Palin loses secrecy battle

THE daughter of former vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin has lost her bid to keep a bitter custody dispute over her year-old son confidential.

An Alaska judge denied Bristol Palin’s request to keep the hearing with Levi Johnston closed. Ms Palin, 18, is seeking sole custody of her son, Tripp, and child support payments. She argued the attention the case could attract would turn it into a “media circus” that potentially could cause her son embarrassment as he grows older. Levi Johnston, who is seeking joint custody, has pushed for open proceedings, saying in an affidavit that he does “not feel protected against Sarah Palin in a closed proceeding”.

Palin and Johnston broke up not long after their son was born in December 2008.