The Oregonian of Portland revealed that at least a dozen readers responded with angry reactions to the paper's playing up of old allegations against former vice president Al Gore.

When the National Enquirer last week reported on the 2006 claims by a Portland, Ore., masseuse against Gore, the Oregonian ran a front-page story on the incident Thursday, then followed with two Page One articles on Friday.

The coverage has been heavy despite the fact that the allegations were reviewed by police and never pursued for lack of evidence.

Managing Editor Therese Bottomly posted some of the responses online. Among them:

“I am outraged about today's screaming headline about an unsavory event that happened four years ago. Will you do just anything to heap shame on a public figure?”

“From my school days, I thought front-page news is supposed to be current news - not slanderous, unproven words dating back to 2006.”

“Please cancel my subscription. If I wish to read a 'tabloid' I can find many on the internet.”