The WHITE HOUSE'S / Bush's Fake Journalists!!!

[pbartch]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200501310004

Letter from David Brock to Scott McClellan
January 31, 2005

Scott McClellan
Press Secretary
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. McClellan:

I am writing to ask you to consider revoking the White House press credentials apparently granted to Jeff Gannon of Talon News. Mr. Gannon and Talon News appear to be political activists rather than actual journalists, and as such should not be presented to the public as an independent news agency.

Consider:

Talon News is virtually indistinguishable from an organization called GOPUSA, which describes itself as "dedicated to promoting conservative ideals." Both are run by Bobby Eberle, and websites for both entities are registered to Mr. Eberle at his home address. The contact information listed for Talon News includes Mr. Eberle's GOPUSA.com email address.
The staff of Talon News and GOPUSA is comprised almost entirely of Republican activists with no journalism experience whatsoever. For example, Mr. Eberle is president of GOPUSA and also serves as editor in chief of Talon News, but his biography lists no journalism experience. He did, however, serve as a delegate to the 2000 Republican National Convention, and has held numerous other Republican Party posts in the past. Other Talon News and GOPUSA staff include county Republican Party chairs, delegates to state Republican conventions, and other Republican officials.
Posts by Messrs. Eberle and Gannon on the online forum Free Republic make clear that the two men are partisan activists, not journalists. Mr. Gannon, for example, used Free Republic to try to organize partisan political activities designed to embarrass and discredit Senator John Kerry during last year's presidential campaign.
Mr. Gannon's conduct during your briefings, as well as presidential press conferences, further suggests that his true role is that of a partisan operative rather than an independent journalist. His questions reliably criticize Democrats and praise President Bush, often containing false assertions, such as his question last week -- based on Rush Limbaugh's radio program -- that incorrectly asserted that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid "was talking about soup lines."

Washington Post columnist Dan Froomkin noted in a March 10, 2004, column that Mr. Gannon frequently asks "softballs" during White House press briefings, adding:

And press secretary McClellan seems to appreciate it.

<snip>

The public has a right to expect that when you hold press briefings, the reporters are real and the questions are not staged beforehand. They have a right not to be deceived into thinking they are seeing and hearing reporters ask honest questions when they are really seeing a staged performance by partisan operatives.

<snip>

Mr. McClellan, the public needs to be confident that your briefings and the president's press conferences are honest, open dialogues with real reporters. Now more than ever, the public needs to be certain that the White House isn't using fake "journalists" to manipulate public opinion. Revoking Mr. Gannon's credentials would be a good first step in that direction.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance or if you would like further information. I have attached some materials about Mr. Gannon we have produced that may be helpful.

Sincerely,

David Brock
President and CEO
Media Matters for America

Posted to the web on Monday January 31, 2005 at 4:40 PM EST

[GetTheRightVote]

1. Get the truth out there, fakes running the show.

:kick:

[pbartch]

11. how can we get the fakes from asking questions and being part

of the media......when they are NOT JOURNALISTS??

They don't have proper credentials.

[cthrumatrix]

2. we know they pay journalist and "pretend journalist" are the next step

they are a propaganda machine....

it's all show and hiding from their lies

[Benhurst]

3. Good! NT

[RobertSeattle]

4. I liked the follow up today

Bios of Gannon, others vanished from Talon News website

http://mediamatters.org/items/200502010006


Bwak Bwak. What are they ashamed of?

[pbartch]

6. WHAT ARE THEY AFRAID OF....that America's will know they are cheats

and liars

[jimshoes]

5. It is absolutely mind boggling

how different these neocons are from our founding fathers. The prose and orations that have been recorded for history from those times so long ago came from heartfelt emotion and patriotism and even wisdom, whereas today's theater is nothing more than just that, theater, and really bad theater at that. This cabal will go down in history as the biggest group of swindlers ever to usurp a country.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. Thanks for the post. Great source of info.

[BrklynLiberal]

8. I forwarded the article about Gannon's questionable press credentials to

someone I know who is a W supporter. :puke: He responded by pointing out some aggressive questioning of Bush by some reporter employed by ABC news. He was adament about how much the reporters hate Bush. My response to him is below, with his response to my last note in parentheses. I was at a total loss what to say to him after this and just wrote back that he is obviously drinking a lot of Koolaid.
If you have nay suggestions about how to respond to him they would be appreciated.

I believe the main point of the article was not the question, but the questioner. He was not a member of a recognized media outlet, but part of a two-person Neocon-conservative PR organization, and therefore not qualified to be part of the White House press. He was just a plant, put there to ask that specific question. It was reminiscent of the very staged rallies with prearranged questions that occurred for photo-ops during the campaign.

( You're kidding right!! I can't imagine that any politician would take advantage of a photo op. He must be the first one to ever do that!!!)

Instead of asking questions about policies, people would be "chosen" out of the crowd and then stand up at the rallies and say "I just came to this rally to say I thank God that you are the President and to say that I am glad to vote for you again."

Not sure the situation is comparable to a reporter from a mainstream media corporation asking a challenging question that assumes the President reads, which we all know he doesn't, as even he has confessed he does not.

( On the other hand, you are okay with a member of a recognized media outlet asking questions trying to trip up a president with a question about an incident which did not really exist).

As for the mainstream news not reporting the news accurately, I could not agree more. Cannot remember the last time I even bothered to watch the news since I know that one cannot believe anything one sees or hears from them, and one won't even see the actual news being broadcast on them anyway. They only tell you what the White House wants you to hear.

(The NEW YORK TIMES only reports what the White House wants???? The LA Times, Washington Post??? Maybe your last statement is true!!!)

I have not seen evidence of Gore's and Kerry's hate for Bush, only distaste for his ignorance

(what ignorance? I consistently hear people say that but there is no evidence for it. )

and arrogance, and the policies that he supports that have led to the deaths of thousands of people and the wounding of tens of thousands more.

(Someone is living in a pre-911 world)

For a "pro-life" president Bush does not seem to exhibit much concern for the sanctity of life after it leaves the womb.

(Okay, here is my view. I am pro-life but not a fanatic. I am also against the death penalty. What are your views.)

How many executions did he oversee as Governor of Texas? I believe it was more than any other Governor in the United States. The executions he allowed included at least one man who was deemed mentally retarded. Somehow he can be "pro-life", pro-war, pro-death-penalty, and find no conflict there. Obviously, life is only sacred while it is in its mothers womb.

( I think intelligent people can see through this argument quite easily. I will play devils advocate here. A child has done nothing illegal. A person on death row has been found guilty of a crime. )

My personal distaste for him stems from his overwhelming hypocrisy and arrogance. He figuratively pees on my foot every day and tells me it is raining...and then looks me in the eye and tells me that I am the crazy one.

(I don't see hypocrisy and arrogance. I do see confidence. )

:puke:

[calimary]

10. You know, I seem to recall reading a few interesting things about 9/11.

Those who'd do us harm, and hate us for many more complicated reasons than just "...for our freedoms" hoped, via some catastrophic strike like 9/11, to fuck up everything America is about. They wanted to hit our way of life, change what and who we are and how we live and how we react and respond. They hit us in the defense/government/power center and in the financial power center for just that reason. They wanted to change America, make us defensive, reactive, less free, more tyrannical and more subject to tyranny. They wanted to throw one big ol' monkeywrench into our self-satisfied, secure, cushy, cozy, pampered and coddled reality - something our adversaries, who are scrappy and poor and have live by their wits and the seat of their pants (unlike us) do not share in the first place. They intended to shake us to the foundations and fuck us up. Fuck us in the head and in the heart, and warp and pervert the bejeezus out of us.

People like your "friend" seem SO damned eager to blurt out "9/11 CHANGED EVERYTHING!!!! 9/11 CHANGED EVERYTHING!!!!"

Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy. If that's true...

If they REALLY believe this...

If they REALLY, TRULY, HONESTLY believe this deep down in their bones...

...then it means they've allowed themselves to play straight into the terrorists' hands, and hand them the victory they aimed for. It means they've been played, and they fell for it, and did just what Osama and friends hoped to manipulate and freak them into doing.

It means the terrorists HAVE, INDEED, won.

How does you friend like THEM apples?

[BrklynLiberal]

12. Thanks for the question. I will ask him.

[Just Me]

9. It's comforting to know these ethical advocates are here in the USA!!!

I don't think we hear enough about these people and everything they do, have done, are doing on our behalf.

I salute each and every one of them!!!!

[KissMeKate]

13. Rock on, David Brock.

eom