Without further ado, Sam Power has resigned as foreign policy advisor to Obama.
As a seasoned journalist herself, Power should have known to be more guarded in her comments, and her resignation may have been be the fair price to pay for them. However, also as a journalist, she might have have reasonably expected “off-the-record” to mean that very thing, as it usually does. Despite the explanation The Scotsman offered for printing her remarks, their reasoning leaves a lot open to question in terms of the broader ethics of reporting.
As all journalists know, off the record exchanges are an incredibly useful way to gather information. Political reporting simply wouldn’t exist without them. Unless something is pressingly in the public interest (and Power’s use of metaphor was manifestly not) it is in our collective interest not to abuse this basic rule.
Ms Power may rightly be feeling hard done by. But she is only 38 and has already had an impressive career—she is a highly successful author, academic and journalist, and will no doubt go on to achieve even greater things. On the other hand, the future looks less rosy for Scotsman hack Gerri Peev, who may soon discover that people aren’t so willing to talk to her anymore.
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Nonsense and at best wishful thinking. All it shows is that you cannot trust some elements of the British press, some of whose ethics are dubious, I’m afraid. They have a quite awful reputation overseas, but Ms. Power hadn’t caught up with that. As for the Canadian event, I am tempted to think it might have been deliberate. That is, Obama wanted it known that he was sound on trade. He knew he wasn’t going to win Ohio, but the reassurance of the really powerful people on Wall Street etc was much more important.
Obama might be on his back foot at the moment, but that’s because Hillary has not been pressed by the media on important matters, like her tax return, to mention only one item. Hillary Clinton is a flawed candidate and should not be President. Obama is a grown-up.
It is a shame that someone of the calibre of Miss Power made such a rudimentary error, nevertheless, she should not have resigned. She makes an impressive contribution to Obama’s foreign policy arsenal. Moreover, in the cut and thrust of the coming battle between Obama and Clinton her remarks will seem relatively mild. This battle will, unfortunately, do little for the prospects of either candidate in defeating Senator McCain. Getting down and dirty is easy, clambering out from such a pit can be difficult.
And British journalism is … show business for head lice ?
Soggy scoops are the bedrock of the industry. If enough journos had been doing their job properly, there might have been no war in the first place ?
I agree with Robert, pervy peev’s career trajectory may sky-rocket
When still a young turk on the Speccy, Dominic Lawson pulled a similar nasty on then tory MP Nicholas Ridley
The result for the oft-touted excuses of democracy and the public have a right to know ? Politicians now refuse to genuinely engage with our press other than via leaks, while Lawson went on to edit one of the broadsheets
Prospect might lead the way with an on-line petition to persuade Samantha Powers to reconsider her hasty decision ?
Meantime, here’s another great Sam to cheer us along
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uZx2JF-IMc
[...] the odd hiccup, barring a total collapse of the Obama campaign, one stark truth faces Hillary Clinton’s bid for [...]
Addendum
Naturally, our much beloved , pure and pathologically independent Prospect ( which anyway seems more like a thinking mans club than a journal ) uses a fine-toothed flea comb and generally remains lice
( and sadly vice ) proof at all times