Karl Rove: Abusing the First Amendment and Using Reporters

Editor and Publisher: America's Oldest Journal Covering the Newspaper Industry ^ | (July 05, 2005 | Bill Israel

[rface]

Bill Israel teaches journalism at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst). He has worked for several failing newpapers.

[Paul Atreides]

I remember an episode of The X-Files, in which The Cigarette-Smoking Man was the one pulling the strings behind everything, including which films won the Academy Award.

The left's obsession with Rove is so entertaining.

[DTogo]

But neither charm nor political power should be permitted to subvert the First Amendment, which is intended to insure that reporters and citizens burrow fully and publicly into government, not insulate its players from felony, or reality.

HA! The same felony and reality the press inuslated Clinton from??

[Chuck54]

bttt

[Byron Norris]

This reminds me of the BS cartoon show 'American Dad' which portrayed Karl Rove as 'Emperor Palpatine' from 'Star Wars'. What will the Left stoop to next?

[TheGeezer]

Reporters are above the law in all ways with their craft and must be granted all possible immunity from law enforement even if they and their sources break the law, unless their stories touch Republicans, Christianity, pro-life advocacy, traditional patriotism, and sexual self-constraint. In those cases, reporters must be compelled - even with the death penalty - to reveal everything about their sources and must even aid in the destruction of their sources.

I thought everyone knew that.

[rface]

DUmmies chase the Red Herring.......

[bjc]

"Consequently, when former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson challenged President Bush’s lie that Saddam Hussein imported yellow-cake uranium from Niger to produce nuclear weapons, retaliation by Rove was never in doubt. While it is reporters Matthew Cooper of Time and Judith Miller of The New York Times who now face jail time, the retaliation came through Rove-uber-outlet Robert Novak, who blew the cover of Wilson’s wife, CIA operative Valerie Plame. "

Uh! So Wilson is beyond reproach, but Bush lied about the yellow-cake. Me thinks thou dost protest too much, Mr Israel.
Teaching journalism at UMass - Amherst, - hardly qualifies Bill Israel as an objective source.

[FormerACLUmember]

The left wingnuts are so deceitful, they would have you believe that an American Hero Karl Rove controls the media.

[VRWCmember]

Consequently, when former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson challenged President Bush’s lie that Saddam Hussein imported yellow-cake uranium from Niger to produce nuclear weapons, retaliation by Rove was never in doubt.

First, President Bush did not claim Hussein had imported yellow-cake uranium (or any kind of uranium) from Niger (or any other specific country in Africa).
Second, Bush's statement (how could anybody forget those "16 words") was that we had learned from British intelligence that Hussein had recently attempted to import uranium from Africa; the British intelligence community continues to stand by that report.
Third, Rove didn't need to retaliate as the new media were able to find plenty of Wilson's own statements to discredit his opportunistic cheap shots at the President.

[Paul Atreides]

We must not forget the fact that these are the people who will take the word of a murdering terrorist for the very gospel.

[marron]

Does he seriously believe that the New York Times would risk jail to protect the White House?

Seriously?

Consequently, when former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson challenged President Bush’s lie that Saddam Hussein imported yellow-cake uranium from Niger to produce nuclear weapons, retaliation by Rove was never in doubt.

This is a lie within a lie. Bush didn't accuse Iraq of importing yellow-cake, he accused them of aspiring to import it, which was demonstrably true based on information available publicly.

Wilson himself is a liar. His statements are riddled with inaccuracies, which any newsman should have been able to pick apart given the interest and will to do so.

Iraq's trade mission to Niger was public knowledge (why Bush credited British intelligence with it is beyond me, since it wasn't secret). What we have learned since is that Niger secretly smuggled yellow-cake to Libya (Wilson's "proof" that Niger would never engage in illegal sales was that, well, they were illegal).

[ravingnutter]

And he has inside info that Karl was the source of the leak...how? I say:

Put Mr. Israel in jail until he reveals his source!!!!!!

[Paul Atreides]

Well, he does look like Rush Limbaugh.

[mewzilla]

Bill Israel teaches journalism at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst).

That's not journalism he's teaching...

[Cicero]

I never heard of Editor and Publisher until they started running anti-Bush stories this past year. They seem to be somewhere to the left of Mao TseTung and somewhat stupider than al gore.

[Thebaddog]

But how would you grade this clever fiction?

[soupcon]

Does he seriously believe that the New York Times would risk jail to protect the White House?
Seriously?

As flawed as they are, the NYT is more than likely interested in protecting the use of anonymous sources in general, not the WH in particular.

[Shermy]

"But how would you grade this clever fiction?"

If he's doing it to pander to lefties handing out speaking engagement honorariums, A+.

[soupcon]

I'm surprised that the source was deemed acceptable; many aren't.