Why Leopold's column is positive REGARDLESS of the outcome

[Vinnie From Indy]

Time will shortly reveal if Leopold was correct about Rove being indicted or if he was incorrect. I do not agree with others that claim the fallout from a verdict of "incorrect" will be apocalyptic for the liberal blogosphere. It seems to me that only Leopold, Truthout and a few others that definitively agreed with him, will be negatively impacted. If Leopold was indeed played as a sucker, the liberal blogosphere will have a spectacular example of why bloggers should have multiple, independent and credible sources if they want to escape the same fate that will certainly await a discredited Leopold. It will also, hopefully, crystallize for all liberal bloggers that they are having a significant impact on politics in America and that they are feared by powerful people.

The hyperbolic language being used by some to describe the impact of an incorrect story by a single blogger is actually quite amusing. Don't forget that the stock and trade of the vast right wing media for the last few decades has been lies, misdirection and misinformation and they have thrived. The liberal blogosphere will only suffer until the next story broken by a blog is true.

If Leopold is correct, he hit a grand slam and I am sure heartfelt apologies of many will sprout like mushrooms on DU.

Another thought I had about a Leopold set-up is why him? I can think of other liberal bloggers that have far greater readership and influence. Are there other bloggers that have been approached with the same information and refused to publish? I hope that they will come forward if they were offered the same info Leopold published.

[wtmusic]

1. I'm missing the "positive" part

How will this "crystallize for all liberal bloggers that they are having a significant impact on politics in America"?

This will have the same effect as any sucker story. Major embarrassment.

[Vinnie From Indy]

3. I doubt that if liberal bloggers were merely a curiosity

BushCo would have mounted a program to discredit Leopold. I believe that if Leopold's story is not correct and he follows through on his promise to burn his source(s), liberal bloggers will have a memorable example of why traditional sourcing of news stories is essential to avoiding embarrassment.

[applegrove]

17. Oh I think the story is in the narrative about how it would be the end

of Leopold and a Major embarrassment to the blog world. I think it will be a fascinating story either way. I think the MSM will cover either story. And either story leads back to the GOP don't it?

[Halliburton]

2. Leopold's story was treated with caution

most of the major blogs didn't even mention it. So whatever happens with Leopold's story won't have an impact on the liberal blogosphere.

[Vinnie From Indy]

4. I agree.

They should take the lessons learned by this and continue to hammer away. This incident should also put them on notice to do their jobs as journalists correctly and with caution. Professionalism is never a bad lesson to be reminded of time to time and nothing reminds people like humiliation.

[alcibiades_mystery]

5. I agree

The liberal blogosphere is safe, primarily because very few bloggers took the story as one of accepted fact. Leopold would be well and truly finished, and truthout.org damn close behind.

Of course, the 500 post DU celebration thread will be the laughingstock of the wingnut internets.

Now, I see this sideways suspicion about apologies should the story provie true. I for one will apologize. But I'd like to see the same on the other side, to wit: some open sanction of the journalists who spawned the lie should the story prove false, and I've seen no assurance of that coming from any of its supporters.

[Chomp]

6. Am I right in saying this:

Leopold's story only holds up if Rove was indicted over the weekend just past. In other words, even if Rove is indicted say on this coming Friday, then the story would still be wrong.

That's right, isn't it?

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. That is absolutely correct

And no amount of hedging on that point will save it. The story states that a sealed indictment has ALREADY been returned. If a sealed indictment HAS NOT already been returned, the story is false, and Leopold either a fool or a liar.

[Sammy Pepys]

9. yup. n/t

...

[Sparkle]

10. Once Rove is indicted, who cares when it was predicted?

It would be too many parties going on to care.

[alcibiades_mystery]

13. It's not a question of prediction

The Leopold piece was reported as news, not prediction. It states unequivocally that an indictment WAS ALREADY returned by the grand jury. If that didn't happen, then the story is false.

[Sammy Pepys]

8. Some things to add....

First off, great post. Now, in no particular order...

1) I think that whatever happens with this story there will be a silver lining, as you've said. It seems like in our push to get rid of Bush, we've kind of thrown caution to the wind and grasped on to anything that looks like a light at the end of the tunnel. I think we need to be more careful than that...and if Leopold is wrong hopefully this will drive home the point.

2) If Leopold is wrong and he has either fabricated the thing or been taken for a ride by someone, that can certainly damage some reputations other than him...it may even start a culling process. While this would probably be pretty ugly, it may be necessary. While Leopold certainly isn't a widely-known reporter, we don't want him to be come widely known because of his foibles.

[Vinnie From Indy]

11. Good post!

I agree. If untrue, Leopold will be the victim of professional Darwinism. There are valuable lessons and reminders for every liberal blogger in the aftermath of the Leopold affair.

I believe I read that Leopold said he will burn his source(s) if there is no indictment. If he does, that will also reveal much more about this story. It will reflect directly on Leopold's intelligence and it might also reveal a coordinated plot by BushCo to embarrass the liberal blogosphere. If it is a coordinated BushCo operation, liberal bloggers need to make that the story. A reconstruction of how this story came to Leopold could become a big story in itself.

[Sammy Pepys]

16. Thanks!

In a way, I'm almost afraid that it will come to Leopold having to burn his sources. If they're high up, it will put him in a dangerous situation. But, if it's someone like a janitor who works the nightshift (I'm exagerrating, but you probably know what point I'm trying to make), then it reflects badly on him.

The other problem will be that Leopold will have basically put two nails in his coffin: not only because he will have lost the confidence of a lot of people, but showing a willingness to burn sources will immediately make an other potential sources very wary to talk to him.

[Chomp]

12. Two quick points:

1. I am very, very dubious about the proposed plan to "out" the sources should the story go tits-up. It is the reporter's responsibility to either believe or not believe his soruces. So even if the reporter has been deliberately lied to, it is still their call to publish and be damned. Blaming/outing a souce after the fact just compounds the primary mistake (even if the source is a dirty lying troublemaker).

And suppose the reporter outs someone who simply made a mistake without malice? That would be nothing short of a disgrace.

I think journalistic ethics would probably uphold this view.


2. Are indictments routinely issued on Sundays?

[Vinnie From Indy]

15. I agree about sources

It could be someone else was lied to and used as a patsy to deliver the info to Leopold.

[MADem]

14. Everyone needs to take a look at this gem from LAST FRIDAY

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/12/matthews-on-rove-indictment-it-could-be-today/

and settle down a bit.

One guy wrote a story this week, but a TV talking head was foaming at the mouth about THIS VERY POSSIBILITY before that story was even written. And this is a guy, folks, who has had CONVERSATIONS with Karl. Remember? "Say Joe, did you know Karl Rove just told me that your wife was FAIR GAME."

Set-up? Well, looks like someone else was set up, too.

Or maybe someone in the prosecutor's office is dotting every i and crossing every t.

We'll know when we know. Until then, chilling is a great option!