There's A Fourth Estate And A Fifth Estate (Comments From The WH Press Corp About Gannon)

King Publishing Group ^ | February 19, 2005 | Joseph Curl

[MisterRepublican]

The blogospheric probe had gotten ugly—democrats.com charged that Guckert "dabbled in male prostitution rings (through registration of sites like Hotmilitarystud.com [and] Militaryescorts.com," and alleged that "he was bringing male prostitutes into the White House." (Guckert acknowledged registering the gay sites, but said he did so for a client while he was working to set up a Web hosting business in Wilmington, Del. But new pictures that emerged this week tell a different story. Check out http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/02/man-called-jeff.html.)

Left behind after the smoke cleared were a few fundamental questions: What is a reporter? Does asking biased or loaded questions invalidate a reporter's credentials? Do columnists count? And above all, who gets to decides?

Members of the White House press corps offered some insight last week after Guckert's resignation.

"We all ask all kinds of questions; we all come to the briefing room with different points of view; we all serve different corporate masters," said Terry Moran of ABC News. "I don't know anything about Gannon's—or Guckert's—private life, and frequently he sounded like a shill for the administration. But he also challenged the White House from time to time with pointed questions—from the right. And that always struck me as valuable and necessary."

Moran's point is food for thought. Although Guckert's question to President Bush in the Jan. 26 press conference—about how Bush planned to work with Democrats "who seem to have divorced themselves from reality"—clearly crossed a line, the Talon News reporter occasionally held the president's feet to the fire. Guckert asked questions about GOP discontent over such issues as immigration, pressed the White House on conservative issues and drew out the administration's perspective on Democratic initiatives.

While many White House reporters oppose advocacy journalism in the briefing room, Moran vehemently objected to the course of action that led to Guckert's resignation.

[Mike Darancette]

The MSM is more like a "Fifth Column".

[MisterRepublican]

While many White House reporters oppose advocacy journalism in the briefing room, Moran vehemently objected to the course of action that led to Guckert's resignation.

"Whatever the ostensible rationale, it seems clear to me that `Gannon's' personal life was investigated and targeted by some bloggers because they did not like the ideas he expressed in his questions. That is chilling to me," he said.

John Roberts of CBS News agreed that "the liberal blogosphere"—not the White House press corps—drove the onslaught against Gannon. But he also said that Guckert's "presence at the daily briefing was not an issue with me."

"There are other people there with a clear agenda as well," he said.


Strange that Terry Moran and John Roberts almost sound as if they are defending Gannon.

[HardStarboard]

>>>While many White House reporters oppose advocacy journalism in the briefing room<<<

From what I have seen of White House news conferences, there is nothing but advocacy journalism in the briefing room.

The only astonishing fact is that one of them was a bit right of center. Stuck out like a sore thumb!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Strange that Terry Moran and John Roberts almost sound as if they are defending Gannon.

Real Strange.

So now the White House correspondants are saying they weren't the ones complaining about Gannon?

I'm not buying that...

[tet68]

Although Guckert's question to President Bush in the Jan. 26 press conference—about how Bush planned to work with Democrats "who seem to have divorced themselves from reality"—clearly crossed a line,

Certainly that line is no where near the biased phraseology used by the MSM/liberal "reporters". One need look no farther than the latest news to see just how divorced from reality they are.

[dandelion]

It's heartening to hear someone defend free speech rather than castigate the people who are speaking. The liberal blogosphere seized upon a particular aspect of Guckert's personal life, and he chose to bow out rather than face the questions. The liberal blogosphere did exactly what many are paid to do, and Guckert left himself open for attack when he was indiscreet in his personal dealings on the internet.

In this, Guckert clearly could have been more careful in his contacts, but his behavior in the press room was no more pointed than any other reporter there.

Moran and Roberts get it, and they're being realistic about it. Gannon had every right to be in the press room, as much as they do. But let's be honest about why he quit. He didn't quit wasn't because he wasn't a "reporter", he quit because he wasn't "straight". In the end, the "liberal" blogosphere attacked based on his sexual orientation, not on his credentials, and Guckert felt he could not face that onslaught publicly...

[MEG33]

Perhaps they are not comfortable with the private life investigation of journalists nor the transcripts of previous press conferences exposing their own "advocacy" journalism..There are other questionable "journalists",too, that ask questions and they are all liberals..one a Ralph Nader "newsletter type".
Someone published a presser of Clinton's that sounded like a love in.

[fat city]

What is a reporter?

If you have an expense account, hire stringers to do all the hard work, take afternoons off for personal "business" and have a membership in a health club, you're probably a "journalist".

[Mo1]

"Whatever the ostensible rationale, it seems clear to me that `Gannon's' personal life was investigated and targeted by some bloggers because they did not like the ideas he expressed in his questions. That is chilling to me," he said

Yes Terry ... It should give you chills

Because the Loony Left think many of you libs reports are actually Right Wingers

If they don't like a question you ask ... They will stalk and destroy your life too

And to think .. Reporters like Terry allowed the loons to get away with this new form of gutter ball attacks.

[dirtboy]

So now the White House correspondants are saying they weren't the ones complaining about Gannon? I'm not buying that...

They're just doing a subtle re-write of history to try and insulate themselves from similar treatment in the future.

[7.62 x 51mm]

The Fourth Estate™ = The Fifth Column™ = The Enemy Within™.

[AmishDude]

They are covering their own butts. Moran, in particular, is known for asking insanely biased questions. The problem is, if he wrote for The Nation, this would be a nonissue, but he works for ABC.

[AmishDude]

Actually, this question is characterized as a softball. It is not. For Bush, who is trying to change the tone in Washington and who does not want to be confrontational to the Democrats, it is a very tough question to take. Even for someone who likes confronation, it's too gratuitous a slap.

[Cicero]

The article strives to be fair, and for the most part is fair. But these guys still don't get it. That question about Democrats "who seem to have divorced themselves from reality" doesn't go nearly as far across the line as the kind of questions dozens of left-wing reporters ask at every press conference.

Moreover, it's not a soft-ball question. As pointed out above, it takes a jab at Bush from the right, putting into question his polite pretence that the Democrats are just ordinary political colleagues who should be treated politely. But it's far less over the line than any question Helen Thomas has asked in the last four years.

[Dales]

I am finding it fascinating to watch the Democrats get all in a tizzy over Gannon's sexuality. They've become the party of "Love the sin, hate the sinner". Particularly if the sinner is a Republican.