Posted on 09/18/2011 8:37:42 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
The New York Times trashed his book on Sarah Palin. Politico noted that it had united Palin with her fiercest antagonists - the dreaded "lamestream media" - in opposition to its prurience and spiteful tone.
But now Joe McGinniss is defending himself.
The muckraking author of The Rogue spoke to Lloyd Grove of Newsweek about his Palin tome and the reaction to it, which has primarily consisted of denunciations of the most salacious details he revealed about Palin. (Denouncing salacious gossip being, of course, the best excuse for repeating it.)
McGinniss "dismisses the notion that his unremitting hatchet job on the former Alaska governor—who, in his account, is not just a bully, but also a religious nut, a racist, a bulimic, and a bad mother who occasionally snorted cocaine and strayed from her marriage—will engender widespread sympathy for Palin as the defenseless prey of a left-wing stalker," Grove writes.
“I don’t know anyone who’s not a card-carrying member of the Tea Party who would believe something as foolish as that," he said.
The author offers a well-traveled defense for his extensive use of anonymous sources to trash Palin, her character, and her performance as governor of Alaska. He knows what he's doing.
McGinniss says he decided which sources were credible “on the basis of 40-plus years in journalism. By this point in my career, if I can’t tell what’s true and what somebody’s making up for nefarious reasons, I’ve been in the wrong business all this time.”
But Grove appropriately zeroes in on the juiciest of the book's revelations to highlight the delicate line McGinniss treads, that between unstinting dedication to exposing new information and simple gossipping.
Of a claim that Palin slept with a still-famous college basketball star before her marriage, Grove writes:
McGinniss speculates that they did the deed in a college dorm room in Anchorage or possibly a hotel. But when he actually interviewed the former Miami Heat star, he didn’t directly ask him if they had sex. Instead, McGinniss asked: “So you never had the feeling she felt bad about having sex with a black guy?” Rice’s reply: “No, no, no, nothing like that.”
Despite the ambiguity of that response, McGinniss insists, “I think it’s pretty clear ... That’s certainly the impression I came away with.”
The impression he came away with? That sounds weaselly, more a description of half-hearted fact-checking than real due diligence. The sort of approach to truth favored by cynical politicians and best exposed, once upon a time, by muckraking reporters like Joe McGinniss.
So this is where "journalism" is today? An "impression"? He also refers to the proposed act as an "affair", even though Palin was single at the time. This is a hatchet job from the get-go and this idiot knows it.
This guy has just rehashed all the garbage we’ve seen on the pages of the “National Enquirer” etc. dispayed at the grocery checkout.
I guess the guy is working with the scandal sheets on promoting this but if I were the “National Enquirer” etc.
I’d say he was plagiarizing the paper’s stories.
Remember to thank Mr. McGinniss when your time comes liberals.
McGinnis is working with Roger Ailes at Fox.Google Gabriel Sherman Joe McGinnis.Get the picture.
"I read that somewhere," said McGinnis, "I wrote it down, and then I read it."
He’s working for the GOP elites to kill the tea party.
The McGinniss "I'm not so bad for a psycho-stalker who hates real women" defense?
We are an idea whose time has come and you can’t kill an idea. We are the only logical response to a situation that many Americans are just starting to wake up to. We will become stronger, not weaker. Neither McGinniss nor the GOP can stop us.
As MLK said if you don’t stand for what is right,justice truth and something in your life if your 35 years old and live till 80 years old you have die at 35 years old.You will have death of the spirit.The elites on both side Republicans and Democrats will not kill this movement and Palin will make sure of that. McGinnis is working for the GOP elite and FOX.
I’m anxiously awaiting little Joey’s mudpie, “The Messiah”. The mudslinger about Barack Hussein Obama. Anybody know when he’ll be releasing that? What? Joey doesn’t believe in slinging mud at foreigners?
“The elites on both side Republicans and Democrats will not kill this movement and Palin will make sure of that.”
WE will make sure of that, with or without Palin.
If they destroy Palin are you traveling 6 hours to hear Rand Paul speak. There are leaders and there are leaders.
Creep PING!
“Creep” is nearly strong enough a word to describe this scum.
“Creep” isn't a strong enough word to describe this scum.
One cup of coffee is clearly inadequate.
McGinniss and Ailes have been buddies for 44 years.
McGinniss ‘too busy’ for Fox? [McGinniss and Roger Ailes friends for 44 years]
I always his “Book of World Record” ;)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.