Houston Chronicle retracts stories with questionable sources

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Chronicle has retracted eight stories by a former political reporter after an independent investigation found they were based on sources whose existence couldn’t be confirmed.

In a statement posted on the newspaper’s website Thursday, Chronicle Executive Editor Nancy Barnes said the newspaper also was correcting 64 other stories on which Mike Ward reported that contained unconfirmed sources upon which the premise did not rest.

The Chronicle reported in September that Ward resigned after questions arose about the existence of persons quoted in one of his stories.

Ward had been with the Chronicle’s Austin bureau since 2014 after a long career with the Austin American-Statesman. The Austin newspaper also is investigating.

During Ward’s time at the Houston and Austin papers, The Associated Press has distributed to its members more than a dozen stories reported by him for use in their own publications. The AP is trying to determine whether there are any problems with those stories.