Lots of calling out for Outside to remove the Ian Dille piece. Key violations of journalism include:
- The story should have never been assigned to a friend of CS in the first place.
- ID waited until the 28th paragraph to reveal his relationship with CS.
- Even with the mentioning of #2, it was referenced casually, and this is not the way disclosures are done.
- Over-sensationalizing some details.
It keeps getting promoted, however, so I'm sure Outside management is enjoying the click revenue. A seasoned editor would have caught all of the things above but it's possible that (a) Outside doesn't have any of them anymore because of cutbacks and (b) they don't care about journalism anymore.
Although it was uneasy to read, and ID appeared to be giving CS a platform (e.g. CS perspective on feminism and gun ownership), I did find interest in some of the information/background that I hadn't seen before (Austin-area references, Arkansas meetings, and the fugitive days of KA in Costa Rica). It's just unfortunate that it wasn't written by an independent journalist with no ties to those involved.
Someday post-trial, an accomplished author will take on the subject and do it correctly.