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Judy in the Sky With Diamonds

Arianna has some more info on Judith Miller, accumulated through a variety of sources. Most interesting is the details of her accomodations while on assignment - as compared to those of her fellow journalists.

A recurring theme in many of the conversations and e-mails is how Judy, to the dismay of many of her colleagues, never played by the same rules and standards as other reporters. One source e-mailed to give me some examples of this pattern: "In Feb 2003, Judy was in Salahuddin covering the Iraqi opposition conclave. Iraqi National Congress spokesperson Zaab Sethna told a reporter who was also there that Judy was staying with Chalabi's group in Salahuddin (the rest of the reporters had to stay 30 minutes away in crappy hotels in Irbil), and that the I.N.C. had provided her with a car and a translator (Did the New York Times reimburse them?). The I.N.C. offered another reporter the same, but he turned it down. Judy had just arrived in a bus convoy from Turkey, big footing C.J. Chivers, who was also there covering the story for the Times. While everyone else on the buses had to scramble for accommodations, she was staying in a luxurious villa loaned to the I.N.C. by the Kurdish Democratic Party...

"Two years earlier, she was on assignment in Paris for the Times and conducted her reporting out of the ambassador's personal residence, where she was staying. Felix Rohatyn, the ambassador at the time, was out of town, but it would be interesting to know whether the Times reimbursed U.S. taxpayers for the use of the embassy while she was there on assignment. What is certain is that the Paris bureau was buzzing about this at the time, as getting too close to sources or accepting hospitality -- accommodations, meals -- is a violation of the Times's ethical standards. The feeling was that somehow Judy was able to do whatever she wanted."

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  • Re: Judy in the Sky With Diamonds (none / 0) (#1)
    by Darryl Pearce on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:48 PM EST
    Jeeb-o-Kriminey, Wm Safire didn't have all those connections and he knew what was going on... merde

    Re: Judy in the Sky With Diamonds (none / 0) (#2)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:48 PM EST
    From link May 31, 2004......Here is some more from 1989 SPY Mag written by J.J. Hunsecker (alias): There was every reason to believe that when Judy Miller was moved from her post as deputy Washington bureau chief late last year, her long-standing custom of getting indecorously close to highly placed male sources would end. She is attracted more to the power the men in her orbit have than to the men themselves; her first words upon entering a room are often "Okay, who’s important here?" The list of middle-aged, quasi- available powerguys from Judy's colorful past is a long one, incorporating everyone from guitar-picking Republican national chairmen to anchorgirl-dating former assistant secretaries of State. ... Sally Quinn... [text deleted, follow the link, too long for comments]

    Re: Judy in the Sky With Diamonds (none / 0) (#3)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:48 PM EST
    While trying to find the source where I first saw Miller's nickname 'Mattress' I found this : Lots of good dirt on General Judy. Oh, and here is the mattress stuff. It is not the reports that she had to sleep on the floor on a mattress in prison.

    Re: Judy in the Sky With Diamonds (none / 0) (#4)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:48 PM EST
    Follow the money.