"I am crediting you with being the first to really report on the 'gunwalking' scandal and for covering it extensively on your blog," a student at a prominent law school who is doing a paper on Fast and Furious congressional investigations wrote to me. He then asked me for my take on two fundamental points:
- How well have the Republicans pursued this investigation, i.e., has it been effective politically?
- What are yout thoughts on the use of new-media tools (such as the blogosphere and Twitter, where Darrell Issa and his staff are quite active) to further the storyline?
Good questions, and it's nice to see the topic being explored in legal academia. I thought I'd share my answers with Gun Rights Examiner readers:
First, Mike Vanderboegh must receive his share of credit--he is really the first citizen journalist who noticed and reported on the discussions happening at CleanUpATF.org. This is a summary of our work so far. More specifics are available at my WarOnGuns blog--click on any of the (eight so far) Journalist's Guide icons in the left sidebar.
The fact that it's Republicans pursuing this investigation points to an essential problem at the heart of things--I have no idea if Brian Terry was a Republican or a Democrat. Why should it matter? He was an American who died protecting all of us. Yet the Democrats in Congress have proven more interested in protecting their administration than getting to the truth.
In terms of being effective politically, I believe Issa is pushing things as far as he can within the confines of his power, administration stonewalling, resistance from administration allies in Congress, and the shameless behavior of establishment media throughout. This is compounded by some Republicans who may not be versed in the details but who know a political opportunity when they see one--thus the calls for Eric Holder to resign may score political points, but can actually ensure that justice is ultimately denied.
I believe what is ultimately called for is a truly independent counsel--not one reporting to DOJ, as current law provides, because that can create a fox/henhouse situation, and we've already seen many indications of the current OIG investigation being politically limited and compromised--which means Congress needs to re-up the office that expired in 1999. That will be the test of whether or not they have been effective, in my opinion.
In re new media, I believe Gunwalker is a milestone of sorts, because it truly is a major story that had to be brought to the networks and newspapers, and they still resist reporting on it at all, let alone not embedding their reporting with their own agenda. I believe it shows the monolith press is no longer the sole gatekeeper for information, as the internet has given us a way to bypass them. I've documented time and again how Mike and I have beaten them, with all their resources, to the punch, and also how they have acted more like collaborators than journalists.
That they still are trying to be the ones to set memes in motion is evident by the APs list of top ten stories for 2011: Fast and Furious didn't make the cut. That led me to observe:
There’s another big story the Fourth Estate Fifth Columnists missed for 2011: Their growing, self-created irrelevance, and how in spite of their deliberate indifference, coupled with agenda-driven manipulation, they are no longer the sole gatekeepers of information.
So leave it to them to put a positive spin on the fact that they’re overwhelmingly distrusted. And welcome to the dawning of the age of the “unauthorized journalist.”
Also see:
- A Journalist’s Guide to ‘Project Gunwalker' for a complete list with links of independent investigative reporting and commentary done to date by Sipsey Street Irregulars and Gun Rights Examiner. Note to newcomers to this story: “Project Gunrunner” is the name ATF assigned to its Southwest Border Initiative to interdict gun smuggling to Mexico. “Project Gunwalker” is the name I assigned to the scandal after allegations by agents that monitored guns were allowed to fall into criminal hands on both sides of the border through a surveillance process termed “walking” surfaced.
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Spead the word
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