Top ABC News Investigative Brian Ross’ Tactics Called Into Question

BigHead DC:


We’ve long been telling you that ABC News utterly and royally muffed up the telling of the “DC Madam” story in May, and may have even covered up aspects of the story because the phone numbers of Sam Donaldson, a longtime ABC newsman, and other past or current ABC news personalities appeared in her escort records.


Now comes word that Brian Ross, the network’s lead DC investigative reporter on the Deborah Jeane Palfrey story, has conducted questionable journalism — and some of his past and current news peers are speaking out.


While several of Ross’ competitors say he’s a reporter who’s capable of breaking big stories, he also has a tendency to overplay smaller ones, they say. Jim Stewart, who recently retired from CBS News, has told the New York Observer that he has reservations about some of Ross’ work on ABC’s Web site, The Blotter. “Were they wrong some of the time? Yes,” said Stewart. “I’d rather be right than be first.”


A former ABC news employee also told the publication that there is intense internal pressure from ABC News execs to create page hits for The Blotter. Also, some reporters said they have been unable to retrace Ross’ scoops.


The Blotter was the first mainstream news outlet to break the Mark Foley tawdry IM story in 2006. While that story hasn’t been called into question, several other Ross stories, including those surrounding the “DC Madam,” continue to receive more scrutiny.