Fired reporter sues rival TV station over video

[July 08, 2008]  CHICAGO (AP) -- A former television reporter sued a rival Chicago TV station Monday, claiming it aired a videotape of her in a swimsuit at the home of a man whose estranged wife had vanished to boost ratings.

Amy Jacobson, who lost her job with NBC-affiliate WMAQ-TV last July, claims in the suit that CBS station WBBM-TV broadcast the video "with the sole motive of boosting its sagging ratings" and portrayed the veteran broadcaster "as an adulteress and disreputable reporter."

The lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court asks for a jury trial and more than $1 million in damages.

The video showed Jacobson wearing a halter bikini top and towel near the pool at Craig Stebic's suburban Plainfield home. Jacobson's two young children and a bare-chested Stebic also were shown.

Jacobson was assigned to cover the disappearance of Stebic's wife, Lisa, who lived with her husband while the two went through a divorce. Lisa Stebic is still missing; no one has been charged.

"CBS employees wanted the public to believe that Plaintiff Jacobson had a sexual liaison with Craig Stebic," the lawsuit said.

Jacobson has said she was on her way to go swimming with her kids on her day off when Stebic's sister, Jill, invited her to the house to discuss the case.

She told the Chicago Sun-Times she "made a lapse in judgment," but "I'm a competitive person and I did it to advance the story."

Jacobson's attorney did not return a telephone call Monday from The Associated Press.

Jacobson has tried unsuccessfully to get a job in other markets, and one station executive told her she was "toxic" in the industry, her lawsuit said.

The lawsuit names CBS Broadcasting Inc., WBBM President and General Manager Joe Ahern, News Director Carol Fowler, and reporters Mike Puccinelli and Rob Johnson. Station spokeswomen did not return messages Monday.

Also named as defendants are Northwestern University journalism professor Michele Weldon, who commented on air for a CBS story, and Tracy Reardon, Craig Stebic's next-door neighbor, who shot the video and "tipped off" CBS to her presence, the lawsuit said.

Weldon did not return a message left after business hours at her Northwestern telephone number and Reardon's number wasn't listed.

[Associated Press; By MEGAN REICHGOTT]

Associated Press writer Sophia Tareen contributed to this report.

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