Interview With the News Junkie: Part One

Leopold, while working for the Dow Jones Newswire, wrote stories about Enron Corporation’s infamous fake trading floor and how it helped cause the energy crisis in California. As an aggressive reporter regularly making questionable ethics decisions — as we discuss at length in both parts of this interview — Leopold was also hiding his own past from almost everyone around him. While exposing the truth about Enron he — and, by extension, the readers of this book — had his own secrets that could be exposed, and it is those secrets of his past that really made this book, for me at least, gripping reading.

Before becoming well known as a journalist, Leopold not only experimented with drugs but got himself pretty messed up with cocaine. It is this drug past — and the similarity of the feeling of one who is high with the adrenaline rush that comes from a good news scoop — that sparked the book title.

It is also the reason why I’ll probably avoid calling myself a “news junkie” in the near future because, well, let’s just say that as much as I like and respect Leopold, I don’t share his history of use of cocaine. (Mom, if you are reading this, you can start breathing again.)

When I hear the term “news junkie” now I think of Leopold and this book. My life is complicated enough right now without anyone thinking I’m referring to drugs, or a shady past involving drugs. But enough about me. Let’s talk with Leopold, who was kind enough to agree to an interview via email.

Leopold is a former bureau chief of Dow Jones Newswires. His articles have appeared in the Nation, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post and the Financial Times. He writes for TruthOut, Z magazine, Alternet, and Counterpunch.

Scott: Have you been watching the coverage of the Libby trial, which has shown how much sucking up some reporters do. Do you find that disturbing or just confirmation of your beliefs about the major media?

Jason: The Libby trial, in my opinion, is an indictment of the media and what I have seen has confirmed everything I wrote about the mainstream media. I am glad the media has been on trial during these proceedings. They have done, and continue to do, a terrible job reporting the news.

Scott: In your reporting on the Valerie Plame case you suggested Karl Rove’s indictment was imminent, but that never occurred. Do you think your reporting was wrong or did he somehow get out of it?

Jason: I strongly believe, and this information comes directly from my sources that I have worked with on the CIA leak case, that Karl Rove cut a last minute deal with the prosecutor. My editors have been in contact with these sources and the same information was communicated to my superiors. I believe that what I reported at the time I reported it was true. I know that is difficult for some people to swallow but hopefully the absolute truth will be revealed in due time. When Gary Webb reported on the CIA contras and the crack cocaine epidemic he was taken to task by other members of the media who said unequivocally his reporting was wrong. It took years before he was vindicated.It was my intention to write an honest, factual story about Karl Rove. Just like it was The New York Times and the Washington Post's and the cable news channels to report honestly and accurately that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and posed a threat to this country, which is exactly what the media reported. Still, with that said, good intentions are not enough in this business. I know that. But it's a chance I took and I accept responsibility for making that decision.

Part two coming soon. More on Jason's interview.

Great article about Jason. Speaking of Jason, I got an email from the News Junkie himself last night. He checked out my blog and gave a me a great compliment of the blog. So, keep up the great comments folks because Jason and others are watching. And I have thought out interviewing Jason to pick his brain. That will be on my to do list when Jaosn and I meet again. And I told him real soon...