Editor Denies That Hussman Spiked Walton Story

A former Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter told us Executive Editor Griffin Smith asked her at one point to write a story about what would happen with Helen Walton’s money after she dies.

Jay Allen, head Wal-Martian in charge of public relations, told the reporter the Walton family wasn’t happy that she was working on the story, and he was going to call Hussman to tell him so.

Shortly thereafter, the reporter was told to stop working on the Helen Walton story. The reporter dropped the project then and the story never appeared in the D-G.

“Walter would not take such a step,” Smith said. “If he did, he would have told me. I can assure you it was not a case of a story getting spiked for that reason.”

Smith said he suspects the story was canned because the reporter was unable to get enough information on the subject to make the story worthwhile.

“I expect the story was not done because [the reporter], with the best intentions and the best of will, couldn’t pierce the veil,” he said.