Deleware's Guckert Connection

[paineinthearse]

http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2005/02/10whitehouserepor.html

White House reporter quits under scrutiny

Ex-Wilmington resident with alleged pro-Bush leanings resigns as bureau chief for Net news outlet

By JENNIFER BROOKS / News Journal Washington Bureau
02/10/2005

WASHINGTON -- A former Wilmington resident whose softball questions at White House press conferences have prompted heated criticism from online media watchdog groups has sworn off presidential press conferences. James D. Guckert, who reported under the pseudonym Jeff Gannon, resigned late Tuesday as Washington bureau chief for Talon News, a conservative Internet news outlet owned by the Web site GOPUSA. Guckert came under increasing criticism from Democrats and watchdog groups who said he acted more like an administration ally than an objective journalist during White House briefings. Guckert had regularly attended White House press conferences since 2003. But he shot into the spotlight last month after one of his questions aired during a nationally televised press conference.

After mistakenly attributing a joke by conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh about soup lines to the Senate Democratic leadership, Guckert asked the president: "You've said you're going to reach out to these people . How are you going to work with people who seem to have divorced themselves from reality?" Guckert then came under withering scrutiny from Democratic activists and media watchdogs on the Internet. "I asked a question at a White House press briefing and this is what happened to me," Guckert told The News Journal on Wednesday after announcing his resignation. "If this is what happens to me, what reporter is safe?"

Criticism of Guckert appeared on Web sites like The Daily Kos, Mediacitizen and Eschaton. Guckert's real name was published, as was the Wilmington address where his Internet domain was registered. Bloggers also discovered that several gay pornographic domain names had been registered through his domain. Guckert said he registered those domain names for a client while he was working to set up a Web hosting business in Wilmington. "There are people out there who will turn people's lives inside out," Guckert said. "They tried to intimidate me, punish me. Then they tried to embarrass me, and they've done a pretty good job of that."

Neither White House officials nor Talon News pressured him to resign, he said. White House press secretary Scott McClellan would call on Guckert "whenever he would be under more aggressive, hostile questions from the press," said David Brock, president of the media watchdog group Media Matters for America. "He'd call on him and he would get a complete softball." After studying transcripts of White House briefings, Brock wrote McClellan and urged him to revoke Guckert's press pass. Guckert applied for a congressional press pass last April but was rejected on the grounds that he did not work for a real news organization. Guckert did not have a permanent White House press pass. He was able to attend daily press briefings by obtaining a daily visitor's press pass, the White House press office said.

[deutsey]

1. The article doesn't say anything about Guckert's underwear pose

thereby giving the impression that it's a "Guckert said vs. bloggers said" issue. I think that photo is pretty damn incriminating.

[hootinholler]

2. Calling him a bureau chief is dis-ingenious...

There were 2 guys that were Talon News. Both are propagandists.

-Hoot

[ClintonTyree]

4. And there is no "Bureau"................

unless they're talking about what they lay their computers on. "Talon News" exists only in cyber-space, it's not bricks and morter.

[ClintonTyree]

3. Cry me a freaking river...................

:cry: Guckert!

"Bloggers also discovered that several gay pornographic domain names had been registered through his domain. Guckert said he registered those domain names for a client while he was working to set up a Web hosting business in Wilmington. "There are people out there who will turn people's lives inside out," Guckert said. "They tried to intimidate me, punish me. Then they tried to embarrass me, and they've done a pretty good job of that."

What's a good, moral Conservative doing registering pornographic we sites anyway? Even if this is his contention, that makes him guilty of enabling the very "enemy" of Conservative, bible thumping, moralistic fundies everywhere!

"There are people out there who will turn people's lives inside out", cry me ANOTHER freaking river. You engaged in the exact same tactics you freaking cry baby!

Guckert...........the biggest tool in the shed.

[paineinthearse]

5. Guckert is whining about the porn sites

Saying they were developed for a client and not intended for his use. Delaware's assignment: find this mysery client.

[cyberpj]

6. The article also doesn't mention his involvment with the leaked CIA memo

I understand, from other reading, that he has bragged about his involvement in the Plame CIA memo.

[Hardware]

7. More fun

I clued in the News Journal about some more fun with Guckert.

http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2005/02/12discreditedrepo.html

[newyawker99]

8. Hi Hardware!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[cyberpj]

9. Welcome - but that article IS from the News Journal! eom.

"delawareonline.com > The News Journal > Local > Story"

[LynneSin]

10. I'm a little disappointed with the News-Journal

That was a decent article but here Wilmington is sitting on this big landmine and all they did was a quick article and be done with it. Nothing by the editorial department and no letters to the editor. It's like we can't be bothered with this story even if it's in our fricking backyard