Meet Your News Providers [UPDATED 4/3/2008: Charges Dropped Against Corral]

Update (April 3, 2008) at bottom of post: Charges dropped against Corral. Statement appended.

I'd like to take a break from our usual program of pointing out the absurdity of liberal bias in the press to let you get to know some of the people who provide the news for public consumption. First up is C.P. Smith (pictured), page-one editor for The Orange County Register and husband of LA Times deputy editor Sherry Stern. When the cameras roll in his newsroom, he likes to do things like walk up and pick his nose and then wipe it on his shirt. It's gotten to the point where the news director doesn't even want to shoot in the newsroom anymore.

Next up is Miami Herald reporter Oscar Corral. Apparently Oscar is so fond of Bill Clinton that he wanted to emulate his most famous act... in his car... with Yamilet Lopez, an 18 year old. Unfortunately for Oscar, the police were listening in while he tried to negotiate the price. The Herald covered the story, of course, with 90 uninteresting words that left out the typical embarrassing mugshot, mention of the prostitute being 18 and the fact that the police overheard the transaction. Not surprisingly, Corral is proclaiming his innocence. Perhaps this was just his attempt at a unsanctioned undocumented migrant social program. After all, they are doing the work that Americans won't do.

Update (Ken Shepherd | April 3, 2008): It has come to our attention that the charges against Corral have since been dropped. In an e-mail statement Corral wrote, "This all stems from a misunderstanding. The charges were dismissed and my name has been cleared. No crime occurred. I should have never been arrested." Yamilet Lopez was also not prosecuted.