Principal Offense

It seemed like a good idea in 1971, when the weekly Montgomery County, Md., Sentinel decided to offer readers an unusual consumer service by rating all 22 of the county's high school principals. Two young Sentinel reporters questioned parents, teachers and students. The criteria: how successfully each principal had "established a positive, open learning atmosphere in his high school-the extent to which he leads instead of drives the students."

When the results were tabulated and published, eight principals earned "outstanding" marks, eight were termed "good," four were judged "poor" and two luckless educators brought up the rear as "unsuited." One of those two, Fred L. Dunn Jr., slapped the Sentinel with a $21 million libel suit, later reduced to $15 million.

"Why the rating?" demanded Dunn's attorney. "They destroyed a man to make money, to sell newspapers." Last week a Maryland circuit-court jury agreed and awarded $356,000 in damages. The Sentinel (circ. 35,000), which has promised an appeal, argued that a verdict for Dunn would end criticism of local officials by newspapers. Ironically, one of the two reporters who wrote the offending story has since taken on national officials with impunity. Bob Woodward joined the Washington Post and, with Carl Bernstein, blazed an investigative trail through Watergate.

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