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Washington Post: Anybody Home?
On August 20 I asked some serious questions of the Washington Post about what appeared to be a propaganda piece on the reconstruction of Haiti pimped to one of their “journalists” by the State Department. I sent the same questions to the Post’s Ombudsman via email and a phone message. I explained that I would publish his reply on this blog. I resent the email for good measure a day later.
There has been no reply.
There was however this comment posted to the original piece by “Lafcadio.” I don’t know Lafcadio or know who he is, but he has commented here about the State Department knowledgeably in the past. Here’s what he said:
Don’t blame the writer for this drivel. The editors at the Post are the ones responsible. They hold all the power, and big Public Affairs (PA) at State has been cutting deals with them.
After Mary Ryan got fired due to “unauthorized” leaks back in 2002, State started working the hometown paper. (They never had to work the NY Times, Times has almost always been in the bag for the Foreign Service). A lot of FS heavies (Black Dragons in Diplomatic Security [DS] speak) put pressure on the Post editors (and owners) to not run so many negative stories. As an incentive, big PA gives “exclusives” to the Post, in return for not running or downplaying the unauthorized leaks, and running a few puff pieces, like this one.
How would I know ths? Some of the young flacks in big PA have big mouths. They even boast about this in Foreign Service Institute (FSI; the State Department training facility) presentations.
Some of the writers at the Post chafe at the bit to run more of the unauthorized leaks. But their editors made a deal with the devil, or in this case, the Black Dragons.
This raises the question of whether the Washington Post has devolved from writing about all the president’s men to being them. Ombudsman, still waiting on you…
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Rich Bauer said...
1“After Mary Ryan got fired due to “unauthorized” leaks back in 2002…”
I think bloody Mary got fired something more serious –
http://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=23536
08/28/12 4:18 PM | Comment Link
jo6pac said...
2I think the wp could really make some big money if just layed off all reporters and just let state, dod, and all other trust worthy govt. dept. write the story the want to see in print. Cut out the middle person. Control the noise and the courts and we have a winner and loser, sorry Main Street but you’re no longer needed.
Thanks RB I remember that and if I didn’t have a new tin foil hat on well I would think there might be more to 9/11 than we been told to believe;)
08/28/12 7:08 PM | Comment Link
Lafcadio said...
3To Rich Baurer: to clarify, The existence of Visa Express was “leaked” to the press, which is the unauthorized leak I spoke of. As I recqall, Ms. Ryan testified in October 2002 that 9/11 was a massive intelligence failure, without mentioning the Visa Express in Saudi Arabia and her personal involvement in it.
http://old.nationalreview.com/mowbray/mowbray100902.asp
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0802/murdock072302.asp
The State Department “honors” Mary Ryan with an award to the FSO who provides outstanfing service to U.S. citizens.
You can’t make this shit up.
08/29/12 12:37 AM | Comment Link
wemeantwell said...
4As a visa officer (in Korea) while the Saudi Visa Express was running full steam ahead, I can say that what was going on in Saudi was going on everywhere in the world. To a certain extent, it still does. At that time, under Mary Ryan, visa sections were being pressed to streamline operations, yes, but we were also being beaten bureaucratically to ISSUE ISSUE ISSUE visas. The prevailing wisdom was that travelers, including “rich” Arabs, brought needed cash to America with little downside. After a brief period following 9/11 when issuances dropped off, State and Consular Affairs are back in economic mode. The mantra is again now ISSUE ISSUE ISSUE visas, with supposedly safeguards in place. Google “visas and China,” or Brazil, or India and you’ll see what I mean. Where this all ends up is sort of obvious.
I am not defending Mary Ryan and her decisions, but I am saying she was doing exactly what her bosses wanted. It was a crime that she alone went down, indeed that she alone was the only US Government official to lose a job over “mistakes” leading to 9/11.
08/29/12 1:14 AM | Comment Link
Rich Bauer said...
5Mary did exactly what she wanted to do. Her “Disney-ification” of the visa issuance process was the dumbest idea State had …until this –
http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/mobilizing_american_ingenuity_strengthen_national_security
08/29/12 12:40 PM | Comment Link
Rich Bauer said...
6“This raises the question of whether the Washington Post has devolved from writing about all the president’s men to being them.”
Well, the Times they are still the Times,
http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/08/nyt-reporter-gave-advance-copy-of-maureen-dowd-column-133479.html
08/29/12 12:49 PM | Comment Link
» Washington Post: Anybody Home? | We Meant Well – Peter Van Buren said...
7[…] Washington Post: Anybody Home? | We Meant Well – Peter Van Buren Go to this article […]
08/29/12 1:28 PM | Comment Link
Lafcadio said...
8PVB:
I found this on the Washington Post Ombudsman. Pretty much confirms what I told you in my post.
Can’t wait to see what, if, response you get back.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/patrick-pexton-leaks-bill-bad-for-journalism-bad-for-the-public/2012/08/03/e83b8baa-dd8a-11e1-9ff9-1dcd8858ad02_story.html
08/29/12 11:48 PM | Comment Link
Lafcadio said...
9Put an “any” after if.
08/29/12 11:48 PM | Comment Link
Rich Bauer said...
10While the Washington Post is the propaganda arm of State, it’s still Miller Time at The New York Times – “All the news the CIA decides is fit to print.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/29/correspondence-collusion-new-york-times-cia
08/30/12 8:58 PM | Comment Link