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Bernie Ward

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Bernie Ward
Born
Bernard Vincent Ward
Career
StyleTalk show
CountryUnited States

Bernie Ward (born Bernard Vincent Ward on April 5, 1951) is a former talk show host with KGO 810 AM in San Francisco.[1] Ward, once billed by KGO as "The Lion of the Left" and "unabashedly liberal,"[2] was the host of The Bernie Ward Show, a nightly news talk show that ran weekday evenings 10 p.m. to one a.m. and the three-hour GodTalk on Sunday mornings.[3] In December 2007, Ward was dismissed from KGO following a federal grand jury indictment charging him with the distribution of child pornography.[4][5] Ward subsequently admitted to one of the felony charges in a plea bargain with federal prosecutors, and is currently serving a seven-year-plus prison sentence.[6]

Biography

Ward was born in San Francisco, California, USA.[4] He attended the city's Holy Name Grammar School and St. Ignatius High School, and later attended the University of San Francisco. He then studied for three years at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, obtaining a Theology degree in 1977.[4] He was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood with the Society of the Precious Blood the same year,[7][3] but left the priesthood after two years.

Ward later taught theology at Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, California and at its sister school, Ursuline High School. It was at Ursuline that allegations of sexual misconduct first began to surface in 1978.[8] He also taught at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, California.[4] In 1981, he relocated to Washington, DC where he taught at the Georgetown Preparatory School, a private Jesuit Roman Catholic high school, while his wife attended medical school. He later worked for then-Representative Barbara Boxer from 1982 to 1985.

Radio talk show host

Ward employment at KGO (AM) began in 1985; he served as a fill-in talk show host, then as general assignment reporter and later as a political talk show host since 1992.[4] He began as a City Hall reporter, where Jerry Carroll of the San Francisco Chronicle noted on October 25, 1995, that it had become a ritual for the mayor at that time, Art Agnos, to denounce him for lies at the beginning of every news conference. In addition to his political talk show, Ward also hosted "God Talk," a show on the topic of religion and other related topics.[3][7]

Briefly in 1996, Ward's talk show was nationally syndicated; syndication ended when his ratings declined.[9] They began to improve in 1997 in Ward's core demographic group (women ages 25 to 54) as a result of his more lenient views on topics such as child-rearing and ethics. On October 5, 1997, a rumor that KGO was discontinuing Bernie Ward's contract effective at the end of the month was published by the San Francisco Chronicle.[10] In protest, supporters of his show flooded the KGO studios with canned food donations, continuing a seven-year Thanksgiving fundraising drive started by Ward that had netted more than $1 million in donations shared by the St. Anthony Foundation and two other area charities.[9] The protest culminated in a noon time rally staged in front of the KGO studios.[11] KGO management reversed their decision and renewed Ward's contract. [12]

On December 31, 2007, Bernie Ward was fired from KGO because of his indictment on child pornography charges.[3]

Child pornography conviction

On December 6, 2007, Ward was indicted by a grand jury on two federal counts of distributing child pornography via the internet in December 2004.[4][3] According to the indictment, Ward joined an online forum dedicated to exchanging child pornography where he both received and sent photos.[13] The police investigation of Ward originated with a complaint from a homemaker who was posing online as a dominatrix under the screenname "Sexfairy2005" and who had engaged in online chats with Ward[14][15] According to the police report, Ward sent pornographic images of children to the chat partner, which caused her to contact police. The police began collecting evidence with her help and continued chat sessions with Ward. In the chat logs (found here), Ward also described sexual activity with his own children.[16] Ward and his children both later told investigators that none of the activities described in the chats ever actually occurred.

In a statement, Ward's attorney did not dispute engaging in the chats or transmitting the photos but instead claimed Ward was role-playing with the dominatrix in part for research on a book about hypocrisy in America.[4][3][15] Federal investigators could find no evidence that Ward was working on such a book. Ward's attorney claimed that federal authorities found no illegal images on his computer, which they seized in early 2005.[4][17] However, after police obtained a search warrant for Ward's online account, they found about 100 images of child pornography in his AOL email account on AOL's servers which had been opened and forwarded, with sexual activity involving children.

On May 8, 2008, Ward announced an agreement to plead guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography in exchange for the dropping of two additional counts of possession and distribution. In his plea agreement, Ward admits that he transmitted child pornography "between 15 and 150 times." Under federal statute, Ward could have been sentenced to between five and 20 years in prison. [18][19] The Department of Justice requested he be sentenced to nine years in prison.[20]

On August 28, 2008, Judge Vaughn Walker sentenced Ward to seven years and three months in Federal prison. Judge Walker agreed to allow Ward to serve his time in the Lompoc facility, to which the U.S. Attorney raised no objection. Judge Walker commented that Ward's alleged sexual misconduct while serving as a priest may go to character, but that the events happened too long ago to be relevant to his sentencing decision. He also said that he was not convinced sending Ward to prison is the best way to deal with an individual with such problems and that "very little good has come out of all this." Ward told Judge Walker that he took full responsibility for his actions and said, "I regret my actions, the harm they caused my family, my friends and this community."

With good behavior Ward's sentence of 87 months could be reduced by 15%, making him eligible for supervised release on October 30, 2014. When Ward is released, California's Megan's Law will require him to register as a sex offender with local law enforcement. [21][22]

The request made by Ward's attorney for imprisonment in California was denied. The federal government has placed Ward in the Federal Correctional Institution - Low, at Beaumont Federal Correctional Complex, in Beaumont, Texas.[23]

Personal beliefs

Religion

On March 16, 1996, Ward discussed the confrontational tactics of the group ACT-UP at a mosque, describing the group as a "collection of non-partisan individuals committed to direct action to end AIDS."[24] He stated that "homosexuals had a good cause to make (against the Catholic Church)," and claimeded that the church encouraged homophobia and homophobic actions. The church denied this, stating that they did not encourage homophobia or resistance against homosexuals, but merely taught that homosexuality was immoral.

On December 9, 1996, Ward stated that Christianity was "morally superior" to Judaism because it was based on unconditional forgiveness. He offered apologies on his radio show on December 17 and again on the following day, the first being dismissed by the Jewish Community Relations Council and the second being accepted. Ward insisted that he did not have a problem with any individual religion, only with fundamentalists.[25] He later compared fundamentalist Orthodox Judaism with Nazism on September 12, 2001 but offered an apology the following day.[25]

Iraq war

On September 30, 2002, Ward appeared on CNN with Wolf Blitzer and discussed possible military action against Iraq. He commented about Saddam Hussein: "Hussein has not shown any threat to anyone" and that the "Kurds were prospering very well in the north even as al Qaeda has used some of their connections with the Kurds."[26]

Causes

Among the causes and groups Ward currently supports are the Center for American Progress; Common Dreams; the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership; and Democracy Now.

He also led a pledge drive for Thanksgiving Charities every year, which supported four charities in the San Francisco Bay Area:[7] Sacred Heart Community Services in San Jose, St. Anthony's Foundation in San Francisco, St. Vincent De Paul dining room in Oakland, and Fresh Start in Walnut Creek. The charity drive began in the late 1980s and raised over $4 million dollars in the decades following. Ward also participated in the KGO leukemia cure-a-thon, which has raised over $13 million for research into leukemia and lymphoma causes.

Recognition

Ward received the Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Journalism for his investigative journalism in a ten-part series, Heaven Help Us, which explored allegations of financial and sexual misconduct of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.[7] He has also won numerous national awards, such as an Associated Press award for coverage of the Los Angeles riots of 1992.[4]

References

  1. ^ Egelko, Bob (2008-08-22). "9 years urged for radio host in porn case". The San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 2008-08-22. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ Michels, Scott (11 December 2007). "Talk Radio Host Indicted on Child Porn Charges". ABC News. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e f Doyle, Jim (23 January, 2008). "Ward's fans want him back on the air". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-01-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Derbeken, Jaxon (7 December 2007). "Talk show host Ward charged with Internet kiddie porn". San Francisco Chronicle. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Bernie Ward fired from KGO radio
  6. ^ "Bernie Ward Offers Guilty Plea In Child Porn Case", CBS5 Local News, KPIX TV, 2008-05-08, retrieved 2008-08-23
  7. ^ a b c d "Bernie Ward". KGO (AM). Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  8. ^ http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?id=6131414&section=news/iteam
  9. ^ a b Salter, Stephanie (26 October, 1997). "The canning of Bernie Ward (a radio drama)". {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Morse, Rob (5 October, 1997). "When in doubt, punt a pundit". {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Carroll, Jerry (30 October, 1997). "LIVELY ARTS -- Long Lunch, Long Night". {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Carroll, Jerry (4 November, 1997). "LIVELY ARTS -- Graceful Play by Miller". {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Kava, Brad (14 December 2007). "Ward opens up about child porn charges". InsideBayArea.com. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Dan Noyes (2008-05-15). ""Sexfairy" reveals herself, speaks to I-Team". ABC7 News.
  15. ^ a b Lee, Henry (15 February, 2008). "Police report says Bernie Ward sent child-porn pictures to dominatrix". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-02-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ ""Inside Bernie Ward's online chats". abclocal.go.com. 14 February 2008. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ ""Trial Set For Radio Host Bernie Ward On Child Porn Charges". NBC11.com. 24 January 2008. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Egelko, Bob (2008-05-08). "Ex-talk show host Bernie Ward admits to distributing child pornography". The San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 2008-05-09. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ "Bernie Ward to Plead Guilty". kgoam810.com. 05 May 2008. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Sentencing Memorandum of the United States" (PDF). Department of Justice, Criminal Division. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
  21. ^ Egelko, Bob (2008-08-28). "Bernie Ward sentenced to seven-plus years for child-porn conviction". SFGate. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  22. ^ Moss, Alex (2008-08-29). "Ex-Radio Host Bernie Ward gets 7 Years for Child Porn". Sentry Parental Controls. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  23. ^ "Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator". US Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  24. ^ Goldsmith, Aleza (May 1996). "Bernie Ward show defames Catholicism". Catalyst. Archived from the original on 2006-10-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ a b Goldsmith, Aleza (21 September 2001). "KGO Radio's Bernie Ward apologizes to Jews". Jewish News Weekly. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ ""Radio Talk Show Hosts Debate Iraq"". CNN. 30 September, 2002. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[(Category:Irish-Americans)]

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