’s successful Motion to Compel hearing on December 11th.

Harris was given a chance to comply with production but was found to be seriously lacking when compared to another defendants three foot tall stack of email with him.

In concert with the other defendants who have;

1. Filed bankruptcy to stay the proceedings.

2. Filed a mandamus action.

3. Attempted to recuse the Judge on the case.

4. Tried to have Mrs. Arthur’s attorney disbarred.

5. Knowingly destroyed evidence.

6. Sat in jail for misleading the court about their evidence.

…Harris filed a motion attempting to remove the forensics expert, who is renowned in his field, from the case. This happened over three months after Harris turned in the three pieces of evidence and almost eight months after Ball’s agreed upon appointment.

To remove Mr. Ball, Harris cited what I think of as the whaaa whaaa defense. He said that Ball was “mean to him”. Harris also said that he did not approve of Mr. Balls appointment in the first place but that came after Ball found evidence of not only spoliation (7000 emails were deleted) and again, one hard drive substituted for the original and 12 other hard drives/flash drives did not get tendered as if they did not exist. But Mr. Ball found evidence of them.

Art Harris has in the past likened himself to the O’Quinn firm’s jury consultant and in house investigator Don Clark. Now, Don Clark is an American Hero. Art Harris is…

A couple of guest writers for this site said it best with their opinion piece, “Art Harris, A Modern Day Lord Haw Haw”. They don’t care for dishonest journalism either.  And I quote from their article;

Mr. Clark served nine and a half years as a commissioned Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of Captain. His service included a combat tour of duty in South Vietnam and he was later selected by the Chief of Staff of the Army to command an Airborne/Ranger Company in the First Ranger Battalion. For his service to his country Mr. Clark received the U.S. Army Air Medal for Combat Assaults and two, not one Art but who is counting, Bronze Stars for Bravery while serving in Vietnam.

“At Duke, during ROTC drills, a few anti-Vietnam war classmates hurled tomatoes at me, and a stunning ADPi—my girlfriend!—later spurned me over our different paths, hers briefly to a commune, mine to a job as a public-affairs officer afloat with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. There, as a young ensign, I gave Dan Rather his first tour of the flagship, got “early out” orders as the Vietnam War was winding down, and flew home on a KC-135 full of body bags of kids my age.” (Art Harris)

So what happens now when Nancy Grace or Jane Velez-Mitchell say, and now out to special correspondent Art Harris? I either change the channel or throw something at the TV and leave the room.

Sphere: Related Content

Tagged as: Anna Nicole Smith, Art Harris, Art Harris a modern day lord haw haw, Daniel Smith, Don Clark, Howard K Stern, Jane Velez-Mitchell, Nancy Grace, Neil McCabe, The O'Quinn Law Firm, truth in journalism, Virgie Arthur