Fired KMOV anchor Larry Conners defends Facebook comments about IRS

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (stltoday.com) ^ | 5/23/13 | Joe Holleman

[SoFloFreeper]

KMOV (Channel 4) fired Larry Conners after a social-media controversy, prompting St. Louis' longest-tenured anchorman to defend his claim that IRS "pressure" followed his 2012 interview of President Barack Obama.

Freed from a KMOV gag-order Wednesday, Conners said his statements on Facebook were simply questions about the possibility of an Internal Revenue Service vendetta in the wake of national stories about the agency.

"I never said that's what happened, and I'm still not saying it," Conners said. "I'm only asking that question."

Conners also said a televised statement he made about the situation last week — which he conceded damaged his position — was forced on him to read "as-is."

[SoFloFreeper]

Obamaculture: destroying freedom one person at a time.

[DonaldC]

I guess kmov is afraid of retribution.

[McGavin999]

If people don’t stand up to this intimidation crap we are all going to lose our freedom. The fact that he was fired just adds to that police state culture of intimidation. The station that fired him should be deluged with complaints.

[Paladin2]

Who watches TV news?

[July4]

St. Louis, the home of KMOV (Channel 4), is approximately 50% African-American.

KMOV was trying to survive. I don’t agree with the firing, but I’m just saying....

[Java4Jay]

Conners had little to say about his future plans, but on Wednesday created a new Twitter account, @LarryConnersUSA.

There he describes himself as a “Texan, Marine, gun owner, pilot, Harley Rider, poker player” and says “these views are my 1st Amendment Rights.”

[henkster]

Frightening how quickly they all fall in line, isn’t it?

[Jim Scott]

KMOV-TV pretending that firing veteran reporter Larry Conners was done to retain their objectivity when reporting on the IRS and/or President Obama falls flat. Conners stated that he has been harassed by the IRS since he apparently annoyed His Majesty in an interview with Obama last year. This is pure intimidation by the IRS (on behalf of Obama) and by KMOV-TV, covering their you-know-what by throwing a longtime reporter under the proverbial bus for expediency.

This is the way intimidation works, folks. The Obama people use the IRS to harass and, if possible, break you, financially while your bosses, cowering in fear that they'll be next and things such as the company's tax returns and FCC broadcast license application may be 'reviewed'. Soon, everyone who can shed some light on the misdeeds of the Obama administration is silenced. Tyranny triumphs while we tell ourselves that we're a free people. Yeah, right.

[Java4Jay]

Posting his views on the company Facebook page wasn’t smart, this is how the left bring down many teachers.

[ConservativeMan55]

He didn’t really post any views per se.

He just posted what happened to him, and the station didn’t like that being public.

[jimbo123]

Here are the people who fired him:

Mark Pimentel
markpimentel@kmov.com
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mark-pimentel/58/b6b/552

Sean McLaughlin
seanjmclaughlin@hotmail.com
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sean-mclaughlin/7/470/242

[Buckeye McFrog]

I guess kmov is afraid of retribution.

Members of the same union work the license renewal desk at the FCC

[the_Watchman]

Conners concluded the statement by saying he respects the importance of journalists keeping personal issues separate from professional ones. "Those lines might have been unintentionally crossed by my post," he said.

What he was prohibited from saying: "Those lines might have been intentionally crossed by the IRS!"

[wolficatZ]

[Resolute Conservative]

Pretty soon we will need the mark to get food or work.

[Uncle Chip]

He’s been doing interviews even on the KMOV station all day and setting the record straight and there has not been one caller that supports the station.

[Biggirl]

Revolt is coming.

[Biggirl]

In other words, heading to TX.