Jason Leopold is the co-author of the Buzzfeed article everyone is talking about

[oberliner]

More info coming in 24 business hours?

[berni_mccoy]

1. Making the RWer's case?

Because that's what you're doing.

[oberliner]

5. No - urging caution with respect to Jason Leopold

Who burned many on DU during the Merry Fitzmas era.

[berni_mccoy]

8. I strongly disagree with you on this. Leopold is an award winning journalist

You're choosing to focus on one story that had factual basis and sourcing and ultimately wasn't far off the mark. Libby was indicted and convicted.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

41. One story?

How about the plagiarism?

Leopold is a fucking joke. Until a real journalist is on this, I'm being very cautious.

And he didn't say Libby was going to be indicted. He said Rove was. In 24 hours. We're still waiting.

[berni_mccoy]

44. The co-author is a Pulitzer Prize winner. Your hate of Leopold is noted.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

45. Leopold is a fucking joke.

Don't forget his plagiarism. https://archives.cjr.org/politics/jason_leopold_caught_sourceles.php

The other author has said in CNN that he has not seen the actual evidence. I'm going to wait until the actual evidence surfaces before jumping on this bandwagon.

[berni_mccoy]

55. That has never been verified

From the wiki article you cited below:

Salon removed the story from its website and said that Leopold had plagiarized text from the FT,[19] but the article remains in the Nexis archives.[20] Leopold said he had slightly misquoted the email, which should have read "Close a bigger deal. Hide the loss before the 1Q". White denied sending the email in a letter he sent to The New York Times, and when Salon's editors contacted Leopold's source, the source denied speaking to him.[18][20] The Village Voice reported, "Obviously, Leopold made mistakes, but it's not at all clear they justify a full repudiation of the story or a revocation of his journalistic license. As Paul Krugman told the Voice, 'Everything else in that story checked out. The substance of his reporting was entirely correct.

[berni_mccoy]

14. BTW, you're not urging caution, you're taking a cheap shot that a RWer would use.

[oberliner]

19. Were you not a DUer during the "24 business hours" nonsense?

It's no cheap shot - it's a stark reminder of how Leopold burned a lot of us before.

[berni_mccoy]

24. Yes I was. And you're 100% wrong on any other point you've proffered here.

[LanternWaste]

30. You seem to believe a 'stark reminder' denies 'a cheap shot.'

While logic dictates they may each co-exist within the same statement.

"burned a lot of us..." indeed.

[manor321]

17. Already have info on this

We ALREADY have info from official reports (Mueller or NY) that Cohen coordinated his false opening statement to Congress. This story just adds the obvious that it was Trump directed, which of course it is.

[oberliner]

22. It'd be great if another source can corroborate this reporting

[FSogol]

35. Like the co-author of the article?

[Cuthbert Allgood]

43. Who has said on TV that they have not seen the actual evidence.

No other news network has been able to verify this. With Leopold on the article, I'm waiting for the real journalists to chime in.

[oberliner]

64. No, like a news outlet other than Buzzfeed - such as the NY Times, WaPo, CNN, MSNBC

And so on.

A second news outlet corroborating this story would go a long way.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

27. caution is good, but

It is reasonable to be cautious about uncorroborated reports.

However, we do not need a "bombshell" report to tells us Trump has engaged in witness tampering and obstruction of justice.

Example:

Trump’s latest tweets cross clear lines, experts say: Obstruction of justice and witness tampering

[hack89]

7. After Fitzmas, it is perfectly reasonable to doubt anything Jason Leopold says

The man has a troubled history as person and as a journalist - he likes to make shit up.

[berni_mccoy]

11. On the contrary, one who's made such mistakes

is much less likely to repeat them if they were able to survive it.

[hack89]

25. Assuming they were normal rational people

we will see. I hope he's right. But we will see.

[berni_mccoy]

40. Did you do ANY research on the co-author?

Take a look at him or look down the posts in the list to find out more.

[hack89]

54. My fingers are crossed. I want this to be true. nt

[WeekiWater]

2. It's like people want this to not be true.

Concerted effort to discredit the source. It's Trump Theory when dealing with the media or anything negative.

What you are doing is not taking it with a grain of salt. You are attempting to discredit the story.

[oberliner]

6. Do you remember Jason Leopold at all?

He fell out of favor here pretty quickly after his Truthout days.

[WeekiWater]

15. I am familiar.

I'm also familiar with the tactic you deployed in your op. It's not a "take it with a grain of salt" tactic.

I'm not concerned if he is "in favor" or "out of favor" with DU. Your wording here is a continuation of the tactic used in the op.

[oberliner]

26. The post was to remind people that he had a bombshell story before that we all hoped was true

But turned out not to be. So proceed with caution (as many of us failed to do last time Leopold had a scoop like this).

[WeekiWater]

28. Now you are getting on track with your wording. NT

[Kingofalldems]

31. So why didn't you put your concern in the original OP?

[Autumn]

3. That's the one that has everyone saying Trumps finished?

[oberliner]

12. Yes, sadly

I'd feel so much better about the story if the source was more credible.

[Autumn]

38. Yeah, so would I. Thanks for the clarification, I saw a couple of posts about it but didn't

realize he was part of it.

[riversedge]

4. Leopold overated, overstated his articles during "Fitzmas". I am somewhat skeptical of

his reporting.

[oberliner]

9. Yes, I am skeptical as well

His past history is a bit checkered when it comes to breaking stories that no other source can corroborate.

[riversedge]

23. When I saw his name on the article last night I said--of crap. Not counting the

chicks yet--as much as I really want this story to be true.

[Kingofalldems]

10. Trump is done.

[oberliner]

16. I look forward to the NYT or WaPo or MSNBC or CNN corroborating the Jason Leopold story

Do you remember Jason Leopold from the Fitzmas days?

[Kingofalldems]

18. Yes. I also remember the Al Franken hubbub which was a hit job.

[oberliner]

47. Me too

Hopefully more clarity will emerge on this story as it did on that one.

[Blue Owl]

13. I saw that too!

And yes I remember all the disappointing hubub with Fitzmas.

Hoping this time, Leopold might redeem himself. But not banking on it...

[ismnotwasm]

20. I agree with caution

But I’m also cautiously optimistic.

[FSogol]

21. SSDW

W = week!

Or in this case, "weak"

[Kingofalldems]

29. Of course the other author of the story is not mentioned.

[berni_mccoy]

36. Anthony Cormier, who won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting.

People here are so damn jaded.

[oberliner]

49. Surely you remember the Merry Fitzmas era

[LanternWaste]

52. Surely you know that Mueller has already...

Surely you know that Mueller has already indicted or gotten guilty pleas from 33 people and three companies that we know of.

(I s'pose responding to one spurious correlation with another is valid...)

[11cents]

32. I'm surprised by Leopold's reemergence. But his record in the Trump era is solid.

This isn't the first Trump/Russia-related story that he's co-reported. He didn't magically reappear just yesterday; his byline has been on several important Trump stories before this. To date they've all held up.

[Kingofalldems]

34. No mention in the OP though.

[berni_mccoy]

37. Leopold hasn't just re-emerged. He's been doing investigative reporting since Libby was indicted

And he's won awards for it.

The OP is just so damn wrong.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

50. Just looked at his Wikipedia page to see what awards he's won.

They list one award in 2008.

What awards has he won since Libby was indicted?

[berni_mccoy]

53. Are you seriously asking this? Open your eyes then and READ the damn Wiki article...

In 2008, Leopold received the Thomas Jefferson Award from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.

The recipient of the 2016 FOI Award from Investigative Reporters and Editors

Tom Renner Award in 2018 from Investigative Reporters and Editors

Member of the team named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in international reporting (2018)

Leopold was inducted into the National Freedom of Information Hall of Fame by the Newseum Institute in 2016.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

58. My bad for missing that first paragraph.

I'm grading finals and just taking a break once in a while to clear the trance/cobwebs. I skimmed through the first paragraph assuming the awards would be in chronological order. My bad.

[Chichiri]

33. That's reason to be cautious, but it was his co-author...

...who confirmed the sources on this one.

[grantcart]

39. Usually high placed sources have been confirming stories to a second news outlet

That absence is troubling.

[Dennis Donovan]

46. So?

[Kingofalldems]

48. Co-authur Anthony Cormier won the Pullitzer Prize.

Maybe you missed that.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211689522

[emulatorloo]

51. Thanks for posting

[honest.abe]

56. I wouldn't dismiss the validity of the story because of some past issues with this author.

For one he is not the only author. Also, this guy has some credible reporting in the past. Yes, he has made a couple of mistakes but most of his reporting has been solid. I think he has been a bit too aggressive at times and has been burned for that. This story though reeks of truth. I think its real.

[allgood33]

59. You'll never know what may have happened behind the scenes re Rove.

A last minute deal maybe?

[oberliner]

62. One corroborating news outlet is all I ask for

[LanternWaste]

63. At which point, the goalposts will be moved again...

[Bonx]

57. I've always enjoyed his work. He wouldn't dare lead us on again.

[oberliner]

60. Yeah - hopefully this one will be corroborated soon by some other sources

[blogslut]

61. unrec

[Hassin Bin Sober]

65. I'm sure you've received all the apologies via dumail? Since they aren't posted here.