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Memphis, Tenn.: The Washington Post reported that the White House tipped off Web writer Matt Drudge to discredit an ABC journalist as Canadian and gay. The reporter had quoted soldiers in Iraq who had bad things to say about the administration. What effect, if any, is this attack having on reporters? Is there any intimidation, or is the White House's enemies list-like maneuver only riling up journalists into even more of a combat mode?
Howard Kurtz: I don't think reporters feel particularly intimidated, but rather amazed that a White House official would react to a negative news report by going after the journalist in so personal a fashion. A White House official told me this is not the way they do business and that the leaker would be fired if they could figure out who it was. It's one thing to go after a reporter on the basis of the content of stories; that's fair game. But to try to trash someone because he is a) openly gay, and b) Canadian (gasp) is a pretty low blow.
Monday, July 21, 2003
Not Our Way!
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