The Washington Post Ombudsman Mike Getler made the Jeff Gannon affair a secondary issue in his column, but at least he put it there and had a good quote from a reader.
“I don’t understand why The Post has turned the ‘Jeff Gannon’ story into yet another piece about bloggers. The story happened to be broken by bloggers, to their credit. But the story has two serious elements that The Post should report out on its own: 1) How is it that in an era when we have to take our shoes off to get on an airplane, a guy gains access to the White House with an alias on his ID badge? I don’t believe that has yet been answered; 2) To what extent was granting ‘Gannon’ access another form of buying or manipulating the news? These are important questions.” I agree.
Just don’t expect Howard Kurtz to agree with his ombudsman. Note today in his column about scandals in the news biz. Kurtz again makes the story all about bloggers and makes a single reference to the Gannon story.
Web experts helped liberal bloggers reveal former White House reporter Jeff Gannon’s real name and X-rated background.
As if his sexuality and an alias were the real issues. I just wished Kurtz would investigate the story Getler thinks is more important. But maybe Kurtz doesn’t want to go too hard on a Republican administration.
UPDATE: A lot of professionals feel the same way as The Post’s ombudsman.
UPDATE 2: CBS is reporting “Gannon” may have been a Karl Rove plant.