Posted on 11/20/2005 3:03:46 PM PST by Pikamax
Tough Week for The Post and a Star
By Deborah Howell Sunday, November 20, 2005; B06
The Post took a hit to its credibility with readers last week when Bob Woodward revealed that he had been told about the identity of CIA analyst Valerie Plame more than two years ago but had kept it to himself for fear of being subpoenaed. Readers in droves wrote that they were angry and disappointed. That disappointment was rife in The Post's newsroom, too.
Since Woodward and Carl Bernstein broke the Watergate story more than 30 years ago, they have been heroes to many. Woodward is part of the DNA of the Post newsroom. He is widely regarded as a relentlessly aggressive reporter and a rock-solid member of the Washington establishment.
While Woodward is listed as an assistant managing editor, he has no management duties. He comes and goes as he pleases, mostly writing his best-selling books on what happens behind the doors of power, and he reports only to Executive Editor Len Downie. He is allowed to keep juicy stories to himself until his latest book is unveiled on the front page of The Post. He is the master of the anonymous source.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I don't see what's wrong with that, or why it impacts the Post's credibility, unless you think that in order to be a credible newspaper, you've got to join in the leftwing attacks on the Bush administration.
Thats too bad - of all the Legacy Media, I noticed the Post was improving the most towards a more fair and balanced approach [faint praise I know].
From what I've been seeing and hearing, that's exactly the idea.
What now? Woodward ought to have an editor; every reporter needs one.
Translation: Woodward needs a keeper to remind him what the plan is, so he won't screw it up.
Wow. First the NY Times and its "star" Judith Miller, and now the Washington Post and its "star" Bob Woodward. Rove's plan to destroy the socialist "mainstream" news media is proceeding exactly as planned. (Grinning and wringing hands.)
My thoughts exactly.
Looks like Woodward is being cast as the WaPo's Judith Miller.
Readers and Post workers down the ladder are steaming mad.
Heeheeheehee.
Woody and the comPost have been highly suspect for a long long time. It was the old double standard thing for me.
Woody could claim a secret source for decades and remain credible, while sources revealed by others were trashed ad nauseum. How convenient. Don't produce your source, nobody get's to trash their character, nobody gets to question their motives.
Linda Trip could probably write a book on that topic. So could a number of women Bill Clinton sexually abused. Oh that's right, multiple witnesses who said some of the same things weren't credible, but a fedral agent who sold out his ethics over thiry years ago was.
Woody and the comPost stated that Nixon was a bad dude, and for the good of the nation he must go. A lot of people thought that made sense. It didn't to me. I knew that when a Bill Clinton came along, the good of the nation be damned, these two entities would clam up or spin with all their might. Sure enough, both...
Then Woody was privy to information that would have made it unnecessary for a special prosecutor to run an investigation of White House staff. Ah yes, but those needing to be investigated were part of the Bush White House. Once gain, "for the good of the nation" was an operative concept.
Well Katherin Graham got her man, may her bones rot in hell, Woody and the comPost are now on record for the despicable people and organization they are and were.
Who knew?
It's as if someone stepped in cat c@#% and it's smelling very, very bad but no one can quite figure out on whose shoe the filthy stuff is. They are all pointing fingers at one another as the rat but no one will fess up to spreading the dirt all over the clean parlor (er - news room).
Woodward sure gave the clinton criminal gestapo a free ride. He is not so hot of a human or reporter to me.
Exactly!
"Woodward said he hadn't told Downie about what he knew because he was afraid of being subpoenaed..."
Putz!
I don't think he's that manly.
I think the Post is improving also, but it's addition by subtraction. They've gotten rid of a couple of the worst RAT-flacks, but there's still plenty in the newsroom and on the op-ed page.
Brit Hume ran some comments from current and former comPost reporters and columnists about the Woodward/Plame thing and they were all trashing him for daring to give a GOP, and even worse, the Bush(!), Administration, some cover over the whole thing. Oh, and btw, he may have just sunk Fitzchristmas' indictment of Scooter Libby for the partisan witch hunt it is.
Naturally, this is not going over well in MSM and RAT circles. I'm guessing that Mr. Woodward won't be invited to a few of the A List Christmas Cocktail Parties in Georgetown this holiday season.
Finally, it was only mentioned in passing, but on Fox News Sunday this morning, Ceci Connelly, who I find almost as stupid, but less amusing than Juan Williams, admitted that the pressroom at the Post is in disarray with all the changes, especially since the Woodward story broke. TRANSLATION: they're eating their own...
I saw one of those Kalb brothers on Fox this week saying that Woodward had a duty to tell ALL as soon as he knew it; he said we, as the public, as ENTITLED to know every single thing that reporters know.
Interesting that none of the others feel the need to tell the truth about what they hear.
You forgot to add "and accomplices".
Woodward's, we learned, entire career stemmed from aiding a felon (deep throat) break the law. He was nothing all along but to the left he is an outcome god.
To use the word interesting is one he!! of a job of sugar coating. ; )
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