I think we all do not like this phrase anonymous allegations Next explain to us what is the consequences of those allegations, in general I do not like lies and false facts, not it strange and contradictory: Facts Counterfeit
Anonymous allegation raises serious questions
Posted: Sunday, January 3, 2010 12:00 am
This past week, we were witness to an incredible fender-bender at the dangerous intersection where politics, anonymous allegations and the Internet meet. And what a collision it was.
In case you missed it, here’s the initial police report: An anonymous person posts a clip on YouTube from C-Span showing Montana Sen. Max Baucus speaking on the Senate floor during debate over the health reform bill. In the clip, which is about five minutes long, Baucus is rambling and repetitive and engages in a word battle with Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi. The YouTube headline, supplied by the anonymous poster: “Senator Max Baucus drunk/intoxicated on the Senate floor — shouts down Wicker.”
The video and its accusatory headline becomes a big hit on YouTube. The Drudge Report, another Web site, links to the YouTube video with a tagline of “Drunk With Power? Top Dem Baucus slurs on Senate floor.” It generates all sorts of Internet interest, and gets a second wave of notoriety after a news story about the video and the resulting electronic uproar lands in Montana newspapers.
Shortly thereafter, the questions begin to fly.
Was Baucus truly inebriated or incredibly inarticulate?
Was the video no more than an unfounded “personal smear” and “Internet rumor,” as Baucus staffers characterized it?
Did the story about the YouTube video and its eye-catching headline belong in the newspaper?
The answers to all these questions are hard to come by.
Was Baucus really drunk? In the no-real-names world of the Internet, plenty of folks seemed to think so, based on a random sampling of comments left on Montana newspaper sites.
Beyond the court of anonymous public opinion, however, there is no real evidence of drunkenness. No arrest report, no Breathalyzer test, no wobbly walk of the line. In a court of law, there wouldn’t be any charges filed or even seriously considered.
Baucus has a reputation for sometimes inarticulate, rambling speech and the video clip came after a series of long, intense days of debate over health care reform. It’s also fair to note that the senator’s passionate performance came in response to series of partisan blasts from Republicans, including Wicker, which weren’t shown in the short video clip.
In an interview with a member of the Independent Record editorial board, Baucus forcefully denied being intoxicated on the Senate floor, during the recent rancorous health care debate or at any time.
“I’d never, ever consider it,” he said. “It’s hard for me to find the words to express how ridiculous this is.”
As for the “personal smear” question, there is room for debate. Was the video and its pointed headline posted to make Baucus look bad? Certainly. Was it anything unusual in the increasing nasty, trash-talking world of American politics? Unfortunately not.
It’s hard to disagree with Baucus spokesman Ty Matsdorf, who told Lee State Bureau reporter Mike Dennison “that this type of gutter politics has no place in the public sphere.”
Mike Taylor, who ran against Baucus for the Senate seat in 2002, would certainly agree. An ad in that campaign used doctored video from a 1980s infomercial that many believed portrayed Taylor as a gay hairdresser. Taylor dropped out of the race shortly after the ad, technically placed by the Montana Democratic Party, hit the airwaves. He recently described the ad as “slander of the vilest kind.” Jim Messina, who headed the 2002 Baucus campaign and is a top aide in the Obama administration, has publicly claimed credit for the ad.
Apparently, in the U.S. political world, dirty tactics are slanderous only if you are on the receiving end.
And what about the “is-it-news” question? Montana newspapers were left in a can’t-win situation on that front.
Option one was to ignore the video and the electronic hullabaloo it sparked and get pelted with accusations of covering up improper behavior on the part of Montana’s senior senator.
Option two was to report about the video, give Baucus a chance to defend himself, and enrage those who think Baucus was being unfairly tarnished by baseless, anonymous allegations.
Pick your poison.
You can rest assured that there are few people in the traditional journalism world who are happy that an anonymous YouTuber managed to play such a headline-grabbing role.
In the end, the whole murky affair is disturbing.
For one, it’s a pointless distraction from what should be a reasonable, rational discussion of health care reform, one of the biggest issues facing our nation. And regardless of one’s personal political bent, Baucus deserves plenty of credit for his willingness to play a major role in that important debate. In cases such as this, it’s clearly a thankless job.
Secondly, there is little doubt that technology has brought wonderful change to our lives. But when it comes to the Internet and its easily donned cloak of anonymity, the sobering reality is that rational, fair-minded public discussion is clearly falling victim to a shadowy world of online aliases and irresponsible speech.
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