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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
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Posted on 07/10/2003 10:04:40 AM PDT by Jean S
Edited on 07/10/2003 10:17:45 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Recently, this web site discovered it has been played as a sucker by a source that was used in seven stories that ran in Capitol Hill Blue from September 2002 until July of 2003.
The person in question was quoted as an unnamed source in six of the seven articles and by name (Terrance J. Wilkinson) in the seventh. We later learned the name was bogus even though I had known (or thought I knew) the person by that name for more than 20 years.
We have turned all our information on this source over to the appropriate law enforcement agencies and, at their instruction, will not discuss the matter publicly until they have concluded their investigations. When those investigations are complete, we will publish a full accounting with every piece of detail that we can produce or uncover about the individual involved. We owe that to our readers.
The six stories that quoted this individual as an unnamed source have been removed from our article database. A search of other news sources through the Internet and on Nexis finds no evidence that any of those six stories were published elsewhere. If a further search uncovers evidence of those stories appearing on any web site or in any publication, we will contact that web site or publication and instruct them to remove the stories.
Some have suggested we should list the stories and keep them on our site with an explanation. Had we found any trace that the stories were reprinted elsewhere, that might have been an option, but our legal counsel advises us that the best course of action is to purge the stories from our database so that any information in them is not picked up and misused elsewhere.
The quotes attributed to the individual by the bogus name have been removed from the story, which ran on Tuesday of this week and we have run multiple searches through the Internet and Nexis to find locations where the story might have been printed. Many had already picked up the retraction we published on Wednesday. Those that had not were contacted and asked to do so. We will continue to monitor the situation and take the necessary corrective steps whenever and wherever we find the story used with the incorrect information.
Journalists have long depended on unnamed sources to break major stories. Without such sources, Watergate, Whitewater and the Monica Lewinsky story might never have come to light.
But we live in a different era now. Technology makes it easier for people to pull together enough information to create a story that sounds credible on the surface but still have hidden agendas underneath.
Many journalists have told me they cannot do their job without unnamed sources. I used to agree with them but events of this past week have caused me to rethink that philosophy.
A line has to be drawn somewhere. Somebody has to stand up and say "I'm not going to be used anymore." We're taking that stand. Effective immediately, Capitol Hill Blue will no longer publish stories that quote unnamed sources. When we do use sources for a story, they will be quoted by name, title and background. That background will be verified before the story is published.
In addition, we are reviewing every story we have run in the past involving unnamed sources and requiring the writers to go back and verify key pieces of information. If we find a problem, we will take any and all action necessary to correct the situation. We will also re-verify the backgrounds of named sources used in articles on sensitive issues.
Does this mean we will miss some major stories? Of course it does. But I'd rather miss a story or two than ever get taken for a ride again.
Related threads:
It is getting better. Check this out [Truthout trying to hide stealing a fraudulent article]
BREAKING: Conned big time "CIA Witness" to White House Lying about Intel story found to be FRAUD
Did Capitol Hill Blue Post An Article With Fabrications?
White House admits Bush wrong about Iraqi nukes
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
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Mea culpa all you wish.
Start here and then continue upwards. You'll get what it is all about.
And then if you want to follow the whole thing in detail as it unfolded, you will have to read several rather long threads. I'll link them here in a moment.
Probably the controversy about Iraq and uranium from Niger. Capitol Hill Blue cited Terrance J. Wilkinson as a "CIA advisor".
Google: "Terrance J. Wilkinson"
In my opinion, Capitol Hill Blue and Doug Thomson lost their credibility during the Paula Jones lawsuit. Their "facts" were just plain wrong, and even when the errors were pointed out to him, Thomson continued to insist that he was right.
Recently, this web site discovered it has been played as a sucker by a source that was used in seven stories that ran in Capitol Hill Blue from September 2002 until July of 2003.
Then this article went up when Thompson admitted something was very wrong.
Thanks for the link.
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