Witness Lists in FishbowlDC Lawsuit Full of Local Media Personalities

The witness lists in the defamation lawsuit against media blog FishbowlDC include more than a few names familiar to local media junkies.

Wendy Gordon, a DC-area publicist, filed a $2 million defamation suit in January against Fishbowl editor Betsy Rothstein and contributor Peter Ogburn. Gordon’s lawyers are arguing that a series of posts mocking her social media photos “falsely depicted Ms. Gordon as a self-promoting, attention-seeking, loose party girl/cougar, constantly on the prowl for considerably younger men for casual, sexual relations.” Gordon is also suing Fishbowl’s parent company, Mediabistro Inc.

The witness lists, which were first reported by Washington City Paper, feature a handful of boldface names. Among the 12 potential witnesses for the defense are Daily Caller editor-in-chief Tucker Carlson, former Washington Times columnist Charlie Hurt, and former Times editor Sam Dealey. Also on the list is Washingtonian editor-at-large Carol Ross Joynt.

Gordon’s lawyers are listing 31 potential witnesses, including Times columnist Emily Miller, Washington Post reporter Paul Schwartzman, and WAID-FM personality Tommy McFly. The plaintiff’s list also features many of Gordon’s fellow public relations executives.

Benjamin Freed

Staff Writer

Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.