A SLIGHT SHIFT? – AT 10:17 A.M. ET:  I may be imagining things, but I did see a slight shift this morning in CNN's coverage of the Jared Kushner saga.  I sensed that the network is becoming slightly more guarded, perhaps sensing that it may be getting way ahead of the story, if there's any story to get ahead of.

Or, maybe CNN got burned by a Fox report debunking the widely reported leak that Kushner suggested, in a talk with a Russian diplomat, using Russian equipment to open a back channel between the White House and the Kremlin.  Fox reports from its sources that the suggestion actually came from the Russian diplomat, a big difference.

This morning CNN did appear to go out of its way to give the White House version of events and to caution that no actual evidence of Trump team collusion with Russia has actually appeared.  This restraint and sudden maturity may only last a day, of course.

What does remain is the steady drip, drip, drip of leaks.  CNN seems to get a leaked story every day.  The timing is not coincidental.  There are people out to destroy this president through a series of well-timed, regular leaks.

Which leads me to a suggestion:  Journalism must establish new standards for dealing with leaks.  We must professionally insist that news organizations, when employing leaks, caution the reader or viewer that the act of leaking is a violation of law, and that the motive of the leaker may not be known.  It may be public service, but it may also be a personal grudge.  Such a notice would also remind journalists of the serious nature of leaks, and the damage they can do. 

I doubt if such a standard will soon be established, but it should be.  Classified information is the property of the American people.  We entrust it to elected officials and their appointees.  We do not entrust it to the press.  Leaks can serve a valuable purpose if there is wrongdoing and the leaker is a true whistleblower.  But do not underestimate the potential for harm.

May 30,  2017