'The Internet made the (Predatorgate) story possible'--Brian Ross, ABC

[ProgressiveEconomist]

World News reporter/blogger, in a Howard Kurtz interview in today's Washington Post.

Within two hours of posting milder "naughty" emails from Foley to a former House Page, Brian Ross got multiple sexually explicit e-mail transcripts from other House Pages.

From http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100587.html :

"Media Notes

By Howard Kurtz, Washington Post Staff Writer; Monday, October 2, 2006; 6:26 AM

"Foley's Showdown With ABC

On Friday afternoon, a strategist for Rep. Mark Foley tried to cut a deal with ABC's Brian Ross. The correspondent, who had dozens of instant messages that Foley sent to teenage House pages, had asked to interview the Florida Republican. Foley's former chief of staff said the congressman was quitting and that Ross could have that information exclusively if he agreed not to publish the raw, sexually explicit messages.

"I said we're not making any deals," Ross recalls. He says the Internet made the story possible, because on Thursday he posted a story on his ABC Web page, the Blotter, after obtaining one milder e-mail that Foley had sent a 16-year-old page, asking for a picture. Within two hours, former pages had e-mailed Ross and provided the salacious messages. The only question then, says Ross, was "whether this could be authenticated.""

[gratuitous]

1. Yeah, 'cuz in the olden days

Foley would have had to commit pen to paper to ask a 16-year-old how long his erect penis is, and that's the kind of thing that can get you in real dutch with the missus!

[ProgressiveEconomist]

5. That too. But IMO MANY more reporters now will add active blogs to their

daily routines, given their presumable envy of Brian Ross's success. Even stories that don't originate in internet crimes now may be covered in blogs run by journalists.

Non-fiction books now have websites associated with them as a matter of course, to avoid having to print footnotes. For example, on C-SPAN2's BookNotes this weekend, the author of "100 Ways America is Screwing Up the World" directed readers and viewers to http://www.johntirman.com for footnotes and links.

I'd predict that many journalists now will do the same thing for their major stories.

[C_U_L8R]

2. there they go again

playing the blame game....
but blaming it on their computers is kinda silly.

Internets don't pederast young republican pages...

[AlCzervik]

3. ok so now the republicans will blame Al Gore.

[npincus]

4. I remember how quickly Pukes voted to dump The Starr Report online

so the whole world could have a good laugh at us.

[The Wielding Truth]

6. From what I've heard text messaging was where he acted up the most.

[onenote]

7. wow, Reading comprehension is taking a beating on this thread

Ross was making the point that it is because information could be saved and forwarded on the Internet that it was possible to break the Foley story. He posted a story on his web page and that elicited information from other pages. Its not a condemnation of the Internet, its an example of the Internet's power and the ability it give to make information available.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

8. On the other hand, desire to be first to respond to a new thread

may have played a factor here. Maybe the issue is SPEED reading comprehension.

Since "the customer is always right", and many customers of DU threads only read the title, I should have somehow gotten the dual context for "Internet" here into my 80 characters.

My mistake may have been ASSUMING most people would actually read beyond the title. I did try to keep the OP short, but that evidently was not enough.

[onenote]

9. nothing wrong with your thread or its title

Just folks who responded based on their preconceived notions, not what they read.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

11. Remember that line from 'The Front Page': Who's going to read the THIRD

paragraph>

[IChing]

10. I know, without the internet the pages could not have sent it to Ross

They had complained before but no one listened.
The media, the house, or Reptilian-leadership were unresponsive until they had proof provided by the e-mails

[ProgressiveEconomist]

13. And Ross's posting must have triggered a burst of furious

IMs between members of the House Page Association.

I may be wrong, but it seems from what I've heard Foley's MO was to defer the heavy seduction until after "his" Pages had finished their terms and gone home. Then messages from Foley would have become the former Pages' main continuing tie to the program, and Foley their main opportunity for furthering their presumable goals of careers in Washington.

Trying to put myself into the shoes of an ambitious young person, I wouldn't have wanted to denounce to the authorities a powerful and potentially helpful-career-wise Congressman by myself, in the open. The Internet may have offered an anonymous opportunity to bring a common complaint to a reporter with a big microphone.

[calimary]

12. Here's my take on it:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2859867

Hope you like it...

When I was at NBC Radio, Brian Ross still worked at NBC. He was the quintessential mild-mannered reporter. His results, however, made him something of a Superman. Hardly would turn heads as he passed, unless, of course, you were in the news business and followed who Brian Ross was.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

14. Just Rd it for Greatest. IMO, the detail about Foleys MO is CRUCIAL. Both

Mary Lyons (your thread) and I (in post #13 above) quickly concluded that Foley most likely waited until "his" pages went home to come on strong, presumably so he could lure them back to DC. If we could figure this out in a few days, wouldn't Shimkus, Reynolds, Alexander, Hastert, Boehner, and others have figured lut the same thing in five years?

An important question for Republicans who knew about Foley's proclivities, or who sent theiir pages to deliver messages to Page, thus is,

"List every contact you know about between Mark Foley and then-current or then-former House Pages".

I hope someone starts a thread called something like, "Mark Foley's Devious Mentor/Predator MO". I nominate you.

[The Count]

22. He had the radio morning show with Stern, right?

Before Imus did.

[high density]

15. I'm pretty sure though that the IBM Selectric typewriter was not

internet capable. The docs are fake!!!!

Ra^thergate part 2.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

16. Sure, since we have not yet seen any former Pages denounce Foley

on the air, Rove COULD have faked the IMs to Brian Ross. But how could Rove have gotten Foley to resign in disgrace?

I don't have enough tinfoil for a hat against Predatorgate as Rove's 'October Surprise'.

[helderheid]

17. I was thinking this while driving today. The internet gave this story its

legs

[ProgressiveEconomist]

18. What do you think of my idea for a new thread? See post #14

What have you concluded about Foley's likely MO? IMO, he may have used the Page program for initial screening to identify potential victims. Then, after the good prospects went home, he may have followed up as he did with the page who worked for Alexander (R-LA), using his position of infuluence to exploit young men's career aspirations. Very devious and very sick.

[helderheid]

20. go for it and I think you're right on

[SoCalDem]

19. Sorry.. it's more likely a HUGH lapse in judgement on Foley's part

in days past, he would be calling them on the phone or "crusing" by their dorm, inventing "meetings" or "training sessions" for them to attend..

Determined predators always manage to satisfy their desires..one way or another.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

21. kick

[uppityperson]

23. Good for the internets, glad they are of use in things like this.

[tuvor]

24. Of COURSE the Internet made the story possible.

Anyone ever send sexually-charged text messages before the Internet?

[Moochy]

25. Yeah Telegrams are not as conducive to lewd exchanges

YEOLDEPAGE: OK CONGRESSMAN, STOP.

MAF1885: HOW BIG IS IT? STOP

YEOLDEPAGE: NO PLEASE STOP. STOP.

[tuvor]

26. LOL

I had edited my original message as soon as I realized that telegrams could be rightly called 'text messages'. Great reply.

Thanks for the laugh.