Why due diligence is neccessary when anyone goes to the press with an accusation

[ehrnst]

A woman who falsely claimed to The Washington Post that Roy Moore, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Alabama, impregnated her as a teenager appears to work with an organization that uses deceptive tactics to secretly record conversations in an effort to embarrass its targets.

In a series of interviews over two weeks, the woman shared a dramatic story about an alleged sexual relationship with Moore in 1992 that led to an abortion when she was 15. During the interviews, she repeatedly pressed Post reporters to give their opinions on the effects that her claims could have on Moore’s candidacy if she went public.

The Post did not publish an article based on her unsubstantiated account. When Post reporters confronted her with inconsistencies in her story and an Internet posting that raised doubts about her motivations, she insisted that she was not working with any organization that targets journalists.

But on Monday morning, Post reporters saw her walking into the New York offices of Project Veritas, an organization that targets the mainstream news media and left-leaning groups. The organization sets up undercover “stings” that involve using false cover stories and covert video recordings meant to expose what the group says is media bias.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/a-woman-approached-the-post-with-dramatic--and-false--tale-about-roy-moore-sje-appears-to-be-part-of-undercover-sting-operation/2017/11/27/0c2e335a-cfb6-11e7-9d3a-bcbe2af58c3a_story.html

One can still "believe women" as a first assumption, however, women are not a monolithic group, they are individuals, and no single rule can be applied to all as such, any more than "mistrust all women who accuse powerful men" can be.

"Listen to all women/assault reporters" is the only rule that applies in all situations. WAPO listened to this woman, evaluated her story and checked it out, and found that she was not credible, was in fact trying to exploit an "all women" rule, and was acting on behalf of a political agenda to discredit the WAPO's reporting on genuine, credible accusers of Roy Moore.

There are those who seek out women in order to coerce them, or pay them to exploit an admonishment that we must "believe every single woman" - This is a new tool being wielded in an age of MeToo, and we need to be aware of it. Thankfully one of Wohl's targets went public with the attempt.

Special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and possibly collusion with President Trump, was the target of a scheme where women were offered money to make up claims of sexual harassment against him.

The plot, which was quickly uncovered by reporters just days before the midterm elections in November, was referred to the FBI for investigation. But now, one of the two men allegedly behind the scheme opened up to USA TODAY about the plot and all the other ways he uses his platform to spread lies to the American public.

Jacob Wohl, a 21-year-old self-professed "political and corporate intel consultant" and supporter of President Donald Trump, told USA TODAY in an interview that he's already plotting ways to discredit Democrats in the 2020 election with lies and other disinformation, using his large following on social media to cause disarray similar to what Russians did during the 2016 election.

Wohl said he was eager to correct the record on the Mueller episode, in which his apparent efforts to disgrace Trump’s foremost adversary ended up unraveling into somewhat of a joke.

It started with emails received by several news outlets in which the sender claimed an intelligence company had tried to pay her to accuse Mueller of sexual misdeeds. A professor produced emails showing that she had also been approached for information by the company.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/26/robert-mueller-hoax-how-jacob-wohl-created-sexual-harassment-plot/2993799002/

There are also anti-choice lawyers trolling women who have had abortions, hoping to find one who had emotional issues prior to the abortion she sought out, who could be convinced that the 'regret' or anxiety that she feels is due to being "coerced" by an abortion provider, and that she should sue the provider for "pressuring her" to have one.

This does NOT mean that women are sheep who can't be trusted know if they want to terminate a pregnancy, nor does it mean that there are no abortion providers who fail to follow the protocols that screen patients who may feel pressured to have an abortion.

It simply means that women are individuals, and some have issues that make them more vulnerable to being pressured and emotionally manipulated by bad actors. Some, as in the case of the Roy Moore "accuser" are simply happy to help a political agenda by false reporting.

If we view women as individuals and respect them as such, we will continue to treat each one as such, and not put all women who report abuse/harassment/assault into one category of all liars or all actual survivors.

Going to one extreme does not cancel out the other extreme.

[Squinch]

1. Shouldn't due diligence ALWAYS be considered necessary by the press?

Isn't that, like, kinda their job??

[ehrnst]

2. Yes it is. And they are being excoriated by many right now for doing exactly that due diligence.

Because many believe that means checking out her story means that 'women' writ large aren't being 'believed' and it's equivalent to calling an accuser a liar.

[brer cat]

3. Thanks you, ehrnst.

Excellent post.

[crickets]

4. Important read -- thanks for posting this, ehrnst. K&R

[still_one]

5. Thanks

[Cha]

6. Thank you, ehrnst.

[la-trucker]

7. Excellent article - thanks for posting!

[GeorgiaPeanut]

8. Summary: Tara Reade is a woman but she is also a fraud.

Just because one is a woman doesn't give 100% credibility.

The "believe women" mantra was created to stop intimidation not to discourage prper vetting of their complaints.

[betsuni]

9. K&R

[DenverJared]

10. I think most of the people spreading this smear now are Bernie supporters

Of course not all Bernie supporters are doing it but enough are to exercise their right to shoot themselves in the foot.

[ehrnst]

16. I think that reporting these accusations is more about rallying die-hard Sanders supporters

Last edited Sun May 3, 2020, 10:39 AM - Edit history (1)

against Biden and the Democratic party and work against him, much like we saw lies being directed at them in the 2016 general election.

The need for confirmation bias and validation for one's anger and disappointment is some strong juju, and easily exploited and directed, as we've seen in the organizing of disgruntled white male conservatives against Democratic governors by gun rights groups.

This may be more of a Russia based than GOP based smear. Looking at Reade's praise of Putin makes me more suspicious - along with the journalist who reported her change of story to one of sexual assualt being a lefty reporter, and not FoxNews.

Besides, the RNC would have been pushing this in 2008 if there had been even a rumor that Biden had been a predator. Men who do things like she states don't do it just once - anyone doing this in a publicly accessible hallway in the Senate building worked up to it with other predatory actions.

[sheshe2]

11. History

Tell That Truth
This bullshyt story about Biden.

” Believe all women?”

I think not.

The pages of history of THIS COUNTRY are littered with the blood of Black men at the end of some White woman’s FALSE ACCUSATION.😠😠

” Believe all women?”

No….uh uh

Not when her story has enough holes to drive a tractor trailer through.

” Believe all women?”

Cause I am supposed to believe that the GOP had this in 2008 AND 2012, but didn’t try to use it.

Get👏the👏ENTIRE👏PHUCK👏OUTTA👏HERE👏

Please, read the rest:https://3chicspolitico.com/2020/05/01/open-thread-tell-that-truth/#more-81849

……………………………………

Some History:

Emmett Till-Accused of flirting/ lewd advances by Carolyn Bryant- Murdered

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213378005

[Cary]

12. K&R

[tblue37]

13. Well said. nt

[Hekate]

14. Agreed

[murielm99]

15. Thanks for posting this.