The Press Attacks WSJ for Criticizing FusionGPS -- Without Confessing That One Of Their Sources Attacking the WSJ Is... A FusionGPS Employee

Lee Smith wrote about FusionGPS' role as one of the major news manufacturers planting stories in the media, which is now too resource-strapped and too lazy to produce news of its own. So more and more it relies on groups like FusionGPS, which are paid by interested parties to plant smears about opponents, for its "news."

Strangely enough, even though Lee Smith has a byline at the Weekly Standard, none of his coverage about Fusion was published there. It all wound up at The Tablet or The Federalist. Odd. I wonder why.

Anyway, the Wall Street Journal criticized Comey and Mueller, and Politico attacked the WSJ, citing one Neil King in its attack.

But Politico forgot to mention something about Neil King.

One of the dirty little secrets in Washington is that Fusion is a longtime source for journalists, planting political hits that Fusion is paid by third parties to dig up. Now the press corps is defending its meal ticket, often without reporting honestly about Fusion and how it works.

One example is the story by someone named Jason Schwartz in Politico on Monday that attacked us for our Mueller editorial. This media enforcer quoted Neil King, identifying him as a former WSJ editor who slammed our work and said "I don't know a single WSJ alum who’s not agog at where that edit page is heading." Perhaps Mr. King is agog because Axios reported in January that he had joined . . . Fusion GPS.

So Politico quotes an employee of Fusion to attack The Wall Street Journal for criticizing Fusion. Even better, Mr. Schwartz didn’t tell his readers that Mr. King has worked for Fusion. Mr. Schwartz also failed to point out that Mr. King’s wife, Shailagh Murray, also a former Journal reporter, worked in the Obama White House. Perhaps Mr. Schwartz understands that this kind of political incestuousness is so routine in Washington that even to mention it would get him drummed out of the club.

The press seems very reluctant to report that FusionGPS has been credibly charged with taking money from Russia to advance Russian interests -- namely, repeal of the Magnitsky Act, which makes it harder for Putin and his cronies to hide money overseas.

Are reporters defensive about FusionGPS only because FusionGPS is doing their jobs for them?

Or is there something more to it? Bill Browder, who's been battling FusionGPS and its client Russia over the Magnitsky Act for several years, thinks that FusionGPS sometimes offers reporters "incentives" for putting their Hot Garbage in their newspapers or in their nightly newscasts.

Obviously, I know nothing about that charge.

But it's interesting that the media refuses to even mention it -- even to refute it.

posted by Ace at 01:17 PM

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