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All the Senator's Men? The
Ethics in Advancing a Campaign's Story An Investigative Study by Carl Lindemann (see bio and disclosure) Overview: Last January, the Media Bloggers Association (MBA) gained national attention before the I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby trial when the group’s president and founder Robert Cox and several MBA members were credentialed to “blog” the federal court case. After, Cox was quoted repeatedly in the national press on the role of “citizen journalism.” “…where blogging is going to go is not defined. It could go in a very positive or it could go in a very negative direction,” Cox told the Washington Post. “We have to do more than just sit on our hands and see what happens.” Now, months later, what direction are Cox and some of his fellow MBA “Libby Bloggers” taking? How they participated in bringing forward a story from Senator Susan Collins’ (R-Maine) reelection campaign may point the way.... This study is a starting point for a discussion of the boundaries that divide and connect political blogging/journalism/public relations. The incident examined may provide insight as to what lies ahead in the 2008 election cycle as those rising from the “blogosphere” take on greater prominence. Rather than come to closure on the actions described, this study provides easy access to information to enable others to reflect on the episode and to draw their own conclusions. The study is offered through the index below. It is also available in a single page format. INDEX: Preface: Why an Investigative Study? The form and content of this study. Part
I: Introduction/Scope of Study/Key
Findings Part
II: The Events behind Cox’s “Report” The Collins campaign’s Director of Internet Strategy started an online ad campaign through Google’s automated “AdWords” program. Several days later, the company rejected the ads. Part III: Cox’s “Report” on these Events A review of Cox's October 11 "report." Part IV: Relationships Between Author, Editor and Sources A run-down on the
undisclosed connections between Cox, Dutson, Tapscott and Coleman. Part
V: Cox’s Background & Interview Cox's bio and history. The interview with the president and founder of the
MBA explores disclosure issues in his piece, and what drew him to the subject
matter. Part
VI:
Tapscott’s Background and Replies to a Letter to the Editor Tapscott's bio and history. An e-mail exchange about the disclosure issues in Cox's piece. Part
VII:
Another Report on The Collins Story Another perspective on the events portrayed in Cox's piece from a trade publication perspective.Part
VIII: Reports
from Fox News Based on Cox’s “Report”
Multiple
stories picking up on Cox's piece plus additional reporting. Part
IX:
Follow-ups from the MBA Participants in the Collins Story
Part X: Close of Study, Open the Discussion
SIDEBAR STORIES Sidebar 1: Understanding Google's
“AdWords” Hands-on tests of Google’s system to clarify key points of fact.. Determining how much time eleapsed between the events
described and Cox's writing about them. Sidebar 3: Intellectual Property vs. Free Speech Was MoveOn.org engaged in "...a broader effort by the advocacy group to silence its critics through threats and intimidation and had nothing to do with preventing fraud”? *** Special thanks to members of the TrueDialog.org board and SML. *** |
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