Thursday, September 16, 2004
Wise Words
"It's precisely the story that you want to be true that you have to be the most careful about," warns former New Republic editor Andrew Sullivan, a Bush opponent.
There are going to be a lot of accusations made during the remainder of this election campaign. Republicans, Democrats and Independents all should insist on high standards of proof, especially for accusations against candidates we already oppose.
I suspect Andrew is right about the roots of "Rathergate." Some folks "so desperately wanted the [forged Bush national guard] documents to be legit that they rushed this story onto the air without taking the proper precautions."
As proprietor of this blog, I insist on accuracy, but I do not claim perfection. If I make a mistake, let me know and a correction will be issued. That is how it is done by reputable newspapers, news organizations and most of the blogosphere. When mistakes happen, and they will, issue a correction and move on.
Had CBS simply said, "our mistake," that would have been it after a day or so. The coverup keeps the story alive. Story's like tonight's "the documents are fake but the charges are true" don't help matters.
I am reminded of the "West Wing" episode where C.J. reminds Josh after a presidential coverup is revealed, that the coverup was the real problem, not what might come afterward, just as your inability to swim should not be your first concern when jumping off a high cliff because "its the fall that's gonna kill you."
|posted by Jim on 1:40 AM|
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