Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Put the media in the hot seat (4:49 pm)
With the shuttle mission and the heat wave dominating the headlines, questions about the Rove-Plame-Wilson coverup have moved below the fold. As usual, the mainstream media is falling down on the job; it’s time for a full-scale investigation by the Fourth Estate into administration insiders’ treasonous breach of national security.
Here are a few questions reporters should be asking administration officials:
1) In order to obtain his security clearance, Karl Rove signed a Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement, accompanied by a booklet specifying that officials signing the agreement can neither release classified information to reporters nor confirm classified information they’ve obtained. Sanctions against officials who “knowingly, willfully, or negligently” disclose classified information include “reprimand, suspension without pay, removal, termination of classification authority, loss or denial of access to classified information, or other sanctions.”
Why hasn’t the White House levied such sanctions against Rove?
2) When there is a breach of security that threatens intelligence operations, the CIA usually prepares a “damage assessment ” report.
When does the CIA plan to release its assessment of how outing Plame and the front company where she worked has affected national security?
3) Will Rove have to be indicted before the White House will be willing to dismiss him?
And here are some questions we should be asking reporters:
1) Will Scott McClellan suffer any consequences whatsoever for lying to the press?
2) Is the fact that it’s hot in July really more important than the exposure of a top CIA agent by the administration?
Let the mainstream media know what your news priorities are by contacting them directly:
(NOTE: you’ll need to replace “_AT_” with @ for the e-mail addresses to work)
- ABC News, Barbara Walters: 2020_AT_abc.com
- ABC News, George Stephanopoulos: thisweek_AT_abc.com
- ABC News, Ted Koppel: nightline_AT_abc.com
- Associated Press (AP), Feedback: feedback_AT_ap.org
- Boston Globe, Ellen Goodman: goodman_AT_globe.com
- CBS News, 60 Minutes: 60m_AT_cbsnews.com
- CBS News, Face The Nation: ftn_AT_cbsnews.com
- Chicago Sun-Times, Letters to the Editor: letters_AT_suntimes.com
- Chicago Tribune, Ann Marie Lipinski (Editor): ctc-editor_AT_tribune.com
- CNN News
- CNN, James Carville: crossfire_AT_cnn.com
- Fox News, Brit Hume: brit.hume_AT_foxnews.com
- Fox News, Hannity & Colmes (Alan Colmes): Colmes_AT_foxnews.com
- Fox News, Hannity & Colmes (Sean Hannity): Hannity_AT_foxnews.com
- Fox News
- Knight-Ridder Newspapers, Charles Hurt (Washington Correspondent): churt_AT_charlotteobserver.com
- Knight-Ridder Newspapers, David Goldstein (Washington Correspondent): dgoldstein_AT_krwashington.com
- Knight-Ridder Newspapers, Frank Davies (Washington Correspondent): fdavies_AT_krwashington.com
- MSNBC, Chris Matthews: hardball_AT_msnbc.com
- MSNBC, Joe Scarborough, joe_AT_msnbc.com
- MSNBC, Joe Trippi: jtrippi_AT_msnbc.com
- NBC News, Dateline: dateline_AT_nbc.com
- NBC News, Meet The Press (Tim Russert): mtp_AT_nbc.com
- New York Times, Cory Reiss (Washington Correspondent): reissc_AT_nytimes.com
- New York Times, Daniel Okrent (Public Editor/Readers’ Representative): public_AT_nytimes.com
- Newsweek, Howard Fineman:howardfineman_AT_aol.com
- Newsweek, Letters to the Editor: Letters_AT_newsweek.com
- Reuters America, Lawrence McQuillan: editor_AT_reuters.com
- Scripps-Howard News Service, Bill Straub (Washington Correspondent): straubb_AT_shns.com
- Scripps-Howard News Service, Jennifer Sergent (Washington Correspondent): sergentj_AT_shns.com
- Time, Jay Carney (Deputy Washington Bureau Chief): letters_AT_time.com
- U.S. News and World Report, David Gergen (Editor-at-Large): letters_AT_usnews.com
- U.S. News and World Report, Gloria Borger (National News Assistant Managing Editor, On Politics Columnist): gborger_AT_usnews.com
- USA Today, Karen Jurgensen (Editor-in-Chief): kjurgensen_AT_usatoday.com
- USA Today, Kathy Kiely, Congressional Reporter: kkiely_AT_usatoday.com
- USA Today, Andrea Stone, Congressional Correspondent: astone_AT_usatoday.com
- Washington Post, Letters: letters_AT_washpost.com
- Washington Post, Michael Getler (Ombudsman): ombudsman_AT_washpost.com
posted by Jessica Clark
Reader Comments
While I agree that people should attempt to influence the media to respond to popular demands for news coverage, I don’t know how successful they can possibly be with regard to the major agenda-setters of the media landscape. Its main problems are of an institutional nature- briefly, that they are large corporations legally obliged to increase profits and market share; their market is not the people reading them but the advertisers, who provide the vast majority of their revenue. Until that, among other factors, changes, you can expect them to fail in the capacity of properly informing the public of salient issues and thus provoking debate, as would happen in a healthy democratic society. (One reason why independent media efforts, such as ITT, are so valuable.)
With regard to the Rove issue itself, I’m all for prosecuting and removing “Bush’s brain”, but even if it happened, I don’t think it would seriously harm the administration or affect its policies. So why all the fuss?
posted by Rob on 8-1-05 at 10:44 PM
Why all the fuss? It’s just a little treason in the highest reaches of the White House. C’mon!
posted by Matt H. on 8-1-05 at 11:06 PM
As I said, I agree Rove should be prosecuted for possible violation of an NDA and federal law, of which there appears to be substantial evidence. I think it was a move to punish Joseph Wilson for his exposure of the forged documents regarded uranium sales to Iraq, which is pretty disgusting, but political dirty tricks are not grounds for a trial.
Assertions that such violations constitute “treason” and/or pose a dire threat to national security are rather flimsy, in my opinion; I haven’t seen evidence to support it, though I would be interested to, if it exists.
posted by Rob on 8-2-05 at 2:16 AM
We are all entitled to our opinions. Mine is that smearing a patriotic American and outing his CIA operative wife, as retribution for his exposure of lies that led to the death of over 1,800 Americans, rises to the level of treason.
I would like to see some one at the FBI make a command decision to pick up Karl Rove from his house and bring him in for questioning. Ditto Libby! There’s an old fashion charge called sedition. It’s still on the books. Had a mere citizen committed these acts, we know what and how fast the response would be, now don’t we?
At least the story would be above the fold again…
posted by Ed Cunningham on 7-27-05 at 1:33 PM