Anyone remember the “Kerry’s Choice” headline splashed on the front page of the New York Post back in July, 2004? At the time, The Post ran with the scoop that John Kerry, who was about to announce his choice for vice presidential running mate, had given the nod to congressman Richard Gephardt. They were first on the story–only problem was, it wasn’t true.
Not only was it not true, (for those who can’t remember back that far, John Edwards pulled the short straw for the Dems), but the story generated some controversy, since it didn’t include either a byline or a source for attribution, and rumors swirled that the paper’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, forced the story down his editor’s throats.
That’s where we stood until today, when Michael Cooper reported on the New York Times’ “The Caucus” blog that Ian Spiegelman, a former gossip reporter at the Post, is claiming that “the paper was duped by Democrats,” and that the tip was actually given to Rupert’s son, Lachlan Murdoch, who was at the time the publisher of the paper. “Everyone at The Post,” Spiegelman said, “including Col Allan and his top deputies, knew the story had been planted with Lachlan by the Democratic National Committee to make him, and The Post, appear foolish on a national level.”
Mission accomplished!
Paul McLeary is a former CJR staff writer. Since 2008, he has covered the Pentagon for Foreign Policy, Defense News, Breaking Defense, and other outlets. He is currently a defense reporter for Politico.