Why It's Called Muckraking

There's a slimy, smelly, exploitative side of journalism that the elite, effete members of the Fourth Estate would rather we not witness. It's called sources, and it's displayed in rancid detail in today's LATimes expose of alleged buy-offs of women who could embarrass Gov. Schwarzenegger.

Here's the tell-tale paragraph:

If American Media was buying exclusive rights to the women's stories, said the person, who has a confidentiality agreement with the company and spoke on condition of anonymity, "why didn't the stories run? That's the obvious question."

What sort of person who is bound by a confidentiality agreement leaks a story and documents to a paper, like the LAT, that has shown it's more than happy to trash our governor?

LAT reporters Peter Nicholas and Carla Hall probably were torn between revulsion and excitement as they buttered up their source. Ashamed of themselves for losing the nobility they thought came with journalism, exited by bloodlust of taking down a biggie.

Who knows what fueled their source? Anger and a bruised ego, most likely, just as it fired Mark Felt. Chances are in this case the anger is directed at American Media, not Schwarzenegger himself, but at American Media, or someone at American Media.

The story is no Air America or Monica Lewinsky. But the media so dislikes Arnold, with his Kennedy wife, monster Hummer and disgraceful Republicanism, that they'll do their best to keep the story alive -- even if Arnold pretty much admitted on day one of the campaign that his enemies would bring up affairs.