Former Boston Globe investigative reporter Andrea Estes, who was fired in the spring of 2023 after the paper published a botched report about top MBTA managers who were working from remote locations, has won a grievance that she filed through the Globe’s union, according to Scott Van Voorhis of Contrarian Boston.
Estes, who is now a reporter with the Plymouth Independent, is eligible to receive back pay and could return to the Globe, Van Voorhis writes, although he observes, “We wouldn’t bank on it.” The Independent is one of the larger, better-funded nonprofits, and its editor-founder, Mark Pothier, is himself a Globe alumnus.
There’s no question that the story Estes helped report had significant problems. But the breakdown had all the appearances of a group effort, and it’s never been clear exactly why Estes, who had compiled an admirable record during her years at the Globe, was singled out.
Van Voorhis also published a statement from the Globe he received that reads:
The trust of our readers and our community is our greatest asset, and we will always strive to ensure that our journalism is worthy of them. If it falls short, we will continue to take necessary action to maintain this trust.
We are disappointed by the arbitrator’s decision which deprived the company of our rights under our collective bargaining agreement with the Guild. We of course will nonetheless respect the decision.
Among other things, Estes and her colleagues reported that nine MBTA managers were living in remote locations across the country and working virtually. The actual number turned out to be six.
In November 2023, Bruce Mohl reported in CommonWealth Beacon that Estes may have been the victim of stonewalling state bureaucrats who did not give her the information she needed to get the story right.
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Was anyone else ‘disciplined’ in producing that story?
I agree that B & N had a magazine section with a great many titles in the departed Prudential Center branch. All sorts of obscure titles as well as foreign publications.
Andrea obviously wasn’t fired because she made a mistake. Otherwise the Globe would have to fire many reporters who have made far sloppier and more frequent mistakes. She was fired for some other reason, the mistake just gave management an excuse to do it.