T A B L E+T A L K Have we learned anything at all? Discuss the lessons of Impeachment '99 in the Politics area of Table Talk   Find deep discounts and great selection on the books you need to read at barnesandnoble.com Search by:  Keyword Title Author       R E C E N T L Y Sex and the single intern By Richard Goldstein What does it mean that the president preyed upon an employee half his age? (02/19/99) A new racial era for San Francisco schools By Joan Walsh A court settlement ending the city's 16-year experiment in desegregation marks acceptance of California's new racial realities (02/18/99) Fear of fluoride By Mark Hertsgaard and Philip Frazer Questions about the safety of this cavity-fighting chemical aren't just for right-wing conspiracists anymore (02/17/99) Bull's-eye By Bruce Shapiro The Brooklyn lawsuit that rocked the gun industry changes the argument from gun control to corporate responsibility (02/16/99) Mommie dearest By Gary Kamiya Linda Tripp, America's favorite back-stabber and ghoul, kicks off her long-awaited National Rehabilitation Tour '99 (02/13/99) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
		THE UGLIEST STORY YET | PAGE 1, 2, 3 - - - - - - - - - - Clearly, Rabinowitz's coup was getting an interview with Broaddrick, who has refused to talk with any other reporters besides Myers. But her concept of corroboration is a little weak, relying solely on friends and family members to whom Broaddrick told the story. Rabinowitz makes much of the fact that Broaddrick recalls looking out her hotel room window with Clinton at an old jail house and hearing him say that when he became governor he was going to renovate the place (an ironic memory, given the prison scandals that rocked Clinton's term as governor). "The building was later torn down," Rabinowitz reports breathlessly, "but in the course of their searches, NBC's investigators found proof that, as Mrs. Broaddrick said, there had been such a jail at the time." NBC officials declined to comment on the story, except to say it was "still alive," in the words of Lisa Myers. But a network source told Salon that while Broaddrick seems "credible," NBC is still trying to get "independent" corroborating evidence. "I have a hard time being critical of a news organization if their rationale for holding an interview is to be sure that it reflects an accurate story," says Sandra Baron, executive director of the Libel Defense Resource Center and a former attorney for NBC News. Other news organizations don't adhere to NBC's newsgathering standards. Matt Drudge began airing the Broaddrick charges after NBC stalled the story, accusing the network of political cowardice. Six days after Myers' interview with Broaddrick, Drudge charged, "White House pressure has network brass on pause," alleging that a "civil war" had broken out within NBC over whether to run the story, with Tom Brokaw allegedly threatening to quit if Myers' interview ran. Fox News then aired Broaddrick's allegations Feb. 3, complete with her friend's tale of swollen lips and torn pantyhose, dispensing with the formality of interviewing Broaddrick herself. Rounding out the conservative pressure campaign, the Moonie-owned Washington Times then reported on alleged White House attempts to block the Fox story. Will the Wall Street Journal story liberate other media organizations to pursue the Broaddrick allegations? Not so far. The story was briefly mentioned Friday morning on ABC's "Good Morning America," when Charles Gibson commented that it was "strange" and "curious" that the well-worn tale had appeared on the paper's editorial page instead of its news pages. SALON | Feb. 20, 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Clinton in Crisis Salon's complete coverage of the investigation, impeachment and trial of the president.