Don't talk to strangers, Palin edition

There's no more dangerous place for a political staffer than the anonymous wilds of online comments sections. And while much of Sarah Palin's political infrastructure grew up online at Conservatives4Palin, one of her top aides, Rebecca Mansour, got badly burned this morning when the Daily Caller printed her Twitter correspondence with a web denizen whom she didn't know, but had come to trust online.



I responded with a counter-offer of lunch and "undying gratitude."

"Sorry, Ben, but it's going to take more than a happy meal and a hand shake to get me to betray someone's confidence. Only freshly printed 100 dollar bills help me get over feelings of guilt," wrote the emailer, who continued, "Would it violate some fake journalistic ethics and standards to get me in contact someone who does pay? I know that the thought of blogging about this is making your panties wet. The topics range from Chuck Hagel to Ricky Hollywood and everything else in between. It's a f***ing blogger's gold mine."

I'm not trying to imply the Caller paid for the emails. "Of course we don't pay for stories, and we didn't pay for this one," its chief, Tucker Carlson, emailed this morning.

When I emailed my correspondent this morning, I was also told no money changed hands.

" I wasn't serious back then. I was just ... trolling you for fun. The Internet can be a boring place sometimes. :\," the correspondent wrote.

Indeed, my correspondence was months ago, and things change, and this obviously isn't playing out in the most coolly rational corner of the Internet. And though it's obviously infuriating to Palin's backers, we and most other outlets would also have printed them had we obtained them, as story does shed light on the inside of Palin's small circle.

It's also, I think, increasingly clear that in the transparent market of the Internet, the pressure to pay for information will grow. I'm a bit surprised my emailer didn't make his way to Gawker, which has a policy of paying for information, or to the voracious celebrity information market.

UPDATE: A further statement from the anonymous emailer:

1st- I don't care about Rebecca Mansour. She's just collateral damage to a bigger point that was lost in the transition.

TheDC chose not to release the really damning messages. I'll respect their decision and will not release them myself.

Don't run for President. If you've learned anything in the last couple of years, I hope it's that you can't trust anyone. Everyone- from powerful DC insiders like Steve Schmidt, to lowly SarahPAC aides that you picked up from Internet fan sites- will betray you at the end of the day.

A scummy and destructive niche market exists for all things Palin that isn't there for the other would-be (boring) candidates. It's not fair and it sucks, but it's the reality we find ourselves living in. Bristol has already turned herself into Brystal the embarrassing tabloid chasing mess, but it's not too late to save your other children. The oval office isn't worth it. Go and live a life of solitude and peace.