Or, maybe they are! Or maybe Glenn Beck is right and George Soros and Barack Obama are organizing the Islamic Caliphate to kidnap all of us and throw us into concentration camps and/or ovens!!! WE DON'T KNOW DO WE??? IS THERE ANY PROOF THIS ISN'T HAPPENING????
Sigh.
A diary at the top of the Rec list right now features an article from www.examiner.com. A quick Google search tells me this about www.examiner.com:
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Examiner.com is a media company based in Denver, Colorado, that operates a network of local news websites, allowing "pro–am contributors" to share their city-based knowledge on a blog-like platform
In other words....it's a blog! It's a media aggregate site. It's a open source platform where pro-am (aka "pro-amateur") pseudo-journalists get paid by the click. And those pro-am pseudo-journalists probably know that a story with a sensational headline like "'Occupy' crackdowns coordinated with federal law enforcement officials!!!!1!!" is gonna get some clicks!
The article has NO evidence, other than ONE "anonymous source". That does not pass the sniff test in terms of journalistic integrity in any major publication, or Daily Kos for that matter. I can't help but notice that no other outlets are running with this story. So, why are we?
I come to Daily Kos because I think it has some of the finest writing on the internet. I use this as my primary news source. I trust the system of community moderation to separate the real from the fake. It does not seem to be working today. It's not just this one diary either-this whole place is rampant with wild speculation and CT.
I understand that people are upset about what happened this morning. I am too. I'm furious, and I want answers. But when we take questionable journalism like this at face value, we are doing ourselves and OWS a grave disservice. And when we have people in the comments scared of being thrown into FEMA camps and even floating the suggestion of embarking on a coup (!!!) we are veering on World Nut Daily territory.
Seriously, everyone just take a deep breath. Check your sources. Really, we are better than this.
That's all.
8:17 PM- First and only update:
1. I'm not calling out the diarist as much as I'm calling out the fact that it was on the rec list for hours, full of CT comments. It was painful to read.
2. The story may very well be true. I never said that it unequivocally wasn't. The point is we don't know.
3. If you are bitching about my title not being true, check yo snark-o-meter
4. We are the 99%
5. So stop being 01000101's to each other.
10:39 PM EST - Rick Ellis appears to be backtracking on his story a bit:
Also, it's been pointed out to me in the comments that "The Guardian" has included this story in their coverage. They have, but with this minor caveat:
This story has had some traction online, but it should be pointed out that Examiner.com, while having the appearance of a newspaper website, is a platform on which users can post copy that hasn't gone through an editing process, and the story is based on a single, anonymous source.
They also have this update:
9.23pm: More on the story I quoted at 6.05pm about potential FBI involvement in co-ordinating the various Occupy crackdowns.
MSNBC has confirmed that 11 mayors participated in a conference call this week, but deny collusion.
"It was more like a therapy session," Amy Ruiz, spokesman for Portland, Oregon, mayor Sam Adams, told msnbc.com on Tuesday about the Nov. 10 call.
Another "conversation" about Occupy Wall Street was held in early October, the Denver mayor's office told NBC station KUSA.
"The conversation was focused on general information-sharing and best practices surrounding the challenges and opportunities this unique situation presents to every city," Amber Miller told KUSA.
The post on examiner.com – which, despite appearances, is not a regular news website with editors who check reporters' copy – is only the platform on which the FBI allegation has appeared.
Also, yes I am aware that Micheal Moore and Keith Olbermann discussed this tonight. I haven't seen it yet. But according to what I'm reading about the episode from people here, they were speculating based on the examiner article.
I have stated repeatedly-if the story pans out, I'll have no trouble admitting I was wrong. But right now, seems really hinky to me.