A few weeks ago, Oliver Willis went on C-Span with Patrick Ruffini. Glenn Reynolds caught the same comment from O-Dub that several of us did, that, "I'm just not willing to launch a headhunting campaign against someone based on secondhand reports."

Ollie went on to email Glenn: "Now, am I willing to launch a campaign based on firsthand knowledge? You bet."

So now, I am terribly confused.

By quick review of O-Dub's site, I counted at least a dozen posts about Jeff Gannon, including one where he called Gannon a male hooker.

But based upon Oliver's insistence that he wouldn't launch a headhunting campaign on secondhand reports, we are left to assume Oliver has firsthand, personal knowledge to corroborate this claim, correct?

And so I asked Jeff Gannon the following question as an afterthought to several more serious questions in an email interview (which will be mentioned in a CY article on what constitutes a "real" journalist later in the week):

"...how long have you known Mr. Willis, and what can you tell us about your relationship with him?"

Gannon responded:

"I have never met, spoken to or otherwise has any communication with Oliver Willis. I think he stays with the story because he likes to look at all that pictures that are supposed to be me."

• Oliver Willis, last bastion of journalistic integrity and Media Matters employee who picks up a paycheck courtesy of George Soros' deep pockets, doesn't know the difference between firsthand and secondhand information;
• Oliver is willing to report secondhand, thirdhand or even further removed gossip as fact;
• Oliver really thinks he has firsthand knowledge of Gannon, from hours of staring at pictures on the web, as Mr. Gannon opines.

Which answer is it, Ollie?

Update: Oliver responds in the comments.

Update 2: Phin's Blog notices a striking similarity between an orge and a troll.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 02:02 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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