Portfolio writer plans libel lawsuit

Kurt Eichenwald, the former New York Times investigative business reporter who now works at Conde Nast’s soon-to-be-launched Portfolio magazine, is planning a libel lawsuit against another journalist, reports Janet Whitman of the New York Post.

Whitman wrote, “Eichenwald said the reporter, Debbie Nathan, falsely accused him on Wednesday in a New York magazine article of bidding $2,000 for the teen, and also defamed him in an earlier Salon.com essay by claiming he trolled child porn sites.

“Eichenwald did send Justin Berry, then a teenage star in a network of child-porn sites, a check for $2,000 – a fact that the New York Times acknowledged in an embarrassing editor’s note on Tuesday, more than a year after the paper ran the article featuring the teen.

“Eichenwald, a former Times investigative reporter who is now at the soon-to-launch Portfolio magazine, said he and his wife sent the check to try to locate the boy and rescue him.

“Later, when he realized Berry would be a source, Eichenwald said he made sure he got the money back.”

Read more here. Nathan declined comment.