US: There is an art to leaking information to journalists
Posted by Evan Fell on November 16, 2007 at 12:29 PM
In Washington D.C. there are probably a thousand leaks to journalists a day, explains Ryan Grim of Politico. He says, “A lot of breaking news is handed to reporters.”
He explains that leaks are about perception. “When an organization is being run well, people tend not to look at things as leaks, but they tend to look at things as information specifically being put out for some strategic purpose,” says Chris Lehane, a spokesman for the ’92 Clinton campaign and later the White House. “When things are not well, the information getting out there is perceived as leaks.”
A leak is more likely to have been authorized if there are an abundance of sources on the leak or the ID is very specific. The less specific the ID and the more vague the description, the more likely it is that the leak is unauthorized.
Grim says leaks can be sorted into three categories: malevolent, benevolent and accidental.
Grim describes several types of links. The Drive-the-Cycle Leak is non-accidental leak, like when news outlets obtain copies of speeches before they are given. The Slowly-Letting-the-Air-Out-of-the-Balloon Leak is when information is leaked slowly so that the public is not overwhelmed by the information. This type of leak was used in the Clinton impeachment.
Source: Politico
A leak is more likely to have been authorized if there are an abundance of sources on the leak or the ID is very specific. The less specific the ID and the more vague the description, the more likely it is that the leak is unauthorized.
Grim says leaks can be sorted into three categories: malevolent, benevolent and accidental.
Grim describes several types of links. The Drive-the-Cycle Leak is non-accidental leak, like when news outlets obtain copies of speeches before they are given. The Slowly-Letting-the-Air-Out-of-the-Balloon Leak is when information is leaked slowly so that the public is not overwhelmed by the information. This type of leak was used in the Clinton impeachment.
Source: Politico
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