“They are seeking to harass and embarrass anyone affiliated with the leading news organizations that are asking tough questions and bringing uncomfortable truths to light, “Mr. Sulzberger said. “The goal of this campaign is clearly to intimidate journalists from doing their job, which includes serving as a check on power and exposing wrongdoing when it occurs. The Times will not be intimidated or silenced.

The above is a partial statement from A.G.Sulzberger, publisher of The Times, and was included in an article by Kenneth P. Vogel and Jeremy W. Peterson, also of The Times.

Mr. Sulzberger’s statement and the article in general refer to a reported “…loose network of conservative operatives allied with the White House…”, who are apparently collecting and disseminating unflattering information about “journalists” who have attacked the Trump administration and/or the President, himself. Quoting the article, “The material publicized so far, while in some cases misleading in ways, has proved authentic, and much of it has been professionally harmful to its targets.” The White House claims it had no knowledge of this group or its activities. Until substantiated evidence to the contrary  surfaces, this remains a simple fact.

If I were, for some distasteful reason, to advocate for this “…loose network of conservative operatives”, it would be easy to refer to the old adage, “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”; but there is much more to this.

It is a news journalist’s essential job to ask the tough and uncomfortable questions of leaders because the First Amendment to the Constitution demands checks on governmental power. It is not a journalist’s job to belch up rhetoric from any rumor mill. Stories offered by biased journalists, which include their biases, are unethical from their inception and don’t qualify under the purpose of checks on governmental power. They are a journalistic conflict of interest. Many of The Times’ articles as well as Mr. Sultzberger’s diatribe set themselves far apart from unbiased journalism.

While it is true the three branches of the federal government have power (which have checks and balances built into them), it is also true many news media journalists and organizations also wield great power and influence; perhaps more than the government in certain circumstances. Unfortunately, these powers are free from being constitutionally checked and are subject to the bastardizations of slander, innuendo, rationalizations and false conclusions. Self policing to avoid these pitfalls is impotent or non-existent. Power corrupts. As such, what this “…loose network of conservative operatives…” is doing is exactly what the journalistic media’s mandate is supposed to be, make public that which can be substantiated through established facts rather than opinion.

On the other side of the aisle is FOX NEWS, whose claims of being “Fair and Balanced” are not only untrue, but irrelevent. Facts are not influenced by what is fair or balanced.

Here is a thought for Mr. Sulzberger:

Dear Sir,    Your complaint is without merit. To again simplify by way of an old adage, “What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander.”   Consider your gander appropriately  goosed.