But Will They Retract?

Digger's Realm and Kimberly Dvorak, the two bloggers that have driven the hoax of Los Zetas gunman taking over American ranches in Texas, only to be besieged by U.S. and local law enforcement officers, reaffirmed late Saturday that they were sticking to their stories, and that they would have more evidence by Sunday.

Sunday morning and afternoon came and went without an update, and so I sent both of them the following email:

You have yet to provide a single on-the-record source (and the Minuteman citing an anonymous source does not count) for the allegation of a ranch invasion, can't provide an address, nor dig up the name of the people displaced, etc.

There is literally no evidence of anything, except for unsupported claims by anonymous sources. It has been almost 24 hours.

At what point will you issuing a retraction of your Laredo invasion story?

Dvorak answered within minutes.

I am not nor have I been working with the Minutemen. If you carefully read my story it was left very, very general. I have yet to get anyone at Sheriff's, BP or DHS to say this is false and here is my name and title. I stand by my story, as for others I cannot verify. I have refused to print updates until I get someone to go on the record- period. There have been more than 250 incursions into U.S. by Mexican military, according to Sheriff Sigi Gonzales - his words not mine. Nowhere in my brief story is there any numbers of Zetas, if they are still there, etc. I got word about this on Friday and sat on it until I had additional sources. I will not burn my LE sources as they would lose their jobs. My short story had more background information than actual event details. Do you really need a dead body to believe Zetas are crossing our borders? I stand by the story.

I wrote back to her, noting that she no direct evidence of any ranches being taken over, was ignoring the two local media outlets that dispute that such an event took place, the repeated disavowals from the Laredo PD, Web County Sheriff's office, Border Patrol, and FBI to multiple reporters and bloggers.

I noted she can't provide any evidence to support her story, and was not likely develop evidence to support it. I told her that at this point, she should issue a retraction, mentioning that her LE sources have made claims, but that they are contradicted by multiple agencies and Laredo media, both print and television.

Her response was even more telling.

I have not got anyone to tell me via phone or email - 'It did not happen, name and title.' They tell me they can neither confirm or deny. My LE was there. I'm not asking you to believe me or tell me I'm lying. It was a FYI story and I stand by it. Senior DHS brass have said it did not happen, but said that was off the record and no name. Why? So to me there is no proof one way or the other.

The bolding, of course is mine. Kimberly Dvorak, Examiner.com's San Diego County Political Buzz Examiner, doesn't have any proof, but she's going to stick by her story... because. So much for her ethics.

As for Digger, at Digger's Realm... dead silence. No response to email. No updates on his blog, and the last update citied Dvorak's post as "proof."

Dvorak is going to try to ignore her duty as a journalist and refuses to retract an article she cannot support with facts. Apparently, she is fine with destroying what reputation she has, and that is entirely her prerogative.

I hope that Digger is a bit wiser. Time will tell.

Update: It is rather sad, but no, he isn't.