Fake Reporter "Gannon"

[Nicodema]

Anyone heard about this story about the fake reporter / phony journalist shill in the White House??

[:"brown"]

Fake news, fake reporter

Why was a partisan hack, using an alias and with no journalism background, given repeated access to daily White House press briefings?

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By Eric Boehlert

Feb. 10, 2005 | When President Bush bypassed dozens of eager reporters from nationally and internationally recognized news outlets and selected Jeff Gannon to pose a question at his Jan. 26 news conference, Bush's recognition bestowed instant credibility on the apparently novice reporter, as well as the little-known conservative organization he worked for at the time, called Talon News. That attention only intensified when Gannon used his nationally televised press conference time to ask Bush a loaded, partisan question -- featuring a manufactured quote that mocked Democrats for being "divorced from reality."

Gannon's star turn quickly piqued the interest of many online commentators, who wondered how an obvious Republican operative had been granted access to daily White House press briefings normally reserved for accredited journalists. Two weeks later, a swarming investigation inside the blogosphere into Gannon and Talon News had produced all sorts of damning revelations about how Talon is connected at the hip to a right-wing activist organization called GOPUSA, how its "news" staff consists largely of volunteer Republican activists with no journalism experience, how Gannon often simply rewrote GOP press releases when filing his Talon dispatches. It also uncovered embarrassing information about Gannon's past as well as his fake identity. When Gannon himself this week confirmed to the Washington Post that his name was a pseudonym, it only added to the sense of a bizarre hoax waiting to be exposed.[/]

Read the rest here: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/02/10/gannon_affair/index.html

Further reading:

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/02/15/guckert/index.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/17/opinion/17dowd.html?hp

http://www.salon.com/opinion/blumenthal/2005/02/17/gannon_affair/index.html

Oh, and please don't trot out the tired spin that because I linked to Salon.com the story is not valid. Go find some other links on other media outlets if you don't care for Salon.com's writing. The story is out there, I'm sure others have covered it too. Unless they are more payoff shills for the elephants.

[Neil D]

Not to 'rain on your parade', but Amelia brought this to our attention a couple of weeks ago in this forum. I remember it because I commented upon it. Here is the link-

web page

And it's is nice to see that others are seeing the same problems as I have [and I asume Amelia has]....And these articles are an outgrowth of the Bush has bought publicity for his agendas...Not in the promoting of ideas for the betterment of society but rather the squashing of opposing ideas that truely would better society.

This goes along the lines of appointment of neo-conservative judges in the hopes of shaping culture in our society.

[there buster]

No, I missed it. I was watching George Stephanopoulos on ABC and reading Sidney Blumenthal on Slate.

[Dr. Shane]

The issue isn't what the Bush Adminsitration has or has not done. The Adminstration has not acted differently than previous adminstrations. The issue is the journalists failing to disclose that they are being paid. Presidents have used tax dollars in various ways to promote their agendas for many many years.

[Neil D]

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The issue isn't what the Bush Adminsitration has or has not done. The Adminstration has not acted differently than previous adminstrations. The issue is the journalists failing to disclose that they are being paid. Presidents have used tax dollars in various ways to promote their agendas for many many years.

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Buying reporters have never been one of them, because there were cheaper ways of doing things....ie a favored group of reporters. Reporters who report favorably to the president. Tain't hard to find those reporters. There are skades of them around...

But why take 20-30k and give it to a reporter to buy his writing skills when you got others who can do that for free? Why not invest in some armorment for the guys in Iraq rather than buy off a reproter?

Sounds a bit fishy to me....

[Dr. Shane]

Try to get your news from sources with different biases and you will find your take on the story is off. Don't let the liberal slanted media put a ring in your nose and led you where they want you to go.

Do you ever watch the News Hours with Jim Lerher on PBS? He does a pretty good job with giving more than one prespective.

[Neil D]

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Try to get your news from sources with different biases and you will find your take on the story is off. Don't let the liberal slanted media put a ring in your nose and led you where they want you to go.

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This from a man who tells me that there is no such thing as Bush conspiracies....

[Dr. Shane]

I said the same thing about Clinton when he was president. Because I am not blinded by partisan politics. I don't have a ring in my nose and no one is leading me around.

[Nicodema]

You do if you cannot see truth but instead must classify it as spin to sleep at night.

[Neil D]

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I said the same thing about Clinton when he was president. Because I am not blinded by partisan politics. I don't have a ring in my nose and no one is leading me around.

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Oh my! I am a leftist, commy sympathizing pinko!... Oh bother....

Apparently you are blinded.... You say you see, but since you still use the republican conservative language, your blindness still remains. Along with your rhetoric and lack of compassion and values that destroy rather than build. The conservative agenda has really done it's work on you, Shane. You can't even see out of your little box. As long as the world is defined in your little sphere, everything revolves around your definitions. As a result, anything to the left of you is [amazingly, NOT] left. The bible says to restore the old values....you keep moving them to your convience... poor form, Shane...poor form...

Oh, and if this is judging, you have condemn yourself....

[Dr. Shane]

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! I am a leftist, commy sympathizing pinko!...

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Again, I am a Seventh-day Adventist Christian - not a Catholic priest. You don't need to confess to me.

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Along with your rhetoric and lack of compassion and values that destroy rather than build.

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Now that sounds quite judgmental. Since I accepted Jesus in my heart I have carried a burdon for the downtrodden. I first ministered to suffering homosexuals seeking freedom that comes from Christ. For the past few years my ministry in Mexico has been all about compassion. I love people and see my purpose in life as doing what I can to relieve the suffering of others.

I would hope you feel the same sense of purpose. We can disagree politically without condemning each other and calling each other names.

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Oh, and if this is judging, you have condemn yourself....

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You know I suspect the Holy Spirit convicted you of a judgmental spirit and that last line is a way of kicking against the pricks. Don't do it brother. Love your neighbor as yourself. Don't judge and condemn him. You really just hurt your own spirit and become bitter and removed from the living God.

[Neil D]

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would hope you feel the same sense of purpose. We can disagree politically without condemning each other and calling each other names.

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And tell me, where have I used a name to describe you, Shane?

Have I called you a right winger? No, I have said that you use the language of a right winger...I have said that you have your own agendas, but have I called you names? no....

They say that you can lead a donkey to water, but you can't make him drink...I have lead you in my writing to a point where you needed to drink. But you refused. That shows your stubborness. That is also where those "pricks" that you talk about, kick up that stubborness of yours. You act that way, Shane...I have merely described it. But name calling....I don't do that...

[Dr. Shane]

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They say that you can lead a donkey to water,

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Now am I a donkey or an elephant? I am confused.

[Jeannieb43]

Okay, Shane. Sit down. Let me explain the proverb for you.

It goes something like this:

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

You can send a boy to college, but you can't make him think."

(Neil just happened to have learned it as "donkey" in place of "horse." But the meaning's the same.)

It does not consist in calling anyone names. It consists in using a common everyday experience to teach a moral lesson.

Of course, if the reader wants to start an argument, there are any number of possible ways to do so.

I don't think such was Neil's intention however.

[Dr. Shane]

Sorry Sister Jeannie. I guess my humor went over your head. The donkey is the Democrat symbol and the elephant is the Republican symbol. Don't you find it pecular that Brother Neil decided to substitute donkey for horse in a political discussion?

While it is true that a horse can be lead to water, the horse will not drink when the water is bitter. Nor will the boy in college think when his liberal college professor is using the classroom to indoctrinate his or her students.

[bevin]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=15&u=/ap/20050219/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/fake_news

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Feds Warned About Fake News Videos

Sat Feb 19, 8:21 AM ET

WASHINGTON - Congressional investigators warned federal agencies this week that the promotion of government policies through video news releases meant to look like TV news stories may violate federal rules against propaganda.

In a letter sent Thursday to heads of government departments and agencies, the Government Accountability Office noted that "prepackaged news stories have become common tools of the public relations industry."

The presentations "are intended to be indistinguishable from news segments broadcast to the public by independent television news organizations," the letter said.

Comptroller General David M. Walker warned that such productions may violate a government prohibition, enacted in 1951, against the use of appropriated funds for propaganda.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy was criticized last year for a series of video news releases in which a narrator, sometimes identified as "Karen Ryan" or "Mike Morris," said she or he was "reporting" on the office's activities. The tapes were sent to local television stations for use in news programs.

In a second case criticized by the GAO last year, the Health and Human Services (news - web sites) Department's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services produced video news releases touting changes to Medicare. Those productions were also narrated by "Karen Ryan" and were offered to local TV news operations.

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[Neil D]

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Don't you find it pecular that Brother Neil decided to substitute donkey for horse in a political discussion?

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My appologies if you interpreted my comments as YOU being the donkey...It is a jewish slant of the old "horse to water" phrase. It comes from a play, written by Jim Pappas, and the play is from "Mary Song". The biblical character Joseph told Mary's father, Joikim, that the rabbi's son was not good enough for Mary...and the phrase was repeated as an aside to Mary's mother when Joikim was discussing who Mary should marry. Regarding the rabbi's son, Joikim says "Why he could not lead my donky to water without drowning it!"

And Shane, with all due respect, you can't lead a donkey to water without drowning it.....

[Neil D]

According to Reuters:

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh is expected to visit Afghanistan with the top U.S. aid official to spotlight America's aid work there, officials said on Thursday.

[...]

"It's trying to get people to pay attention to all the good things we are doing in Afghanistan," a U.S. official who asked not to be named said of the trip, which is expected to take place next week. "This is just a different kind of outreach."

While it isn't clear who is paying for Limbaugh's trip, or if he is being paid for his time, the comments by the "U.S. official" certainly suggest the Bush administration is using Limbaugh to promote its agenda.

Limbaugh -- who said in April 2004 that women "actually wish" to be sexually harassed, said in March 2004 that " Chavez is a Chavez. We've always had problems with them," claimed last year that "John Kerry really doesn't think 3,000 Americans dead in one day is that big a deal," and asserted that the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. military personnel at Abu Ghraib was no worse than a fraternity prank -- is a close ally of the Bush White House. So close, in fact, that he "got a big hug from the president" at a White House Christmas party.

[:"blue"] So, Rush is on the take as well...Talk about your limiting the news by paying off key talking heads and giving favors to various personel...I know, Shane, it's "done all the time", but as commented on by media matters, it's the first time that it has been done on such a big scale...even more than Nixon! And that's gotta mean something! like maybe a good reporter might find other things, naster things done by the Bush administration.

Oh, and Shane, all your "pooh-hooing" about how good this president is, and your defending him, smacks of the same tattics that Mormons use regarding thier prophet, Smith when we bring up his dubious background.... [/]

[Dr. Shane]

Maybe Bush is paying me too. Did you ever think of that?

[Neil D]

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Maybe Bush is paying me too. Did you ever think of that?

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Well, let's see. We have 2 reporters whose pay totaled over $50K. And the budget is $1m...Seems to be lots of money left over....So, maybe you are on the take...

[Dr. Shane]

well, I have to be. How else would anyone say anything good about Bush? He probbally even bought his re-election.

[Nicodema]

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He probally even bought his re-election.

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Out of the mouths of babes ...

[Neil D]

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Out of the mouths of babes ...

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I couldn't have said that better....

[Dr. Shane]

Doesn't take much to get some people to show their true colors, does it? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[Neil D]

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Paranoid Left

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Anything for a dig, eh, Shane?