Many journalists appear not to have the clear authority (or unequivocal backing of superiors) to write about or have published what is learned from following where the "facts" lead.

Editors and other newsmedia executives are constantly "pressuring" (more at "threatening") them to alter/bias the story in one way or another. This is not to excuse them. Ultimately they are singularly responsible for the truth value of anything that appears under their byline or they should issue disclaimers that the story was altered under pressure.

Not to ever suggest to GG what he should or shouldn't write about, but I know I would find it incredibly valuable to have names and a delineation of the media heirarchy (at least some prominant and powerful examples), who specifically has this power, and the mechanics of its exercise. Similarly if editors are being pressured by political operatives it would be nice to know that via some sort of disclaimer from them.

It's always necessary to monitor reporters when his/her facts are incorrect or unsupported or the reasoning weak, but it seems equally valuable to know when, how, and who may be altering their work or allowing shoddy work to be published so that they can be subject to the same level of approporiate opproprium.

I have raised this exact issue before. Glenn is doing (IMO) a masterful job of uncovering the corrupt, lazy, and sycophantic behavior of our MSM. No one is doing what he is doing, not even close.

The next step, I would argue, is what rrheard and I have stated before: let's get behind the front line reporters and figure out who is deciding to put anti-Iraq invasion stories on page A18, and why. Let's find out who their connections are. Let's put up a giant flow chart and publish it on all the media criticism blogs showing the incestual and corrosively corrupt relationships which exist and that form the majority of the messages we see foisted on us by the MSM.

There has to be SO MUCH clear and present conflicts of interest amongst MSM management and the gov't and politicians they cover to cause any reasonable person to start questioning or turning away from the crap we are fed everyday.

Expose the frauds. Expose the shills like like Kurtz, Gregory, Broder, and the like, but get to their bosses, and their bosses. Blow this thing wide open.

I bitch about him not being interviewed, and here comes Wolfy Wolfy with a "rare" interview of him tonight on CNN at 8 et.

I'll be hanging on the edge of my seat.....I expect it will be a fully adversarial, poignant exchange in which Blitzer pins Geithner down on all of his missteps so far. As a leading member of the 4th estate and a top "journalist" in his field, I will expect nothing less of him. I'm certain this will be very revealing and shed much new light to the public at large.

*snort*

Why has no one interviewed him? Why are none of our intrepid MSM asking him the tough questions? You know, like: "what did you know, and when did you know it?"

Of all the reporters in the MSM, of all the resources at their disposal, why has there not been a single interview done with this guy?

More broadly, why doesn't anyone from the Federal Reserve seem to get interviewed much, if at all, by the MSM? Aren't they playing a central role in all of this? Aren't they the ones pushing the levers here?

Oh yeah, now I remember.

Vapid

Insipid

Sycophantic

Corrupted

Duplicitous

Enabling

Access-Envy

Dereliction of duty

Etc

Helen Thomas just asked Robert Gibbs about why Freeman withdrew, and all Gibbs could do is hmm haw and completely evade an answer. It was so bad that Thomas could be heard in the background saying "I just want a straight answer."

Gibbs is a fop.

I don't think it can be said any better than Kitt put it:

I'll have to admit that I've taken some pride in the fact that I was not only fortunate enough to discover your writings early on, but that I had the good sense to realize and recognize, without having previously known who you were or what your history was, what a splendid and engaging writer and source of information and perspective that I had discovered. You've been a blessing during these tumultuous times, and you've helped me to make what sense their is to make of it all as it has unfolded. This is my shout out of thanks to both you and to Amy Goodman.

You should be extremely proud of this award, Glenn. You and Amy are nothing short of the very embodiment of what it means to be truly independent, thinking, and critical.

And happy freakin' birthday, too! ;-)

On a related-to-this-post note, you really should watch John Oliver's bit on the WH press corp that aired on The Daily Show last night. It is absolutely apropos and hilarious.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/

Link at sig, scroll to the "White House Press Corps" clip. Absolutely spot-on!

9/11 Commission: 1 year, 9 months. $15 million.

Whitewater investigation: 6 years, 8 months. $60 million.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11_Commission

http://www.9-11commission.gov/about/faq.htm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/whitewater/timeline.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitewater_controversy

Palette-O-Money sent to Iraq with zero oversight or accounting of any of it: approx. 1 year. $9 BILLION.

http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/13-tracking-billions-of-dollars-lost-in-iraq/

Now, what do you really think our priorities should be?

Link at sig.