There’s a concept, often applied to intelligence operations, called “mirror thinking.” This refers to the assumption that everyone else acts in the same way you would and is motivated by the same things that would motivate you. When the old media rushed to judge James O’Keefe after he was arrested outside of Senator Landrieu’s office, the “spying” allegations and “Watergate Jr.” label seemed to say more about the reporters covering the story than it did about the protagonist in this alleged drama.
When the Landrieu story broke, my immediate reaction was: “O’Keefe is yanking somebody’s chain again.” Andrew’s post seemed to confirm that assumption, and now comes O’Keefe’s statement that confirms it. It will be fascinating to see how this all plays out.
But, the reaction in the old media was quite different and most revealing. Journalists saw somebody arrested who is a part of a political movement they don’t care for and quickly applied mirror thinking. What was O’Keefe up to? It had to be something sneaky and nasty, because that’s what they do to embarrass their political opponents. (Just ask Sarah Palin). But – hah-hah! – the kid took it too far. Gotcha!
Perhaps the old media could learn a lesson from Felix Unger:
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