Eason Jordan's downfall at CNN ignites debate over what bloggers mean to j

[NVMojo]

Eason Jordan's downfall at CNN ignites debate over what bloggers mean to journalism

February 20, 2005, 12:38 PM EST

NEW YORK -- CNN plainly hoped that the resignation of chief news executive Eason Jordan _ announced after the close of business on a Friday _ would swiftly calm a growing storm over comments he made about the military and journalists in Iraq.

It hasn't worked out that way.

"He just threw wood on the fire that he was trying to tamp down," said Steve Lovelady, managing editor of the CJR Daily journalism Web site.

The Jordan incident, along with the stories of Dan Rather's downfall and a White House reporter with questionable credentials, have increased the profile of Web loggers and ignited a debate about their roles as both watchdogs and competitors with journalists.

Jordan said he was resigning to avoid CNN being "unfairly tarnished" by his remarks at a conference in Switzerland that some journalists killed by the U.S. military had been targeted. He subsequently said he never meant to suggest it was intentional, but the context is murky since no transcript or video of the event has come to light.

more...

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--tv-jordansdownfa0220feb20,0,3875972.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

[aneerkoinos]

1. Beatifull!

A journalist speaks up against murder of his colleagues by the Imperial Army, corporate masters make him pay for this sudden attack of bravery and honesty and silence him, as a warning to others I'm sure.

How low can they go? There's no bottom, really...

So brave bloggers, dig up the names, who gave the boot to this journo? Expose the bastard pimps, don't let the whores and pimps of Corporate Media to get away with this shit, make them pay with Truth as your weapon!!!

[pacalo]

2. I didn't hear of any debate in the media about "the ugliness" of bloggers

until "Gannon" was "exposed". He's as dirty as political mudthrowers come, which is why I think he's linked with Karl Rove, & now he's crying foul ("I've never known anyone to get the treatment I've gotten...My life has been turned upside down & sideways.").

He boasted on the internet about taking down CBS & Dan Rather and about taking down Tom Daschle. He didn't just boast -- he crowed about turning their lives upside down.

As hateful & unmerciful as he is toward "those who have different opinions", he should have known better than to solicit gay sex & to post tawdry nude pictures of himself on the internet. He should have known people were going to get curious about someone who enjoyed the spotlight as much as he did during those daily WH briefings. He relished his role of promoting WH policies & talking points.

No, I haven't heard any disparaging remarks about bloggers' ability to dig for background until the pin was put into the party hog named "Gannon".

[Igel]

3. You missed the less-than-provably-authentic-TANG-document

scandal. Blogs took it on the chin: quips about men in their pyjamas in the living room at midnight, amateurs, party hacks.

Progressives weren't the one's being dissed.

Now the hose is turned towards progressives and liberal blogs.

[pacalo]

13. Men in their pajamas in the living room at midnight? Sounds interesting!

How'd I miss that? ;)

[aneerkoinos]

4. Easongate

This is huge, this is bigger than the Gannongate.

This newsday piece is mostly garbage and poor spin, but revealing.

The real story is that Eason Johnson accused the Imperial Army of targeting journalists, and now the Corporate Media wants to shut down the story.

The real story is that the whores and pimps in the Corporate Media KNOW that their colleagues have been purposefully murdered by the Imperial army, and feel quite uncomfortable with the fact, and despite scared shitles, sometimes with sudden attack of conscience blurt out the truth.

Remember bombings of Al-Jazeera, remember murdering the doctors in Fallujah, is there really any doubt that in the Media war and intimidation of authentic journalists, US thinks all means are allowed?

The Easongate goes to the core of the tyranny that US has become. Search it to the bottom, this is the biggest story.

[NVMojo]

5. I don't like Newsday but I thought this article was a little revealing

in some ways.

I was with several uniformed Army and Air Force personnel at a meeting a few days ago. The topic of journalists and the allegation made by Eason came up. Some of the soldiers had recently returned from Iraq. The vitrolic attitude and words that came out of their mouths against journalists who had been in Iraq was revealing to me as well. It was hateful. A retired Army man stopped them and reminded them to calm down, that journalists went to war not just in Viet Nam to provide news coverage but clear back to WWI and WWII, only it was not like today with film. If I wasn't hearing things, I could have sworn the soldiers said that if any journalists got taken out by US soldiers in Iraq, it would be accidental and that's what happens when they get in the way...

[pacalo]

6. Very interesting, but not surprising, is it?

I suppose that's why this administration benefits from having cheerleaders like "Gannon" rallying support on the internet. The role of their cheerleading bloggers is to spin the ugly truth into misinformation to favor the most despicable, morally-challenged president in U.S. history. As vile as this administration operates, it's absolutely necessary to spin the facts for it to survive. There's no way the majority of "Gannon's" readers would believe that shooting journalists who exposed the truth is acceptable. At least I'd like to think they wouldn't approve.

[Eloriel]

8. Eason's only fault was that he voiced the truth

Really. Following Howard Dean's definition of gaffe: when you speak the truth in Washington.

The Pentagon promised BEFORE the war that journalists who got in the way or rather freelanced instead of being "embedded" would NOT be protected in any way, and the warning may even have been more explicit than that. Memory blurs a little. But the meaning was quite clear.

And the reports of the incidents themselves. Jesus H. Christ, there was that one tank that turned its turret quite purposefully to the hotel where journalists stayed and blasted away. That was just one of MANY not too dissimilar incidents -- and many deaths, a lot of them "unfriendly" (to the Pentagon) Arab journalists.

Far too many journalists died in this war under odd circumstances for it to all be coincidence in MY mind. Eason was just speaking the truth, and I think he had a right to do so. Unfortunately, our fascist government and its supporters are pretty aggressive about such truth-telling incidents and don't let them happen without consequence. So some subjects become and remain completely taboo. Doesn't make them not true.

[golden voyages]

11. How very true

[Soloflecks]

16. Supporting link:

http://beirut.indymedia.org/ar/2005/02/2193.shtml

According to Ms. Adie, who twelve years ago covered the last Gulf War, the Pentagon attitude is: "entirely hostile to the the free spread of information."

"I am enormously pessimistic of the chance of decent on-the-spot reporting, as the war occurs, "she told Irish national broadcaster, Tom McGurk on the RTE1 Radio "Sunday Show."

Ms. Adie made the startling revelations during a discussion of media freedom issues in the likely upcoming war in Iraq. She also warned that the Pentagon is vetting journalists according to their stance on the war, and intends to take control of US journalists' satellite equipment --in order to control access to the
airwaves.
(snip)
The conversation was as follows from the transcript:
Tom McGurk:

" Now, Kate Adie, you join us from the BBC in London. Thank you very much for going to all this trouble on a Sunday morning to come and join us.

I suppose you are watching with a mixture of emotions this war beginning to happen, because you are not going to be covering it."

Kate Adie:

" Oh I will be. And what actually appalls me is the difference between twelve years ago and now. I've seen a complete erosion of any kind of acknowledgment that reporters should be able to report as they witness."

" The Americans... and I've been talking to the Pentagon ...take the attitude which is entirely hostile to the free spread of information."

" I was told by a senior officer in the Pentagon, that if uplinks --that is the television signals out of... Bhagdad, for example-- were detected by any planes ...electronic media... mediums, of the military above Bhagdad... they'd be fired down on. Even if they were journalists ..

' Who cares! ' he said.. .."

[pacalo]

9. I think it's huge, too!

But like you said, the media is uncomfortable with the truth, as well as afraid to speak the truth. I'd love for the truth to come out about this, but I don't think it'll come from the media.

I just wish there were someone with enough decency out there who is in a position to expose this administration to the point that even the Republicans would want to remove them from office.

[golden voyages]

10. You may be right, but sex sells. The Eason story will disappear. But

hopefully, the Gannon story will do what we need.

[golden voyages]

7. I don't think "Gannon" was in the WH because of his smarts

He was there because his self-described qualification is that he is "8" cut"

The reporter angle was just a cover to explain his presence in the West Wing.

And ITA with you about the Rove thing. No wonder shrub likes to call him turd blossom. ;-)

[pacalo]

12. I heard about the "turd blossom" nickname a couple of years ago...

Now, as the "Gannon" story is unfolding, I can see why that nickname for Karl is so appropriate. I bet he's the female, btw. ;)

[TheDonkey]

14. ... what about the ugliness of Smearboat Vets

They didn't keep quiet from spreading known lies... but when it's true about about their king then it's a non-issue.

[pacalo]

15. To be fair, Ted Koppel put John O'Neill to shame

the night Koppel presented to him the undercover work done by the ABC crew who re-visited Viet Nam to investigate the Swift Boat Liars' allegations against Kerry. The ABC crew learned that one of the Swift Boat Liars had visited the same area previously, learned the same information that was told to the ABC crew by the Vietnamese witnesses, but ignored the facts because they were in Kerry's favor, of course.

Also, both Keith Olbermann & (believe it or not) Chris Matthews leaned hard on the Swift Boat Liars, too.