Waas under attack... [View All]

[lala_rawraw]

As an investigative reporter and independent journalist, I have pursued a career course of independence so as to not be beholden to anyone. A grandiose notion, perhaps, and I will perhaps leave it to others to judge my work against the ideal. But the independence that emboldens my journalism has also proved to be its greatest vulnerability, as the following episode illustrates.

Email correspondence made public by Wonkette on Tuesday, as well as a draft of a story about me by the Washington City Paper, shows that one of my former research assistants, Bryan Keefer, provided the paper with confidential materials about stories that I was pursuing--but didn't write--during his time with me while I was a freelance reporter. The former assistant is also quoted in the story draft as claiming to know the identity of a confidential source.

The last claim is the most disturbing. I have never shared with an intern or assistant any information as to the identity of a confidential source. Most professional journalists share the identities of their confidential sources only with their editors. In my case, I would only do so with the permission of the sources themselves.

If a researcher for The New York Times or Time or Newsweek walked out the door with confidential files regarding yet unpublished stories, or attempted to disclose the identity of someone they thought was a source for one of the publication's reporters, they would almost certainly face the universal condemnation of the journalistic community.

##

This is far too long, but read the whole story here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/murray-waas/the-wag-time-pet-spa-cons_b_36927.html