(image via emol.org)
The story behind how VF scooped the Washington Post is almost as interesting as the actual scoop. We can already hear Howie Kurtz's urgent moans of journalistic ecstasy all the way from DC (Gee, guess what this weeks Reliable Sources will be dedicated to? Hmm?). From Tom Scocca of the salmon colored weekly:
"The small circle of staffers who edited and laid out the story signed non-disclosure agreements, said David Friend, the magazine�s editor of creative development and the editor of the piece.
Mr. Friend said that he and editor Graydon Carter had dummied the piece into the July issue under the working title 'Wig,' a semi-allusion to 'Watergate.'
"'Graydon and I would refer to it as Wig," Mr. Friend said. 'We would say W for Woodward. We would say The Guy for Felt.'"
In a city that has a reputation of not keeping secrets, it is amazing that the identity of Deep Throat was kept on the down low for so many years. What's more, it is astonishing mediawise that The Washington Post -- the paper that actually sunk Nixon and cooperated with Deep Throat -- could be scooped on his identity by a monthly magazine. Ponderous! According to The Old Gray Lady:
"'As we got close to publication, we faced a conundrum,' (Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter) wrote. 'If we called Woodward, assistant managing editor of The Post, to verify the identity of Deep Throat, he could rush into print his own article about the source's identity, well in advance of our own. Checking the story with his former partner Carl Bernstein (a Vanity Fair contributing editor) posed a similar problem.'
"So, Mr. Carter wrote, 'we didn't call either of them - realizing that for 33 years they have consistently refused to divulge their source's name anyway - and we chose, instead, to verify the facts surrounding this amazing tale of intrigue and courage as best we could, using alternative and overlapping sources.'"
And quoth Ben Bradlee:
"'It really landed on us,' said Benjamin C. Bradlee, The Post's executive editor during the Watergate era. 'I had no idea it was coming.'"
Somewhere in Georgetown, the social overlord Sally Quinn is braining Ben Bradlee, screaming at him for dropping the motherfucking ball. And, Nora Ephron, the ex of the philandering Carl Bernstein, (so ably played by Meryl Streep in "Heartburn"), riffs in The HuffPost (link via WowReport, the creators -- ironically enough -- of "Inside Deep Throat") about it all. And Woodward is rushing his own tome out.
We can't wait for Thursday's Washington Post
5 comments:
this is getting mucho buzz on web logs to-day (at least the ones I read). Woodward originally wrote Felt in as MF (short for my friend) but Bradlee deemed it too close for comfort, thus the Deep Throat reference.
have you heard the Nixon and Haldeman tape? They both refer to Felt as "the FBI leak" and Haldeman advises against prosecution for fear of Felt's de-cloaking to the media. It's incredible. The White House knew who it was all along.
Yeah, in a way this is the biggest media stories of the decade. The press has been waiting on this for a generation. I have to hand it to Graydon, he ate Ben Bradlee's lunch on this.
I've never heard the Nixon-Haldeman tape, but I cannot imagine someone as paranoid as Nixon and having the resources of the office of the President not knowing.
I'm particularly fascinated that Pat Buchanan -- with a canine sense of loyalty -- is attacking a 91 year old man in the manner he is.
NBC Nightly News aired the Nixon/Haldeman tape last night. Perhaps they'll re-roll it? Fascinating stuff.
Buchanan is a first-class prick. He was being trashed (in as gentlemanly way as possible) by Brokaw and Russert both, this morning. I worked for many years with Buchanan's sister, Bay, on "Equal Time" (also co-hosted by Dee Dee Myers). Bay is a carbon-copy of her brother. They are both insufferable swine.
VF scooped The WP? I don't think so. The WP could have broken this story in 1999 when Felt told Woodward he was ready to come out of the cold. However, Woodward felt that Felt was not in control of his facilities. If the WP got scooped, at least they have their integrity.
All the VF did was get a family friend (Coleman) to rat out Felt. For cash. This story should have been left alone until Felt was died.
Granted, technically VF did not "scoop" the WP as they always knew the identity of Depp Throat. But Graydon beat Ben Bradlee to the punch. How else does one account for the big after-the-fact WP story today? Deep Throat decided he would rather talk to VF than WP, where, one would think, the story ought to have ended.
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