Update: The graphic above came from X, and I used it for convenience. Several commenters have expressed skepticism about the report because I didn’t include a source. I should have, and I apologize. The original story came from the website Semafor, and subsequent reports were published in the NY Post, NPR, Yahoo! and others. That doesn’t mean the story is necessarily true, but the two papers haven’t denied it, which is what one would expect if they didn’t want to put a target on their own metaphorical backs and those of the leakers.
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I would like to think that the two banner-carrying newspapers in the Axis of Unethical Conduct did the right thing because it was the patriotic and ethical thing to do. I don’t believe that, unfortunately.
I believe that the mainstream media finally knows it is on metaphorical thin ice. Despite their attacks on President Trump for calling them—correctly and fairly— “enemies of the people,” they are smart enough to figure out that they have eroded the public’s trust to a perilous degree. Their competence, motives and integrity are in doubt now. Their arrogance and flagrant violations of the most basic tenets of journalism ethics are the cause of that.
In the past, leaking military plans of a controversial President would have been the natural course for these organizations, and they would have stood proudly on “the public’s right to know.” But I think they fear a tipping point after the Biden disability cover-up and the news media’s conspicuous failure to aggressively follow the bread crumbs in the Somali social services fraud scandal. The Times and the Post didn’t do the right thing because it was in the nation’s interest. It did the right thing because they are afraid.
And, ironically, that is also in the nation’s interest,
Ethics Alarms 
That would be a nice turn of events while Trump is in office, but I don’t believe it, not for a moment.
Sounds like a false flag operation from the political left.
Wasn’t there a failed previous operation to do something similar a while ago, maybe 2020-2021; are they trying to conflate this operation with that one thus creating a false narrative related to this operation?
What do you mean? Are you saying that they didn’t know beforehand but are saying they did in order to look virtuous?
I think it’s clear that I’m saying that I don’t believe the narrative presented in the graphic.
Where did that come from?
Who wrote it?
What are they talking about?
They can claim all kind of false things like this and how is anyone going to find out the truth?
I can lie and say I knew something but didn’t report it; how do you prove it’s a false claim?
The NY Post and NPR reported it, among others.
Thanks for the links.
I would be more interested in finding out how they learned of it beforehand. That is the real issue.
Agree. The DOW should be investigating that hard, That the leak(s) didn’t wreck the Maduro operation was just moral luck.
It absolutely should be investigated, but may have a source that isn’t unlawful.
I happened to be in Tacoma, WA on December 19th, 1989. We were there visiting family for Christmas when a massive amount of transports went out of Joint Lewis Amrby base and McCord AFB. There was considerable speculation, but no though among anyone I talked to about broadcasting it out, knowing it would betray US forces. I’m sure it was similar around many other US airbases that day. It turns out that it was indeed leaked and correctly speculated that they were Panamanian bound.
It is absolutely unethical, and unpatriotic to aid the enemy in this way. But not something a private citizen would be prosecuted for.
Sounds like someone is claiming this happened to help salvage the credibility of the papers.
But these are anonymous claims?
I don’t believe it for a second
MW, both the NY Post (a right-leaning paper) and NPR (a leftist propaganda organ) reported the story.
Reporting that “someone claimed” isn’t a verification.
Your skepticism is easily refuted. Remember the chat that illegally leaked top secret strike details to a reporter? That reporter didn’t report the details until AFTER the strike took place, in order to protect US lives. The media has a long history of doing exactly that. There are books about this topic that document numerous examples. It’s not new, it’s not unprecedented, and only your blind hatred of the media would allow a smart person to be utterly ignorant of all the many examples, including one in very recent memory. The media, with some exceptions (they’re human) tend to take the lives of our service members very seriously. And when I say media, I don’t mean Wikileaks or Assange or some random fucktard on Twitter. I mean the MSM.
Two words: Pentagon Papers. Many others, of course. Why would anyone trust the news media at this point? That’s willful blindness. The news media shouldn’t have the option of betraying the military or not. If it publishes a leak, it should be required to reveal the leaker and be held accountable for the damage done by publishing it.
If a lawyer or government official tries to illegally leak information, the news media should be required to report the violation like any law abiding American would, or be regarded as an accomplice. If it uses classified information to the detriment of the government, it should be prosecuted for breaking the law.
The Pentagon Papers were no threat to American lives, covered nothing urgent, and the prior restraint sought by Nixon was turned down by a strong SC majority.
That you have to stretch so far back in history, and find a case that helps my argument, not yours, while you fail to address the recent case that supports my point, demonstrates how dramatically weak your argument is.
What kind of person would give newspapers a beforehand tip about an operation like that?
Communists in the Deep State. Joe McCarthy wasn’t entirely wrong, after all. Pacifists. Mentally disturbed people like Chelsea Manning. Assholes who just want to cause trouble. Self-righteous traitors, like Edward Snowdon and Daniel Ellsberg.
What a world…
Apparently just those kind of folks were tipped off by someone, like the People’s Forum in NY finding out about this action before 2 a.m., right before American boots hit the ground. By 6 a.m., all the usual idiots, like Code Pink, were calling for an emergency protest that day…as if that would change a thing. Gads, I hope Trump has time to start going after these troublemaking internal groups. Being a self-righteous asshole loses its appeal when the guys in the tac vests and headsets come banging on your door, or the guys in the black body armor and visors break your kneecaps with their nightsticks.