This is a first for me, I have NEVER gotten into any of the flame wars here on DK, never picked a fight with anyone, basically I just read the diaries I like, respond to various diaries/comments and go on my happy way.
Now, last Monday, Sept. 10th, I saw a number of diaries post by anneonymous670, all of these diaries had links to audio/video claiming that the speaker in the these audio/videos was Mitt Romney.
I thought that these audio/videos were more than likely what they claimed to be, however I, along with many who saw these original diaries, asked, repeatedly, for sourcing material....where was the video/audio taken? When did this occur? We were asking for basic information that would give validity to these youtube audio/videos.
The diarist responded with nothing, no additional comments, nothing.
I wrote anneonymous670 a message on that same day:
you need to source your audio if you want it to go viral. Where and when was this recorded? That is the very least you should post with this if it is going to have any type of legs.
I don't doubt that Romney could say this, but until I know some background to validate the material it is difficult to repost anywhere.
Their response to me?
Don't be a concern troll. It's real. And there is much more to come.
To which I replied:
Well you obviously don't want this to "get out there." Asking for citation material is basic, and gives you credibility.
Eventually Mother Jones hooked up with the person who had this video, and guess what? They required specific information so that they could prove the tape was authentic, that it was real, exactly what we were asking of the person who posted here on Daily Kos.
There are some basic rules here, some written, some not. One is that if you are going to post videos/audios like anneonymous670 did, you at the very least need to reply to comments in the diary, and also make an attempt to work with people to validate the material, as Mother Jones required before they would go public with this material.
No, I am not a "concern troll," and the fact that the diarist replied to my email with those words just made me shake my head and ignore the entire episode. I figured that at some point someone who had more resources than I did would get to the bottom of these audio/videos and verify the accuracy contained therein.
And no, I am not apologizing to someone who posted diaries and refused to communicate or work with our community, because that is exactly what Mother Jones required before they would stand behind those tapes.
I guess Mother Jones is now a "concern troll."