Journalists Who Reported That Tulsa Deputy Had Falsified Records Abruptly Resign
Two journalists from The Tulsa World, who reported last week that the reserve officer who accidentally killed an unarmed black man had falsified training records, turned in their resignations today for reasons unknown.
Talking Points Memo learned that Dylan Goforth and Ziva Branstetter, the two staffers who broke the story last Thursday, were no longer with the World.
Basing their report on numerous anonymous sources, Goforth and Bransetter claimed that the Tulsa Police Department instructed its workers to give firearms certifications and field credits to Robert Bates, a local millionaire and reserve deputy sheriff, even though he had never completed such training. Bates is currently charged with manslaughter in the death of Eric Harris, whom he accidentally shot with a gun when he meant to use his taser.
According to Tulsa World executive editor Susan Ellerbach, the two had turned in their two-week resignations on Monday morning, saying that they had “another opportunity,” and that “we accepted their resignations and they left today.”
And here’s what Ellerbach had to say about the resignations’ connection to the story:
Asked whether management at the newspaper had any conversations with Goforth and Branstetter about problems with their sourcing, Ellerbach took a 10-second pause.
“Well, I’d say their leaving was not related to the article,” she replied.
So was The Tulsa World standing by the report on Bates’ training records?
“Thats all I’d like to say right now,” Ellerbach told TPM.
In a press conference this morning, Tulsa Sheriff Stanley Glanz said that there was no improper relationship between him and Bates, who’d donated $2,500 to his reelection campaign, and refuted claims that Bates received special treatment by the department.
Goforth and Bransetter appeared last week on CNN to discuss the reports:
[Image via screenshot/CNN]
—
