I recently commented on WAPO's revision of their own article to tone down implications critical of VP Cheney (Can there be an explanation for WAPO...) and further analysis by our members identified more extensive revision towards the article's altered tone. One of us contacted the WAPO ombudsman with those concerns and received the following reply to those who contact her on this issue:

I haven't found anything sinister here. They edited the story between editions and are continuing to report on this.

This explanation from the WaPo explains nothing. Removing an anonymous, but sourced quote that suggests the Vice President of the United States may have been involved with Scooter Libby's outting of Valerie Plame, without any explanation, is not an edit: it's a very quiet retraction and retelling of an important story. Perhaps Ombudsman Howell needs additional motivation, in the form of more queries from WaPo readers.

You can do this by sending an email to Ombudsman Howell:

To: ombudsman@washpost.com

Subject: Changes to Barton Gellman page A1 October 30, 2005 article



Dear Ombudsman Howell,

The initial, published version of "A Leak, Then a Deluge" by Barton Gellman, on page A1 of the October 30, 2005 Washington Post, is significantly different from the current online version. In particular, someone deleted a reference to the involvement of Vice President Cheney in the leak which led to the indictment of I. Lewis Libby. Additional changes minimize the potential scope of this scandal.



Because no correction has been issued your paper, I and other readers feel we would be well served if the Washington Post would let us know the reasons for these differences between the initial version of the article and the version now posted online. As the Washington Post's ombudsman, I look to you to ensure the newspaper's actions are publicly explained to both online and print readers.



Thank You



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or by calling her at 202-334-7582.

If we don't apply pressure for overdue answers, my tagline can only emigrate from the state of Rhetorica to the state of Reality:

With friends like the press, who needs dictators?

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