Anyone with media contacts able to report if the story is just delayed or is this another dashed hope? I don't want to go through December with my hopes unnecessarily high.
I don't have any inside knowledge, but I've got more than 20 years experience in the biz (mostly magazines, though. Been a long time since I worked on a news desk). So, for what it's worth, here's my take: Don't hold your breath. We'll just have to wait and see.
I'm pretty certain the Star has a substantial file on the Cachet connection, which is what I assume you're asking about. But do they have enough to publish a story they can defend in a libel action that is also newsworthy? By the time the lawyers are through with their comments on what could published and still be defensible, a story might be a wet rag.
I'm only guessing, but I think the Star has interviews with former employees at Cachet, maybe even current ones. How likely is it, though, that any of those people had Rob Ford as a client (or delivered drugs to him or whatever)? They could simply be sharing office gossip, which isn't a strong foundation for a defensible story. And there would be a host of questions around ethics of publishing story on that basis.
Those sources are also no doubt granting interviews with guarantees their identities won't be revealed. That means the journos need a larger body of evidence to support a story. Remember, the Globe didn't publish it's Doug Ford hash story until it had 10 reliable sources with direct knowledge.
The Star is also likely working on hard on developing timelines to show connections between people, places and events at certain times (e.g. the Bier Market party). They'll be interviewing witnesses (or trying to) to paint a fuller picture. But again, these people are probably speaking on condition of anonymity, which means they need a lot more supporting evidence.
This story would be a whole easier to report if there was a whistleblower who came forward and said "I sold sex to the mayor" or "I delivered drugs to Rob Ford." I don't see that happening. In the meantime, given the chatter, it's possible the Star is close to having something they can publish. On the other hand, if the Star was really about to publish an "explosive" story, I think they'd be playing their cards very close to their vests. I wouldn't expect to hear about it from Josh Matlow.
(assuming this pic is recent as it says 'posted 2 days ago')
