Should the Los Angeles Times Reveal the Khalidi Videotape?

Fox News thinks it has discovered -- or invented -- the October surprise that will change the outcome of the election in John McCain's favor. It is a dud! They have been devoting hours of television time to publicizing John McCain's demand that the Los Angeles Times release a video purporting to show Barack Obama at an event with a rabidly anti-Israel Palestinian academic named Rashid Khalidi. I admit that I would myself like to see the video. But the LA Times obtained it from a source on the express condition that the video itself not be released. The LA Times did run a story disclosing the contents of the video, presumably with the permission of the source, but they have stated that "the Times keeps its promises to sources."

It is important to remember that without this promise of confidentiality stories like this one might not find their way into the public dialogue. This point illustrates the complexity of the relationship between a newspaper and its sources.

A simplistic view of freedom of speech would favor full and timely disclosure of all relevant information regardless of any promises made to a source. The more complex view of freedom of speech holds that unless newspapers keep their promises (and unless the law allows them to keep their promises) there will be less not more information available to the public. Reasonable people can and do disagree about whether the source privilege furthers or hinders the marketplace of ideas. Most experts agree that the First Amendment empowers newspapers to make decisions about this matter. The LA Times has made its decision, whether one agrees or disagrees with it.

The more important point is that the Obama campaign, to my knowledge, has played no role in the decision made by the Times. Indeed, I believe that Barack Obama would be better off if the videotape were released so that the public could actually see it rather than imagine the worse case scenario that Fox is now pushing. I hope we get to see the videotape before the election, but if we don't we should at least understand the considerations that have led the LA Times to make its decision.

Comments

[RegLib]

I suspect the Republicans are hoping the video is not released; they can get much more mileage out of speculation and conspiracy theories; viewing the actual tape would probably be anti-climactic.

[tangelan]

I've read a lot of bad things during this campaign but I think this is the absolute worse.

miles120 wrote:
*Sigh* Have we forgotten that we're in the middle of an economic paradigm implosion? My retirement fund is down 40% in the past eight months, and I'm sure that many others are making plans to work through their "retirement". WHY ARE WE FORCED TO LISTEN TO THIS BANKRUPT BULLS%#T?

webmachiavelli response:
Obviously you are someone who came late to the "retirement" fund game or you wouldn't be stressing over it. My stocks are down but they aren't within double digits of being close to where I bought in at. In other words as a 38-year-old I can still sit on the with the confidence that by the time I am retire all the loss I just incurred will be rebuilt because the market always rebounds.
----------­----------­--------
This is the problem with the Republican party. These are the words of a person with no soul. webmachiavelli, if you didn’t care for miles120’s comments, you didn’t have to respond. The fact that you responded so coldly speaks volumes about your consideration for your fellow man/woman/human. Not everyone is so lucky to as you are. You may not like Barack Obama but his message is noble. I am my brother’s keeper. I’m not religious but I think some people actually need prayer. You need prayer and not the evangelical kind.

[LorettaSingbiel]

"You may not like Barack Obama but his message is noble. I am my brother"s keeper. I"m not religious but I think some people actually need prayer. You need prayer and not the evangelical kind."

I'm not a religious person, but I find myself thinking that OUR Senator Barack Obama so closely emulates their Biblical Jesus. (There are none so blind as THEY who WILL NOT SEE!)

OBAMA/BIDEN '08!
HOPE and CHANGE WE (AND THE WORLD) CAN BELIEVE IN!!!

[IHIRB]

Good job.

I had an email conversation with an acquaintance today that was very similar, and guess which person in the conversation is a minister? Not me. He showed very little concern for those dealing with poverty, which left me speechless.

[BlueAsh]

What's the point of passing a tape to a newspaper if it is not meant to be revealed?

What's the point of revealing having a tape if its content cannot be revealed?

[kensp]

The source provided the tape to the newspaper to prove to them that what he was saying is true. The source agreed to allow the paper to see tape but only for the purpose of corroborating his story and only if they agreed not to publish it. Isn't that obvious?

[Mildmannered]

Prof. Dershowitz:

I urge you to fly down to Florida this weekend and campaign for Obama in the Jewish communities there.

Thank you

[max365]

Frankly, you should be pro-economy right now. If you have enough for yourself, think about your grandchildren. If they have enough, good for you guys. Otherwise think about the thousands already laid off this week and more next week.

Somehow, I don't believe they care about what happened in a room somewhere when they have mortgage due, children in college and bills to pay.

I think it is time to leave stuff like this behind and move on. These times are just too scary.

[webmachiavelli]

I have empathy for people who are made all the right moves and still suffer economic hardships. However it is my experience that the vast majority of people being highlighted made unwise finacial decisions and shouldn't be expecting to be saved by our government. I'm not a fan of subsidies or bailouts from government for businesses so I'm certainly not going to support this style of governing when it comes to individuals.

[Liza2008]

webmachiavelli - Have you never made a mistake? I hope you never do, and that you'll never need a hand pulling yourself back up. No one's advocating recklessness, but this kind of thing happens to the best of us. I'm betting that government and community have helped you in ways you're not even aware of.

Moreover, these bailouts, while unfortunate, are about keeping the entire country from going down, including you and me. Especially economically, we're all connected. We can't pretend that what happens to other people doesn't affect us.

[SherryIndianapolis]

Don't ever get sick.

[reininop]

While I don't have any housing issues I need bailed out from, I do have a healthcare issue, that is entirely not my fault, that I do think I should be bailed out from.

My wife and I recently had twins. No fertility treatment, just luck of the draw. Unfortunately, as most twins are, they were born 6 weeks early and spent 2 and a half weeks in the NICU. They were fine, no major issues, they just had to put on weight. They received nothing but diaper changes, a heated bed, and a feeding tube while they were in there.

We have insurance, but 20% of the 100,000 dollar babysitting bill the NICU charged us is still a lot, a whole hell of a lot more than it should have been.

People like you that have just enough empathy to care, but not enough to think anything should be done about it are the worst kind. You feel just good enough by acknowledging their is a problem, that no further action is necessary.

The truth is, there are a lot of industries that need regulated and they have caused a lot of problems for people that don't deserve it all for the almighty dollar.

[RnR]

What you need to come to grips with is the fact that all the economic hardship being suffered by individuals has been orchestrated by big business as a ruse to take the money of the individuals.

That is the issue. Big business knows its government will transfer the wealth to it, public opinion be damned. The individual, not so much.

[Snowball]

Considering that the LA Times is owned by right wing media mogul Sam Zell, I find it highly improbable that they are withholding the purported tape to aid the Obama campaign. The LA Times is pretty much a right wing rag that ill serves its readership, especially since Zell got a hold of it. I would consider it more likely that there is no such tape. They could have made the whole story up to damage Obama. Even if there were, so what? Being in a room with someone does not mean you endorse their ideas. That's not like McCain meeting with and coddling far right wing mass murderer and dictator Augusto Pinochet when everybody else was meeting with the opposition trying to bring democracy back to the tortured nation of Chile.

[whitegoldwielder]

Money. Someone has been bought off. See...your donations are going to do some good after all. Paying people to do registrations, paying people to vote and now paying people to keep secrets. You are off to a good start and you haven't even won yet.

A page from Bill Clintons book.

[CCverve]

Maybe the funds came via refund from Khalidi
While he served as chairman of the International Republican Institute (IRI), McCain distributed several grants to the Palestinian research center co-founded by Khalidi, including one worth half a million dollars.A 1998 tax filing for the McCain-led group shows a $448,873 grant to Khalidi's Center for Palestine Research and Studies for work in the West Bank. (See grant number 5180, "West Bank: CPRS" on page 14 of this PDF.)

The relationship extends back as far as 1993, when John McCain joined IRI as chairman in January. Foreign Affairs noted in September of that year that IRI had helped fund several extensive studies in Palestine run by Khalidi's group, including over 30 public opinion polls and a study of "sociopolitical attitudes."

[reverendadam]

Here's a fun conspiracy theory I concocted:

What if the source of the Obama-Khalidi video is a McCain supporter (after all, who else would try to "bust" Obama by sending it to the L.A. Times in the first place?) and he or she refuses to let them release it, because the supposed "suppression" hurts Obama more than the tape's release?

In my scenario, McCain's supporter ensured the tape wouldn't be released so that the GOP could spend the weekend screaming that it's not being released. After all, once the tape is released and shows Obama doing exactly what the article said he was doing, the McCain campaign would have lost it's last remaining reason to fake outrage.

Oooh, I like this. I think I might be on to something.

[Snowball]

I think you're onto something there, this smells distinctly Rovian. Kind of like when he bugged his own office to blame his candidate's opponent.

[Edgy]

It's just so sad; we get the opportunity about once in a lifetime to elect a leader who is a good, decent human being with the gift to lead this country and yet Americans seem to want to throw up every roadblock and then some to prevent it from happening.

Let's just elect Barack Obama and roll up our sleeves and get our country back on the right track.

[doctordoubt]

Thank you.

[webmachiavelli]

I'd agree about getting the country back on track except the more federal government plan Senator Obama wants to enact isn't the direction most people seek.

[beenn15]

apparently, most people seem to disagree with you. That's why the election is important... May the best man win... I mean... May Obama win!

[jhw22]

I think the people who don't "get" what Obama's plan is have been the same people who boo Obama's plan at McCain/Palin rallies. What's so funny about those people who boo is that they are the ones the wealth would be spread TO. It's not like the people at the McCain/Palin rallies are people making over $250k -- unless you think the lady who called Obama an Arab is making more than a quarter of a million a year. So the people who boo are booing the idea that rich people should pay a little more in taxes so that the people who boo can pay a little less. So funny.

Jennifer

[whitegoldwielder]

Obama is another Jimmy Carter. A smile and glib talk can't take the place of experience. Even Biden said he is not qualified.

[wandering girl]

well, then, it's a damned good thing he has more to offer than a smile and glib talk, isn't it? even if he can't see Russia from his back door.

[max365]

I believe it is possible to be in the same room with an individual or even have a conversation with that individual without being labelled anti- or pro-anything. Usually, you need to discuss with others before you form an opinion. That is normally how humans get educated.

If I do understand your point correctly, you are saying we need to avoid everyone with a bias? Otherwise, I didn't just get your point.

[Altalena]

It's a no brainer. If the tape was not a problem for Obama they would have released it. Obviously, it would damage his campaign. So, the LA Times, which long ago dropped any pretense of journalistic integrity decides to keep it a secret.

[Ladyvoice]

Obviously you are not employed in the field of journalism. Many, many stories get their foundations in unnamed sources. The reason for this is because people fear repercussions. There are a thousand reasons the source may not want the tape released. Maybe he was there with a girlfriend and he doesn't want his wife to see. Maybe someone made a comment that should be privileged. Maybe the landlord says they can't have dogs, and there is clearly a dog dish in the picture. You don't know, I don't know, and the law says sources don't have to be revealed.

[lafrance]

Maybe it should also be noted in these stories that McCain has given alot of money to this guy.
He really doesn't want to go there unless he is prepared for the fallout on his own head.

[tuttlemsm]

Another "association" story?

ZZZZZZZZZZ­ZZZZZZZ...­..

[webmachiavelli]

You can tell alot about the character of a man by the people he associates with. LIberals want to play it off like this isn't a telling sign that Senator Obama has lack of judgment issue. I'd be inclined to dismiss an association or two because I believe we are better served having friend who aren't exactly like us. However one can not help but wonder why it seems so many of Senator Obama "friends" seem to extreme political ideologies or behave shady.

[SherryIndianapolis]

Except that John McCain gave this man hundreds of thousands of dollars himself....

Can we get THAT EXPLANATION????

[Liza2008]

"So many" = two so far. He has been involved in politics and academia for years - of course he associates with controversial figures. Hang around at a university one of these days - you'll "associate" with a lot of people with views you don't agree with. I've taught classes with people I disagree with completely - does that mean their views are now mine? I worry more about people who isolate themselves from everyone who doesn't agree with them. Like, I don't know, President Bush.

As for "shady" associations, what's your opinion on the Palins' association with the Alaska Secessionist party and McCain's association with Charles Keating? You know why the Obama campaign hasn't made huge issues out of those? Because it's a SMALL, STUPID issue in BIG, IMPORTANT times.

[BobSacomano]

oooooo....­....scary.­..........­be afraid......be very afraid......... what do YOU think he's going to do, make everyone wear turbans and praise Allah? Or possibly take all of our private property AND our guns and make us all slaves to the All Mighty Leader? I mean seriously what do you think the worst scenario ( assuming he even was some sort of 'sleeper cell' ) would be, really?

How do you feel then about Sarah and Todd Palin's ACTUAL MEMBERSHIP with the AIP, a party that was FOUNDED on hatred of the US government, whose leaders are on video (YouTube) saying that she had to become a Republican to 'infiltrate' the US governmant?

[JimMonomoy]

I don't even agree with AD that this is a first amendment issue. Only law enforcement or a judge can compel release and only if there is reasonable expectation that it documents a crime. A candidate's corner or a news network has no standing to make such a demand.

And . . . if law enforcement and/or a judge make such a demand, it cannot be that the video would be released to the general public.

[miles120]

*Sigh* Have we forgotten that we're in the middle of an economic paradigm implosion? My retirement fund is down 40% in the past eight months, and I'm sure that many others are making plans to work through their "retirement". WHY ARE WE FORCED TO LISTEN TO THIS BANKRUPT BULLS%#T?

There's a simple choice next week: "stay the course", and let the wars, economic pillage, and governmental infringement continue; or you can throw this bankrupt slime out the window and at least TRY to make a change.

How can you vote for a man who has no ideas, but just slanders his opponent? He obviously doesn't respect you.

[boogiewoman]

Great Post, Thanks!

[webmachiavelli]

Obviously you are someone who came late to the "retirement" fund game or you wouldn't be stressing over it. My stocks are down but they aren't within double digits of being close to where I bought in at. In other words as a 38-year-old I can still sit on the with the confidence that by the time I am retire all the loss I just incurred will be rebuilt because the market always rebounds.

[Liza2008]

Congratulations, webmachiavelli! You made the "wise financial choice" to be 38 during this devastating market downturn, so you have 30 years to recover! Obviously, the people who happened to be at retirement age right now are stupid and reckless and deserve what they get.

The hubris of Republicans never fails to amaze me. They are perfect, so it's every man for himself. Until something bad happens to them, and then they become...Democrats. As we're finding out now, Republicans in tough economic times are a lot like atheists in foxholes.

[miles120]

webmachiavelli, obviously you are someone who makes reckless judgements about things. When you don't have enough information about a situation, it is reflected in your statements.

Of course the market will rebound, but trillions of dollars of wealth have disappeared. We have created a big hole and it will take years to climb back up to ground level. But then, that wasn't the point of my post, was it?

[whitegoldwielder]

"There's a simple choice next week: "stay the course..."

You mean the course set by Pelosi and Reid?

[SoCalVandal]

By not showing the video the LA times must be hiding something. If Obama were smart, he'd contact the LA times, arrange a meeting with the source and see that it gets released. More than likely this video isn't damaging to Obama, but if this looks like a cover up then imaginations can run wild and assume the worst.

[AuntSally]

I think you missed the point: The newspaper made an express agreement w/ the source not to show the video. It's got nothing to do w/ the LA Times or Obama's wishes, it's the wishes of the source.

[SoCalVandal]

What part of "meet with the source" did you guys not understand?

[reverendadam]

They made a promise to a source and they're keeping that promise. That's what newspapers do or they wouldn't have sources. So why does it mean "they must be hiding something"? Had they wanted to hide it, they'd never have disclosed that they had it. Are people so incapable of understanding the distinction between the suppression of information (they wrote an article about it, that's hardly suppression) and living up to a promise they made in order to secure the tape in the first place?