In the last few days we’ve watched while Robert Francis O’Rourke (BETO) embarked upon his windmilling hands journey for the Presidency. Within two days of his supremely bouncy campaign announcement, we find out that the objective journalists at Reuters sat on the story of Beto’s hacking past for well over a year. People started asking questions and CNN’s Brian Stelter went to bat for his pal!

But first, a little background.

Members of the group, which calls itself Cult of the Dead Cow, protected O’Rourke’s secret for decades, reluctant to compromise the former Texas Congressman’s political career.

After more than a year of reporting, Menn persuaded O’Rourke to talk on the record. In an interview in late 2017, O’Rourke acknowledged that he was a member of the group, on the understanding that the information would not be made public until after his Senate race against Ted Cruz in November 2018. [Emphasis Added]

Holy moly. That’s some interesting news right there! Why was this information such that SECRECY AT ALL COSTS!!

Well, Robert Francis O’Rourke fancied that he was a hacker.

“While I was looking into the Cult of the Dead Cow, I found out that they had a member who was sitting in Congress. I didn’t know which one. But I knew that they had a member of Congress.

“And then I figured out which one it was. And the members of the group wouldn’t talk to me about who it was. They wouldn’t confirm that it was this person unless I promised that I wouldn’t write about it until after the November election. That’s because the member of Congress had decided to run for Senate. Beto O’Rourke is who it was.

And the reporter, Joseph Menn, happily embargoed the story for months. Take a look at his explanations via his Twitter feed. He embargoed the damned story because he was writing a freaking book! Which means Reuters had a major scoop and didn’t even know it because AUTHOR! BOOKS! PUBLISH!

Meanwhile Beto launched, with some epic hand waving, his campaign two days ago.

I don’t know about you, but I was seriously waiting for the moment when he’d accidentally clock the poor guy to the left with his over-the-top arm gestures. He came close more than a few times.

But wait! The Cult of the Dead Cow, hacking, and bad poetry! Yes, Robert Francis O’Rourke fancied himself a poet.

“Beto O’Rourke’s recently unearthed membership in the hacking group “Cult of the Dead Cow” may not have included the “edgiest sorts of hacking activity,” but it did, apparently, include writing murder fantasies and exceptionally bad poetry.

Writing under the now-exposed pseudonym “Psychedelic Warlord,” a teen-aged O’Rourke appears to be the author of a poem titled “The Song of the Cow,” published in 1988 by “cDc (Cult of the Dead Cow) communications.”

“I need a butt-shine,” the poem begins … and it really all just goes downhill from there:”

Let me tell you, protect your screens when you click on this link

So what’s scoop as to why Reuters buried the story? CNN’s Brian Stelter is THE SCOOP!

Reporters who are writing books sometimes hold back certain info til their book comes out. That's what the reporter says happened in this case. Book deal situations are definitely complicated. The Fox/Stormy situation didn't involve a book. What's your proposal — no books?

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 17, 2019

Brian took the bait and a deep dive into WTH? ensued. I mean seriously. Holding off on reporting because book writing is kind of one thing. But holding off on reporting story because it would be the same as a Fox News/Stormy Daniels situation?? HUH??

So if Fox News held back the Stormy Daniels story because someone was writing a book…you'd be good with that. Correct?

That is the new standard we are using? So basically, if Trump had gotten someone a book deal…everything is on the up and up?

— Pradheep J. Shanker, M.D., M.S. (@Neoavatara) March 17, 2019

Great questions! Brian’s response was some epic, and I mean EPIC fence straddling.

It's not my standard — I'm describing how it works in some book deal situations. Yes, some reporters are working on books about Trump right now & they're holding onto some of the newsworthy details until the books come out. This is a long standing but controversial practice.

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 17, 2019

That’s an incredibly uncomfortable position you’ve stuck yourself in dude! Oh but wait. It’s complicated. 

I think you're framing it the wrong way. "Reuters reporter who was working on a book learned something while doing a book and agreed not to publish it til the book came out." These book deal situations are controversial… but complicated. https://t.co/PVPoIxA4eD

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 17, 2019

I think my eyeballs fell off a cliff they rolled so hard.

Folks, this is what passes for “objective journalism” these days. I get that we are ALL human and we all have our stances. I fully admit that I’m a Constitutional conservative and that I write from that perspective. But I write for a wonderfully opinionated blog and so I can be biased if I so chose.

Joseph Menn of Reuters and CNN’s Brian Stelter don’t and shouldn’t have that luxury. They are journalists who are supposed to REPORT the story. Not be the story. Nor should they steer the story in the direction of their choosing. Yet that’s what they both did and continue to do. SAD!!

Feature Photo Credit: Original artwork by VG Darleen Click