White House Correspondents Criticize Alleged 'Softball Thrower' -- and Jeff Gannon Fires Back

Editor and Publisher ^ | 02/02/05 | Joe Strupp

[One Dight]

I like this Gannon guy. He asked the question that I was hoping one of those press people would ask.

[winner3000]

"I think Jeff's questions suggest he has a pretty strong partisan bent that is at odds with the mission of White House correspondents who go to those meetings on behalf of the public,"

Doesn't Jeff know that the mission of White House correspondents is to throw the kind of questions at the White House that would make George W look as bad as possible?

[Freee-dame]

Eight years of Mr. President-tell-us-about-the-wonderful -things-you-did-today? but now there isn't supposed to be a single person asking anything but attempts at Gotcha? disgusting

[Willie Green]

Gannon would not reveal his age and was vague about his educational background.

The WH press corps are a bunch of clymers...
but just the same, I think reporters should be more forthcoming about their background.
Frankly, I don't think much of a "reporter" who gets his/her talking points straight out of the WH press office, no matter which party is in power.

[Tanniker Smith]

You know, it took Stuttering John from the [REDACTED] Show to ask Gennifer Flowers if she had practiced safe sex with Bill Clinton.

TS
(Yes, I redacted his name on purpose.)

[CyberAnt]

Well .. I wouldn't call her stuff "hardball" .. but I would classify them as hard left - bordering on KOOKIE.

And .. I believe that because of her hostility to the WH - she has lost her front row seat ..?? Or she did for awhile.

[1rudeboy]

Hutcheson pointed to Helen Thomas, the former UPI White House correspondent who now writes a column for Hearst Newspapers and still attends press briefings as sometimes doing the same thing from the left. "Her questions have changed since she switched from a reporter role to a columnist role," he said. "Often all she is trying to do is make a political point." But Thomas works for a major news operation with a wide and diverse audience.

So an agenda is ok as long as you work for a big operation?

[MisterRepublican]

When the "journalists" who are owned by the Democrats start asking "hardball" questions of Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham-Clinton, John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, et. al., I will take this story seriously.

[deaconjim]

Hutcheson said. "We don't get into credentialing and we really don't want to," he added. "It is a judgment call. Just because [Gannon] comes in here with a different political view, is that wrong?"

Oh, so the rest of the room has a different political view? Nice of you to admit that. So much for their opposition to Gannon.

[tgslTakoma]

You must be doing something right, to be pissing off so many of the mainstream left-wing media in the White House press corps.

Salud!

[trustandobey]

Thanks to Jeff Gannon for truly one of the best questions ever submitted to a President! What a joy it would be if every Presidential Press Conference was covered by eloquent journalists.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" Then, .....on Jan. 26, the president called on him for a question, bypassing dozens of far more experienced reporters."

Experienced in what exactly- distorting and lying ??
When will this White House come into the new millennium and recognize the legitimacy of the on line and talk radio reporters ?
Maybe one day, this WH will hold a press conference just for the on line journalists or perhaps open the doors of the White House press room and permit more of the new media to join in the questioning.
It would be refreshing to hear legitimate questions asked by people who are not motivated solely by the desire for a gotcha soundbite or quote.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"They ought to get legitimate members of the fourth estate..."

Gag! Can these "reporters" be ANY more full of themselves?

[Spiff]

Weird. Talon News has been responsible for some VERY uncomfortable questions asked of the White House Spokesman. I specifically remember a very pointed questions about the White House's inaction towards the Invasion for Dummies guide printed and distributed by the Mexican government.

[Mad Mammoth]

What we are seeing in this pompous indignation from the liberal unintelligentsia that make up the majority of the White House Press Corps, is the same thing we witnessed when Fox News came along to clean the clocks of the alphabet networks. Fox was called every name in the book, why?

Because they actually presented news with BALANCE, and because America had been subjected to decades of left-leaning pablum from the talking heads in the lamestream media, the balanced coverage from Fox was seen as being positively right wing.

Same principle at work here with Jeff Gannon. His peers in the WHPC cannot stand the fact that there might be (*gasp*) among them someone who does NOT grind a liberal axe each and every day, who does NOT go into a press conference with anti-administration talking points freshly faxed from the DNC, and THAT is why they are up in arms about Gannon.

If Scott McClellan was to revoke ANY credentials from ANY correspondent, it should be for that hatemongering, terrorist-sympathizing Lebanese troll Helen Thomas. Her hatred for President Bush knows no bounds, and quite frankly if I were running the White House Secret Service detail, I would *demand* that she be banned from any presidential function. I would not put it past her to try and attempt a suicide/assassination bombing attempt.

She's that crazy. And she is a security risk, IMHO.

[Cboldt]

Hutcheson said. "We don't get into credentialing and we really don't want to," he added. "It is a judgment call. Just because [Gannon] comes in here with a different political view, is that wrong?"

A bit of a slip there, Mr. Hutcheson. What do you mean, "different" political view?

[maica]

Hutcheson said. "We don't get into credentialing and we really don't want to," he added. "It is a judgment call. Just because [Gannon] comes in here with a different political view, is that wrong?"

---

Oh, so the rest of the room has a different political view? Nice of you to admit that. So much for their opposition to Gannon.
*****


The gatekeepers of the "truth" are beginning to fail. The dam is going to burst soon. Jeff Gannon is to be commended for getting the White House Press Corps to expose themselves as having a particular political view!!!

Great work, Jeff!

[Edit35]

"I think Jeff's questions suggest he has a pretty strong partisan bent that is at odds with the mission of White House correspondents who go to those meetings on behalf of the public."

They forget that Freepers, in addition to other conservatives, are also members of the public.

If the Washington press corps had their way, all Republicans would hide their heads in shame and let the "real" opinion makers run the entire show.

[cksharks]

You mean of course the union thugs that you are always supporting with strong ties to the MAFIA. That kind of background info rrriiiiggghht!

[Enterprise]

He made waves big time - LOL. I would have been meaner. I would have pointed out that these people were divorced from reality, and they were dysfunctional. There is tons of things that can be written about this, but Limbaugh has said it all.