The Cinderella story that wasn't

Originally published 13 March 2005; last update 2 May 2005:

Did you know that Cinderella's name was actually "Ella?" Her mean step-sisters added the "Cinder" to her name to tease her about her plebian chores cleaning up cinders from the fireplace. And now you know the rest of that story.

I was like any other blogger when I read the news that a blogger was given credentials to join the daily press briefing at the White House -- I was elated. It was a heady moment for internet journalism, a coming of age. A young blogger made it into the big time, the first blogger to earn White House credentials. Not really rags to riches, but along those lines. Young blogger makes good. That type of thing. I even marked the moment with a post here on March 9, recognizing the achievement as a milestone for the 6th estate, internet-based news gathering and reporting.

Then morning came in the blogosphere and I read word by disheartening word the description that was left out of the original New York Times article. Cybercast News Service reported that the young blogger, Garrett M. Graff, was deputy national press secretary on the staff of presidential candidate and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean. A check of Graff's own posted biography confirmed it. It not only confirmed it but noted that Garrett M. Graff had also been then-Gov. Dean's webmaster in 1997.

Then I realized the really, really bad news for blogging. Garrett M. Graff had been the webmaster for then-Gov. Dean in 1997 while young Graff was in high school. Then he got admitted to Harvard University and became executive editor for The Harvard Crimson before graduating in 2003 and becoming presidential candidate Dean's deputy national press secretary. And all the while his father, Christopher L. Graff, is the Associated Press' correspondent in Vermont, whose duties I assume at times must have been to report on the activities of the governor and the presidential hopefuls.

There is an appearance of a conflict of interest here. Did then-Gov. Dean hire the young high school student son of the AP's man in Vermont in 1997 to curry favor with the father? An application to Harvard stating that one had worked as webmaster for the governor of Vermont couldn't hurt. Did the former governor provide a recommendation that helped the young man get accepted at Harvard? And then Garrett M. Graff was hired, either out of college or shortly thereafter, as deputy national press secretary on presidential hopeful Dean's campaign. Again to curry favor with the father? No doubt the young Graff had skills and brains, but this was a brass ring.

I met Chris Graff when I was just starting out in journalism and working at a small newspaper in Vermont in 1981 and 1982. He was the atypical suit and tie AP employee type and seemed genial enough during our brief encounters. And his news reports appeared nothing less than professional and above board. So I just can't believe there was any conscious quid pro quo between him and Gov. Dean. But appearance is enough now, as it was laid down in the ground rules by the Clintonistas years ago, and it was enough with the AP when I was stringing (freelancing) for them back in 1980 and early 1981.

I was freelancing for the AP out of New Haven my last year of college and sought fulltime employment upon graduation. The Hartford Chief of Bureau was Charles Lewis, a reporter with a law degree from Chicago who later would be named to an executive post in AP's personnel department and even later be named to the vaunted post as Chief of Bureau of the Washington, D.C. bureau. He said he had no openings so I sent resumes and clips to every AP bureau in the country and received not a nibble save for the Chief of Bureau in Little Rock, Arkansas who asked me to send him my photo. I'm sure I even sent a resume to Chris Graff at one point.

I had spent five years active duty in the U. S. Navy, enlisting at the tail end of Vietnam. I served my entire tour in the United States and was honorably discharged. As I was finishing college I needed money so I enlisted in the U. S. Naval Reserve. I was in the Naval Reserve when I was hired on at the AP as a stringer and had fully disclosed that information.

Chuck Lewis told me I needed more experience and he also told me plainly that the AP would not employ me full time while I was still in the reserves because of a potential conflict of interest. Chuck, it seemed to me, wasn't all that supportive of the military, but he told me that if I stayed in the reserves it would hamper any journalism career I wanted because of the potential conflict. I contacted Employer's Support of the Guard and Reserves and was informed that the AP could legally discriminate against me if I stayed in the reserves because of that very issue. [Note that there is now a law that says an employer cannot discriminate against a member of the reserve or National Guard. See the updates at the end of this post.]

I left the Naval Reserve shortly after college graduation but I vowed to myself I'd never seek work with the AP again. Time has taught me that, regardless of Chuck's views of the military, he was right. I may not have consciously given the Navy a benefit of the doubt were I to receive an assignment, but unconsciously the warm fuzzies I hold about my time in Uncle Sam's Canoe Club might have creeped in. Now this Navy experience also gives me insight the normal civilian doesn't have but that's beside the point.

So conflict of interest is important, even the appearance. If Garrett M. Graff had been the son of an AP reporter assigned to cover Halliburton, was hired in high school to build Halliburton's web page, then was hired by Vice President Cheney to work the Bush-Cheney campaign, and then received credentials to join the daily West Wing press gaggle, would not the liberal media at this very moment be screaming bloody murder? [Pertinent sections of the code of ethics allegedly subscribed to by the Associated Press and its employees is appended as an update to this post.]

You, who are on the road, must have a code that you can live by

It used to be that when ex-politicians or ex-political aides lost their jobs in an election result, they'd find work in academia or as consultants or lobbyists on the beltway, hired by high-priced flacks to press the flesh and get laws passed that favor their clients, most of the times screwing the rest of us. My late second cousin, Steve Martindale, had been an aide to Sen. Charles Goodell of New York. When Sen. Goodell lost the election my cousin found work as a lobbyist for public relations firm Hill & Knowlton throwing wine and cheese parties for the rich and infamous, including Henry Kissinger and John Lennon. I didn't know him well -- deadbeat dad's side of the family -- but I've read about him. A staunch Republican, he was gay and died of AIDS.

If the ex-politicians and ex-aides found work in the media, it was on the business end of things where they were free to opine on the editorial and opinion pages free of ethics and conflict of interest questions. If they were quoted in articles, it was as sources or even as paid-analysts -- labelled as such -- providing insight into the sausage making that we call the law. But now it seems that the incestuousness of politics and political reporting has gone beyond the acceptable. And more and more politicians and aides are being hired and are presenting themselves as balanced, unbiased reporters. For the public interest, this is a trend that should be nipped in whatever bud needs nipping.

William Safire was a speechwriter for President Richard Nixon. But he wasn't a reporter; he was a columnist for the New York Times and columnists are allowed a point of view. Diane Sawyer also worked for President Nixon, but she's not presented as a reporter. She's the innocuous host of ABC's morning show, "Good Morning America."

Everyone pretty much knows that George Stefanopolous was press secretary to President William Clinton. Stefanopolous initially taught in the journalism department at Columbia University before being lured to host ABC's "This Week," a Sunday news talk show. He succeeded Cokie Roberts in that position, and she was the daughter of Congresswoman Lindy Boggs and Congressman Hale Boggs, Democrats of Louisiana. Tim Russert runs a fine show but was staff counsel in the U.S. Senate and an aide to former Democratic New York Gov. Mario Cuomo before getting the nod at NBC to host its Sunday news talk show "Meet the Press." And while Chris Matthews doesn't present himself as either fair or balanced, he was a speechwriter under former President Jimmy Carter long before being hired on to host "Hardball."

I love the reporting of Bill Moyers and I try to watch as many of the shows he produces for PBS as I can. But PBS was first founded in Washington in 1961 while John Kennedy was president and Lyndon Johnson was vice president and grew rapidly when Johnson became president. And Moyers worked on Johnson's campaign for senator from Texas, worked as Deputy Director of the Peace Corps under Kennedy-Johnson and then was special assistant, speechwriter, and press secretary to President Johnson. Moyers, an ordained Baptist Minister, got his start in television as a reporter for a Johnson-owned station in Austin, Texas.

What's next? Will CBS hire "Baghdad Bob" as special correspondent to cover Saddam Hussein's trial because of his insight?

I've never claimed this blog is objective or balanced. It's my blog, my opinion. And my opinion is if it walks like duck and talks like a duck, maybe there's a solid foundation to the argument claimed by the citizenry that a bias really and truly does exist in the media. Maybe there is a "royalization" of America and I just haven't noticed it. Maybe we exchanged the British royalty for a new royalty of class, privilege, fraternity, sorority and ivy whose sons and daughters succeed them, with an ever increasing separation of the haves and have nots, regardless of political label. And I don't think this is in the public's best interest.

I know one thing. I know that one of this country's greatest minds and greatest businessmen, Warren Buffett, doesn't believe in nepotism or cronyism. He believes that the only way for this country to grow is if it becomes a true meritocracy. It will never reach that level of attainment on the path Washington and the media currently follow or on the example they set.

Some in the mainstream media criticize bloggers as shooting from the hip and for failing to check facts. I'll give $50 to anyone if they can find any mention in that original New York Times report that Garrett M. Graff had worked for former Gov. Dean.

I'm glad a blogger received credentials to cover the White House. I just wish it were another blogger worthy of the admiration bloggers have bestowed on Garrett M. Graff. His credentialing has the potential to be a millstone around the neck of the 6th estate.

[Update 3/14/2005: I managed to track down Rod Clarke, former Vermont state editor for United Press International. He informs me that none of his children went to Harvard.]

[Update 3/15/2005: Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism has released a study proving the most prominent members of the main stream media were three times more likely during the election to run negative stories about Pres. Bush.]

[Update 3/16/2005: Found this quote on the web -- "As I've said before, money does buy access and we're kidding ourselves and Vermonters if we deny it. Let us do away with the current system." Quote attributed to then-Vermont Gov. Howard Dean in his 1997 inaugural address to the Vermont General Assembly.].

[Update 3/20/2005: The Associated Press subscribes to the code of ethics written by the Associated Press Managing Editors. The APME code states "(The good newspaper) avoids practices that would conflict with the ability to report and present news in a fair, accurate and unbiased manner." It also states: "The newspaper and its staff should be free of obligations to news sources and newsmakers. Even the appearance of obligation or conflict of interest should be avoided." It also states: "It should report matters regarding itself or its personnel with the same vigor and candor as it would other institutions or individuals." And it states: "Special favors and special treatment for members of the press should be avoided." It continues: " Involvement in politics, demonstrations and social causes that would cause a conflict of interest, or the appearance of such conflict, should be avoided. Work by staff members for the people or institutions they cover also should be avoided."]

[UPDATE 3/28/2005: Reservists and members of the National Guard today have a law on their side against discrimination as well as an active Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve who stand ready, willing and able to enforce the provisions of that law. The law is the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), signed into law on October 13, 1994. In case any of you leftist lawyer-types don't believe me, it's codified in Title 38, United States Code, Sections 4301-4333 (38 U.S.C. 4301-4333). USERRA has no statute of limitations, and it specifically precludes the application of state statutes of limitations. According to this law, no employer, including the media may discriminate against a reservist or a member of the National Guard seeking employment just because that person is in the reserves or the National Guard. Thanks, the sharpest salute from my old dixie cup I can muster to JH, JJC, and SFW for the info and assistance! Fair winds and following seas gentlemen!]

[UPDATE 3/28/2005: I have e-mailed the Associated Press three times asking for their ombudsman to clarify an ethics question. It's been a week since my original interrogatory and I have received no reply. I guess the mainstream media doesn't like to comment either when the spotlight is on it. A copy of my latest request is shown below:

Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 09:37:47 -0600
To: info@ap.org
From: Mark McBride (NEWSXXX@6thXXXXX)
Subject: Fwd: Does AP ethics apply to family members?


This is my third request. Please reply or I will accept a non-answer as "No comment."

Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 15:45:14 -0600
To: info@ap.org
From: Mark McBride (NEWSXXX@6thXXXXX)
Subject: Fwd: Does AP ethics apply to family members?

Hello:

I still haven't received an answer to this inquiry. Shall I take a non-answer as "No Comment?"

Thank you.

Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 09:08:49 -0600
To: info@ap.org
From: Mark McBride (NEWSXXX@6thXXXXX)
Subject: Does AP ethics apply to family members?

Hello,

This question would probably go to the ombudsman for the AP. Would the ASME Code of Ethics, to which the AP subscribes, apply to family of AP employees?

For example, if an AP reporter were assigned to cover a corporation as part of their regular beat, would it be appropriate if the child of that AP employee obtained worked for a CEO of that corporation? Would the AP allow the reporter to continue to cover that corporation or would the reporter be reassigned?

Thank you.

-30-

The 6th Estate -- http://www.NEWS4A2.com/ -- Blood-sucking journalism at its most depraved.]

[Update 5/2/2005: Still no response from The Associated Press on my requests.]

[Update 10/7/2005: I'll bet you think I'm going to put some note here that I've yet to receive a response from The Associated Press. Well, that's true, I still haven't received any response from The AP. But this note is just to let you know about the best $50 I ever spent, an entry fee to the awards competition sponsored by the Online News Association. I submitted this blog entry in the "Online Commentary, Small Category." Guess what? I lost. But I note that Vast Left Wing Media darling hero and ex-Dean staffer, blogger gets White House credentials, didn't score an award either. I guess the bloom is off that rose. BTW, don't know if it has any bearing on the competition, but the president of the Online News Association and one of the judges is Ruth Gersh, director of Online Services for AP Digital, yeah, the same AP/Associated Press that still hasn't replied to my interrogatories. I'm sure Ms. Gersh recused herself from judging this entry once she determined my entry questioned the AP's implementation of its ethics policy. Sour grapes? Sure, why not. Still and all, I never expected to win. Critique of journalism -- in the history of journalism -- is never rewarded in competitions. Journalists are celebrated for bringing down politicians and business, never for targeting the "profession" of journalism. The journalists who first questioned the fabrications by Janet Cooke or Jayson Blair never received an award from journalists, nor have the journalists who reported about Dan Rather's credibility gaps. It just isn't done. "Without fear or favor?" Hardly.]