Sometimes, in our rush to place blame and judgment, we forget abt empathy and kindness.

I've been following this @Politico story and @samstein's behavior for the last few days and I'd like to just go over all of it, to discuss it. 1/

In the interests of complete honesty, I am not a Politico fan. I find most of their reporting to be misogynist, racist fake spin. They once wrote a story on how much water Clinton drank, in an attempt to insinuate she lied abt going to the bathroom. 2/

Here is the story: A reporter, Axios's Alexi McCammond and TJ Ducklo, working for Biden as press secretary, fell in love. Concerned abt potential ethics violations, they immediately told their workplaces and McCammond resigned from the press corps w/Biden. 3/

Here is the story: https://people.com/politics/journalist-talks-relationship-with-biden-press-secretary/

The relationship is somewhat escalated because Ducklo has stage four cancer, which sucks.

That's their personal life and their personal story. No ethics violations. 5/

It turns out Politico was planning to write a story abt this as well, but they were going to write a story with a spin abt ethical violations. Their reporter @tarapalmeri was the writer and let me insert a personal opinion here: Private lives shld be off limits. 6/

Since no ethics were violated, it's not okay to write abt someone's private life like this. But back to the events, she called Ducklo, one assumes to let him know they are running the story, etc. and he becomes angry, most likely because of the smarmy smearish spin of it. 7/

He tells her his next remarks are off the record and yells at her. He says some things one shldn't say as someone who worked on the press staff, but in all honesty, he has stage four cancer and I imagine has come to understand what is important in the world and what's not. 8/

He chooses the person he loves and who he wants to protect, who, remember, has done nothing ethically wrong but whose career is abt to get smeared by smarmy fake spin from a mag who does this unethical spin all the time. 9/

@samstein, angry that he was scooped by People (and thank god for the ethical kind person at @people btw) and he sends a retaliatory story to @vanityfair breaking ethics of off the record remarks to get back at Ducklo etc for ruining a story that was clearly bs from the go 10/

@tarapalmeri actually reveals off the record remarks, which is highly questionable, and it looks a lot like revenge for getting scooped. Politico is constantly looking for ways to undermine Dem legislators and really ambulance chase a lot but this is a lot to have done. 11/

So, here are my thoughts.

1. This is a shitshow, revealing poor ethical standards on the part of Politico, Vanity Fair, Sam Stein, and Tara Palmeri. Ducklo is revealed to have reacted very unprofessionally and has been suspended for a week and barred from working w/Politico 12/

2. Ducklo has apologized, which is good. Sam Stein believes he has done nothing wrong. Tara Palmeri like feels the same. I don't really entirely blame Vanity Fair because it was a juicy story but publishing off the record remarks is very bad form.

3. But in truth, there's a question of being a good human here, and I want to discuss it. Sam Stein and Politico staff were not being good humans. They were clearly trying to write a smear piece and likely knew it was incorrect but did not care.

They were going to run it and not really even bother to retract, knowing ppl wld remember the original piece, not the reality of two ppl who really did act ethically in a situation where it was important to do so.

4. This kind of reporting, which really amounts to lying by omission and innuendo is not okay, and has become very common among a lot of "journalism" in these days. It's extremely harmful to society, in fact. It's yellow journalism.

5. When it comes down to it, I think Ducklo is more ethical and did the right things, while Politico did not. In fact, I question writing a story abt someone's innocuous personal life, especially when they are dying of stage four cancer. It is heartless, cruel, and contemptible.

There is a higher set of ethics here that are being ignored, those of truth and compassion and empathy. That Stein believes we live in a world where publishing the private lives of ppl and harassing someone who is dying is a "good story" is the saddest journalist story of all.

Let me add: Biden's remarks of not tolerating bad behavior from his staff were abt their behavior in their jobs. Ducklo was being interviewed abt HIS PERSONAL LIFE, not his job. I do not feel this scenario applies to Biden's remarks, but I understand others feel differently.