Joe Scarborough of MSNBC lost his shit Monday, which is not news. But why he was ranting might be.
In a segment about Rudy Giuliani on the Morning Joe show, Scarborough railed against the endless leaks springing from federal investigations, leaks that do not lead to indictments. Most recently, he said, he’d been told to eat lunch at his desk because charges were imminent against Matt Gaetz and Giuliani. But each call, he brayed, resulted in bupkis.
“If they got a case, then bring the charges and try the case!” he shrilled. “Why do they keep leaking to all these news agencies ‘Oh we’re investigating…’ Don’t tell us what you’re investigating! Investigate it, bring the charges or don’t bring the charges. What happens if they don’t bring charges against Rudy? This hangs over his head! At what point do they stop leaking inside the FBI and just do their damn job?!”
Good question, Joe. We could probably ask the same of you. And us.
The legal wonk on Joe’s show was a bit shell-shocked by the verbal mortar, and pointed out that it’s not just the FBI that leaks. Leaks come from prosecutors, defense attorneys, prospective defendants — anyone within the scope of the investigation, he said.
Or maybe, Joe, you’ve got bad sources.
If a tipster promises a story that doesn’t materialize, that tipster should lose stock in your reporting. Who forced you to run a speculative story? Do you not have a choice in the matter?
It’s certainly salacious (and fun) to see the legal sword of Damocles dangle over the necks of political scumbags. But the outlets that run speculation, that seek shelter in the word “allegedly,” are being as cavalier as the agencies they cover.
It’s easy to see why it happens. When you have 24-hour news channels, but not 24 hours of news, the outlets can’t help themselves. They will Silly Putty stories into existence.
It’s not fake news: No one is saying the bus crashed when it didn’t. It’s fretful news: “Did you hear the bus brakes are being inspected? They could give at any moment!”
Vegetarianism is all the rage, especially here. (Personally, I’m not a vegan, but I think the chickens and cows I eat are.) So I suggest a vegetarian news diet. As an old newspaper man, the arduous task of printing news on parchment demanded a time delay for news confirmation, and a trimming of marbled news content.
That’s not an option in a digital age. So why not a leaner news diet, one that’s been processed? Even dining on YouTube select cuts (where I found Scarborough’s rant) limits how much you ingest. Sites like Politico and The Daily Beast may not be the sentinels of journalism, but they can run only so many stories. Ultimately, they have to exercise some discretion.
But the 24-7’s are like a burrito buffet at 7-Eleven. Eat whenever you want, as much as you want. At some point, though, you’re going to get fat. Maybe diabetes.
Scarborough finished his belch with a quote from the U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Reagan. “It’s like that old Ray Donovan question ‘Where do I go to get my reputation back?'”
Again, good question, Joe.
