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: Lawbeat

Innuendo watch: Jackson gets Blago'd

By Mark Obbie

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Jesse Jackson Jr. is rightfully a key figure in second-day coverage of the Rod Blagojevich scandal. But too many reports have unfairly buried Jackson in buzzwords and innuendo that will forever link his name to public corruption, and the only proof made public so far is the unchecked, surreptitiously taped word of Blagojevich himself. Hardly a reputable source.The coverage generally lays out the facts known so far -- that Jackson is "Senate Candidate 5" from the FBI affidavit, that he denies wrongdoing and is cooperating with the investigation, and that only Blago's words implicate Jackson or his allies in a pay-for-play scheme -- but those details are overshadowed by headlines and ledes that play an old and disreputable game: the casual smear. The worst offender today is The Wall Street Journal, which leads A1 with this guilt-by-association classic:

Graft Case Touches Jackson Jr.

The lede on the triple-bylined story by Jonathan Weisman, Clare Ansberry, and Douglas Belkin plays the same game:

The scandal surrounding Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's alleged attempt to sell President-elect Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat widened on Wednesday, threatening to taint a rising Democratic star and pull in one of the nation's biggest labor unions.

Others' headlines (and these are all Web site versions; I don't know if they differ in print) are more cautious:

Officials Say Jackson Was 'Candidate 5' in Blagojevich Case - New York TimesRep. Jackson Denies Offer Of Favors for Senate Seat - Washington PostSenate Candidate 5 Controversy: Jesse Jackson Jr. denies wrongdoing: Congressman says he never sent emissary or offered deal to governor to name him to U.S. Senate seat - Chicago TribuneRep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is 'Senate Candidate 5' in Blagojevich criminal complaint: 'I am not a target of this investigation,' U.S. rep says, rejecting claim an 'emissary' offered to help gov raise $1 mil. - Chicago Sun-Times

But some of their ledes wade into the swamp with the Journal. The Times says Jackson "found himself tangled up on Wednesday in the fallout...." The Sun-Times says the Blago tapes "have landed U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in the middle of a federal investigation...." This reminds me of an old FBI trick: labeling men as "mafia associates" or "linked to the mob" in public documents that reporters then could quote without legal jeopardy -- and without bothering to question the assumptions and evidence. Here, at least, we know the evidence that's been revealed so far. And so we should keep our enthusiasm for "touches" and "taint" and "tangles" in check.

Full post as published by Lawbeat on December 11, 2008 (boomark / email).