Jeffrey Barker came prepared.
"But if Griego Erwin’s version of events is accurate, no Bee editors ever raised a red flag to question her continual use of unnamed and pseudonymed sources or her almost-uncanny ability to find a local person who perfectly illustrated her column’s theme or topic. "
Bingo.
"Diana Griego Erwin says she didn’t put this T-shirt on specifically because a reporter would be coming over to interview her."
Of course not.
Why, it was just some 'little thing I had hanging in my closet and decided to wear it'. To FREAKIN INTERVIEW WITH A REPORTER.
NO agenda there. No sir.
Truth is, she got lazy and sacrificed any credibility she had because of it. There may be actual people behind the pseudonyms but her editor was right. Embarrasment is no reason to shield their identities. There is a higher standard these days and some in that beleaguered industry are trying to do right. Getting rid of these lazy hacks is a good start.
A tee-shirt reading "I'm with stupid," with an arrow pointing straight up.
In another missive she suggested it was "OK" for Parents and their children to lie to school officials to get free school lunches, because, after all, Geroge Bush gives away your money to the evil Haliburton-Enron nexus.
When your politics become your religion, you will invent stories to spread your Gospel.