I do a lot of letter writing, but this one to the WSJ was special. Other than seeking to refute the obvious distort and attack tactics so often used by republics, I was damned upset that Kos, and by proxy this community, were victims of corporate skulduggery.
In the seventies I worked in a news room at a public television station. I learned how to rewrite rip and read copy and the elemental skills of news writing and reporting. In that newsroom we constantly engaged in discussions on the events of the day, mostly politics and public policy. Integrity was paramount. The big three were the purveyors of TV news, daily newspapers thrived and local stations covered city hall and the state capitol. It was a given that the public's business came first.
Change became apparent to me in the early eighties. I had just checked on the center camera setup for a TV shoot on location. As I turned away a suit stopped me and introduced himself as the production accountant. I thought, how nice, he got to make the trip. After pleasentries he pointed to the setup and asked, "Is that camera really necessary?"
Soon news professionals were lamenting teases and bumpers and sweeps. The public interest was replaced with "the bottom line." Now it drives news policy written by those more likely to sympathize with republican philosophy. The arrogance of corporate culture is supreme, not the interest of the people. After all, what's good for business is good for America.
What's good for America is news organizations that remember the public's business comes first and the it's best served by truth not lies and innuendo. It's everywhere, we see it every day; bad reporting and distorted perspectives. And so what if they're called out now and again. I suppose that as with acceptable risk it's tolerated as the cost of doing business.
So, in the spirit of corporate American media I wrote my letter to the editors. I wanted to rant and I wanted to rave, but I didn't. I played it by their rules. As a friend of mind said when asked how he was going to get by after college, I'll put on my pin stripped suit and go underground.
To the Editor:
I was dismayed by the Journal's story of January 14, 2005 "Dean Campaign Made Payments To Two Bloggers" by William M. Bulkeley and James Bandler. They write that a high-profile Dean aide stated bloggers were paid to incorporate positive spin about the campaign in their on-line blogs. As the facts reveal, no such statement was made.
Who is the high-profile Dean aide cited in the first paragraph? According to Laura Gross writing on Blog for America she is the unnamed source. Gross avers she said no such thing during an off the record briefing with WSJ reporter Jeanne Cummings. Messrs Bulkeley and Bandler however, proceed to manufacture a statement far from the reality of anything Gross's said to Cummings. In fact, it was so far from the truth Cummings called Gross to apologize.
This disgraceful episode must be investigated thoroughly and the record corrected soonest. The Wall Street Journal's credibility is damaged by this poor judgment, bad reporting and serious lapse in journalistic ethics. The responsible parties must be severely disciplined, up to and including termination, and a correction printed. Bulkeley and Bandler failed your readers miserably. Giving credence to unsubstantiated charges through the use of a fabricated quote is a serious error. Their irresponsible reporting and shoddy methodology is inexcusable.
As a long time reader of your newspaper I trust this situation will be dealt with in a timely manner. Failure to do so will beg the question, is this a standard the Wall Street Journal aspires to uphold?