After the Boston Globe and reporter Michael Kranish reported that they had executed an SF-180 signed by John Kerry and received his full records, Thomas Lipscomb reminded us that the SF-180 had to be executed carefully in order to actually confirm that the records were complete. He went back to the Boston Globe to get a release of the form itself to determine how it was executed -- and the Globe, instead of operating with transparency for its readers, instead opted to stonewall for Kerry instead:

Michael Kranish, the Globe reporter who wrote the front page story about receiving Kerry’s “complete medical and military records,” was not happy at being pursued by my questions about how he had made that determination. Kranish finally sent me the following: “The story speaks for itself. Other media have been given access to the same records, and the Kerry office has said it is accepting requests. Your request should go to them. That is our statement.” It sounds more like a response from a lawyer than a reporter.

And The Boston Globe made several calls to editors at the Chicago Sun-Times, complaining that I was giving them the kind of unpleasant treatment reporters give sources who stonewall on questions about matters they think are of vital public interest. They were right. I was. And those questions got the Globe to admit they had the SF-180 two days later.

What happened to providing full and complete information to their readers? The Boston Globe (owned by the New York Times) appears to have recast their mission into one of advocacy for John Kerry rather than journalism. If so, then the Globe should explicitly state that rather than hide their efforts behind the rapidly-declining credibility of their News section. The SF-180 and the documents uncovered by the Globe should receive the same kind of release that Kerry gave his other military records in order to determine whether Kranish told the truth about it being a complete release, or whether he's hiding something. Failure to provide the evidence strongly suggests the latter.

Read all of Lipscomb's column in E&P.

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It seems that the Boston Globe may have "recast their mission into one of advocacy for John Kerry rather than journalism," according to Ed Morrisey over at Captain's Quarters.... [Read More]

Tracked on June 12, 2005 3:19 PM