July 27, 2010
Marcus Brauchli
Executive Editor
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street NW
Washington, DC 20071
Dear Mr. Brauchli:
The JournoList scandal is getting worse every day and the Washington Post is at the center of it. Blogger Ezra Klein ran the operation and at least three other staffers were members. (Blogger Greg Sargent claims he wasn’t a member after he joined the Post.) In addition, at least one member of Slate and two from Newsweek, also owned by Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, were members.
Ezra Klein, JournoList founder
The almost constant revelations of political activism and journalistic conspiracy raise an enormous number of questions about Post policies, professionalism and ethics. As a conservative, and therefore a member of the movement JournoListers sought to demonize, I feel Post readers are owed full disclosure.
Any understanding of the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics makes clear this list and the Post’s involvement violate a number of ethical guidelines. In fact, much of the code seems to have been ignored. Here are just a few examples from the code:
Journalists should:
- Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting,
- Recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection,
- Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived,
- Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests [emphasis added] and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.
There is only one way for the Post to move forward from this fiasco – through transparency. You need to be forthright about the Post’s failings and give readers enough information so that we know just how serious this really was and what can be done to restore your paper’s credibility.
Marcus Brauchli, Executive Editor, the Washington Post
As Post Ombudsman Andy Alexander said recently about your “Top Secret Government” series:
Over the years, The Post has revealed classified information when it feels disclosure is in the public interest.
It is time for the Post to live by the expectations it sets for others. Here is a list of 20 questions, we would like the Post, Klein or both to address:
- How many Washington Post staffers were part of JournoList and, if there are any currently unnamed, who are they?
- Will the Post be transparent and either release or order its staffers to release their contributions to the list?
- Will the Post release the names and affiliations of all those on the list or have its staffers do so?
- Did the Post know about JournoList when Klein was hired and that it was a “center to left” group? If yes, what does that say about the Post’s claims of neutrality?
- Did actions on JournoList violate the Post’s ethical guidelines?
- Has the Post revised or added any ethical guidelines as a result of this scandal?
- Will the Post permit staffers to belong to or operate such lists in the future?
- Does the Post often embrace “off the record” e-mail conversations with hundreds of people at a time?
- Was Klein’s supervisor(s) on the list and were they monitoring what went on?
- Has the Post examined the possibility that JournoList impacted Post news coverage?
- How much did the Post look into JournoList before hiring Klein?
- Were Klein and the other Post members of the list using it and posting to it on company time? If not, when were they doing so?
- Did Klein and the other Post members write to the list using company equipment and offices?
- Was Klein aware that some were using the list to boost the Obama campaign, such as adviser Jared Bernstein?
- Did Klein attempt to enforce a rule against campaigning and, if so, how?
- Did Klein post written guidelines for all members of the list? If so, what were those guidelines?
- Klein had said on The American Prospect on March 17, 2009: “There are no government or campaign employees on the list.” That has been proven false. How did he try to monitor this issue? Were there other members of the Obama campaign and administration on the list?
- Did Klein ban anyone from the list?
- Has Klein or any other Post staffer (other than Dave Weigel) offered to resign because of their contributions to the list?
- When Klein shut down the list, did he delete the list? If not, will the Post order him to release it so that readers may decide for themselves?
I eagerly await your response.
Sincerely,
L. Brent Bozell III
Founder and President
Media Research Center
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28 Comments
Of course we know Marcus will get right on this,silence on the issue until it goes away thats what they say,and besides,who cares about being exposed as a leftwing propaganda machine,who is it in power now? Mission accomplished. All thats left to be done is the utter destruction of the right,the military,any and all remaining capitalist ideas and those who hold on to them.IMHO
The post will answer these questions openly and in a forthright manner for the sake of its stockholders, readers, and the edification of the public as a whole.
Yeah right! We might as well expect the UN to declare itself ineffective and irrelevant.
These useful idiots will be the first to go when the final takeover is complete,history proves that.
Great letter Brent but I believe the Post will come clean right after NASA puts the next muslim astronaut on Mars.
I'd probably scrap Question 4 — the Post would just say Klein was hired as a liberal to cover liberals — but I'd replace it with "Given the resignation of Dave Weigel from the Post over comments made by him on Journolist, why was the Washington Post-owned Slate magazine allowed to hire Weigel this week, just a month after his termination from the paper over his lack of transparency on his associations and his true feelings about the people he was assigned to cover?"
Slate's hiring of Weigel seems to show the Post didn't really give a damn about the actual ethical questions, only that the revelations of the Journolist comments made the paper look bad short-term. Because you would think if a person isn't ethical enough for one division of the Washington Post Corp., that would make them a questionable hire for any of the other divisions, right?
Regarding all those 'journOlists' who helped elect Obama:
Even if we try to momentarily forget their (lack of) ethics . . . their collusion was treasonous!
BTW, the "O" in 'journOlist' stands for "O"bama. Like I said . . . treasonous! http://article.nationalreview.com/438552/an-open-...
Move along people, nothing here to see.
We need to pay attention to the idiot in chief's appearance on that cackle-fest, The View.
Now imagine if the right wing did something like this.
Don' cha know, Brent, "the hubbub is now virtually over" – that's according to infamous liberal Roger Simon of Politico, the home of JournoLista's Ben Smith & Laura Rozen. Is Roger Simon part of JournoList? He says only that he wasn't in March '09, when its existence first became public. And he never mentions CabaList, its successor.
Nothing to see here … move along, move along. Demonize Breitbart for posting a video of USDA Reparations Mama Shirley Sherrod, and pretend that JournoList was only an informal group of pals blowing off steam. Yeah, right.
These people have absolutely no morals – no "ethics". Something else – attorneys, doctors, other professionals have a certification process etc. – but any 22-yr old idiot can call him/herself a "journalist", and pretend to have the special privileges belonging to a free press. Well they're not free – they're slaves on the Democrat plantation.
Starve the Liberal Media Beast! Boycott the MSM & its advertisers as much as possible.
It's not ethics here. This is criminal activity and the fact that Mr. Bozell won't confront it tells you everything you need to know about his real tolerance for corruption. Character and courage aren't just words when it is easy to say them, Mr. Bozell. It takes character and courage to stand up even when it hurts. That's what separates us, sir. You have no problem with it as long as it doesn't slop on your toes. Thanks, but we have plenty of those people already in our midst.
These journolistas are now equal with the shady used car salesmen. Never again to be trusted, and probably have 8×10s of Dan Rather hanging in their closets.
Welcome to the Big sites Mr. Bozell. I look forward to more posts!
I have not trusted these vipers in 20+ years…..they are worse now then they were with Bill Clinton was in office….
criminal? yours is the first allegation i've heard of any of this being criminal. please expand/explain.
we've got an entire administration with absolutely no regard or respect whatsoever for the United States Constitution. what makes you think the media tools who continue to prop them up have any regard for a simple code of ethics?
Thanks Brent,
I hope you know that you're a hero to us out here and we appreciate what you do. We've been aware of you for a long time. The journolist just proves the MSM colludes and it's nonsense to think there is not a lot more.
Remember, there is a revolving door with the MSM and Chuck Todd's wife was a democratic op working for john Edwards. The entire MSM knew about the John Edwards affair, it was common knowledge, and entire MSM willfully killed the story to protect the democrats. That's a conspiracy.
Journolist is the farm club for the "children of the corn" to grow up to be progressive operative in the networks and cable.
the major channels
What we all have to understand is that these useful idiots are usually true believers. They hold the deep seated belief that what they are doing is not just the right thing to do, but the ONLY thing to do. The media are the easiest manipulated folk in human history. I think there is some kind of gullible gene you must have to even want to be a journalist.
However, to be more realistic about it, Woodward and Bernstein are to blame for all of this journalistic crap. After Watergate it was suddenly no longer about reporting the news as it was, and letting the people decide, it became about toppling something or someone. It became the favored political tool.
The failure of the JournOlist members to state that their reporting was really a campaign advertisement is a crime – each count being a separate charge. The failure of the Obama campaign to disclose their contributed time amounts to an undisclosed campaign contribution under the FEC laws (Section 378 I believe). The parties worked in concert (making it a conspiracy) to intentionally defraud the public and disenfranchise voters. This is both a conspiracy charge and a RICO charge. This was done over the Internet and that is a separate case of wire fraud.
Newsflash: the Post does not care. Where is our bailout? How soon, Mr Pres, how soon?
the journalist does not exist. never did. wasn't liberal anyway.
the journalist does not exist. never did. wasn't liberal anyway.
repeat to soothing music.
Breitbart responds with the Sherrod video – becoming the first conservative to use leftist tactics on the left.
Edward R. Morrow is rolling over in his grave. The forth branch of government is no more. ( sigh )
Has anyone ever compiled a reliable list of the 400+ jounolist members?
Don't forget that when you say the lines you must also rock back and forth while giving your self a big hug…
I LIKE what you just said!
It should be made known to everyone that any money spent on the purchase of the Washington Post or the New York Times is a contribution to Democrat Party.
I cannot concentrate on Journolist right now. My time is spent envying the lucky guy who gets to make sweet sweet love to Chelsea Clinton after the wedding. Watching her heave and moan under me has always been my sincerest fantasy….or was that Hillary? No! Wait, wait…..it was Amy Carter, yea, that's the ticket.
Be still my beating heart.
Jimmie Carter begat Amy
Bill Clinton begat Chelsea
Barry Soetero begat Velveeta and LaTrine
See the trend?
obviously, it won't go anywhere with this administration, but i like the way you think. kinda like i'd like to see unions prosecuted for collusion, price fixing, etc.
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