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Publishers note: I know it is unthinkable that my column today isnt about the election results, but it is not. Let me explain. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was in the Carolinas this week visiting with both of my daughters and my grandbaby Evie. I certainly wouldnt have scheduled the trip during election week if it had totally been up to me, but it was not. When multiple schedules are involved, compromises must be made and they were.

Now, I probably could have ripped off a quick column while on vacation, but doing so in regard to an election that will decide the fate of the country for generations to come seemed like a bad idea, so I simply decided it would be better to devote my undivided attention to it when I return. So you will be reading about that next Saturday. But this column, which I wrote before I left last Friday, is important too.

When Greg Burroughs started suing people and entities after he was found not guilty in his manslaughter trial, quite frankly, we were shocked when we somehow escaped being served ourselves. But soon, it became apparent why we hadnt been served. We werent being sued because Burroughs attorney planned on making our coverage his main evidence and our Editor-in-Chief Mark Thornton his main witness in his case against the City of Laurel and Laurel police officers.

Burroughs and his attorney would never be able to successfully sue us anyway, because what we reported was accurate. So, instead they went after the City of Laurel and LPD officers because they say we shouldnt have been privy to details such as Burroughs failing his lie-detector test.

Just because Burroughs didnt name us in the lawsuit, though, doesnt mean that he didnt get his chance to punish us financially. When we found out that the Burroughs case revolved mainly around our coverage and that Mark was being deposed and asked to give up his sources, it was definitely a blow. Mark and I discussed our options, and there just werent many good ones. We knew right away that, no matter what, we couldnt and wouldnt give up any sources. It would mean the death of any quality reporting that this newspaper could ever do again. Think about it: Why would anyone ever trust us again? Certainly no one would ever feel comfortable sharing information with us again, and I wouldnt blame them.

Without hesitation, Mark and I decided that there is no way we could or would ever give up a confidential source for any story, not just this one. I know a lot of you are saying, Well, that was an easy decision for you, as it would be Mark whose butt would be sent to jail. And, yes, there have been miscarriages of justice where reporters have been sent to jail for this exact reason. (Two of the more well-known cases include, in 1972, Los Angeles Times reporter William Farr was jailed for 46 days for refusing to identify sources for an article he wrote about the Charles Manson trial. In 2005, New York Times reporter Judith Miller served 85 days for failing to disclose a source in a story about the Plame Affair.)

But believe me, this decision wasnt easy for me either. First and foremost, Mark and I have been through so much together over the past 15 years, we are more like family than colleagues. And, secondly, if you can compare the Leader-Call to an automobile, it takes everyone who works here to make this vehicle run smoothly, but no doubt about it (and I think every single person who works here would agree), Mark is the engine of our Coupe de Ville. Nonetheless, we still knew that even if Mark had to make the ultimate sacrifice (and give him all the credit for this because he was willing) there was simply no way we were going to give up any sources.

Knowing that Marks butt (literally and figuratively) was on the line left us with little option but to hire the best attorney we could to represent him, no matter the cost. Im sure Burroughs took delight in knowing that we were going to have to spend thousands of dollars on legal representation. I share the profits of this company with my employees, so he didnt just hurt Mark and me, but every person who works here. But here is what I know about the people who work here: every one of them would not only have offered to give up their Christmas bonus to help defend Mark and the paper in this case, but they would have dug into their own savings to chip in if it would have been necessary.

Everyone who works here knows that if it hadnt been for the Leader-Call, Katherine Sinclairs death would have been quickly swept under the rug as a suicide. She never would have had any opportunity at justice, and they are proud of our coverage and dedication in trying to uncover the truth.

They are also proud of Mark for standing tall and strong on principle in this case. Burroughs attorney Daniel Waide was shot down twice and a magistrate and judge upheld a reporters qualified privilege under the First Amendment was upheld in federal court. This was not only a win for the Leader-Call, but a win for the First Amendment of the Constitution. And since Mark was the main witness in this case, it was a win for the City of Laurel and the LPD as well.

In the end, Greg Burroughs cost us, as well as taxpayers in the City of Laurel, a lot of money. But in doing so, he also exposed even more damning information about himself. Its hard to imagine that this vindictive lawsuit was worth it to him, but who knows what goes through the mind of someone who takes the time to call a friend before dialing 911 immediately after his girlfriend gets shot in the head in his garage? Ill never understand it, and Im sure most of you wont either.

Burroughs may have cost us money, but by all accounts, he is still a loathsome human being. To this very day, we still have never heard anyone say a nice word about him. Weve had people tell us he was innocent or that we mistreated him in the paper, but even those people couldnt say anything nice about the man himself.

In contrast, Mark Thornton emerges from this next chapter in the Burroughs saga as a hero. Mark was willing to pay whatever price was necessary to keep a promise he made to every individual who has ever acted as a confidential source. Thornton is a champion of the First Amendment and a true warrior who was willing to sacrifice himself to protect others.

I cant help but get the sense that Marks efforts made Katherine Sinclair look down from heaven and smile.

Jim Cegielski is publisher of the Leader-Call. He lives in Laurel.

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A win for Laurel, the LL-C and the First Amendment - leader-call.com