 Cook claimed that he'd reported the alleged bribe attempt to his superiors, but his city editor denied ever hearing about the bribe.Cook asserted in his autobiography that Gleason had been pressured by "World-Telegram" owner Roy W. Howard to back off his controversial claim about bribery.Little more than a decade later, a "Newsday" investigation identified a long tradition of New York politicians putting reporters on campaign or government payrolls even as they continued covering the news.