MIAMI — Miami Herald reporter Carol Rosenberg will continue to cover the U.S. military following an investigation into allegations by a Navy public affairs officer that she verbally abused and sexually harassed him at Guantanamo Bay.
In a letter Monday to the Pentagon, Miami Herald Vice President of Human Resources Elissa Vanaver wrote that the newspaper's internal investigation "did not find corroboration'' for the abuse complaint made last month by Commander Jeffrey Gordon.
Herald executives interviewed military officials and journalists from other news outlets, some of whom had witnessed the incidents Gordon cited in his complaint. "We found some inconsistencies in [Gordon's] version of events,'' said Miami Herald Executive Editor Anders Gyllenhaal.
The written complaint, which is available on the Internet and has been a hot topic on blogs that follow the Guantanamo story, prompted dozens of people familiar with the sometimes-contentious relationship between Gordon and Rosenberg to contact The Herald in support of Rosenberg, Gyllenhaal said.
"We even heard from generals,'' he added.
Rosenberg, a veteran military affairs writer with a reputation for aggressive reporting, said, "I have been heartened by an outpouring of support by both the uniformed military who have followed my coverage, and journalists who covered the story.''
Gordon did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.
Col. David Lapan, Gordon's superior, said in an email to The Herald: "From the beginning, we have considered this a personnel matter, and it's unfortunate that it has become a news story.''
The Miami Herald is owned by The McClatchy Co. Rosenberg's stories frequently appear on this Web site.
Read the full story at MiamiHerald.com.
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