What Parallel Universe Did I Fall Into?

You know how everybody is always bitching about how the mainstream media won't talk about anything that matters?

Strangely enough, we have a period of focus this week. Without discussing the nature of their irresponsible coverage, it is heartening to see that the lead story tonight is Valerie Plame, a strong runner-up in the upcoming SCOTUS battle, and Bush/G-8/Africa bringing up the rear. No sign of missing or child molesting white chicks in sight.

Of course, there's a dirty side to this. Finally the news outlets are checking in on the Valerie Plame story which deserved their attention, I don't know two years ago? But they only jumped in because one of theirs is going to jail. Prison is good copy, you know? And they're kind of taking it personally too. How DARE these fucked up judges do this to one of our own! (Of course as we all know, I'd love to see Judy rot in prison, but this whole thing is admittedly pretty weird.) They're hypocritically bending over backwards trying to explain to us that without confidential sources the republic is all but lost, completely ignoring the fact that the only confidential sources they ever quote work in the White House. When is the last time you remember hearing about a whistleblower? Oh, I know they're out there - Paul O'Neill, Richard Clarke, Joseph Wilson before Judy went to jail, the guy who told the truth about the Medicare drug costs, the other guy who brought to light that Bush removed global warming evidence from environmental reports, to name a tiny percentage of the whole - but the only ones who get front page coverage are the unnamed sources defending the policies of the administration. Newspeople, read very closely - that's not whistleblowing! That's what they call PR. So get over yourselves and your defense of the fucking republic. After you actually DO something to actually, like, defend the republic, then you can get all high and mighty about keeping secret your goddamned sources.

In this one case, unfortunately for Judy, naming the source protects the republic. Hiding the source only protects her job.

PS - Did you read about what's going on with this source naming dealie? Matt Cooper got permission from his source to name names so he's going to testify. Judith Miller apparently didn't and she's going to jail. Why would the source a) give anyone permission to implicate him/her in a crime? And b) give Cooper permission and not give it to Judy? Are there two separate sources? Does the source hate Miller's coverage in the lead-up to Iraq? And where does our favorite Douschebag of Liberty, Bobby Novak fit in to all this? It is intriguing, no? Stay tuned...