Media Tires of Crediting Blogs for Scoops

Updated: Turns out that Captain Ed's scoop was already reported by the MSM (or at least the Conservitive News Service Network, which may or may not count), and no attribution to Captain Ed was provided.

The media was willing to credit Free Republic, Powerline, LGF, and Allah for the early scoops regarding the technical crudity of the forgeries, but now they just seem embarassed, and are reporting "news" without attribution that was actually first disclosed on blogs.

Drudge's screaming headline about Burkett comparing Bush to Hitler was of course first reported by the blogger Fried Man back in February, and re-reported and more widely disseminated in my own piece on Burkett's credibility.

Captain Ed made the jaw-dropping discovery that Burkett claimed to have "reassembled" Bush's files; but this article re-reporting that doesn't mention Captain Ed at all.

With all due respect, MSM: It's a simple rule. If you are re-reporting news discovered by someone else, whether paid or amateur, you credit the original reportage.

Update: Johnny Walker Red tells me that Drudge had the OnLine Journal screed mentioning "reassembling files" the day before Captain Ed did.

Well, okay, but as Johnny concedes, Drudge seems to have missed the significance of the article; he didn't highlight the reassembling language.

And, even if Drudge had it before Captain Ed-- then Drudge should get credit. He's a blogger, of sorts, too.

posted by Ace at 02:59 PM

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