Well—maybe not so hard to understand, considering that, as Sam Stein reports, Dunn is leading a White House effort that is “offering pushback [against criticism] for everyone on the president’s short list,” Kagan especially. Given the modern media environment, and the likelihood that there will be attempts from some of Obama’s political opponents to discredit whomever he selects, it’s not at all surprising that the White House is taking these steps. But the overreaction to what was really an unfortunate bit of sloppiness points to the peril of these operations. When all you’ve got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail; and when you’re running a rapid-response shop, every error looks like a conspiracy.
Campaign Desk
10:10 AM - April 19, 2010
An Error, an Oversight, and an Overreaction
A closer look at the Domenech/CBS/White House imbroglio
‘See you on the other side’ - Meet Jessica Lum, a terminally ill 25-year-old who chose to spend what little time she had practicing journalism
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An ink-stained stretch - Can Aaron Kushner save the Orange County Register—and the newspaper industry?
This is the best moment to be in journalism (25)
The WSJ editorial page hits rock bottom (19)
Ben Mathis-Lilley’s defense of new media
Take off the nostalgia-tinted lenses
21 questions with David Remnick
What grammar mistake do you find most annoying?
Are you sure that question is grammatical?
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What is the single most illuminating interview question to ask someone?
The NYT’s Jodi Kantor answers
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
Uptown Messenger – Hyperlocal news for a neighborhood in New Orleans
Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.
As a proven plagiarist, Domenech has no business writing for any organization with an ounce of integrity. Period. Ask yourselves an honest question: is this guy telling me the truth, or is he telling me something that adheres to his political point of view?
#1 Posted by badgervan, CJR on Mon 19 Apr 2010 at 02:56 PM
Is there anything left to say about this incident? Yes, I think there is.
First, what the hell is CBS doing, employing a known plagiarist and publishing his work without a disclaimer? CBS should be taking a BIG BIG hit in news credibility here. Domenech's plagiarism is exquisitely well-documented and has been denounced by the likes of Michelle Malkin, for krissakes.
Secondly, no, being gay isn't a bad thing at all. However, Domenech and the GOP and the political right believe it is all kinds of a bad thing. You know, a biblical bad bad thing. A bad thing like marrying box turtles (look that one up, Greg) or on the level of bestiality or even worse. So I don't buy this line at all. It was a smear orchestrated by the right, just as they orchestrated the smears on Sotomayor. You are hopelessly naive or worse, Greg, if you think this is an "error."
Third, I don't think much of your blithe characterization of this as an error. Where the hell have you BEEN the past ten years. This is a classic GOP smear. This kind of thing is what they do, how they operate. It's beyond "conspiracy," it's the way the GOP does business. I'd think a media critic like you, Greg, would be aware of that. Why do you gloss over that fact?
#2 Posted by James, CJR on Tue 20 Apr 2010 at 09:06 AM
Oh, and fourth point, it wasn't an "overreaction" at all. If you look at the way that Breitbart operates, that kind of brutal pushback is very, very effective. It works. Not only does it force the opponent to back down in the short term, it has a very definite chilling effect on future reporting as well.
Take yourself for example, Greg. Breitbart browbeat you, and many other journos as well, into conceding, wrongly, that there was "something to" the O'Keefe phony sting. So when time came when O'Keefe tampered with Landrieu's phones, the reporting was handled very gingerly, with virtually no followup.
See what I mean? It works, and it works well, so why shouldn't the other side use the same tactics. To do otherwise is foolish. I think Dunn knows that.
#3 Posted by James, CJR on Tue 20 Apr 2010 at 09:28 AM
Am I to understand that CBS obeyed White House orders and deleted a post that (1) may be true, but (2) might color the upcoming fight over the Supreme Court in a way not pleasing to the White House's political operation.
Someone please send me the link to a major news organization acting similarly in the case of a Bush administration request, and, if there is one, the invocation of 'chilling effects' on freedom of the press.
#4 Posted by Mark Richard, CJR on Tue 20 Apr 2010 at 12:22 PM
Because of a Bush administration request, the New York Times sat on the NSA illegal wiretap story until after the 2004 election:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3468
And CBS delayed the Abu Grahib story:
http://www.counterpunch.org/peterson05042004.html
In both cases they waited until someone else was about to print the story so they could snatch the scoop.
Look, under the Bush Administration, people like Helen Thomas were snubbed and marginalized and people like Jeff Gannon were granted preferential access.
Under the Bush Administration, people were punished for doing their jobs and rewarded for being whores.
#5 Posted by Thimbles, CJR on Wed 21 Apr 2010 at 01:28 PM
"Known plagiarist" is a poor defense of the nominee. Seriously.
As reported perhaps most prominently by James Taranto in his Wall Street Journal on-line column of May 11th, Kagan went easy on two plagiarists on her faculty (Larry Tribe being one), perhaps because they were famous. Not the worst of sins, but responding to this Domnech issue by pulling out that line of reasoning calls to mind Gary Hart (nee Heartpence's) infamous taunt to the press "follow me". A defender of Kagan should not smear her alleged opponents with something she herself is weak on.
The aggressive defense makes her candidacy actually appear weaker than it is. How odd.
#6 Posted by Honza Prchal, CJR on Wed 12 May 2010 at 03:53 PM