Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Via Dan Froomkin's White House Briefing...

Joe Hagan writes in the Wall Street Journal about how the Newsweek story has again raised questions about anonymous sourcing.

" 'We get bashed for all the anonymous sources but the administration is the one that insists on it,' says Dana Priest, who covers national security for the Washington Post. 'I don't think people realize that.'

Which is sort of analogous to saying "My husband beats me, but I stay because I love him."

If the media is continually ridiculed for respecting the requests of The White House, who in turn bashes them for using the same techniques that they requests, why on earth would the media continue to use these journalistic practices. It is like some strange twilight zone self fulfilling prophecy.

Two Words: Access & Money.

The press is profit driven, and they somehow believe that being first to market translates into dollars. If the CBS and Newsweek experiences are not enough for them to figure out how outlandish the pitfalls of this approach, they deserve exactly what they get and I have no sympathy for them.