Posted on 03/24/2005 3:25:36 AM PST by billorites
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/25/business/media/25imus.html?ex=1269406800&en=3954d779d478f78a&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland
Radio Host Criticizes Report on Charity
By GERALDINE FABRIKANT
on Imus, the combative radio talk-show host who relishes skewering his enemies, used his program yesterday to take on The Wall Street Journal.
On his four-and-a-half-hour show, Mr. Imus criticized an article in The Journal yesterday that raised questions about financial controls and the personal use of a charity ranch he established in New Mexico for critically ill children. He called the author of the article, Robert Frank, a "dishonest reporter."
The New York attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, had questioned some of the Imus family's personal use of the 4,000-acre ranch, which cares for about 100 children who come in groups of 10 to visit during the summer and participate in ranch life.
But late yesterday, Mr. Spitzer's office notified the charity that it had closed the inquiry without any findings of impropriety.
The Imuses spend a week at Thanksgiving and up to three weeks around the Christmas holidays at the ranch when the children are not there. Mr. Imus said that he and his family also flew out when there was work to be done, like training a new chef.
The Journal wrote that the law required that the Imuses reimburse the ranch for visits.
In the article, the Imuses countered that they had not reimbursed the charity because they were not aware of the rules and that they spent their time at the ranch working.
On his talk show, Mr. Imus called its author, Mr. Frank, a "punk," saying that he had lied and had refused to come to the ranch and that he had only interviewed him the day before the article ran.
In a statement yesterday, the managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, Paul Steiger, said that the article was accurate and fair and that Mr. Frank had had many detailed discussions with Mr. Imus's representatives during the two months he worked on the article. In addition, Mr. Steiger said, Mr. Frank spoke twice with Mr. Imus at length the day before the article was published.
"It was reported and written by one of our most experienced and capable reporters," Mr. Steiger said.
A spokesman for the attorney general's office said that two developments had triggered the examination: the charity had requested an extension to file tax data, which typically prompts an inquiry, and the office received an anonymous letter saying it ought to check into Mr. Imus's use of the ranch.
The notification that the attorney general office's had ended its inquiry came after a morning in which Mr. Imus spent much of his show criticizing the article.
Mr. Imus called the article "a vicious hatchet job" and added, "Anyone who had been to my office in New York knows that there is not a day that goes by that I'm not on the phone with the ranch."
"Why should I pay here when I run the place?" said Mr. Imus, referring to the ranch, where yesterday's show was broadcast.
"I'd get David Boies to go to the Supreme Court before I'd give a penny to stay here," he said. "Are they nuts?" Mr. Boies is a prominent litigator who represented Al Gore before the Supreme Court in the presidential election dispute in 2000.
Mr. Imus said the family worked while at the ranch. He said if the charity hired a manager to do those jobs, it would cost $100,000.
He also argued that he had no need to abuse his visiting rights because he already has a $30 million home in Connecticut as well as a penthouse apartment on Central Park West in Manhattan.
Mr. Imus has donated $1 million to the charity, which has raised about $20 million.
I stand by my info. I listen to Imus a lot. Just because his wife is involved in Enviro-Friendly cleaning products doesn't make her a leftie. Fact is, Imus has said many times that she is a Bush supporter (as he was in 2000) and a Republican, and she has said so herself on the air.
Another thing that ought to be pointed out is that many of these numbers are inflated.
Initial donor contributions DID NOT buy a "4000 acre" ranch.
And those "100 kids" may be subject to a "your milage may vary" caveat as well.
14,000s.f. house for the I-Man? That number is probably right.
Well I have read several articles that say the opposite. Then again what does her political leanings have to do with the issue at hand? Answer Nothing!
She is a First Rate Kook as far as I am conserned.
What's missing from this story is an objective assessment of what it means to "run the place."
If I say "President Lincoln's policies resulted in massive death and destruction," I guess I'm "accurate." But am I fair, truthful, or unbiased?
I have a problem with her diet program. Imus is on it and he gets sick (flu or colds) a lot and has kidney stones! Kidney stones are largely attributed to wrong diet.
The fact that she is a Republican and a Bush supporter defuses people who want to go after Imus because they have categoried him as being Liberal.
I don't like Imus much either but not neccssarily because he is Liberal. His act just gets old and his interviews have gotten pretty predictable.
Still don't believe that Dierdre is a Bush supporter.
I tune out when David Gregory or Mick Barnicle begin their droning sessions.
Her doesn't "own' the ranch, a foundation "owns" the ranch. I don't listen to Imus much, but ther guy isn't doing this for his own gain. They've set up the foundation and ranch to continue after Imus isn't around.
Well, when my boys were younger, I sent them to White Pines Ranch for Summer Camp at $400 each per week.
Looks like a fun place and a bargain as well.
"Predictable" in the way he conducts an interview. For my money there is no one, except maybe Brian Lamb, who allows someone to make a point without stepping on their lines. This is from yesterday's program:
March 25, 2005
Imus and Jon Meacham of Newsweek discuss the Terri Schiavo case in connection to religion and the common love between parents and their children.
Imus: "I understand what the law is, and I understand all the ramifications of this case... I think. But wouldn't you think that somebody at some point would say something.... if it's the courts, and that would be appropriate, that just the humanity of this, in spite of what the husband has said, and whether he is technically the legal guardian or not, the parents have expressed a willingness to take care of this woman.... Why not let them?"
Jon Meacham: "That's precisely my personal view, not speaking journalistically. I have two little kids and my wife and I talked about this. What if twenty-five years from now one of them is married to someone that we don't seem to like very much, and we don't particularly trust their version of events..."
Imus: "Which by the way is going to happen...."
Jon Meacham: " (Laughing) Well that's a sobering thought on this Holy day.... Thank you. What would we do? This exactly links to the Holy day we are on, because I think the love of a parent for a child, seems to me is the most fundamental and unbreakable bond in the human experience. I think that's the reason that the story of Jesus resonates so much. What you have is God, the Father, doing something, carrying out what he would not let Abraham do with Isaac. Actually killing and sacrificing his own son for a mysterious atonement and resolution of the human drama. So I don't think you can ever turn off the parental love. I agree with you on a common sense level. If the parents want to do this, more power to them. God be with them, and we should all pray for a miracle, or the day endure and prevail in whatever ways they want it. You're right. One does wish that some common sense has been injected into this process, which has become incredibly politicized, and sadly has become one more skirmish in this larger culture war that seems to be going on without end."
Imus is reporting this morning that Robert Frank is getting death threats. He did not report the source but said that his program would discontinue showing his picture. Imus is also telling his fans to, "Leave him alone!"
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