Siegelman lauds pair who helped get him out of jail

[maddezmom]

Wednesday, April 23, 2008By PATRICIA C. McCARTERTimes Staff Writer [e-mail]

Writer says state press coverage was biased, unfair

In a college lecture hall here former Gov. Don Siegelman met the two people who are most responsible for him being out of prison.

At a North Alabama Media Reform meeting Tuesday night, Siegelman - free on an appeals bond after serving nine months on federal bribery and corruption charges - called Rainsville attorney/Republican whistle-blower Dana Jill Simpson a "true American hero" and gave Columbia University law professor/Harper's journalist Scott Horton a public "thank you

Horton was in town to discuss how the Alabama press covered Siegelman's prosecution, which for months he has blasted as politically motivated and unfair. Horton, a Lawrence County native who now lives in New York, began writing about Siegelman's prosecution last year.

His reporting - including quotes from Simpson that allegedly linked Karl Rove and other Republicans to the case - attracted other national attention, including "60 Minutes," which aired a story in March. Shortly after that, Siegelman was allowed to post an appeals bond and was freed from a Louisiana prison where he began serving his seven-year sentence in July.

more:http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/1208942127161530.xml&coll=1