On Sept. 19, John Paulk was spotted among the drinkers at Mr. P’s, a popular gay bar in Dupont Circle. It was quite a surprise. Paulk, after all, is a born-again heterosexual who tries to convert gays and lesbians to the straight and narrow through his work with ex-gay ministry Exodus International and the right-wing group Focus on the Family. But in a Sept. 22 story, “Leader of Ex-Gay Group Reportedly Spotted in Dupont Circle Bar,” the Washington Blade failed to out Paulk by name, even though mainstream publications such as Newsweek did in successive stories. “We didn’t name him…because we were unable to get independent reliable confirmation about his identity until after our deadline on Thursday afternoon,” explains Kristina Campbell, the Blade’s managing editor. The Blade later updated the story with Paulk’s name on its Web site, after Paulk issued a statement acknowledging that he’d been in the bar. —Garance Franke-Ruta