Those are inconvenient facts for Chris Matthews, not to mention the credibility of Kathleen Willey, Ken Starr and all the pundits, pols and reporters who have promoted hysteria about the Clinton "secret police."

Joe Conason Joe Conason's column appears in Salon News every other Tuesday. + Biography + Archives

To anyone keeping track of leaks from the Office of Independent Counsel, it is interesting to note that ABC's Judd and her producer, Chris Vlasto, would know the identity of someone Starr is investigating. Apparently the ABC team has unusual access to Starr's ongoing investigations and to his witness Willey, who has been granted broad immunity despite her admission that she lied about certain matters to the OIC.

For a prosecutor to leak the name of someone being investigated is disgusting, even more so when that person is innocent. But Judd didn't broadcast Shearer's name. That distinction belongs to Chris Matthews, who didn't return several phone calls seeking his comment about this matter. Matthews opened his program on Monday with a quick, half-hearted apology to Shearer, whose denials he said he now finds "credible." He also said he now realizes he shouldn't have mentioned Shearer's name without having "vetted" Willey's allegation.

No one expects Limbaugh or Drudge to behave any differently than they did, although in all decency they should. (Limbaugh's slurs emanate from WABC radio in New York, evidently immune from any standards that govern ABC News.) But Matthews writes a column for the San Francisco Examiner and carries the title of "Washington bureau chief." In other words, he fancies himself a journalist. The first thing journalists learn to do is pick up the telephone. He should try it the next time he thinks he has a big story.
salon.com | May 18, 1999

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - -

  Get a printer-friendly version

  E-mail a friend about this article

  Backflip this article to find it again

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Search Salon