To: Mainstream news media
From: A former reporter/ News junkie
Re: Woodward replaces Miller as subject of media scorn
After writing Monday about Judith Miller I decided I was tired of writing about her and the New York Times and her departure from that newspaper.
And then the other shoe dropped today and another big media figure I criticized, Bob Woodward, entered the fray.
Until this year my main complaint about Woodward was that he relies way too much on anonymous sources and his sourcing is especially sloppy in his books.
Back after Deep Throat's identity was revealed and Woodward got a huge book contract I lay into him here, starting my rant this way:
Woodward sells out?
[ ]*/', ' ', '
Bob Woodward, phone call on line 1. It's your conscience calling.'))
It's urgent.
Woodward, you have some explaining to do.
I'll put them at the end of this piece.
Now comes the news that Woodward has withheld important information about the Valerie Plame case for two years
And as W. Post columnist Don Froomkin writes, this news means that Woodward now appears to be the first journalist to whom CIA agent Valerie Plame's name was leaked.
Woodward said he told Washington Post reporter Pincus some information but Pincus disputes that recollection, according to Wonkette.
Woodward has apologized but is that enough? And how much does it suck to be Walter Pincus right now?
Now, let me say I think Malkin's blog is being just silly when it suggests a Washington Post employee should be indicted for having conflicting stories.
But as with much of the developments this seems to spark more questions than answers.
However, I'm still not sure how many people outside of media circles even care about this.
But am I alone in finding it ironic that Woodward played a role in bringing down Nixon while apparently having some role in Bush's propaganda campaign?
Article comments
1 - Natalie Davis
Just finished reading the Baltimore Sun's take on this. As a journalist, I have been increasingly distressed about Woodward's apparent professional diminishment for quite some time. I guess fame, like absolute power, corrupts. It breaks my heart, because Woodward was one of my heroes once upon a time. Now, I think he should take a clue from Judy Miller and leave his newspaper. I mean, to him, it is all about his books now, anyway, and he has shown more loyalty to the Bush Administration than to his own editors and to the Post. Most disappointing.
2 - Silas Kain
Everyone has a price. At some point in time almost anyone would sell out to fame and more fortune. Woodward was once the hero that journalists looked to emulate. Now, he's just another joke.
3 - Scott Butki
Yeah, Woodward was my hero once upon a time but I agree that he seems to care more about his books than his newspaper and leaving would be a wise move.
4 - Bliffle
What the goddamn hell is going on here!? When some bozo comes to Woodward, Miller or anybody else, telling State Secrets, why the !#@# doesn't Woodward. Miller, etc., turn that joker in to the FBI? What kind of USA citizen are these people? And what kind of traitors are the bozos who tell State Secrets to reporters? Why shouldn't the whole bunch of them be in chains in the deepest dungeons in the blackest countries in the most remote and dismal cells?
I'm fed up! It looks to me like they're playing some sort of game inside the beltway: let's us boys (and some girls) talk this stuff around so you reporters can pretend you're on The Inside, and, by the way, help us defame and slander some folks we don't like.
It's disgusting!
5 - Silas Kain
Hey, if I had my way, there would be an electrified barbed-wire fence put around Washington. All the members of Congress would be forced to live in government-provided dormitories and I'd lock the bastards up under the Rotunda until they came to their senses. The lobbies on K-Street need to be put down. And, civil disobedience in reaching that goal is not out of the question. Can you imagine what Franklin, Jefferson or Madison would say if they saw what this country has become? The fourth estate has become a travesty. Broadcasting is now controlled by a handful of media conglomerates and that suits Washington just fine. This way the politicians can keep the moguls in their loop out of earshot of grassroots America.
The far right celebrates this Administration and its policies only when it suits their agenda. The minute Bush & Co. deviates, they come out like rabid bats. There's no such thing as loyalty or patriotic pride inside the Beltway. They all talk a great game but in the end they are a bunch of self-service low life, scum sucking leeches who are a disgrace to this nation.
As hard as I may try to convince people to wake up and smell the stench, it does no good. We're so wrapped up in our individual worlds that we've forgotten the big picture. We've delegated the responsibility of governance to a select few who are elected by a small portion of the overall population. The voice of the voters isn't being spoken, folks. We only have ourselves to blame for our selfish apathy. Many years from now when history recalls the time of America's greatness, the pundits will say that we were our own worst enemy. It's not the queers. It's not the Muslim radicals. It's not the liberals or conservatives. It's every single one of us who don't have the balls to do something about it. We got what they paid for, America. A government by the corporations, for the corpations, from the corporations. The currency should read "In Cash We Trust" because God doesn't mean a damned thing unless there's a political advantage to invoking the Deity.
6 - Scott Butki
I'd support your electric fence proposal.
7 - Nancy
Yeah, what Silas said. Right on, Silas! Up against the wall, political/lobbyist/MSM/capitalist nabob pigs!
Hey Silas, you wanna run for Prez in 08? I'll write you in....
8 - Scott Butki
I give Woodward a Christmas present of sorts
I in a Christmas media column I wrote for Blog Critics.