A day after a campaign to raise funds to purchase an alleged drug video of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford met its goal, U.S. website Gawker is pleading to reconnect with the seller of the video.
Gawker editor John Cook told CTV News Channel on Tuesday that despite losing contact with the seller, he’s still hoping to make a deal and purchase it.
“I hope they realize that we’ve met the goal and that we’re ready to do a deal,” he said. “I’m just hoping they are seeing this right now and get in touch.”
On Monday, Gawker surpassed its campaign goal, raising a total of $201,254 to buy the alleged video.
But the crowdfunding campaign -- dubbed “Crackstarter” -- hit a snag late last week, after Cook warned donors that he had been unable to contact “the people who are in possession of the video.” A similar warning was issued on Monday.
Both Gawker and the Toronto Star reported that they have seen the alleged video which they say shows Ford smoking what appears to be a crack pipe. The existence or content of the video has not been verified by CTV News.
Ford has said the video does not exist and he does not smoke crack cocaine.
Cook would not go into the logistics of how the video might be acquired; simply stating that it was “important” that it get out into the public.
He also defended the initiative to buy the video, which some critics said was unethical given that the owners were reported to be drug dealers.
Cook said Toronto residents have a vested interest in seeing it.
“There’s no one else that I’m aware of that has video of Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine. So you know I think this is a great story for us,” he said. “I think people want to see this video, I think the people of Toronto ought to be able to see this video.”
Cook said he will wait for at least a month for the vendors of the alleged video to contact Gawker, before donating the funds to a Canadian non-profit that addresses substance abuse issues.
Investigative reporter Kevin Donovan, one of two Star reporters who claim to have seen the alleged video, says he’s hopeful the recording will surface.
Asked on Tuesday if it’s necessary for a video to be released in order to prove the allegations, Donovan told CTV’s Canada AM: “I think of the old expression ‘a picture’s worth a thousand words.”
“The public would like to see it, and they deserve to see it,” he said. “For me, it doesn’t have to come out to validate anything because I know what I saw.”
Donovan said when the Star first learned of it, the paper was wary of paying because it did not want to be accused of “cheque-book journalism.”
However, he said that sentiment is changing.
“More and more, everyday, people are saying we should buy it. What we’re going to do ultimately, I honestly can’t say.”
On Monday, Star reporter Robyn Doolittle, who also claims to have seen the recording, told a Toronto radio station that more than one copy of the alleged video exists.
Cook said Tuesday that he was also told another copy of the tape exists.
