NY1 Unhappy With Dominic Carter's Namedropping In Court

Things aren't looking good for political reporter Dominic Carter at NY1. Carter was put on leave when domestic assault charges were revealed, but now the station appears to be closing the door more firmly. NY1 General Manager Steve Paulus tells the Daily News, "At this point, we have no plans to bring him back. He's got a lot of personal issues to work through."

Carter's apparent firing is less due to allegations that he beat his wife (which his wife now denies, saying a day laborer actually beat her, though she told 911 that Carter did) and more due to Carter's namedropping at a December 2008 court appearance, telling a judge to give him a break because he had friends in high places, like Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau and former top state judge Judith Kaye. Paulus said, "That kind of behavior violates every principle of journalism and is not something we tolerate." However Paulus was more equivocal about Carter's future to the Post, "Is he coming back? I could not answer that question."

Carter denied he was namedropping, saying, "I was trying to explain to the judge the sensitivity of the situation given that I have to cover these people....After this is all over, I hope I could go back on the air. But my career is greatly damaged. My character has been assassinated. All of my work for 25 years has gone out the window."