The Daily Report (Ontario, California)
Controversies
### Controversies

#### Chamber of Commerce

Between 1947 and 1949, the newspaper campaigned for "broader industrialization" of the Ontario area and complained that the local [Chamber of Commerce](/wiki/Chamber_of_Commerce "Chamber of Commerce") was a private group, organized to benefit business and professional people of the city. As such, the newspaper said, the chamber was not legally entitled to maintain its office in the [city hall](/wiki/City_hall "City hall") and demanded that it be ousted. The [City Council](/wiki/City_Council "City Council") rejected the request.["Oust Chamber Move Backed By Newspaper," *Los Angeles Times,* July 7, 1949, Part III, Page 9](https://www.newspapers.com/image/160727862/?terms=Ontario%2B%22Daily%2BReport%22)

#### Civil Defense

In 1952, the Daily Report company announced it would no longer cooperate with a [Civil Defense](/wiki/Civil_Defense "Civil Defense") informational program because the Ontario Planning Commission had denied a [zoning variance](/wiki/Variance_%28land_use%29 "Variance (land use)") to permit the enlargement of the *Report's* radio station.["Daily Report Company to Refuse Co\-operation With Civil Defense," *The San Bernardino Sun,* August 7, 1952, page 25](https://www.newspapers.com/image/49396229/?terms=Ontario%2B%22Daily%2BReport%22)

#### Oregon Smith

In 1953, Mrs. Harnish and other partners of the Daily Report sued Ontario City Councilman Oregon Smith for slander because Smith said at a City Council meeting that the newspaper "without question" had been following "the [Communist Party](/wiki/Communist_Party_of_the_United_States "Communist Party of the United States") line".["Daily Report Sues Councilman," *Chino Champion,* July 30, 1953, page 8](https://www.newspapers.com/image/98402954/?terms=Daily%2BReport) Superior Judge Raymond H. Thompson decided in favor of Smith, whose attorney was California politician [Jack B. Tenney](/wiki/Jack_B._Tenney "Jack B. Tenney"). The judge dismissed the case because there was "no limitation" on the statements that a city council member could make during a meeting.["City Council Statements Held Immune From Suit," *Los Angeles Times,* March 9, 1955, Part II, Page 7](https://www.newspapers.com/image/160606251/?terms=Daily%2BReport) The decision was upheld by a [District Court of Appeals](/wiki/Appellate_Court "Appellate Court") in January 1956["Court Upholds Attorney in Newspaper Slander Action," *The San Bernardino Sun,* January 7, 1956, Page 19](https://www.newspapers.com/image/50494775/?terms=Ontario%2B%22Daily%2BReport%22) and later by the [California Supreme Court](/wiki/California_Supreme_Court "California Supreme Court").["$3 Million Libel Suit Against Ontario Newspaper Dismissed," *The Daily Sun,* February 12, 1958, Page A\-16](https://www.newspapers.com/image/50610143/?terms=Smith%2Blibel%2Bdaily%2Breport)

Afterward the newspaper published an article on January 16, 1958, stating that, had the decision gone the other way, "the public would have no protection against malicious statements made by unscrupulous members of any minor legislative body." On March 3 an editorial claimed that Smith had made the charge of communism "without regard to good morals and honesty." Smith sued for $3 million, charging libel. He later amended the complaint to include the newspaper's references to him going back as far as 1949\. Judge [Jesse W. Curtis Jr.](/wiki/Jesse_William_Curtis_Jr. "Jesse William Curtis Jr.") dismissed the complaint in February 1958\.["Former Ontario Councilman Files $3 Million Suit Against Paper," *The San Bernardino Sun,* November 9, 1956, page 15](https://www.newspapers.com/image/50553266/?terms=Daily%2BReport)

Smith filed another suit in January or February 1957, alleging that the unsuccessful 1953 action against him by the *Daily Report* had been a [malicious prosecution](/wiki/Malicious_prosecution "Malicious prosecution"). He sought more than $1\.5 million in [damages](/wiki/Damages "Damages").["Ontarian Files Huge Libel Suit," *The San Bernardino Sun,* February 1, 1957, page 13](https://www.newspapers.com/image/50467348/?terms=Smith%2Blibel%2Bdaily%2Breport)["Oregon Smith Files Suit Against Paper," *Redlands Daily Facts,* February 4, 1957, Page 1](https://www.newspapers.com/image/5074881/?terms=Smith%2Blibel%2Bdaily%2Breport)

This latter suit was dismissed by Judge Richard B. Ault of San Diego Superior Court on motion of attorney Tenney on behalf of Smith. Tenney told a reporter that an [out\-of\-court settlement](/wiki/Out-of-court_settlement "Out-of-court settlement") had been made, but a defense attorney denied the statement and said the plaintiff had moved for dismissal to avoid "long and costly court proceedings".["Suit of Ontario Attorney Against Newspaper Ended," *The Daily Sun,* December 15, 1960, page C\-14](https://www.newspapers.com/image/51556994/?terms=Andrew%2BAppleby)

#### George Stromme

In 1983, promoter George Stromme filed suit against Ontario Mayor [Charles Latimer](/wiki/Charles_Latimer "Charles Latimer") and Jerene Appleby Harnish contending that the two intentionally interfered with a contract he had with the city to promote and operate an [air show](/wiki/Air_show "Air show") at the [Ontario Municipal Airport](/wiki/Ontario_Municipal_Airport "Ontario Municipal Airport"). His complaint against the publisher centered on an article in *The Daily Report* quoting officials as stating that the air show had to be free to the public. He said he had planned to charge $1 admission but could not do so after the article, and so he lost money through the venture.["Superior Court Case Gets Under Way Here," *Redlands Daily Facts,* June 19, 1967, page 3](https://www.newspapers.com/image/1309595/?terms=Ontario%2BDaily%2BReport) Judge Russell Goodwin dismissed the complaint as being without substance.["Lawsuit Dismissed Against Ontario, Mayor, Publisher," *The Sun\-Telegram,* July 15, 1967, Page B\-5](https://www.newspapers.com/image/61254692/?terms=Ontario%2BDaily%2BReport)


What were the outcomes of the lawsuits filed against the Daily Report newspaper?