WP: Husband Is Conspicuous in Leak Case

[hang a left]

Husband Is Conspicuous in Leak Case
Wilson's Credibility Debated as Charges In Probe Considered

By Dana Milbank and Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, October 25, 2005; Page A03

To his backers, Joseph C. Wilson IV is a brave whistle-blower wronged by the Bush administration. To his critics, he is a partisan who spouts unreliable information.

But nobody disputes this: Possessed of a flamboyant style and a love for the camera lens, Wilson helped propel the unmasking of his wife's identity as a CIA operative into a sprawling, two-year legal probe that climaxes this week with the possible indictment of key White House officials. He also turned an arcane matter involving the Intelligence Identities Protection Act into a proxy fight over the administration's credibility and its case for war in Iraq.


Joseph Wilson, husband of outed CIA officer Valerie Plame, has not been camera-shy since Plame's identity was leaked.


Understanding the Plame Affair


Also beyond dispute is the fact that the little-known diplomat took maximum advantage of his 15 minutes of fame. Wilson has been a fixture on the network and cable news circuit for two years -- from "Meet the Press" to "Imus in the Morning" to "The Daily Show." He traveled west and lunched with the likes of Norman Lear and Warren Beatty.

He published a book, "The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity." He persuaded his wife, Valerie Plame, to appear with him in a January 2004 Vanity Fair photo spread, in which the two appeared in his Jaguar convertible.


snip>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/24/AR2005102401690.html?sub=AR

[funflower]

1. Looks like a red herring to me.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

28. Of course it is! Wilson didn't leak the information,...

...but the WHIG did.

[OKthatsIT]

47. This is the same crap the WH tried pulling 2 yrs ago.

YAWN

[MADem]

72. Wow, blame the victim, that's the ticket! nt

[tuvor]

2. Lousy, flamboyant so-and-so!

:rofl:

[cantstandbush]

33. More Republican "penis envy." Flamboyant is a code word for able to

have great sex.

[eleny]

3. And one more thing

He will save lives if we can get this bloody war over with one day earlier. He's savvy and an American hero and let's not forget it.

[notadmblnd]

4. he's been doing quite well getting the word out

about what these monsters did. His wife lost her job through all of this. Someone needed to work. What was he supposed to do... go down and apply for welfare?

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. And exactly what were the two geniuses trying to say with this piece?

[fooj]

6. I don't even think that THEY KNOW... LOL!!!

Checkmate.

Peace.

[The Roux Comes First]

15. Contestant, please name your geniuses . . .

And then let's get them lined up for a few IQ tests.

[leftchick]

30. this is a typical milbank puff piece

I am actually shocked Pincus had anything to do with it. For shame walter!

[William Seger]

65. They're trying to say, "Wilson deserved it."

[SammyWinstonJack]

66. I'm sure they don't know. nt

[Bozita]

7. So,... David's whipping Goliath's ass, eh?

Wilson is a genius!

[shraby]

8. They are trying to make it look like a

he said/they said type of thing. Guess they didn't have any better ideas for a column today.

[shanti]

9. PATHETIC!

freakin pack of weasels!

[Frances]

10. This column is basically nit-picking

I wonder if anyone at any newspaper is trying to find out who forged the documents alleging that Saddam was trying to buy yellowcake from Niger?

Now that would be a worthy endeavor for a real job of investigative reporting.

[datadiva]

11. An arcane matter?

Let me see; Goin on the good shows, lunching with interesting people, published a book. What the hell's wrong with that? You go Joe! :toast:

[Fridays Child]

12. That Milbank, Pincus, and the Post would...

...launch this swift boat of an article shows that they have the credibilty problem, not Joe Wilson.

[pk_du]

13. TOTALLY BACK ASSWARDS

THEY turned a "fight over the administration's credibility and its case for war in Iraq" into a ( not-so-arcane ) matter involving the Intelligence Identities Protection Act ...perjury , obstruction of justice..etc. etc.

[zann725]

64. Agreed...totally!

[zulchzulu]

14. This pathetic grasping at straws faux-journalism brought to you by...

...the Bush Crime Family. We're everywhere that we shouldn't be.

...and Project For A New American Century. Wars without end of treasonous profits.

...and Raytheon. We're aiming at you.

[sandnsea]

16. could these two be more obvious

Shame on Joe Wilson for refusing to shut up, shame, shame, shame. And, he published a book you know. Isn't what they said to discredit Paul O'Neill and Richard Clarke?? Somebody needs to tell Pincus and Milbank that they need a new schtick.

[Carolab]

17. Dana Milbank is so shallow.

Even he can't find his soul. I hate seeing him on Countdown.

Smug little prick. Talk about a "love of the lens"!! Seems he's on there every show.

[pacalo]

20. Milbank always seems uneasy on camera to me.

I see a look of guilt in his eyes. After reading this garbage, I'd bet he has something to feel guilty about. Payment for this skewed editorialized article, perhaps?

I posted a week ago about my impression about Milbank on Keith's show. I thought he seemed ticked off that he had to sit there through Keith's questions about the Plame case; I got contradicted by another poster who defended him.

[Carolab]

21. I think he caught a brief reprieve from the sniping with the tics article.

Even I was surprised he deigned to diss * about his blinking, etc. and was willing to cut him some slack. (And he REALLY seemed uncomfortable talking to KO about that...shifting in his seat, etc...talk about giveaway body language.)

Now this. Well, that's it for me and Mr. Milbank--permanently.

[ErisFiveFingers]

18. Oh, *this* smear again?

"Scott Ritter is just doing this to get attention"
"Richard Clarke is just doing this to get attention"
"Michael Moore is just doing this to get attention"
"Susan Sarandon is just doing this to get attention"
"Sean Penn is just doing this to get attention"
"Cindy Sheehan is just doing this to get attention"

and now...
"Joe Wilson is just doing this to get attention"

Gee, I don't see anything common there, nope. Nothing in common.

Is their playbook really getting that empty? Lacking Rove, they have to simply re-use old tactics?

[Historic NY]

19. Little known diplomat.......

don't these people do any background research.......

He was the last Ambassador of Iraq.

http://www.cpsag.com/our_team/wilson.html

Ambassador Wilson served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council from June 1997 until July 1998. In that capacity he was responsible for the coordination of U.S. policy to the 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa, He was one of the principal architecs of President Clinton's historic trip to Africa in March 1998.

Ambassador Wilson was the Political Advisor to the Commander-in-Chief of United States Armed Forces, Europe, 1995-1997. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Gabonese Republic and to the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe from 1992 to 1995. From 1998 to 1991, Ambassador Wilson served in Baghdad, Iraq as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy. During ''Desert Shield'' he was the acting Ambassador and was responsible for the negotiations that resulted in the release of several hundred American hostages. He was the last official American to meet with Saddam Hussein before the launching of ''Desert Storm.''

Ambassador Wilson was a member of the U.S. Diplomatic Service from 1976 until 1998. His early assignments included Niamey, Niger, 1976-1978; Lome, Togo, 1978-79; the State Department Brueau of African Affairs, 1979-1981; and Pretoria, South Africa, 1981-1982.

In 1982, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Mission in Bujumbura, Burundi. In 1985-1986, he served in the offices of Senator Albert Gore and the House Majority Whip, Representative Thomas Foley, as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow. He was Deputy Chief of Mission in Brazzaville, Congo, 1986-88, prior to his assignment to Baghdad.

[lumpy]

24. That you for posting Wilson's resume,

which is so much more impressive than journalistic hacks or political armchair pundits.

[cyberpj]

40. More snips from BBC news:

snip...
As acting ambassador to Iraq in the run-up to the first Gulf War, he was the last US diplomat to meet with Saddam Hussein, in 1991.

snip...
Mr Wilson, who turns 56 on 6 November, was a career diplomat from 1976 until 1998, specialising in Africa.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3156166.stm

[WinkyDink]

62. I turn 56 on 5 November!

"Mr Wilson, who turns 56 on 6 November...."
I'm proud to share the birthday week-end with Joe!

[cyberpj]

67. Well then.. Happy Almost Birthday Shared w/Joe Wilson!!

AND...Glad you share his politics.

[Carolab]

71. AHA! Scorpio!

We HATE injustice and liars! And we really, really, really hate to be double-crossed and smeared. BIG Karma for payback.

[alittlelark]

22. "I love the smell of DESPERATION in the morning...."

[susu369]

32. I smell vulture shit

Not surprised this coming from Milbank but very disappointed to see Pincus involved.

[EST]

23. How can they seem to be able to think and grasp reality

one day and then totally forget what they learned the next. The reason the leak case was even started was because the CIA went to the DOJ asd presented them with a strong case that an agent had been outed-endangering security, at a minimum. Jeebus-don't these fu**ers have a functioning memory? Maybe they should leave themselves notes so they can reload when they wake up in the morning. Dumbasses!

[Demeter]

34. If They Could Put Two and Two Together

they'd be accountants, not "journalists".

[JDPriestly]

25. This is just more of the same White House SMEAR TECHNIQUE

that got the Bush cheats into this mess in the first place.

Anyone who disagrees with them about the slightest thing is (1) trying to get attention; (2) a liar; (3) incompetent; (4) taking advantage of the Bushies or the situation; (5) trying to get attention; (6) in it for the money; (7) a partisan Democrat; (8) out to hurt Bush; (9) cowardly; (10) soft on terrorism; (11) disgruntled because he/she has been rejected by the Bushies; (12) trying to sell a book/get a job. It worked the first couple of times, but now, it's so predictable that we laugh at it. So many people from Paul O'Neil to Scott Ritter to Richard Clarke to John Kerry have been characterized in exactly this way. We just dismiss it as the Bushie style -- just the way the Bushies cope with the unpleasant and inconvenient aspects of reality -- how they avoid dealing with the fact that they are in way above their heads.

The Bushies tear down anyone who is stronger or worthier or even just more competent than they are. It's much easier for them to do that than to admit the truth -- that they are the incompetent ones, that they are taking advantage.

[grasswire]

26. never forget: Milbank is Skull & Bones

For whatever that's worth. He and George W. Bush have each sworn loyalty to a secret society -- an oath that supercedes all other loyalties.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

27. The more often Wilson appears in public the less likely.......

...he has an "accident".

[thebigidea]

29. god, those fuckers are so obsessed with the freaking convertible photo

probably because deep down, Milbank knows that he'll never be asked to pose for the magazine.

[Kolesar]

31. Ladies and gents, Walter Pincus has been a strident critic of the war

His reporting at WaPo was about the only truth that was getting out anywhere in the media. He cowrote or was a technical consultant on that PBS/Frontline episode a few months ago detailing the lies leading up to the Iraq War.

[0007]

35. Dana Milbank and Walter Pincus paint an ugly picture of Joe Wilson

for exposing the truth.


Dana Milbank with his envy pouring look

Gliding through this article with nary a whisper or debate about the 2000 needless lives given for George W. Bush's lies.

[JerseygirlCT]

36. Hmmm... interesting

Could this story have come from the White House maybe?

Somehow the Wilsons are made to look like the perpetrators instead of the victims.

Yeah, sounds like the Bush M.O.

[leesa]

37. So...this in-depth reporting finds Wilson is a BAD man because he has

appeared on the teevee to state his case.

[zanne]

39. The spin machine is in high gear today.

On C-Span this morning, the host read from several editorials, blaming Clinton, Wilson and whoever else they could think of, of perpetrating a "sham" on the country. It's very predictable; Republicans have two modes of counter-attack:
1) It's somebody else's fault
2) Everybody's doing it
My 12 year-old nephew has better arguments to justify his actions. I even heard the host read something about how expensive this investigation was! How many millions did they spend investigating Clinton? I'll be very glad when these people are finally indicted and we can let the law decide the truth, not the spinmeisters.

[OzarkDem]

59. Shame on any so-called journalist

who repeats this crap. Hopefully there will be enough real journalists out there who will stand up for the truth. Hopefully.

[sofa king]

38. The flipside of the Post/Rove deal.

If you want to get the lawyer's poopy first, you still gotta set up the smear, too. Won't be long now before the slime machine is in top gear.

[cyberpj]

41. by the way... Milbank = Skull and Bones (Soylent communications?!)

Dana Milbank
Born: c. 1968

Gender: Male
Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Journalist

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Washington Post White House reporter

The most hated man in the White House press corps.

In July 2001, Milbank filed a pool report which managed to incense the White House. The summary of the President's morning, never meant to be read by the general public, was then leaked to National Review who promptly published the thing in an effort to shame the reporter. Instead, Milbank responded by producing a series of even more grandiloquent memos.

A member of Yale's secret society Skull and Bones, in March 2004 Milbank allegedly confided to Washington gossip columnist Lloyd Grove: "I have been assigned to monitor all secret hand signals during the debates. <...> I have it on good information that if this one gets tied up in a recount, Potter Stewart will return from the grave to write the majority opinion."

Wife: (unknown)

University: BA, Yale University (1990)

The Washington Post
The New Republic 1998-
The Wall Street Journal 1990-98
Skull and Bones Society


Do you know something we don't?
Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile


Copyright ©2005 Soylent Communications

http://www.nndb.com/people/871/000044739/

[OzarkDem]

42. Outing CIA agents and destroying a crucial US WMD spy network is "arcane"?

I guess Milbank and Pincus think its all about playing political gamesmanship instead of protecting the US. What a$$e$.

[Solly Mack]

43. Let me get this straight: By drawing attention to the crimes of others

Wilson somehow shares in the responsibility of those crimes?

Right. Gee, I guess that means witnesses in a criminal matter are guilty if they report the crime. Whistleblowers are guilty of that which they inform about....

[robbedvoter]

44. Millbank thinks W is better than him - how sick is this?

he once said that Gore makes you feel like he's better than you - and he is not, while dear W doesn't - although he is.
So, think of a far less cute Barney coming up from under the table to bark at the enemy...
And for the record: what Joseph Wilson did - stay in the spotlight - was a survival strategy - not a quest for attention. I remember the guy who brought out the Pentagon Papers -Daniel Elsberg giving hin this precise advice on Air America once (Laura Flanders Show)

[niallmac]

45. Charles Lindbergh conspicuous in trans atlantic flight affair. n/t

...this little known wanna be plane jockey somehow....
(pathetic)

[robbedvoter]

46. Time for the rapid response here - Millbank's e-mail?

it's what we knew would come - please post all info for us to give them a piece of our mind.

[No Exit]

48. "WILSON IS A TRUE AMERICAN HERO"-----GEORGE H.W. BUSH

[ImADeanDem]

51. Do you have a link/source for this quote?

Is it a true quote -- and is it related to this issue? If so, it would make a great addition to a LTE on this article!

[No Exit]

54. Will go get one. It's for real. Poppy said that after Gulf War I,

because Joe Wilson did an excellent job of keeping 800 Americans safe in the American embassy, when it was possible the Iraqis might've harmed them.

[No Exit]

56. Here! If link doesn't work try

going to Yahoo. com and search: Wilson "American hero" George Bush


www.archive.salon.com/news/feature/2003/10/10/wilson/index_np.html

Salon.com

"A true American hero"
"Joseph Wilson stood up to Saddam -- then to the Bush administration. The man who exposed the president's bogus uranium claim talks about why he spoke out and the White House's ugly "revenge" against him and his wife.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
By David Talbot



Oct. 10, 2003 | In 1991, President George Bush introduced Joseph Wilson to his war Cabinet, calling the veteran diplomat "a true American hero." By any standard, Wilson deserved such praise. As the senior U.S. diplomat in Iraq during Operation Desert Shield, the massive U.S. military buildup in Saudi Arabia after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, Wilson was responsible for freeing 150 American hostages seized by the Iraqi dictator. Indeed, he was the last U.S. diplomat to meet with Saddam Hussein, in August 1990, following Saddam's notorious July 25 meeting with U.S. ambassador April Glaspie, who failed to warn Saddam not to invade Kuwait. Wilson advocated a muscular response to Saddam's aggression, and though he sought a diplomatic solution, supported Operation Desert Storm. During his highly decorated 23-year career, Wilson also held the position of political advisor to the commander in chief of the U.S. Armed Forces in Europe and was ambassador to Gabon.

In July this year, Wilson staked out another claim to heroism when he revealed in a New York Times piece that Bush administration claims that Saddam was seeking to acquire uranium from the African nation of Niger were known by the Bush administration to be false. In February 2002 Wilson himself had been assigned by the CIA -- acting, ironically, at the request of Vice President Dick Cheney -- to investigate the uranium allegations in an attempt to strengthen the administration's arguments for war. He reported back to his superiors that there was no basis for the claims. But in January 2003, to Wilson's amazement, President Bush made the same discredited claim in hyping the terrifying nuclear threat posed by Saddam. In the New York Times article, Wilson wrote that that "I have little choice but to conclude that some of the intelligence related to Iraq's nuclear weapons program was twisted to exaggerate the Iraqi threat."

Along with a host of other revelations about cherry-picked intelligence, bogus claims about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction and arm-twisting from administration officials to find usable evidence, Wilson's bombshell made it clear that the Bush administration had decided to go to war first and come up with the justification for it second. As 9/11 hysteria faded, WMD failed to turn up and the invasion's aftermath turned brutally ugly, the fact that false evidence was used to sell the war became a major political problem for Bush. Questions about his leadership of the "war on terror" -- the heart of his appeal -- became louder. The GOP had to stop the bleeding. A decision was reached that the best way to do that was to take Wilson down.

Joseph Wilson spoke to Salon by phone from his office in Washington."

(snip)

[yellowcanine]

60. Has to do with Wilson's efforts to diffuse the "human shield" situation

with Saddam before the first Gulf war.

[lateo]

49. Milbank carrying water for Bush

Shame.

[DeepModem Mom]

50. SHAME on the WP for this ridiculous hit piece!

And why did Walter Pincus allow his name on it???

[robbedvoter]

52. Can someone repost Joe's message to DU? (Will Pitt's post)

I cannot find it and I'd like to remind people our promises of rapid response

[Lucille]

53. Milbank is tag-teaming with Kurtz

Yesterday in his chat, Kurtz responded to a question--one that could have been written a du-er:

Washington, D.C.: Howard:

With respect to the Plame matter, recent Republican talking points include the canard that Joe Wilson lied in his op-ed and elsewhere when he claimed that the Vice President sent him to Niger. Wilson claimed nothing of the sort, as the excerpt from the July 2003 op-ed shows:

(snip, because we've all read it)

What to do, then, when reporters repeat the talking points? Andrea Mitchell did, as did Post political editor John Harris in a chat here last week. Isn't the assertion that Wilson claimed the V-P sent him just the sort of question that is eminently confirmable by checking the record?

I'm tired of reporters unflinchingly repeating these sorts of distortions. What can be done?

Howard Kurtz: If anyone is saying Wilson claimed Cheney sent him to Niger, well, I've never seen such a claim. But investigators have raised credibility issues about other aspects of Wilson's account.

(Kurtz then goes on to answer other questions, without elaborating about Wilson's putative "credibility issues.")

http://tinyurl.com/b4jt2

[are_we_united_yet]

55. Why post this crap?

[yellowcanine]

57. KInd of a snarky headline - and his contributions in diffusing the Iraq

"human shield" situation before the first gulf war is mentioned only briefly. He received high accolades from Poppy Bush for that - it would seem that could have been his claim to "15 minutes of fame" had the press seen fit to give him his due when all of this crap first hit the fan. I agree that Wilson is a showboat - anyone who reads his book can see that - but he did deserve credit for his diplomatic skills in dealing with Saddam in that situation and it is ironic to say the least that Bush junior is now trashing his reputation for essentially telling the truth about the Niger fiasco.

[spanone]

58. Even if he WAS a Partisan...HE WAS RIGHT.

[wordpix]

61. when trying to stop the repugs from taking US to war on false pretenses

of course Wilson would take his case to the media and anyone else who would listen.

More Wilson smear by the repugs for their illegal, traitorous acts.

[Peace Patriot]

63. Shame, shame, shame, shame, SHAME on the Washington Post, for...

...taking dictation from Karen Hughes! The Washington Post has about as much credibility as Newsweek, which takes dictation from Dick Cheney. Total slimebags, both outfits. War profiteering corporate news monopolies. No journalist with even a shred of integrity would continue to work for them.

What the Bush Cartel has done to the NYT, they are doing to THEMSELVES. They don't even NEED to be corrupted with double agents, black ops and "stovepiped" news. They ARE the enemy--the destroyers of democracy, the killers of Iraqi children, the torturers of prisoners, the thieves of the poor, the killers of hope, the pampered lapdogs of this fascist junta, who snap and snarl and bare their vicious little teeth whenever an honest man approaches.

It is utterly sickening--and mind-boggling--what American journalism has become, and there appears to be no possibility of self-correction, no way for it to change course and restore its integrity. The corporate rulers have it locked up, much like they've locked up our election system with Diebold's and ES&S's SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code, and with these phony 'news' organizations cooking up phony exit polls that they have DOCTORED to conform to the results of Bushite corporations' secret vote tabulation formulae.

A closed system. A perfect loop of unaccountable corruption and crime.

Strategy: We need to STOP expecting anything else from them than crap like this, and develop a strategy of ridicule and exposure. For instance, we should NOT accept their headlines in the posting of their articles--we should precede their headlines with appropriate comment. Example: "WP: Husband Conspicuous in Leak Case" should be, "WP hit piece on Wilson: 'Husband Conspicuous in Leak Case'".

At the least, ALWAYS, ALWAYS put their headlines in single quotes, or focus on their hit words and their lies with single quotes. For instance: "WP: Husband 'Conspicuous' in Leak Case," or "WP: 'Husband' Conspicuous in Leak Case."

They are destroying a great civilization--our own. We MUST fight back. One way to do that is to UNPLUG the American public from these corrupt sources of information, by continually and in every way exposing them for the lying bastards that they are. Jon Stewart does it very well. His raised eyebrow is equivalent to single quotes around the word 'Husband' or 'Conspicuous' in this article headline.

We are treating these destructive 'news' organizations with too much respect. They deserve nothing but RIDICULE.

[The Judged]

68. MSM will dance Fitzgerald's dance.

This is a Republican public relations strategy that is tried, tested, and proven.

It will only work if Fitzgerald chooses not to indict.

If Fitzgerald truly has 8 prepared indictments with 10 additional indictments ready to roll, then the San Andreas fault line will pale in comparison to the fault line in the Republican Party after the indictments are pursued.

It is amusing to see a defense of name calling and finger pointing.

*******************************************************************

On a side note, I do believe that Miller should be indicted.

Yes, she is no longer in contempt, but she has clearly demonstrated a willingness to obstruct justice, IMO.

Such an undertaking by Fitzgerald would shine a bright light upon journalists.

Miller can be made to be the example of what a journalist MAY not do and what type of journalism is not federally protected.

Fear is the greatest motivator, isn't it?

Fitzgerald can cast an overdue and appropriate shadow of fear upon the journalism industry, in regard to the intermingling of journalism, tabloid journalism, and propaganda.

This is the type of story the American People need to absorb, if they are to assume their role as guardians of their own democracy.

An indictment of Miller on obstruction of justice would certainly open the door for further review by Fitzgerald, and lead to a case study on the difference between a mainstream news reporter being a true reporter, a tabloid reporter, or a propagandist.

The time has come for journalists to to be licensed and risk loss of license just as professionals in other fields do when they compromise their craft and/or the recipients of their professional services.

Such a system could clearly help the public differentiate between true news, which should not be bought and paid for, "tabloid news," which is not bound to evidentiary standards and which may be bought and paid for, and propaganda, which warrants being made a punishable crime when it is delivered by a licensed journalist to the American public.

[EST]

69. Fascinating idea!

Makes sense, in a way-after all, a crooked journalist can, likely, do more damage quicker, to more victims, than can, say, a thoracic surgeon.
Okay, I can see a lot of upside to requiring "journalists" to be licensed, just as a doctor or plumber, a bug detective or night watchman, but, since you appear to have given this more thought than I, how could a negative outcome be assumed, other than to, perhaps, bruising of the ego of an arrogant mendicant?

[The Judged]

70. Answer: Control over the licensing process, could corrupt the media.

In a single swoop, the media's best could find themselves without licenses.

However, these reporters would stand a better chance to defeat the culprits in this system than when the culprits are able to buy the media itself and stifle dissent, wouldn't they?

Did I answer our question, or have I misunderstood it?