Boston Globe Writer Put On Leave Amid Questions Of Accuracy

BOSTON, MA — A prominent Boston Globe columnist was put on administrative leave Friday amid questions and a review into the accuracy of some of his columns related to the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013.

The Boston Globe placed Columnist Kevin Cullen on paid administrative leave following allegations by hosts of the WEEI radio show said Cullen shared inaccurate information in columns.

"The integrity of each of our journalists is fundamental to our organization. In light of questions that have publicly surfaced, Kevin Cullen has been placed on paid administrative leave while a thorough examination, involving a third party with expertise, is done of his work. We will be transparent with the results of the review," the newspaper posted in an editor's note on its website today.

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Cullen joined the Globe in the 1980s after working at the Herald and before that the Holyoke Transcript-Telegram. He was part of the Globe's investigative Spotlight team that exposed Whitey Bulger as an FBI informant. He went on to be part of the Spotlight team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003 for exposing the cover up of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests. But more recently he was part of a team of writers at the Globe that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2014 for its coverage of the bombings. Cullen is currently one of 19 people with "columnist" in their title at the Globe.

In audio posted to WEEI's website, Kirk Minihane points out several inconsistencies in Cullen's reporting immediately following the marathon.

"As confirmed by WEEI morning host Kirk Minihane Thursday on Kirk & Callahan, Cullen was not at the scene when the bombs went off, which his piece two days after the bombings would appear to indicate," WEEI reported.

The allegations come at a time where trust in media is already at a low. According to a January report by the communications marketing firm Edelman, 42 percent of those surveyed trust the media, compared with 47 percent a year ago.

WEEI is a sports radio station in Boston, owned by Entercom Communications with studios in Brighton.

More to come.

Previously on Patch:

• Did He Embellish?

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File photo by Alison Bauter