Filed under: Journalism, John McCain, Radar, John Vincent (Vin) Weber
Radar magazine has rushed another story without gathering all the facts. And, in turn, it has been forced to issue an embarrassing retraction. On Monday, the publication haphazardly published the following information online:
After Mr. McCain and Ms. Iseman denied the affair to the Times, the newspaper reported last night that Mr. McCain had acknowledged to two of his associates in 2000 that he had been “behaving inappropriately and pledged to keep his distance from Ms. Iseman.”
Sources told Radar that one of these associates was John Vincent (Vin) Weber, a former Republican congressman from Minnesota who was an advisor to McCain’s presidential campaign in 2000. In 2007, Weber became Policy Chairman for the Romney for President Exploratory Committee.
Weber did not immediately respond to a message left with the receptionist at Clark & Weinstock in Washington this morning, where Weber is a partner. The message said Radar would report that Weber was one of the sources of the story in the New York Times. The receptionist said Weber was in a meeting and could not come to the telephone.
Problem is, if Radar would have waited to talk to Weber, he would have told them a much different story than that of their alleged sources. In a subsequent update, the magazine has been forced to add this retraction, albeit at the bottom of the story:
At 12:51 PM, , after this story was posted, Weber called Radar with this statement: “Absolutely, positively completely not true in any form.”
Big Head DC has long said that Radar is often much too quick to rush to judgments based on lacking evidence. This instance is just the most recent embarrassing case.
With much fanfare, 
John Clarke Jr., editor of the snark-filled Wonkette Web site (according to its current masthead), has apparently developed some Deep Throat-like sources withing the Hillary Clinton campaign for president.
A press release sent this evening by Hustler publisher Larry Flynt confirms that a phone number belonging to ABC newsman Sam Donaldson appeared in the records of the alleged “DC Madam” Deborah Jeane Palfrey, as Big Head DC 
Right, Sam Donaldson IS in the phone records of Deborah Jeane Palfrey’s defunct Pamela Martin & Associates, but it isn’t significant. Have you ever dialed the wrong number before? Sam’s relatives did, since one of Palfrey’s numbers was one-digit off from Donaldson’s, so she kept getting calls from them, and over-and-over again.
Look, I understand this has all been unpleasant for you, but why do you and Mr. Cook insist on fixating on the salacious-side of this story? I mean, honestly, why not leave your desk, drive over to Alexandria, Va., and go talk to Ronald Roughead? While you’re at it, why not track down some leads on the people prosecuting Ms. Palfrey? In addition, you need to check on the SAIC connection and lobbying…oh, never mind. Ms. Palfrey stands behind my assertions that you guys wanted salaciousness and that when it didn’t pan-out with Donaldson, the problems began. Both you and Mr. Cook are a major disappointment, along with Larisa of Rawstory, Huffpo, and the rest of the media. All you’re doing is making a site that’s a copy of all the same problems the MSM currently embodies. Change the focus, and you might be doing something, otherwise, it’s just gossip. However, I was impressed with the Leola McConnell story, though I think she’s got a lot of proving to do with her story — if she’s still alive.
