CALGARY — A friend and campaign worker of former TV journalist Arthur Kent says a column written by Don Martin during the 2008 Alberta election campaign was a "hatchet job".
Kent is suing Postmedia, the National Post and Martin alleging that he was defamed during his unsuccessful campaign to win a seat for the Progressive Conservatives.
Kent became known as the "Scud Stud" for his reporting on Iraqi missile strikes for NBC during the Gulf War and the column at issue ran under the headline "Alberta's 'Scud Stud' a 'Dud' on Campaign Trail."
Len Grant, a longtime TV journalist himself, testified there were no problems on the campaign until the Martin column ran and Grant says he was "dumbfounded" by it.
The article used unnamed sources and did not have any comment from Kent.
But former Calgary Herald reporter Heath McCoy has told the court he had no problem reaching Kent for his own story during the campaign.
Postmedia denies Kent's accusations and argues it was practising responsible journalism. The company has emphasized for the court the media's role in informing voters about candidates' policies and actions.
