I'm not mistaken, I thought he was pulling double-duty (as both a newscaster AND a Newpaper reporter) during that time. I'll probably double-check my personal comic from that time and let you know if I'm correct or incorrect.

CLARK: No. I'm just worried I'm a jinx.
JONATHAN: A jinx?
CLARK: Yeah. Let's face it, ever since she's known me, Lois's been kidnapped, frozen, pushed off buildings, almost stabbed, poisoned, buried alive and who knows what else, and it's all because of me.
-"Contact" (You're not her jinx, you're her blessing.)