Statehouse reporter Weber leaves Tennessean

Experienced journalist's departure comes after less than two months on the job

Email | Print By E. Thomas Wood

NashvillePost.com has learned that Michael A. Weber, a veteran political reporter who joined The Tennessean only recently to cover Capitol Hill, has left the newspaper.

A database search of Tennessean articles shows Weber's first byline appearing on November 30, 2006 and his last on January 10, 2007. He posted items to the newspaper's political blog as recently as Tuesday of this week, but his name has now been removed from a list of blog contributors on The Tennessean's website, and all of his postings have been deleted.

Weber came to Nashville from the Chattanooga Times Free Press, where he reported on local politics from 2004 to mid-2006. He became the focus of statewide activism regarding open-records issues when Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield, upset at reporting that eventually revealed a $90,000-a-year lobbying contract awarded to his former campaign manager, attempted to ban city officials from speaking to Weber.

Weber is a co-author of Unstacking the Deck: A Reporter's Guide To Campaign Finance, published by Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. in 2003.

NashvillePost.com has been unable to reach the reporter for comment. Tennessean editor Mark Silverman did not respond to a request for comment.