White House-friendly reporter under scrutiny

Boston Globe ^ | 02/02/05 | Charlie Savage and Alan Wirzbicki

[Pikamax]

White House-friendly reporter under scrutiny By Charlie Savage and Alan Wirzbicki, Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent | February 2, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has provided White House media credentials to a man who has virtually no journalistic background, asks softball questions to the president and his spokesman in the midst of contentious news conferences, and routinely reprints long passages verbatim from official press releases as original news articles on his website.

Jeff Gannon calls himself the White House correspondent for TalonNews.com, a website that says it is "committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news coverage to our readers." It is operated by a Texas-based Republican Party delegate and political activist who also runs GOPUSA.com, a website that touts itself as "bringing the conservative message to America."

Called on last week by President Bush at a press conference, Gannon attacked Democratic Senate leaders and called them "divorced from reality." During the presidential campaign, when called on by Press Secretary Scott McClellan, Gannon linked Senator John F. Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, to Jane Fonda and questioned why anyone would dispute Bush's National Guard service.

Now, the question of how Gannon gets into White House press conferences is coming under intense scrutiny from critics who contend that Gannon is not a journalist but rather a White House tool to soften media coverage of Bush. The issue was raised by a media watchdog group and picked up by Internet bloggers, who linked Gannon's presence in White House briefings to recent controversies over whether the administration manipulates the flow of information to the public.

[SuziQ]

the "GLOB"? Or the GLOBE? Never mind, I like yours better.

I've called it the GLOB since we moved here in 1988. It can always be depended upon to trash a Republican, except when a 'moderate' Republican is trashing a conservative Republican, the the Glob likes that one.

[RegT]

Wow. More press speculation about mysterious "Texas Republicans".

And yet during the campaign not one iota of coverage on DNC links to various prominent moneymen.

[Cboldt]

Here is an article by Mr. Gannon, from June, 2003. ...

Free Republic Protests at Hillary Booksigning <-- Link

[bilhosty]

If they (including the Globe) can have Democrat stooges, why shouldn't the administration recruit a Republican stooge? Methinks this has nothing to do with the issues the Globe has raised. Are the Globe or CBS anything but Dem stooges? I wonder which is the most reliable news paper the Globe of Boston or the Globe that is sold supermarket check out counters? My guess is that it is the latter. Why don't they deny the Boston Globe credentials?

[RamingtonStall]

Anyone who wants to read the Talon News to find out the "Softball Stories" from the Whitehouse, can subscribe here:

http://www.gopusa.com/subscribe/

Enjoy! ([: ^ )

RamS

[Sgt_Schultze]

Pretty much sums up the entire MSM under the Klinton admin, no?

So right. Search your memory, if you will. Recall how many questions the impeached former president received when he was accused, by an actual person (Juanita Broadrick), of sexual assault (rape). How many of the "objective" mediots persued any questions?

[MamaLucci]

Remember when the Boston Globe complained about ABC News
hiring Clinton flunky, George Stephanopoulos? Neither do I.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

recent controversies over whether the administration manipulates the flow of information to the public.

Any administration today that doesn't manipulate the flow of information to the public is raw meat to predators.

[FrankR]

"...to a man who has virtually no journalistic background..."

The "journalistic background" is just another way of saying "leftist indoctrinated" in today's world. We need more reporters like him. That, and fewer lawyers would go a long, long way in straightening out many of our problems in present day America...and the world.

[1Old Pro]

ONE "friendly" reporter out of 50+ who hate Bush????This is an outrage, call for an investigation.

[TXnMA]

has virtually no journalistic background,

Translation: "Not a member of the Leftist Hacks Club..."

Now, that is a big plus, in my book!

[b4its2late]

Good point. I don't either 'cause it ain't happenin'.

[TXnMA]

Hey, folks, here's an idea:

Why don't we see if we can get an official FR Correspondent on the White House Press Corps?

I have no doubt at all that FR's readership is many times bigger than that of "TalonNews.com" -- whatever that is...

It would be worth the try just to watch the scrambling of the "me too's" at DU! LOL!!!

[TXnMA]

"The Glob" (no "e"): Favorite semi-official appellation of folks (like me) who live[d] near Boston, and occasionally pick up a copy of the Sunday edition of the Globe -- for the comics, or to see if any interesting jobs are posted, (And, who, otherwise, won't contaminate our trashcan with its pages.)

FWIW, one Sunday "Glob" will wrap lots of fish and line lots of birdcages and litterboxes...

[FlipWilson]

Gannon is under scrutiny from whom? Yep, the MSM, that is whom. Yet another example of the MSM trying to generate reality. They put the "scrutiny" on and then report it as if it were news. Happens with polls etc. The MSM is tyring to stuff the genie back in the bottle by duplicating the Media Research Center with Media Matters.

Happily, when this type of story is published, it is a sure sign that the MSM is in its death throes.

[BoBToMatoE]

So, somebody at the DNC fed this story to the Boston Globe?

---

What DOESNT the DNC feed the MSM? The MSM is nothing more than the talking points puppet of the DNC. Just look at last year's election as all the evidence you need.

[Dataman]

In other words, "real" journalists are upset because the White House doesn't approve only raving leftwing lying freaks.

On Fox News this morning:

The Boulder Faculty Assembly (search), a group representing professors at the campus, called Ward Churchill's (search) comments "controversial, offensive, and odious," but also expressed support for his right to express them.

"The lifeblood of any strong university is its diversity of ideas which allows for the environment necessary to educate and train young learners and advance the boundaries of knowledge," said a statement released Tuesday by university spokesman Peter Caughey. "Debate is a fundamental characteristic of a university."

So free speech should be tolerated if it compares WTC victims to Nazis, but suppressed if it dares mention ID in the Smithsonian. BTW, is it amazing or what that all of a sudden a reporter's "credentials" become important?

[BibChr]

Excellent catch, as usual.

Dan

[KidGlock]

I hope he is as ojective and without bias as Helen Thomas.

[BigSkyFreeper]

So what we have are two Democrat tools outting an alleged Republican tool? LOL These two reporters probably spent 8 years during the Clinton administration asking softball questions.