who better than Amy Goodman? She's done more than most journalists, men or women.

Ha, Ha

liked the way Barry used 'balanced' in his comments on the NBC memo he reviewed.

That was quite funny. Whatever else one might want to say about that statement -- persuasive, moving, scathing, riveting -- the one thing it absolutely was not was "balanced." It was the opposite of that.

When someone is in "please-don't-turn-on-me" mode -- as McCaffrey obviously is -- I guess there are no compliments too transparently unwarranted to gush up.

This doesn't really seem like such a big deal. However, as they now do on the business channels experts conflicts should be disclosed in some manner. Then the audience can decide for themselves the weight to give the experts.

Enjoyed the snark but you know that's exactly the way NBC is going to feel about this post. Substantive points are no-never-mind. The real attention grabber will be how did Greenwald get the emails?

In his defense, McCaffrey's firm BR McCaffrey Associates, LLC claims that "General McCaffrey is not a lobbyist."

Source: http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-30-2008/0004933623&EDATE=

How do McCaffrey's actions in sending a briefing paper singing the virtues of his client, Defense Solutions, to General Petraeus not constitute lobbying? And, btw, how does he escape the legal definition of a lobbyist and the registration requirement?

From Barstow's piece:

[Defense Solutions] signed Barry R. McCaffrey, a retired four-star Army general and military analyst for NBC News, to a consulting contract starting June 15, 2007.

Four days later the general swung into action. He sent a personal note and 15-page briefing packet to David H. Petraeus, the commanding general in Iraq, strongly recommending Defense Solutions and its offer to supply Iraq with 5,000 armored vehicles from Eastern Europe. “No other proposal is quicker, less costly, or more certain to succeed,” he said.

Thus, within days of hiring General McCaffrey, the Defense Solutions sales pitch was in the hands of the American commander with the greatest influence over Iraq’s expanding military.

“That’s what I pay him for,” Timothy D. Ringgold, chief executive of Defense Solutions, said in an interview.

Of course "trust (in government officials)" is a "basic tenant of journalism" -- and the networks are the landlords! We already know that gov't mouthpieces have been *renting space* on broadcast media for quite some time! ; )

Exactly. It's easy transparency that would even be self-policed by the blogs and opposition research groups. However... the fatal flaw in this idea, is that the left would have as many or more conflicts of interest, demonstrating it's propensity for insisting others do as they say, not as they do.

That disqualifies an excellent idea, just as it disqualifies listing all campaign donors as a self-regulating campaign finance reform. Democrat hypocrisy is a constant barrier to better government and journalism.

Tim3, I'm with you. I love to mock Tom "Greatest d'Generation" Brokaw and nffcnnr's link is good ammo, but the Brian Williams Vinny quote never fails to make me laugh out loud. It just kicks my ass that man-diva Williams unwittingly reveals so much of himself. And what a freakin hypocrite.

"You're going to be up against people who have an opinion, a modem, and a bathrobe. All of my life, developing credentials to cover my field of work..."-- Brian Williams

Sure Williams is peeved. Guys like Vinny without discernable credentials who haven't had to work their way up from the minors while paying their dues suddenly just insinuate themselves into the profession out of nowhere. It's like who died and made you... Well that's enough of that topic, now it's over to you Luke Russert.

Um, no. The journalist and the media outlet rely on the trust of the public to ensure their livelihoods, and that's why they should never, never, never, trust ANY SOURCE! - omooex

BINGO!

Where are the skeptics and cynics in the news media? Seriously, let me know so I can watch/read them!

When an anchor offers an "expert" time to espouse their "expert" opinions on their show, then follows up with a mutual cocktail hour and exchange of stock tips, they're an anchor of a PR campaign, not a news/journalistic program. Of course there's no reason why people in the press cannot maintain friendships and friendly acquaintanceships with the people they cover, but if that friendship leads to unmitigated trust in professional practice, it's no longer legitimate to even consider them journalists. Brian Williams is no newsman, but simply a de facto mouthpiece for Defense Solutions, Veritas Capital, and of course, McCaffrey Associates. Question is, does he get a paycheck from them in addition to NBC/GE???

What Gollust meant is that, in her industry, trust is for rent.

Couldn't have said it better.

So an ex-general holds stock in companies that supply the military. Yaaaaaawn. Greenwald trying to make a big deal out of this reminds me of all those naive souls who attributed the outbreak of World War I to "war profiteers."

His incessant railing about reporters who "aren't doing their jobs" when their reporting doesn't reflect his views reveals Greenwald as a noisy amateur.

Hi Glenn,

I am a long time reader and really enjoy your work. I don't know much about how reporters deal with their sources (other than not disclosing them) but I am curious by what means your source obtained the emails and what would their motive be for disclosing them? Is that something that can even be answered? :)

Thanks

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Barstow-Article-New-York-Times/story.aspx?guid={F8C2A459-498D-45C9-B33A-F73FE66E4192}

Link on Sig as well.

Also, is it me, or are most of the articles on this in financial-oriented media?

there are bigger fish to fry. Don't feed him.

NBC is owned by GE.

If you start with a conflict of interest that big, how is NBC supposed to care about one more little General and HIS little conflict?

Keep fighting. Thank you!!!

Instead, NBC points to the numerous shiny medals on McCaffrey's chest in order to imply that it is simply wrong and offensive to question the propriety of such a great and credentialed man ("General McCaffrey is a retired Four Star General, a two-time recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest award for valor . . . He is a true American hero").

You failed to mention that he was wounded... In Vietnam!

THREE TIMES!!!