Dave Weigel, Stan McChrystal shared a mistake, and a fate
Journalists should report the news, not become the news. But sometimes life doesn’t work that way.
Michael Hastings, for example, has become part of the story that he wrote for Rolling Stone that ended the career of Gen. Stanley McChrystal. The general’s staff feels betrayed by Hastings’ reporting; Hastings believes he has acted professionally.
I have no idea what ground rules were set between Hastings and McChrystal’s staff or in what setting the reported quotes were made. My own rule is that anything said with either party holding an alcoholic beverage is off the record unless it is stated otherwise. (Jamie McIntyre has a good discussion of the dance between source and reporter in such situations.)
To a large degree, a reporter’s decision is driven by what kind of game he or she is hunting. If you’re seeking things such as comprehension, context and explanation to share with your readers, you don’t do what Hastings did. You let the potentially sensationalistic things slide — within reason — for the chance to get at something more important.
Hastings took another, to my mind lesser approach. Whether he misled McChrystal’s staff into thinking he was taking the first approach, when in fact he was taking the second, is something only he and they know, and I doubt the truth is clear to either.
Dave Weigel, until yesterday a writer at the Washington Post who covered the conservative movement, has also become a news subject. Weigel made the mistake of posting emails to a semi-private journalist listserv that were harshly critical of figures in the conservative movement.
“This would be a vastly better world to live in if Matt Drudge decided to handle his emotional problems more responsibly, and set himself on fire,” one email read.
“It’s all very amusing to me,” another read. “Two hundred screaming Ron Paul fanatics couldn’t get their man into the Fox News New Hampshire GOP debate, but Fox News is pumping around the clock to get Paultard Tea Party people on TV.”
The emails were leaked to a conservative blog, and Weigel was forced to resign. That has angered more than a few Washington journalists, who believe Weigel was betrayed and should not have been forced out.
“On a few occasions, Dave, like plenty of others sharing thoughts on a private email list, shared some uncharitable words and opinions about others,” Steve Benen writes. “What’s wrong with that? Nothing; he was among friends.
“Or so we thought. Someone — it remains unclear who — decided to try to destroy Dave professionally by leaking emails from the list. Tragically, it worked.”
There’s a common thread through both stories. Hastings’ bottom-line argument in the McChrystal case is that nothing is really off the record, and as a practical matter that’s true. The general and his staff placed their fate in the hands of a reporter who saw their arrangement differently than they did, and they paid heavily for that mistake.
But that is also the rule that tripped up Weigel. Nothing is really off the record, including emails posted to a semi-private listserv. He never should have written what he did. He placed his fate in the hands of the 400 or so people with access to that listserv, some of whom he barely knew and maybe didn’t know at all, and one of them cost him his job.
Weigel made the same mistake that McChrystal made, and the Post had no choice but to let Weigel go, just as President Obama had no choice but to dismiss McChrystal.
The sword slices both ways.
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331 comments Add your comment
RW-(the original)
June 27th, 2010
10:25 pm
@@,
I was hanging out with a lesbian friend of mine one day when she said she needed to run into a “toy” store. She picked out a handsome piece of equipment that had me wondering that same…wait..if that’s what you want….if…what?….
Del
June 27th, 2010
10:26 pm
I was Recon…3rd. Bn. maybe after my time. Slop Shutes in Vietnam weren’t really in place during my time.
RW-(the original)
June 27th, 2010
10:26 pm
OMG, that’s a top-o-the-page post for the record books.
theyeshaveit
June 27th, 2010
10:41 pm
What did I miss in the thread? How did we get from Dave Weigel and Stanley McChrystal to lesbian toys? Is there a link?
TaxPayer
June 27th, 2010
10:49 pm
Del,
I see certain bloggers use the labels “conservative” and “liberal” quite often in one context or another and so I just asked for a definition for the “conservative” label one time to see what I got for an answer. Much like what you are apparently doing with the “liberal” label. So, I’ll give you my take on one possible definition. First, start with a simplistic definition for a conservative — a person that does not believe in change. Then, to most conservatives, a liberal might be the opposite of the definition of a conservative or someone that embraces change. Aside from that, anything goes since there are also people who call themselves “liberal conservatives” and “conservative liberals”, etc.
TaxPayer
June 27th, 2010
10:52 pm
Scout,
I’m not familiar with the “gby”. I do see that you chose not to take me up on my offer to discuss past posts though.
RW-(the original)
June 27th, 2010
10:54 pm
Is there a link?
It’s kind of a six degrees of separation thing, but that gives us enough leeway to get anyplace from anywhere.
Scout
June 27th, 2010
11:04 pm
A “conservative” is a person who “does” believe in change ………. toward a more conservative position …………….
@@
June 27th, 2010
11:08 pm
RW:
‘Ya know, I try to understand, but if they’re confused, it leaves me all the more confused.
For the most part, when I see gay men I think…not bad lookin’…nice lookin’ actually. Then I look at the 96 photos of “Dykes on Bikes” and I think they’ve gotta be hardship cases–women who no man would dare consider.
Catty, I know, but Geeeeeeeezzz…them are some ugly women.
Sorry!
@@
June 27th, 2010
11:12 pm
Oh, and why are the majority of them so FLUFFY?
RW-(the original)
June 27th, 2010
11:23 pm
Were there really 96 photos? Boggles the mind what the photos would have been had the numbers been reversed.
Scout
June 27th, 2010
11:58 pm
Did ya’ll hear about the Redneck couple who had nine kids?
They went to the doctor so Bubba could get a vasectomy. The doctor asked them why they had decided to stop having children.
They replied, “well, we heard one out of ten babies born in the U.S. is Mexican and we don’t speak Spanish.”
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
June 28th, 2010
4:56 am
World leaders pledge to cut deficits by 2013
Ahahahahahahahahaha, yeah, ok.
jt
June 28th, 2010
6:59 am
Good things happening in Idaho. At their recent GOP state convention ———Georgia should take note and lead the way in this brave new bankrupted world——————
“Among other resolutions, Idaho residents would send their federal tax payments to the state, which would pay for only mandates covered by the U.S. Constitution. Leftover cash would go back to citizens.
The Legislature should nullify President Obama’s health care reforms; Arizona’s immigration reforms were cheered; and any federal order declaring carbon dioxide a pollutant would be ignored by Idaho as “junk science.”
Doggone/GA
June 28th, 2010
7:09 am
Enter your comments here
Dave R.
June 28th, 2010
7:09 am
Robert Byrd dead – finally.
The only downside is the millions of government dollars now needed to add the word “Memorial” to the thousands of buildings and roadways named after him in WV over the years.
Bud Wiser
June 28th, 2010
7:10 am
I see that Robert Byrd-D, WVa is dead. Half of the roads in that pitiful piece of land he had named after himself; I wonder now if one of his goonies will propose to name the state after him, like, say, Byrdavania?
The KKK has lost a powerful ally in Congress with the passing of this former (in name only, not because of any talents or intelligence) Grand Wizard.
I wonder if he’ll be buried in his white robes and pointy hat?
Doggone/GA
June 28th, 2010
7:12 am
“Beauty is only skin deep…but ugly goes in clear to the bone”
Ugly has raised it’s head here.
Normal
June 28th, 2010
7:15 am
The new Catholic teacher…they don’t use rulers anymore…
http://punditkitchen.com/2010/06/27/political-pictures-dirty-sister-mary-elizabeth/
Bud Wiser
June 28th, 2010
7:16 am
The people in WVa are so ignorant that they may yet reelect Byrd to the Senate.
At least when they prop his carcass up in the chair we will now know that his sleep is much deeper than previously when he was there.
The KKK plans a big memorial burning somewhere in his honor, it is rumored.
Normal
June 28th, 2010
7:17 am
Happy Monday Morning y’all. It’s almost Independence Day. I love it…a day off for us independents. Too bad there isn’t a Democrat Day, or a Republican Day.
stands for decibels
June 28th, 2010
7:18 am
I wonder if he’ll be buried in his white robes and pointy hat?
Perhaps Bud could lend a set, if he can find any that aren’t semen-stained.
Normal
June 28th, 2010
7:19 am
Bud,
The KKK had better be careful with the matches. You aren’t supposed to wear loose clothing around a fire…
Normal
June 28th, 2010
7:21 am
Dave R.
June 28th, 2010
7:09 am
‘Morning Dave,
maybe they could put some of that gulf oil to good use and bury Byrd in blackface…he could be an oiled pelican…
Bud Wiser
June 28th, 2010
7:22 am
I guess I shouldn’t be so hard on the Democratic stalwart and hero to the party, former KKK chieftan Robert Byrd.
At least he, unlike another recently deceased Democrat hero, didn’t leave some poor girl in his car to experience the horror and terrifying death by drowning.
Ans std, I am sure that your are referring to your own soiled clothing, if you have anything besides animal skins, that is.
Dave R.
June 28th, 2010
7:26 am
Mornin’, Normal!
At least you’ve found a good use for all that oil.
Dave R.
June 28th, 2010
7:28 am
Jay’s probably preparing some teary-eyed memorial column for Byrd as we speak.
He’ll have to shelve the Palin column he was working on for another day . . .
Outhouse GoKart
June 28th, 2010
7:29 am
The Grand Cyclops, Robert Byrd, has kicked the bucket. No doubt this wonderful democratic congressman will be missed by the NAACP.
Outhouse GoKart
June 28th, 2010
7:29 am
Biden strikes again…LOL!
Biden Calls Custard Shop Manager a ‘Smartass’ After Taxes Comment
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/27/biden-calls-custard-shop-manager-smartass-taxes-comment/?test=latestnews
Dave R.
June 28th, 2010
7:32 am
Senator, OGK, Senator.
Byrd was one of the chosen people.
Outhouse GoKart
June 28th, 2010
7:36 am
Check out the BET photos…
Jada pinkette….ugh. Cavewoman.
Diddys girls…Look like men
Naturi…Yummy!!! HOT!
Brittany Daniel…HMMM!??!