The methodology: Sources

One report has even alleged, Several sources consulted for this story said, A former U.S. military officer told The Daily Beast, Some of them are verifiable, One active U.S. intelligence official told The Daily Beast, Much discussed in U.S. defense circles is what the Israeli news portal YNet reported Monday, YNet’s Alex Fishman wrote, citing Western diplomatic sources, Photographs published by Syria Net purport to show these Russian legionnaires, Pro-Russian sources, too, are now trafficking in speculation, Al-Watan may be a notorious propaganda outlet, but, Russia also has sent intelligence operatives into Syria.,Not long ago, a hacker collective known as Shaltai Boltai (“Humpty Dumpty”) intercepted emails belonging to Igor Strelkov (aka Igor Girkin), In intercepted missive, In early August, Fox News reported, Citing Putin’s help in solidifying the Iran deal, the Obama administration has, The usual suspects have suggested that, etc.

Call this method after the character  J.J. Hunsecker in the film Sweet Smell of Success, perfected by Eli Lake, Josh Rogan and second stringer James Kirchick, at the Daily Beast, until Lake and Rogan went to Bloomberg View. With these sources named and unnamed he cobbles together, with publicly available sources, a plausible story. Mr. Weiss must have started as an intelligence analyst, because his eye for telling detail in a mass of information is highly practiced , or was it his long apprenticeship at The Interpreter magazine choosing and translating selected articles for publication into English translation? My thoughts are that one must read Mr. Weiss with attention to rhetorical method, sources and ideological intent. My comment is prompted by the fact that the Daily Beast no longer has a comments section, perhaps a cost saving measure?

Political Reporter

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/01/russia-puts-boots-on-the-ground-in-syria.html