It’s like a doctor who smokes. You’d think the last person to be done in by his own words would be a journalist. Shouldn’t a purveyor of words know better?

Yet as today’s forced resignation by WaPo columnist David Weigel proves, “Physician, heal thyself” is one piece of advice that seems to be ignored by wordsmiths of just about all stripes these days. On the heels of Helen Thomas—or are they flats?—Weigel is just the latest to join the Oral Suicide Club.

What was Weigel’s offense?  Unfortunately for him, the man hired by WaPo to write about the conservative movement couldn’t resist showing his true anti-conservative colors on what he thought was a “private” journalist email list called Journolist — which was disbanded today by its creator, Ezra Klein. In a June 24 Betsy Rothstein story on Fishbowl DC, Weigel in his own emailed words reveals what Weigel unplugged sounds like:

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.

I’d politely encourage everyone to think twice about rewarding the Examiner with any traffic or links for a while. I know the temptation is high to follow up hot hot Byron York scoops, but please resist it.

Tucker Carlson’s The Daily Caller has unearthed other examples of Weigel’s bias, including a macabre death wish for Rush Limbaugh and other injudicious anti-conservative remarks. (more…)

The resignation under pressure of Washington Post blogger David Weigel raises so many important issues that it’s difficult to know where to start. So I’ll limit my comments to a few of the most important:

Coming on the heels of the firing of Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, Weigel’s exit reinforces the notion that anything journalists and public figures say, write or do can become part of the public record with a few keystrokes and the click of a mouse. McChrystal was a fool to think that a journalist — especially a freelancer — would not report disparaging remarks made about Obama administration officials and their policies, even if those remarks were made at a bar in the euphoric haze of Margaritas during happy hour.

So, too, was Weigel a fool to think his comments about the conservative movement in an off-the-record list serve would not become public, especially when those remarks were highly disparaging toward the people he covered. Weigel has since issued a half-apology, but the damage has been done.

The goal of any good journalist should be to get at the truth and be as fair as possible to all sides. Do journalists have opinions? Well, contrary to popular belief, reporters are human beings. And they have opinions — sometimes very strong ones — about the people they cover. Heck, just walk into any newsroom and listen to the jokes and wisecracks reporters tell at the expense of public officials. For that reason, lest they be overheard making fun of the mayor’s toupee or the local school board’s boneheaded policy, journalists are trained to be wary of newsroom visitors. (more…)