Paper obtained Sanford luv emails last december! They sure can keep a secret

[Liberal_in_LA]

What's up with holding back until Sanford confesses?
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The State newspaper of Columbia published e-mails between the governor and his mistress, identified only as Maria, that ranged from steamy to heartbreaking. :loveya: The newspaper said it obtained the e-mails last December.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/06/24/2009-06-24_south_carolina_gov_mark_sanford_sent_risque_emails_to_argentian_lover.html#ixzz0JQ6L9TOc&C

[gatorboy]

1. My guess is they were going to release them and Sanford beat them to the punch.

n/t

[Hannah Bell]

2. The state newspaper of *Columbia* - the country? How's they get them?

and what's their interest?

and are there no legal issues involved?

[SoCalDem]

4. the country would be ColOmbia. My guess is that the state paper (of S.C) is in ColUmbia, SC

The probably held off on releasing them until it was "necessary". I wonder if HE knew they had the emails :)

I think wifey-poo sent them to the paper:)

[Hannah Bell]

6. columbia sc = not a state. that's why it's confusing. and does SC have a "state" newspaper?

[csziggy]

5. Columbia is the state capital of South Carolina

The State is the main newspaper of Columbia, SC. http://www.thestate.com/

[Hannah Bell]

7. name of the paper = "the state"! thanks, that was the confusing point.

is the paper known to support R or D?

[Betsy Ross]

3. The emails came from an anonymous source

Hence, the hesitation to publish. When they discovered Sanford getting off the plane from BA this morning, they sent someone to the BA address and spoke with Maria. This confirmed the validity of the emails.

[Hannah Bell]

8. oh, an "anonymous source". one year ago. interesting.

& there are no legal issues involved in publishing private emails today?

i can see the gov's might be fair game if he sent them on state accounts - but not the woman's.

interesting.

[DFW]

9. Responsible journalists would have waited for confirmation before publishing

With these bible-thumping family values types, I would have thought it a defamation attempt
if I had received these things from an anonymous source and had no confirmation. A paper who
publishes stuff that explosive without confirmation risks getting sued, and if they have no
real proof that what they had was authentic, their readership (and advertisers) would have
dropped them like a hot potato. It may have made them gnash their teeth (as well as conformed
with their political bent), but they did the right thing in waiting. If the stuff HAD turned
out to be fake, and they published, there would have been hell to pay. Now that there is confirmation
that the affair was real, they can come forward with everything they have got, with no fear of
retribution. Especially in a place like South Carolina, let me tell you as a Southerner, it was
a wise course of action.