Indeed:
Md. GOP Seeks Wider Firing Probe(Post Maryland editor, R.B.) Brenner said, "The Washington Post had no involvement in any way in the chat room postings" between Steffen and MD4BUSH. "The Post did not know about them until after they had already occurred, as we have reported."
Brenner said The Post does not know the identity of MD4BUSH, which the newspaper also has reported.
Post reporter Matthew Mosk received printed copies of the message exchanges last fall, Brenner said. To verify they were authentic, he said, Mosk was given sign-on information needed to view the private chat room by an intermediary acting on behalf of MD4BUSH in late January. Mosk used that information to verify that "the chat room messages were genuine," Brenner said. Mosk presented the printouts to Steffen in February to confirm that they represented his words.
Feel free to contact Mr. Brenner at: brennerr@washpost.com and while you're at it send reporter Matthew Mosk a note at: moskm@washpost.com, I did.
I wonder how they knew this was an intermediary, did they just take their word for it?
A Freeper gal called Mosk at his desk at the WP today to ask him a couple of questions about his journalistic career, specifically what years he was reporting for the LA Times. Mr. Mosk said he didn't want to answer any questions and hung up on her.