Back in the early 1990s, he worked for the Fairfax County (Virginia) Journal and at the instigation of a politically-partisan editor and the erratic wife of a prominent national news media executive, attempted to destroy an honest legislator's reputation with a five part series alleging corruption: no evidence just preposterous allegations. The legislator's complete files were made available to Blackledge files. but he could find nothing, except the libelous allegations of some environmental gadflies. The story got some local attention but no follow-up by the major media sources in the Washington DC area for obvious reasons.Blackledge did not get the job he expected from the national media organization and he soon left for parts unknown (apparently Birmingham, Alabama).