An Interview with Scott Swett - Director of the Free Republic Network

Independent Bias Website ^ | June 30, 2004 | Rich Bowden

[Sabertooth]

Wow. I didn't know you were such close friends with MOJO (Hon), who runs the most despicable antifreeper website on the net.

Do I need to be his friend to acknowledge his good work here on the Kerry/VVAW threads? The length and breadth of my interactions with Hon was here on FR during that time. I got along fine with him, why shouldn’t I? He was doing good work here.

Did you know MOJO and his cronies are responsible for the recent "cease and desist" orders to Jim from other publications? They comb the website everyday and when they see a full copy post, they rip off a letter of complaint to the owners.

Well, I know they’ve said otherwise, and I also know that another disgruntled former Freeper at a different site (who is known to send FR-related e-blasts to many news orgs) has intimated that he is responsible.

Funny thing is, most of those publications don't really give a hoot if we re-post their stuff here, but when they are "officially" notified of an infraction, they must take legal action or they could put their copywrite rights in future jeopardy.

Color me skeptical that they “don’t really give a hoot.” Everyone with a website wants the hits. Some of these publications are not even allowing excerpting at all, which is a reading of the fair use doctrine more severe than that of the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.

It’s too bad, really, as I liked the convenience of being able to read it all at one site, and also for archival purposes, as many news orgs are not ambitious about archiving and eventually delete important stories. I recall running into this last year while doing some research on the anthrax attacks, as many articles had been removed from the original sources. I found a lot of them here at FR, not only posted as stand-alone threads, but also deep into threads as interested Freepers cross-referenced related stories.

However, it’s been clear for a while that the lifespan of this utility was going to be finite, as the expansive understanding of fair use that enabled it wasn’t going to prevail. Whoever is responsible for notifying the various news orgs of copyright issues, it was only a matter of time. In fact, I made this observation in a conversation with the Lead Mod about 6-8 months ago, and suggested at the time that FR needed to begin preparing for that day. My thought was that when, because of excerpting, FR was no longer able to present as much content as it formerly had, it was clearly going to be less attractive, and that measures ought to be taken to foster original content by Freepers of sufficient quality to generate interest in this site. I was pleased to see the later creation of the Blogger Forum, which is a positive step in the direction of generating more content here.

A few months back Hugh Hewitt, who is probably FR’s biggest booster in the national media, had an on-air roundtable with about a half dozen of the most influential conservative bloggers (Lileks, Powerline, Fraters Libertas, etc.). At one point, Hugh asked what their personal “must read” news sources were, and followed up with a question about whether any of them read FR. None of them did, which caught Hugh by surprise. No one had anything bad to say, but the consensus was that they didn’t find FR necessary to their purposes because there was nothing they could read here that couldn’t be found elsewhere.

Yet this was only a short time after a rather heady few months where VVAW research generated on FR was finding its way into venues like Sean Hannity’s and Laura Ingraham’s Shows a week or two later. The Kerry/VVAW story was giving FR a timely and much-needed boost in relevance, in a particularly important election year. A critical mass had been reached whereby a number of Freepers were following the story closely, adding details and insights, brainstorming over theories, and propelling the story forward. The idea of a second website as the primary repository for this information – one that is even less well-known than FR -- has always seemed to be contrary to the goal of establishing long-term, big picture relevance for www.freerepublic.com.

[Bob J]

"Do I need to be his friend to acknowledge his good work here on the Kerry/VVAW threads?"

I take that back, you don't know mojo at all. If you did, you would know he wasn't here just to do "good work", in fact, I doubt good work had anything to do with it all. If you were just another dupe that got sucked into his performance art, say so, you wouldn't be the first.

BTW - Interesting Times and other FRN members have been working with several organizations and dozens of vets for months on the information that is posted on the www.wintersoldier.com site (which was up before "hon" started posting on FR). You insinuate on an earlier post that IT and WS had been ripping off info from mojo. You don't know squat but for you to swallow that antifreeper line, hook and sinker, and then regurgitate here tells me quite a bit.

"I got along fine with him, why shouldn't’t I?"

Actually, I'm not surprised at all. Your profile is perfect for a mojo (antifreeper) recruit. In fact, over at their site they have been calling for you to "come on down" like you were auditioning for The Price is Right.

[Sabertooth]

I take that back, you don't know mojo at all. If you did, you would know he wasn't here just to do "good work", in fact, I doubt good work had anything to do with it all. If you were just another dupe that got sucked into his performance art, say so, you wouldn't be the first.

I took him at face value. Wasn't that the point of the experiment in allowing him back on? Even the Lead Mod said:

Jim decided to let him back, to see what would happen. Maybe old bridges could be rebuilt. Maybe having a common enemy would be enough. Despite his loathing for us, Mojo does seem to be a conservative at heart. So we gave it a whirl.

Many old timers caught on to who Mojo was, right away. They were not happy. Some got into fights with him. Being a dumb-a, I got in the middle and tried to make the situation work. I asked some old timers to back off. And I spent a lot of time conversing with Hon/Mojo, trying to keep him from 'anti-Freeping' in the forum, and on message.

It was an interesting experience. He has some damn good media contacts. He let me in on some breaking news before it would happen. He didn't lead me astray in that regard.

So, am I supposed to nurse a grudge that isn't mine?

BTW - Interesting Times and other FRN members have been working with several organizations and dozens of vets for months on the information that is posted on the www.wintersoldier.com site (which was up before "hon" started posting on FR). You insinuate on an earlier post that IT and WS had been ripping off info from mojo. You don't know squat but for you to swallow that antifreeper line, hook and sinker, and then regurgitate here tells me quite a bit.

If you'll read up the thread, I said that Hon "did most of the best Kerry/VVAW research here," not the only research anywhere. His efforts on FR were certainly where most of us here first came across this information, and folks I know personally who lurk FR would ask me about it outside of FR.

I've heard of FR outside of FR. I've never heard of wintersoldier.com outside of FR.

Which site was best positioned to raise the profile of the Kerry/VVAW story?

Actually, I'm not surprised at all. Your profile is perfect for a mojo (antifreeper) recruit. In fact, over at their site they have been calling for you to "come on down" like you were auditioning for The Price is Right.

I'm honestly not sure you don't want me over there more than they do.

Any comment on the bulk of my post to you, which was not Mojo-oriented?

[Interesting Times]

The idea of a second website as the primary repository for this information – one that is even less well-known than FR -- has always seemed to be contrary to the goal of establishing long-term, big picture relevance for www.freerepublic.com.

Well, you'll need to take that up with Jim Robinson, since he agreed with us that WinterSoldier.com would be a valuable project for the FR Network to undertake. In fact, you'll be pleased to learn that he has recently agreed to add a WS.com link to the FRN banner at the top of Latest Posts.

FR and WS have completely different missions, and I think most reasonable people understand that cyberspace is sufficiently large to accommodate both sites.

[Interesting Times]

I've heard of FR outside of FR. I've never heard of wintersoldier.com outside of FR.

Which site was best positioned to raise the profile of the Kerry/VVAW story?

WinterSoldier.com is coming up on 800,000 hits, and has the complete attention of the online veteran community. We're working closely with the leadership of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Vietnam Veterans for Truth (KerryLied.com), Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry, and a number of other groups.

How many people do you suppose read the "Hon" threads? A few hundred? And the anonymous and irritable Mojo is working in cooperation with... well, who, exactly?

[Sabertooth]

WinterSoldier.com is coming up on 800,000 hits, and has the complete attention of the online veteran community. We're working closely with the leadership of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Vietnam Veterans for Truth (KerryLied.com), Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry, and a number of other groups.

Which doesn't answer my question:

"Which site was best positioned to raise the profile of the Kerry/VVAW story?"

Everything happening at WinterSoldier could have happened at FR, with a larger audience from which to start, and a larger audience for FR when it was over.

How many people do you suppose read the "Hon" threads? A few hundred? And the anonymous and irritable Mojo is working in cooperation with... well, who, exactly?

The Lead Mod didn't say, but I take him at his word.

BTW, I notice you're trying to compare the number of people reading Kerry/VVAW (not "Hon") threads here to the cumulative number of hits you've had at WinterSoldier in the last six months. Not only are those apples and bushels, I would venture that a fair number more than a few hundred read them.

Additionally the real comparison ought to be the difference between the potential results of what could have been a united effort to expose Kerry and the VVAW at FR, and the divided effort that has occurred.

[Bob J]

"So, am I supposed to nurse a grudge that isn't mine?"

Tells a whole lot.

[Sabertooth]

*"So, am I supposed to nurse a grudge that isn't mine?"

**Tells a whole lot.

So, is that the beef, exactly?

[Interesting Times]

Well, all this is water under the bridge now, isn't it?

Unless of course you are suggesting that WinterSoldier.com should be taken down...

[Sabertooth]

Well, all this is water under the bridge now, isn't it?

I guess that settles that.

Unless of course you are suggesting that WinterSoldier.com should be taken down...

I'm unsure as to where you could reasonably infer that from my posts.

[Bob J]

Partly. There are thousands of people on this site who don't really know who Jim is, and if the site were to go bye bye manana, wouldn't think twice about. However, you are and have been a prominent poster for some time. You use this site on a daily basis, have many friends and seem to have found a home here.

It seems to me the least you could do in gratitude for what Jim and the donors have provided for you is to show some respect to Jim and the Forum by not sidling up to and lauding it's most ardent enemy.

But, hey, that's just me.

[Interesting Times]

I'm unsure as to where you could reasonably infer that from my posts.

I didn't infer it, though after hundreds of words devoted to whining about somebody else's web site, it wouldn't be all that unreasonable an inference to make. What I did is raise the issue. Permit me to do so again.

Do you think we should take down WinterSoldier.com, or are you content to see it continue?

[Sabertooth]

Partly. There are thousands of people on this site who don't really know who Jim is, and if the site were to go bye bye manana, wouldn't think twice about. However, you are and have been a prominent poster for some time. You use this site on a daily basis, have many friends and seem to have found a home here.

So why do I get the feeling you'd prefer otherwise?

It seems to me the least you could do in gratitude for what Jim and the donors have provided for you is to show some respect to Jim and the Forum by not sidling up to and lauding it's most ardent enemy.

Do I talk about Jim here or in any other forum, beyond the occasional clarification about my own dealings?

Keep in mind that I didn't make the decision to allow Hon to post; I approached the situation in the spirit in which it was presented to me and the forum at large. Why should I concern myself with litmus tests over grudges that don't involve me?

[Bob J]

"You should be thanking Hon, who did most of the best Kerry/VVAW research here before some of the FRN got their noses bent that Free Republic itself might be the epicenter for what could have been a number important stories about Kerry this campaign. FR could have been a real player...Why was it important to take this information outside of Free Republic, since the FRN and FR are completely independent entities?"

You are so full of baloney it's pathetic. Many people were very concerned about mojo being allowed to post again on FR, but no one was concerned that he was posting VVAW information. In fact, he was purposely left alone until he started attacking certain long time posters and showing up on wintersoldier threads accusing others of plagiarism. The original intent was to post all the stories and information here but use WS as a quick find repository, and develop a site that vets and vet groups could rally around. WS admins stopped posting information here specifically because mojo was disrupting their threads.

The truth is hon/mojo is solely responsible (was that his mission?) for any estrangement between FR and WS and here you are setting up mojo as a hero and accusing WS and the FRN of attempting some kind of coup.

You're attempts to propagandize the history and facts to fit your disgruntled agenda puts you square in the middle of the those attempting to discredit this site, Jim and many of it's long time posters.

[Sabertooth]

"I didn't infer it, though after hundreds of words devoted to whining about somebody else's web site, it wouldn't be all that unreasonable an inference to make. What I did is raise the issue. Permit me to do so again."

You didn't, but you did, and your rephrasing tells the tale.

You went from this:

"Unless of course you are suggesting that WinterSoldier.com should be taken down..."

To this:

"Do you think we should take down WinterSoldier.com, or are you content to see it continue?"

Since I didn't "suggest" anything about what the fate of WinterSoldier.com should be, and since you have said "it wouldn't be all that unreasonable an inference to make," then it's reasonable to conclude that your first attempt was formulated by an inference that was not well-taken.

But you've avoided that in your rephrased question, so I'll answer:

No, at this point, WinterSoldier might as well go along as it has. The thinking, however, that led to its establishment, was not well vetted.

[Bob J]

You're evading the question (a 'tooth specialty).

"It seems to me the least you could do in gratitude for what Jim and the donors have provided for you is to show some respect to Jim and the Forum by not sidling up to and lauding it's most ardent enemy."

All anyone is wondering, now that you are aware of who/what hon/mojo is, why are you singing his praises?

[Lazamataz]

I just thought I'd post in the middle of this food fight.

Ewwwwww. Pudding on my shirt. EWWWWWWWWWW.

[Sabertooth]

The truth is hon/mojo is solely responsible (was that his mission?) for any estrangement between FR and WS and here you are setting up mojo as a hero and accusing WS and the FRN of attempting some kind of coup.

Did he post threads here on this topic before WinterSoldier ever went up?

If so, how could his mission have been estrangement between FR and WS, before WS ever existed?

Another question:

If, as has been stated often, FR and the FRN are independent entities, is it ever possible for conflicts of interest to arise?

[Interesting Times]

No, at this point, WinterSoldier might as well go along as it has.

That is magnanimous of you.

Your decision comes as something of a relief, since hosting 20,000 pages of PDF-format FBI files at FR would pose a rather perplexing problem, not to mention the tens of megabytes of videos.

Since the question of whether to create WinterSoldier.com is thoroughly moot, and since you aren't demanding that we destroy it, our conversation seems to have come to an end.

Thanks for bumping my interview thread, though.

[Sabertooth]

All anyone is wondering, now that you are aware of who/what hon/mojo is, why are you singing his praises?

What do I know? What you have posted?

Here's something I know: he hasn't posted anything untrue about me, yet you have.

Since I know that, how seriously am I supposed to take what you have said about him?

All I've ever said is that he has been cordial and shot straight with me in my dealings with him. I'm not taking positions on what hasn't concerned me, yet from my position you've concluded that I'm a "dupe" with a "profile" ripe for anti-freeper plucking.