Comments on: Abramoff Bought Cato Columnist Doug Bandow

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 13:50:33 +0000

Don: Yep, I always knew that went on. I always presumed that if the author was a general/flag officer, a cabinet secretary, or higher it was unlikely to have actually been penned by them. Presidents don't write their own speeches, either. But that's really something different--essentially writing a report for the boss. And the boss isn't really taking credit for his skill with words, just conveying the message he wanted. In these cases, though, the reader gets the impression that some syndicated columnist or think tank expert has come to an honest conclusion. The "boss" in this case is not just buying wordsmithing and technical expertise but the cloak of someone else's reputation. It apparently is common practice but one that just feels wrong.

By: Donald Sensing

Donald Sensing — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 04:05:25 +0000

Well, I used to write op-eds for others' bylines all the time when I was on the Army staff. My writing appeared under the names of officials from the SecArmy on down.

Man, I could have been free-lancing this kind of work? Dang, wish I'd known!

By: John Cole

John Cole — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 03:02:37 +0000

Someone convene a blogger ethics panel.

By: oldtom

oldtom — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 22:42:37 +0000

After the stories of NIH scientists being retained/compensated by drug co.'s and college profs submitting op eds that they didn't write, I've presumed that most pundits or "authorities" were being paid by someone with a dog in the fight. Disclosure would be best, but if there's no fig leaf, why would K Street pay?

By: Anderson

Anderson — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 20:43:42 +0000

Well, anyone who wants to buy my commenting skills knows where to find me.

By: Davod

Davod — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 18:54:03 +0000

I hope this is the first of many journalistic revelations.