They may be closer than you think, especially WP editor Leonard Downie.
I don't know if any of you have seen this, but VRWCTexan dug up some interesting "coincidences" a few days ago regarding some unknown posters who apparently signed up last summer to post on one single thread. Just in case no one saw it, I'm posting it here.
The posters they were talking about (see below) all signed up at FR within the same time period. They all posted on an MD4BUSH thread, then disappeared and never posted again. (What are the odds of that happening?!) I found it very curious. Here's a cut and paste of a reply where someone summarized what VRWCTexan found. (SOURCE: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1516499/posts?page=258#258):
To: kristinn; MrEd1964; baltimore; Bug10; genevaz; chloec; maica; Quilla; VRWCTexanHere is a summary of what was discussed last night, just so you and others don't miss it. (and to make it easier to find all in one spot).The ones we found weird coincidences about are bolded in red in the reply below. With the new one found by maica on "Baltimore," we're now up to 5 "coinkydinks."
To: maica; GOP_1900AD; CollegeRepublican; Jim Robinson; Admin ModeratorI have no knowledge of another thread on FR that has been pushed by drive-by posters like that one. Could someone have learned that Steffen was a Freeper and the attempt at dragging him in have started last summer?
JimRob will know from where the posts were made - how many different computers were used for the onetime posters.
Man, you're not kidding. Talk about your "drive-by poster." You and GOP_1900ad and CollegeRepublican did a great job of sniffing them out way back then.
Here they are. All these screen names are active (i.e., they haven't been banned), they have nothing on their home page, and, with the exception of MD4BUSH, they've only made one post. They haven't posted anything since this thread.
O'Malley Rumours
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/postsMrEd1964
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=157529
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=53#53
dempublican
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=1575
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=55#55
baltimore
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=157778
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=60#60
bug10
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=158000
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=63#63
?authority
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=158672
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=66#66
genevaz
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=159690
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=70#70
tskitmir
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=160844
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=71#71
chloec
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=163901
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=72#72
superwoman4u2
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=165600
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=74#74
theheadman
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=215727
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=92#92
MD4BUSH
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=173184
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=75#75
This doesn't even include the ones who posted on that thread that are now banned.192 posted on 11/05/2005 10:28:00 PM CST by shutup_you_idiot
Now, here are the "coincidental connections" that were discovered for the screen names above that are in red. They may be nothing more than simple coincidence, who knows.
genevaz
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=159690
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=70#70To: VRWCTexan-------------------------------------And also note that not only did they post on the one thread, they all opened their FR accounts within one week of each other (last week of July 04) - some on the same day.... The statistical odds of that happening by sheer coincidence on a single thread of just 100 posts are beyond calculation.
Yeah, well, I have another "statistical anomaly" for you. Well, I don't, but someone who FReepmailed me does.
From my post at 192: One of the suspects is "genevaz."
On a purely unrelated topic, I'm sure, how do you pronounce the "s" in the last name of "Overholser?" That's not a name that sounds very familiar to me.
You know... for example, as in "Geneva Overholser" of the Washington Post.
Not that I'm insinuating anything, of course. Coincidences like this happen all the time, I'm sure.203 posted on 11/05/2005 11:50:04 PM CST by shutup_you_idiot
bug10
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=158000
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=63#63
To: shutup_you_idiot------------------------------------
Here is one more re: "Bug10"
http://www.uclick.com/client/wpc/td/
Tom the Dancing "Bug" by Ruben Bolling - WaPO comic cartoons slaming Bush
219 posted on 11/06/2005 12:39:06 AM CST by VRWCTexan (History has a long memory - but still repeats itself)MrEd1964
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=157529
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=53#53To: shutup_you_idiot----------------------------------------------OK - try this on for size "MrEd1964"
Leonard Downie, Jr. was named executive editor of The Washington Post on Sept. 1, 1991, after serving as managing editor for seven years.From
Downie joined The Post as a summer intern in 1964.
He soon became a well-known local investigative reporter in....
http://washpost.com/news_ed/news/edit_bio.shtml214 posted on 11/06/2005 12:25:12 AM CST by VRWCTexan (History has a long memory - but still repeats itself)
chloec
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=163901
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=72#72To: decal----------------------------------------
Also "ChloeC" - Chloe is the name of a hot DC hang-out that is written up in more that one WaPo story or blog:Editorial Review217 posted on 11/06/2005 12:34:00 AM CST by VRWCTexan (History has a long memory - but still repeats itself)
Waiting for Chloe? Get in Line
By Fritz Hahn
Washington Post Weekend Section
Friday, April 8, 2005
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=cityguide/profile&id=1107055baltimore
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=157778
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1174344/posts?page=60#60To: Annie Gram
Speculation of course, but one has to wonder if the "intermediary" could possibly be someone on the Baltimore Sun's payroll - perhaps
Michael Olesker or David Nitkin?
########
I can't go back and check, but I remember that the Sun's website had the story within minutes of the WaPo posting. Drudge also had it very quickly. I believe that it was initiated by reporters, not some independent person who just happened to contact Matt Mosk.
252 posted on 11/06/2005 7:40:29 AM CST by maica (We are fighting the War for the Free World --Frank Gaffney)
And finally, readers can go read post #224 by Quilla, who compiled all of their replies in one spot to show how similar they were.
258 posted on 11/06/2005 9:15:56 AM CST by shutup_you_idiot
I'm not sure what to think about all this.
Hey, we're talking about you. Care to join us? LOL!
I meant to include your name in my reply but I think i forgot.
HHHmmmmm....the plot thickens....with the headline "NITA NEPRESS SAYS IT ALL!
Thank you for this composite of the resarch -- excellent work done. And no, the data doesn't sound far-fetched. Sounds reasonably likely. Of course without the definitive data (ISPs, etc.) I agree with you about the wiggle room as in "I don't know".
I know your post is a couple of days old but I wanted to repeat that someone said that there were 14,000 hits to that thread.
It's like they had paid full time people doing the drive bys.