Posted on 11/05/2005 5:54:32 PM PST by Congressman Billybob
In yesterday’s (Saturday) Washington Post is a brief article in its Metro section, responding to well-attended press conference the previous day in front of the newspaper’s offices.
The press conference accused the Post of violating the privacy rights of certain individuals on the website FreeRepublic.com This exchange, printed by the Post, explains the charge, and the newspaper’s response to it, so far:
"How in good faith could The Washington Post access a private Internet account without the express permission of the account holder?" Kristinn Taylor, a spokesman for the conservative FreeRepublic.com, asked in a morning news conference in front of The Post's offices in Northwest Washington.
“In response, R.B. Brenner, The Post's Maryland editor, said: ‘As part of our reporting, we needed to verify that the chat room postings were authentic. We were authorized to view them, and it was appropriate to do so under the circumstances.’ [Sic: This was not a “chat room.” This was a private e-mail exchange between two individuals.]
“The claims relate to a series of Internet chats in October and November 2004 between Joseph Steffen, then an aide to the governor, and a person using the screen name MD4BUSH. In those postings, MD4BUSH coaxed Steffen into revealing his role in spreading rumors about Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, now a Democratic candidate for governor.”
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/04/AR2005110401908_pf.html
The Post asserts that it obtained the password to enter this private area from “an intermediary who was acting on behalf of MD4BUSH.” But at the same time, the Post claims it does not know who MD4BUSH is, much less that he may have been at that time the Communications Director of the Maryland Democrat Party.
How could the Post claim it had valid permission, without knowing who was granting that permission? This may be a violation of the federal internet secrecy statute. It is certainly a violation of the website’s privacy rules, which are presented to all users.
For the kind of information that MD4Bush posted while posing as a red-meat Republican and trolling for like-minded responses, see the fullest reporting which as been done by WBAL radio, which broke the story of this “anonymous”poster at the center of this Maryland political scandal.
Source: http://wbal.com/news/story.asp?articleid=36721
Their story is complete except for their editorial judgment to ignore the sexual charge against Senator Barbara Mikulski, which was included in the materials the Post accessed from the private source.
John_Armor@aya.yale.edu
John / Billybob
'MD4BUSH coaxed Steffen into revealing his role in spreading rumors about Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley'
Heh, considering from the actual emails NCPAC had no role in spreading rumors it's soooooo nice of them to give him credit.
Just keeping my scorecard accurate: Steffen is NCPAC?
You are right. I went through every thread in detail when this story broke, and one thing that was obvious to me is that NCPAC never spread any rumors. Other Freepers, presumably innocent third parties who happened by, mentioned the rumors, which were evidently commonplace in Baltimore and I believe had been mentioned in the media.
The whole accusation against NCPAC was a lie from beginning to end. Their agent provocateur never managed to get him to say anything damaging against the mayor.
Yes, Steffen is the guy who a Democrat tried to coax into spreading rumors but failed. But was still fired for having talked to a guy online who tried to spread rumors.
Sure a lot of muckety mucks running around on the freeper board.
I'll be we could ferret them out by looking at how they voted in the sidebar polls..........
Sounds to me that the Post had a plant and acted to entrap Steffen and is another example of how low the Post is willing to go to relive it's glory days of Deep Throat.
And just to be crystal clear, didn't NCPAC / Steffen resign in order to stop the media storm from engulfing the governor? I thought he honorably fell on his sword rather than was fired. Google returns articles that say resigned and others that say fired. Even posts within FR are contradictory. Some even say that the governor asked for the resignation which might explain the controversy.
I used to be a muckety muck but I had to quit
;-)
" . . . uh, what's my sign?"
That is correct, he resigned. I talked to him on the thread that announced it.
As opposed to all the lies they've been caught in over the years, this is different, ...why? ;)
Bogey, see #14
ping
Since their lies are so blatant and so easily disproved, you'd think that they'd shut up now. I doubt that they shall and if this ever goes to court, their tacit part in this conspiracy ( and YES, that's exactly what this was !) will become a prominent part of any trial.
I remember that he resigned.
bump
ping a ling...
The Post does not know who Maryland For Bush is? Fascinating.
steynonline ^ | July 18th 2004 | Mark Steyn
Posted on 11/03/2005 5:49:31 PM CST by SquirrelKing
Well, Joseph C Wilson IV's 15 minutes is now in its third year, and judging from the pass given to him by the major newspapers and TV networks there's no end in sight. Why would the media collude in this fraudulent buffoon's self-aggrandization? After all, the first folks he lied to were them. But they seem to have decided their investment in him is now so deep, they're stuck with him. This is what I wrote a year and a half ago, in the fond belief that the chapter-and-verse exposure of his falsehoods would finally drive Wilson from public life. If only.
Frank Rich Clueless on Saddam's Uranium Stash
NewsMax.com ^ | Nov. 5, 2005 | Carl Limbacher
Posted on 11/05/2005 9:01:35 AM CST by Carl/NewsMax
Ever since the indictment of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, New York Times scribe Frank Rich has gone into overdrive with complaints that the Bush administration lied about Saddam Hussein's nuclear capability.
But on Saturday Rich sounded clueless when confronted with reports that Saddam had stockpiled some 500-tons of uranium - news reported just last year on the front page of his own paper.
Washington Post Traps Itself in a Lie about MD4Bush
Posted on 11/05/2005 7:54:32 PM CST by Congressman Billybob
THE PLAME KERFUFFLE
Investigate the CIA
An "outing" was the result of either incompetence or an effort to undermine the White House.
BY VICTORIA TOENSING
Sunday, November 6, 2005 12:01 a.m. EST
Don't cry for Rove when time comes [or... Bell is tolling for the MSM]
Newsday ^ | November 6, 2005 | LES PAYNE
Posted on 11/06/2005 8:16:52 AM CST by johnny7
It's been a long time since the president of the United States has been openly booed by crowds abroad. Thousands of protesters in neighboring, largely friendly Latin America called President George W. Bush a "fascist" Friday and, interestingly, a "terrorist." We have never before had the chief of staff of a sitting U.S. vice president indicted for lying to a grand jury. These not unrelated, history-making events are but the latest ticks on the clock running down on the second Bush term…..
To: johnny7; 1rudeboy; martin_fierro
Colombia: Clinton's Lies Met By Worldwide Protest
"Despite the massive show of force, students and trade unionists burned U.S. flags in the streets of Cartegena. Cleaning crews worked overtime to remove "Clinton go home" and "Yankee out" graffiti.
Thousands more turned out in mass demonstrations against Clinton's visit in Bogota, Medellin, and Cali. Students from the University of Antioquia clashed with riot police throughout the day.
This is just a sample of my readings for this morning. I will start with the obligatory "I am not a conspiracy theorist/black helicopter believer/whatever. Lieing, misstating, prevaricating, etc. certainly seems to be an integral component of MSM reporting right now, with most of the efforts going at marginalizing and reducing the effectiveness of George Bush and his administration, and by extension, smearing all of us who have supported him and/or have any kind of anti-liberal ideology (or theology).
However, that would not be much of a problem if they were not being effective at spreading their lies, smears, slander and libel. But they are, and among the many, many problems that it causes us, it has, in my opinion, extended the war in Iraq and has directly contributed to deaths of our military people and Iraqi citizens. I would love to say that we should just take the high ground, and let them destroy themselves, and while that is happening to some extent, it is proving to be very costly.
I have a question - is there anything that we, the people, can do to confront or rein in the excesses of the media? There have been some remarkable successes in exposing the MSM lately, but we need a more concerted ongoing effort. Subscriptions are down, but the people still reading the NYT or the Boston Herald, or the Austin (un)American Spaceman are still oblivious and duped, leaving these papers to continue what has been successful for them in the past and a disaster for America. For anyone looking for reasons to hate America, our MSM provides them.
Any ideas?
Great post
I am a "johnny come lately" on this MD4BUSH story. I have been reading earlier threads all morning before I commented. I was thoroughly confused.
I wish I knew a quick way to expose the media. The only thing I can think of is to coordinate a mass movement. We need to ALL be committed. Not just act- but act everyday- and to encourage others to do the same.
My ideas:
1) ALL OF US (and any other conservative forums, blogs, etc that want to join in) should Commit to email FOX News, CNN, etc EVERYDAY with stories like the ones you posted here.
2) ALL of us need to CALL and Email the NYT, and other media EVERDAY telling them that we refuse to buy their papers, etc because of.......(use stories like you listed above.
3) Email the same things to our Reps.
In order for this to truly work- we need someone who can help provide email addresses for us to make it easy- someone good at research with the time to do it and post it. We need someone with the time and talent to find these articles and commit to post a list of them each and everyday.
We need to be sure when we email these things- not to do them in mass- so they will actually be received and junked into a spam folder.
In essence- I think if we can find people willing to put in the time to do the research and posting- most of us could scrounge up 15 minutes a day to do the emailing etc.
What I think it would accomplish is this. They will be reminded EVERYDAY that WE ARE ONTO IT! We are commited to changing it. and we are serious about it.
I think most of us are like me. We spend a lot of time commenting about it and complaining- but leave it up to "others" to spend their time actually DOING anything about it.
Just my 2 cents... anyway...
We also need to start supporting people we know have the moral strength and integrity to stand up to this nonsense and call it out. Such as Herman Cain, etc.
I would love for someone to make a list of national advertisers in the NYT so we can start emailing them as well.
. . .and yes. . .when the Post first offered as they did early on. . .that they did not know id of of 'MD'. . .but had permission of an 'intermediary'. . .well; it the catch is pretty obvious.
Only other mediary could be Jim Robinson; himself; and we know that is not the case.
WaPo is lying; big time IMHO.
But who will tell the truth here and when?
The absolute truth; and they call themselves 'patriotic'.
Funny; if were not so pathetic and damaging as well.
-PJ
So which is it?
I agree. I was just highlighting the part of your first post that most clearly explains the Washington Post's lie.
"This is not either/or. It is both/and. The Post simultaneously claims that it has valid permission to access MD4Bush's private account on FreeRepublic, AND that it doesn't know who MD4Bush is."
"That is my whole point. How can the Post know that it has permission from the individual, rather than just receiving and using a stolen password, if it doesn't know who the individual is who created this account?"
"Hence my conclusion that the Post is "trapped in a lie.""
John / Billybob
They keep digging a bigger hole for themselves and opening up the sewer piper with each lie.
Thanks!
bump
ty for ping
Unless the ComPost knows the identity of MD4BUSH, they can't know with absolute certainty that the intermediary was authorized by MD4BUSH to give away the password. Matthew Mosk, R.B. Brenner and Leonard Downie are up to their eyeballs in alligators.
And as a lifelong Marylander who had family members in politics there, I can attest to the dirty, underhanded, cutthroat soul of the Maryland DemocRAT party.
The ComPost sucks, too.
C'mon, it's so much more fun if they keep digging.
Thank you for posting this. I've been occupied elsewhere the past couple of days. So I really appreciate someone reducing it to a quick, understandable read.
Amazing.
Good evening. Glad you enjoyed it.
John
Professional sounding? no. Credible Sounding? -- au contrare.
I demand to read the missing 6 minutes of tape. So to speak, ahem.
CompostGate
I am associate deputy assistant advisor to the Assistant Associate Deputy of floor washing. I am the INSIDE man I tell ya.
Just kidding... all lies.... I am so ashamed...
You might check HERE for some thoughts/ideas ;^)
FGS
They are indicted by their own logic - or lack thereof! They are lying about at least one of their claims. Either they did not have permission to login to MD4Bush' account / Freepmail, or, they know who MD4Bush is, or, BOTH!
I blame them and Walter Crankcase for our abandonment of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to Communists.
Well chin up lad. Some day you may become the Assistant Associate Deputy himself !
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.