Joe Klein: Glenn Greenwald "Thoroughly Dishonorable" For Leaking My Off-The-Record Emails

On Monday, Salon writer Glenn Greenwald published an off-record email exchange on his personal blog, which has since caused a bit of an uproar in the journalism community. (He also tweeted about it.) The key email, written by Time magazine's Joe Klein, included some very sharp words about Greenwald:

As for Greenwald, he knows little about politics, less about journalism and cares not a whit about the national security of the United States. I find the Limbaugh-like, knee-jerk devotion of his flock depressing.

The emails from Klein were written to an off-the-record email group called Journolist, comprised of several hundred journalists, policy wonks and academics -- which Greenwald is not a part of.

Klein has responded on his blog at Time, calling Greenwald a "thoroughly dishonorable person" for releasing the emails:

I agree with Greenwald on some things, and appreciate his insights on others. But he is a thoroughly dishonorable person--as he proved by releasing my private emails--and, when it comes to his oft-trumpeted belief in the right to privacy, a stone hypocrite as well.

Comments

[RumiSouth]

MEMO FROM EARTH TO JOE KLEIN:

You cannot hit the "send" button to hundreds of people with ANY expectation of privacy. That is not how the world works. In fact, that's not how the world worked BEFORE email.

"In the age of the leak and the blog, of evidence extraction and link discovery, truths will either out or be outed, later if not sooner. This is something I would bring to the attention of every diplomat, politician and corporate leader: the future, eventually, will find you out. The future, wielding unimaginable tools of transparency, will have its way with you. In the end, you will be seen to have done that which you did."

-- William Gibson, author of "Neuromancer"

[longnow]

I think the former journalistic version of a Bush Dog, Joe Klein, is going after the wrong person
if he thinks Greenwald is just one of them "nasty", "nutty" unprofessional blogger types.
This is what you have to say if you're part of the print media establishment and
we all remember what Klein had to do to get there... anonymously writing a book
about the private life of Clinton.

[Balzac]

Joke Line was caught engaged in a whisper campaign against Glenn Greenwald. That was dishonorable, conspiratorial, and sneaky. One of the journalists from "journolist" passed it on and Greenwald found out and busted his chops.

Joke Line is embarrassing himself by whining and attacking Glenn Greenwald. First he stabs Glenn Greenwald in the back, then he's confronted and he tries to stab him in the chest. Joke Line is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

[Ikkru]

Greenwald didn't go far enough in his evisceration of Klein, failing to mention that the author of "Primary Colors" denied that fact repeatedly before being outed.

[jealousmonk]

Joe Klein is a lazy, uninformed opinionist whose only worth is his "specialness" as part of the MSM opinionati while Glenn Greenwald is a tenacious blood hound of a reporter who writes about what our politicians and the establishment media that cover them say, write and do. He holds them accountable. Crybaby Klein is no match for Greenwald because he can't stand the glare of anyone actually reading what he writes, listening to what he says and watching what he does.

Klein should fall on his sword. Since he is not that honorable, Time should fire him. I'm not holding my breath.

Seriously, read the articles and the commentary on BOTH blogs. Greenwald also links to the blog by Aimie, I.F. Stone's granddaughter, which is a hilarious recounting of her encounter with the pompous, clueless Klein.

Greenwald's rebuttal of Klein's blog is not linked to above. Find it here:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/09/01/klein/index.html

[111]

On the Salon site Greenwald clarifies, "...a political rant in front of strangers on a beach and an insult fest sent to hundreds of journalist­s..." is what Klein is referring to as private communications. As others have pointed out posting to a listserv is not a private email and badmouthing Greenwald to people you don't know at a party is a sure way to have those comments get back to him.

Joe Klein, in addition to masquerading as a journalist, sounds like a fool with bad manners and no integrity.

[seasandcakes]

The comment section for Klein's reply is absolutely priceless. Make some popcorn and settle in for the long read, some very, very fine gems. Seriously hysterical.

[RationalAgent]

The unrelenting logic, facts, wit, and humor are truly priceless. Definitely something worth checking out.

(scroll down for blog comments)
http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/08/31/glenn-greenwald/

[evekendall]

"Very, very fine gems," indeed. Talk about getting your a$$ kicked by your own readers! Thanks for the link.

[grumbles]

the shoe, me thinks, is on the other foot......­. Mr Klein, do you really want to talk about dishonorable journalism?????

[slippery pete]

Joe Klein has finally hit rock bottom. His disdain for real journalism is no longer thinly veiled. His failure to see how horribly and utterly flawed his argument is in this case is nothing short of astonishing. His views of journalism as displayed in this exchange are nothing short of....well­....un-Ame­rican quite frankly!

[needlefingers]

Things are bad when the press censors.

[Oonagh]

Never put it in writing...­. you don't want to see it again, never put it in writing.

[cyrano1]

One would think Klein, with all of his experience, would be bright enough to not hit the "send" button if he was worried that the contents would fall into the wrong hands.

Duh!!

[charleshugh]

Imagine if this were a "private" email between a group of politicians, bankers, etc.

Would the anyone in the media hesitate to publish them?

Media is just as powerful as any other group. I don't understand why they should get any more protection from prying reporters than any other group.

[MJS]

Methinks the beltway doth protest too much.

++++

[iburl]

"The Right To Privacy" is not equal to the right to slag a Journalist to HUNDREDS of other journalists. However, my right to privacy to speak to my wife on the phone about personal matters is relevant, and that is the right that Bush and Obama have stolen from us.

[Decipherer]

Leave Obama out of it, if you don't mind.