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Report: McChrystal Offers Resignation

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karmic_inquisitor6/22/2010 3:14:26 pm PDT

Anyone who thinks that McChrystal and his staff were just speaking freely unaware of the consequences with a Rolling Stone reporter doesn’t understand PR.

The whole idea of “speaking on background” is one where the reporter gets some context without being allowed (by gentleman’s agreement) to report the specifics. So when you go on background you shape the whole picture, often in colorful language.

Here is the thing about “on background” - a reporter will screw you over and report what you said was on background if the reporter sees no need to use you or have access to you in the future. So if you go on background, you HAVE to keep in mind that you can’t let rip anything that will cost you your position outright and make you irrelevant. If the reporter is doing a hit piece and expects you to go down as a result with no access to power afterward (which is what happens if you get fired from government) then he/she will screw you for the scoop.

That is what happened here.