Felt tried to sell story to People in 2002

The News Virginian ^ | May 31, 2005 | J. Todd Foster

[epluribus unum1]

"...Ultimately the story died because of money. The Felt family and their attorney wanted a lot of money, and People magazine - with my blessing - backed away in what would have been a case of "checkbook journalism."

[Howlin]

Look here:

On Wednesday, word came that the family of Mr. Felt - the ailing, 91-year-old former No. 2 official of the F.B.I. - had sought payment in vain for his story after failing to reach a collaborative agreement with Mr. Woodward, not only from Vanity Fair, but also from People magazine and HarperCollins Books. They are apparently still determined to claim their share of the story that has helped make Mr. Woodward a millionaire.

---

J. Todd Foster, managing editor of The News-Virginian of Waynesboro, said that in 2003, after being frustrated in their efforts to persuade Mr. Woodward to cooperate, the Felt family had come to him - about six months after he had approached them on his own hunch that Mr. Felt was Deep Throat - to propose a collaboration. At the time, Mr. Foster was a contributor to People, which he said considered but rejected an article because the Felts wanted payment.


"This was always about the money, and they were very up front with me," he said in a telephone interview.


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/02/politics/02woodward.html?hp&ex=1117684800&en=489eb8edf71bb989&ei=5094&partner=homepage

AND

What's her face on MSNBC said that Woodward, who works for Vanity Fair, too, knew NOTHING about this article coming out!

[kcvl]

"Where is the direct link to your quote?"


http://tinyurl.com/9fzug

[Howlin]

Look at 21; this is gonna get good fast!

[onyx]

I can't keep up with the lies!

But, LOL, they're fixing to go after some of Woodward's money that he made off DT? LOL!

[kcvl]

The project was so secret at People that I dealt directly with the top editor, Martha Nelson, and one of her high-ranking lieutenants. Even my editors at the D.C. Bureau knew nothing of the story, which was code-named "Project Green Door." (Perhaps from another porn movie title.)

Ultimately the story died because of money. The Felt family and their attorney wanted a lot of money, and People magazine - with my blessing - backed away in what would have been a case of "checkbook journalism." Reputable news organizations don't pay a penny for news. This also was during the Jayson Blair plagiarism scandal at The New York Times. The ethical meters at news organizations were tuned to full alert, or should have been.

I was still convinced that Felt was Deep Throat, so I took the story to an author friend of mine who had written several books for HarperCollins, which would not be bound by the monetary precepts of journalism. The book publisher would have no prohibitions against buying Felt's story.

HarperCollins subsidiary Regan Books agreed to the project. By then, I was immersed in my job here. I asked my author-friend, Jess Walter of Spokane, Wash., to take over and do most of the legwork. I happily agreed to give him most of the book advance.

[Howlin]

We knew yesterday that something wasn't right here. She was just TOO DAMN GIDDY about the whole thing.

I wonder if Woodward & Bernstein's article is coming out tonight.

[mewzilla]

What a nasty collection of sleazeballs. Whistleblower, my derriere. And isn't it interesting that the comPost kept this guy's identity a secret during the whole affair. Heaven forbid that the reader might realize that this guy might have an axe to grind and take that into consideration. Oh no, the paper knew best and determined that the public didn't need to know.

[MangoCrazy]

Looks like his own words may haunt him:

"Follow the money."

[Big Horn]

No honor no honesty no loyalty no class no money the morals of a child molester.

[onyx]

Exactly right, Both Kathryn Graham and Ben Bradlee knew that Felt was pissed at Nixon.

[scrabblehack]

Hmmm...couldn't People have published the story for free? I mean, if the deal fell through (no pun intended), couldn't they just say, "Fell came to us claiming to be Deep Throat?"

[mewzilla]

Exactly right, Both Kathryn Graham and Ben Bradlee knew that Felt was pissed at Nixon.

And they, in their oh so infinite wisdom, decided that the American public didn't need to know.

How freaking Nixonian of them. They became the thing they professed to hate.

[CFC__VRWC]

This has all the makings of a really entertaining catfight. Nothing but a bunch of amoral prostitutes (the family, the MSM, Woodward) getting ready to battle it out over the scraps. Time to pop a great big tub of corn.

The funniest part of it all is, does anyone outside of the Beltway who isn't a total history/news geek honestly give a sh!t?

[kcvl]

Ben Bradlee is claiming that he knew Felt was an FBI guy but didn't know his name. I doubt that!

[cyncooper]

Not to argue one way or another but what does it mean to the country?

A president had to resign.

I'm not arguing one way or the other the rightness or wrongness of Felt's role as an FBI man leaking to the anti-Nixon WaPo. A somber demeanor would have been more appropriate than the unseemly attitude the family has displayed thus far.

[onyx]

But you see, they're ALL democrats,... and getting rid of the hated Nixon was foremost in their collective minds.

It's not much of a stretch to say that Graham, Bradlee, Woodward, Bernstein and Felt ALL conspired to bring down the presidency of Richard Milhouse Nixon, knowing full well that they were dirtier than Nixon.

[onyx]

I don't know who else gives a rip, but I do. I lived thru this and I am steaming mad.

[onyx]

Oh gawd. Bradlee can't even be honest now? He's smugly claimed to know DT's identity on many a show over the years that I've seen. JMJ.

[hermgem]

Disgruntled for not getting a promotion Felt turns to squealing. For the good of the country he says.
What about breaking his oath as the second man in the FBI hierarchy.
Such is called a hero these days.
All monies he derives from these his traitorous activities need to be frozen.
His actions did fly right into the face of his oath which he decided, consciously, not to abide by.

[onyx]

I just threw out Kathryn Graham's autobiography. I almost feel like dumpster diving to retrieve it because I recall she wrote extensively about Nixon and Watergate, but I cannot recall the details. Maybe somebody here has her book?