06.25.11
The Curse of Michele Bachmann
It’s no secret that the big mainstream media often rips off journalists at smaller net publications as well as bloggers. However, it’s still startling when you see someone with a sterling reputation caught at it.
In this case, it’s Rolling Stone’s famous reporter Matt Taibbi and editor Eric Bates, for the former’s piece on GOP presidential hopeful, Michele Bachmann.
The Awl, a Minnesota altie, excoriates Rolling Stone and Taibbi for not attributing much of the detail and color research, which had appeared previously in a variety of smaller venues — including blogs, that went into the Bachmann piece.
The backlash against the lashing out against presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has already begun. Following the Palin blueprint, Bachmann plans on fully leveraging the negative publicity with her base: they see leftist attacks as a point of pride and an indication of strength.
This outpouring of disgust is coming at the expense of the excellent local bloggers in Minnesota who have long tracked and fact-checked Bachmann. Their work will be the uncredited foundation of probably every Bachmann hit piece you’ll read between now and 2012. It’s begun with the self-destructive chewing-out that Matt Taibbi gave Bachmann in Rolling Stone …
The parade of uncredited use of material from Ripple in Stillwater [blog], and several other Minnesota blogs that have dogged Bachmann for years now, is likely to continue as well. Publications such as the Minneapolis City Pages and the Dump Bachmann blog have been the original sources of numerous stories about Bachmann’s career foibles.
For example, in the Rolling Stone piece, Taibbi writes …
The Awl then back-to-backs originals from original Minnesota small media sources and Taibbi’s piece.
They effectively point out the total lack of proper attribution.
Rolling Stone editor Eric Bates is questioned about it and gives a lame excuse not worth repeating.
Last week, Taibbi used his Bachmann source as the basis for his first appearance on Olbermann’s Countdown as a regular contributor.
“I can’t believe he ever came here,” one of the source who was not attributed, , blogger Karl Bremer told the Awl. “Actually, he didn’t: Taibbi confirmed to me that he never set foot in Minnesota for the piece,” it ends.
The curse of Michele Bachmann put the voodoo to Matt Taibbi.