Thread by @SteveSchmidtSES

This is an astonishing story that every person in America who calls themselves a journalist should read . The @LAmag story written by Peter Kiefer is a journalistic masterpiece that illuminates both the profound crisis in American journalism and a sickness in our society. (1)

https://twitter.com/jkbjournalist/status/1402763005029453825

It is among the most depressing cultural stories I have ever read. If you want to understand how Trump got elected President, read this story. This isn’t the profile of a journalist, it is the portrait of an internet bully and character assassin. (2)

This CATFISH has been given a license to kill by America’s journalistic elite. It’s ok to annihilate careers and reputations in stories with 34 anonymous sources? That’s journalism ? What about his conflicts, finances and methods? It’s chilling,obscene and utterly disgraceful (3

Please meditate about the tweet above from award winning Investigative journalist @jkbjournalist who broke the Epstein story. She works for the @MiamiHerald. She is legitimately worried about being destroyed by this Twitter bully for offering the comment that this profile (4)

is disturbing. @Liz_Cheney said that Members of Congress are intimidated by Trump’s mob and yes votes are turning to no because of the threat of violence. When this is so we don’t live in a free country anymore. When Journalists like @jkbjournalistare feel threatened by a (5)

“ fellow journalists” twitter mob, we don’t have a free press . How many people are afraid to react to the insanity of this story out of fear? Democracy can’t survive without a free press and we have a real crisis of belief around the integrity of the media in this country. (6)

I hope this will be a topic of discussion in every newsroom in America. @nyt @washingtonpost @WSJ @MSNBC @abc @CBSNews @cnn @HuffPost @NewYorkMag . Real journalists and good journalists should be appalled by this. (7)

There is a great new movie out called Georgetown. It is about an imposter and conman who seduces the Washington elite. Ullrich Mott is the fictionalized character brought to life from @FranklinFoer original true story. It is every bit as bizarre a story as the @LAmag Ali profile

“Georgetown”isn’t just an entertaining piece of story telling, it is a mirror which illuminates the profound stupidity, naïveté, corruption and self dealing of the ruling class that is held in contempt by tens of millions of Americans. (9)

I’d like to mention two great journalists. @jaketapper has proven himself a paragon of journalistic integrity. In my view he embodies a style of newsman that most directly connects this era to the legacy of American giants like Murrow, Sevareid and the other fearless, straight 10

and plain talking American men and women who could be trusted in dangerous hours. He was quoted in this story and I deeply hope, having read it in full, he will speak to the qualities of ethical journalism which depart significantly from self interested stenography and revenge(11

The other journalist is @jimsciutto who asked a provocative question around whether the United States, today, could lead an enterprise as vast, consuming, costly, ambitious, complicated and daring as DDAY. The answer is an emphatic no. If you read the @LAmag and don’t understand

the connection to @jimsciutto question then god help us. Lastly, @yashar has used his @Twitter platform to articulate suicidal ideations. This is dangerous for Ali, who desperately needs help and it is dangerous for others in crisis who might be triggered to act because of Ali.13

The sickest and saddest aspect of all this is how the author revealed the shallowness of our empty times by brilliantly illustrating how Internet Culture has incinerated the concept of meaningful friendship. 14

Friendship isn’t a transaction and it most certainly isn’t hitting the like button on Twitter to show support for a fellow human beings suicidal ideations. Truly, this is one of the most depressing and saddest stories I have ever read. (15)

The journalist who wrote this doesn’t live in Washington or New York. Maybe in this instance that’s a great reason to pay close attention to the message he is delivering. @mikebarnicle @JoeNBC @NicolleDWallace @chucktodd @WillieGeist @SavannahGuthrie @brikeilarcnn @brianstelter

@morningmika @FrankBruni @maureendowd @NorahODonnell @GStephanopoulos @cmarinucci @markzbarabak @ron_fournier @matthewjdowd @costareports @MaeveReston @DanaBashCNN @scottgalloway31 @karaswisher @maddow @DavidMuir @soledadobrien 17 #