Former KVVU‑TV reporter Cyndi Lundeberg said on social media that she received a gift of money for her four‑year‑old son from Kirstin “Blaise” Lobato, the woman whose 2001 murder conviction was overturned and who recently settled a civil suit for $29.5 million. Lundeberg posted that the funds were placed in an account for the child, not for her personally.
The disclosure prompted mixed commentary from journalism‑ethics scholars. UC Berkeley journalism professor Edward Wasserman said he did not see direct harm but warned, “I don’t think that the possibility of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is something that should be understood to be out there by reporters or by their sources.” A second expert raised a possible conflict of interest, while a third expressed little concern.
Station officials declined to discuss the matter. Channel 5 general manager Michael Korr said he would not comment on a former employee and ended the call, and news director Judy Greene also refused to speak. Lobato’s attorney David Owens declined to confirm the amount, writing, “(P)lease leave Ms. Lobato alone. This is not news. It is not newsworthy… This is not one of them.”
Lobato was awarded $34 million by a federal jury in 2024 after detectives were found to have fabricated evidence and caused emotional distress. Lundeberg, who first met Lobato in prison around 2015, said she initially thought Lobato guilty but later investigated the case, produced a long investigative piece, and now says, “I never wanted money. I still don’t want money from her. I want her to have a happy life and that’s all that I ever wanted.”
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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