Last month, Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple took a critical look at the FBI raid on Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe’s home in an investigation into the alleged theft of Ashley Biden’s diary.
What evidence does the Justice Department have to justify the raid on James O'Keefe's home. It had better be good. https://t.co/mHzY9pL72F
— ErikWemple (@ErikWemple) November 16, 2021
The New York Times has a story on the investigation today:
New details of a federal investigation show how a journal kept by Ashley Biden, the president's daughter, ended up with the conservative group Project Veritas at the height of the 2020 presidential campaign. https://t.co/rqbXGqrZsj
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 16, 2021
Politico White House correspondent and MSNBC contributor Sam Stein was particularly struck by this part:
Project Veritas tried to extort a Biden interview in the closing days of the campaign by threatening that they’d publish his daughter’s diary https://t.co/P5klYnS9f6 pic.twitter.com/L8KijZS2CP
— Sam Stein (@samstein) December 16, 2021
Extort? That seems a bit harsh …
It kind of is normal, though,
Apparently reporter’s announcing their deadline = “extortion” https://t.co/eV8oQ9APdv
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) December 16, 2021
Just because Biden’s team called it extortion doesn’t make it extortion https://t.co/Vn7mu79gZL
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) December 16, 2021
That's…not… extortion…?? Like, at all. https://t.co/kNKMxjQTce
— Pete (@MostlyforMLB) December 16, 2021
How dare a journalist…
[Checks notes]Ask for comment on a story before a deadline?
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) December 16, 2021
Saying to give comment by a specific date isn’t extortion. 🙄 https://t.co/42zF8yVXgA
— Kristi Brown (@kristirenebrown) December 16, 2021
I am not a journalist or a lawyer, but I know that asking for a comment by a certain date/time for a story is not extortion. https://t.co/1njSD524Xg
— Casey (@space_case12) December 16, 2021
One man’s “extortion” is another's standard deadline disclosure
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) December 16, 2021
"We're doing a story and will release it without comment from you, saying you refused to comment, if you won't talk to us" is fairly standard journalistic practice. https://t.co/dZWyWZjqIF
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) December 16, 2021
That’s not what this says. It says they claim they obtained the diary and basically offered Biden a chance to go on the record with regards to its content. That’s what most journalistic outlets would do tbh. https://t.co/ydviRrm6Qx
— Andre Tarquinio (@81sportsfan) December 16, 2021
I’m not a big fan of Project Veritas, but let’s not act like this isn’t something that occurs with almost every major news story that MSM covers. https://t.co/mV1rxhGB1B
— James Sweet III (@jsweetIII) December 16, 2021
you should understand this since it is the industry you’re in, but this would appear to be the standard practice in said industry there chief
— Jonathon Snyder (@JonathonSnyder) December 16, 2021
Almost as if Stein’s apparent ignorance is intentional.
that’s not really what this screenshot says, which is why Sam characterized it rather than quoting from it. https://t.co/1zwKNrn1R6
— Jerry Christmas 🎄🎅🏽 (@JerryDunleavy) December 16, 2021
Yep.
Worth noting:
The glee @samstein showed at Sarah Palin’s emails being hacked reveals his utter hypocrisy! https://t.co/BG6O8gdhQi pic.twitter.com/Yqxbxw9XXR
— Alan R. Levy (@alanesque) December 16, 2021
Funny how that works.
No, it didn't.
Is Politico extorting a public official when they reach out for comment and say that only one side of the story will be told?
No. What you're revealing is your own bias. Only Lefty media are allowed to investigate and bully the subjects of their pieces. https://t.co/Ui7U0hNJHv
— Melissa Mackenzie (@MelissaTweets) December 16, 2021
@CNN threatens to Dox someone over a meme and ruin their life for making them look like fools
There you are silent.
Project Veritas tries to get an interview using a Diary you claimed was a hoax and you're outraged now?
Yeah, that ship sailed a long time ago – suffer. https://t.co/3g6veO6mzz
— Broken Wrd (@BrokenWrd) December 16, 2021