After the Trump “Dossier” Debacle: An Open Letter to J-Students


The following is a news opinion and analysis[hr]

An Open Letter to Journalism Students: A counterpoint to Columbia Journalism Review’s defense of Buzzfeed’s publication of unverified and false political opposition research material.[hr]

More surprising than BuzzFeed’s publication of politically-motivated opposition research about Donald Trump’s supposed Russia connections is the defense offered by a one-time bastion of journalism: Columbia Journalism Review (CJR).

To summarize: On Jan. 10, BuzzFeed published unverified, false, salacious opposition research generated by paid political operatives hired during the presidential campaign to collect dirt on Donald Trump. BuzzFeed acknowledged that the allegations in the “dossier” were unverified, and that some of the information was known to be false. (A Trump lawyer named in the documents as having met with “Kremlin officials” in Prague, Czech last August reportedly never visited Prague.)[divider_flat]

Screen Shot 2017-01-17 at 4.57.25 PM

[divider_flat]In her article, CJR Managing Editor Vanessa M. Gezari denunciates The Guardian, The Washington Post, and The New York Times as “self-righteous and self-serving” in their criticism of BuzzFeed for publishing the opposition research. Gezari claims BuzzFeed Editor in Chief Ben Smith “convincingly defended” his decision in a staff memo, “arguing that the dossier was being read and talked about ‘at the highest levels of American government and media’.” Gezari goes on to call BuzzFeed’s approach “well-established” in investigative journalism: “Release what you can when you have it and see what new leads it generates.”

[quote]“Release what you can when you have it and see what new leads it generates.”—Vanessa Gezari, Columbia Journalism Review Managing Editor[/quote]

To Journalism Students: This is not a well-established investigative journalism technique. Quite the opposite.

Responsible journalists don’t “release what you can” to generate leads without verifying what’s verifiable and seeking comment from those implicated. And when fact errors are discovered in the material, it’s a huge red flag. Setting aside good journalism, this fact pattern could be interpreted (in theory) as “reckless disregard for the truth’: enough for even a public figure to prevail in a libel lawsuit.[divider_flat]

Screen Shot 2017-01-17 at 4.59.15 PM

[divider_flat]The biggest flaw I see in CJR’s reasoning is the idea that once allegations are “discussed” by other media and in government, we have to report on it (without verifying the material or contacting those named) or else we’re complicit in sitting on a “potentially gigantic story.”

Such reasoning exhibits a naïveté that fails to recognize what propaganda groups know quite well: One way to get their smears and narratives in the public domain when traditional news won’t bite is to get them published by websites or quasi-news outlets. The “story” then goes viral, pretty soon “everyone” is discussing it, and the mainstream news says, Well, how can we ignore it?

We must resist being used as a tool in such propaganda campaigns, especially in an environment where they’re rampant.

What questions should have been asked?

I can tell you with reasonable certainty that the reputable media attorneys I’ve closely worked with would not have green-lighted these opposition research documents for publication with the known facts. Here are some of the questions they would have asked:

Q: Is the nature of the information potentially libelous, if it turns out to be untrue?

A: Yes. *Reason for caution.

Q: Who is the generator of the information?

A: Paid political operatives who wanted a candidate defeated. *Reason for caution.

Q: Do you have good reason to believe, and evidence that supports, the information is true?

A: We know some of it is not true. *Reason for caution.

Q: What is the motive of those who provided the documents?

A: Likely political. *Reason for caution.

Q: Can you verify all of the information?

A: No. *Reason for caution.

Q: Can you verify any of it?

A: Much of it we haven’t checked. Some of what’s been checked is false. *Reason for caution.

Q: Did you contact all of the people named or identified for their comment?

A: No. *Reason for caution.

Q: Is there a compelling reason to rush the story to publication prior to making the contacts?

A: No. *Reason for caution.[hr]

Any single cautionary note above would have been enough to warrant holding publication until more reporting could be done.

But under CJR’s reasoning, the worst kind of potentially false material about anyone or anything not only can but should be published, as long as the perpetrators have successfully circulated it behind the scenes to enough players in media and government.

Oddly enough, CJR published a story last year quoting a BuzzFeed official decrying “fake news.” “[W]ithout a top-down cultural shift in journalism, garbage stories will continue to enter the mainstream,” wrote CJR, then quoting Craig Silverman, editor of BuzzFeed Canada, “a leading enemy of fake news.” According to Silverman, “News organizations must recognize the value of being smart filters in a world of abundant, dubious, questionable information.” Yet BuzzFeed and CJR now advocate publication of dubious opposition research — as a method to generate leads.

[quote]”News organizations must recognize the value of being smart filters in a world of abundant, dubious, questionable information.”–Craig Silverman, BuzzFeed Canada[/quote]

A good story tip can come from unlikely sources, even partisan opposition research groups. But the suggestion that their material should have been published under these circumstances is misguided.

Incredibly, CJR now writes of BuzzFeed, “If this strategy pays off, the outlet that has morphed from a cat-video factory to a font of serious journalism could end up with some terrific scoops. You can almost hear the rest of the media muttering, ‘Damn, why didn’t we think of that first?’”

I don’t think most journalists are muttering that at all. We’re muttering, “CJR: How could you?”[hr]Preorder The Smear today, the sequel to the NYT bestseller “Stonewalled.”

screen-shot-2016-11-16-at-2-12-53-pm


Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

7 thoughts on “After the Trump “Dossier” Debacle: An Open Letter to J-Students”

  1. The fact that Ms. Attkisson has to explain simple, basic logic that applies not only to journalism but to all matters of inquiry in any field demonstrates that at least one of the very top voices in the journalistic academy is either knowingly fraudulent or hopelessly ignorant. If the former, then they clearly think the rest of us are imbeciles. If the latter, then a degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism isn’t worth even a fraction of the paper it’s printed on.

  2. According to CJR, the release of Podesta’s e-mail should have been praised by one and all. The big kicker is that they were all proven to be true!

  3. Thank you for putting the facts down on paper. More and more journalism is turning to sensational journalism instead of fact based thoroughly investigated stories. I hope this along with other journalist. Make these editors change that direction. BUT…I did hear two politicians, who I cannot name, talking at an event I cannot discuss. That the owner of Buzzfeed was caught on video having a discussion with Soros about how to overthrow the DNC. These facts are not verifiable but who would make up such a story? LOL…..just kidding. But this was how it was done. Yes?

  4. It seems to me there is an opening for a new national media firm dedicated to honest journalism, It is clear that ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and the likes are just partisan entities. The country needs professional journalists to keep the government honest, At this time we have very few real journalists that care about the country first.

    I suggest the new firm hire Sharyl Attkisson as CEO/president. I guarantee the new entity would replace all these dishonest media firms. Ms. Attkisson is not only a real journalist but a person that pursues the truth with intensity and wherever it takes her..

Scroll to Top