OK, someone explain to me what the "scandal" about the ABC news producer's

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

leaked email on Drudge etc. (the one where he said if Bush used the "mixed message" line again he was going to puke) is.

Was this not a personal email he was sending to someone, and not distributed to ABC at large or for public consumption? So it reflected his private thoughts?

Is he not allowed to think such thoughts?

If someone linked Neil Cavuto or John Gibson (FOX) personal emails from the Clinton years saying that Clinton disgusted them, would that be some kind of scandal?

I saw freaking Dana Milbank on Countdown saying to Olberman that this was "unacceptable" for him to have that "puke" sentiment. What? To have thoughts against the emperor?

This is a serious question. I did not read the Drudge article so I don't know if this purports to be other than a personal email.

[Atman]

1. The "scandal" is different depending upon your party

The republicans are trying to hype it as proof that the media hates Bush and isn't being fair.

The democrats are trying to point out the fact that the so-called "breaking" news is nearly two years old, and therefore the timing/purpose of its release is questionable.

[dsc]

2. This would be the same ABC which employed

Chris Bosse who later went on to work for a Republican Congressman and manufactured all kinds of lies about Clinton. I don't recall Milbank being upset over that.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

3. Milbank on TV is just as snarky in manner as his writing. I dislike the

man very much. He is the "Mr. Blackwell" (snarky worst dressed list guy) of political reporting.

[Garbo 2004]

4. He apparently used an ABC email account. While the sentiment was personal

it apparently was done on the company account. Just generally, personal emails on employer's accounts/equipment are not really entirely personal or a real good idea if you want to keep it personal.

Considering the generally lapdog nature of the corporate media in regards to this Administration, I thought it interesting. But no doubt the point of this "revelation" is to "confirm" the "liberal" nature of corporate media to the RW'ers. Yeah, ABC/Disney are virtual "pinkos," LOL.

Likely the fellow may well get some heat from his corporate masters, however.

Some time ago, some Fox emails directing how to cover certain topics slipped out, as I recall. These were not personal at all. No "scandal" resulted, but then it was Faux and hardly surprising. And considering what Gibson actually says on the air, hard to imagine how worse a personal email would be unless he admitted it was all an act, a sham just for the money. An unlikely event, I'd wager. I figure Gibson's a genuine asshole.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. Yadda, yadda, yadda-- part of the war...

on the "liberal" press that doesn't report the "good" news about Iraq.

Just like with Helen Thomas' apologies for calling Shrub the worst Prsident ever (which seems to have escaped notice around here) reporters are not to let their biases or opinions be so obvious. It's just not done, and no newsroom that pretends to be legitimate should allow it. Reporters are actually expected to be held to a higher standard and aren't supposed to let their personal opinions out. They even get into trouble contributing to campaigns. Reporters who become pundits are another story, however.

Anyway, using the ABC news email for this comment was a slip in judgment, although I suspect it happens a lot more often than we know.