February 02, 2005 4:20 PM ET
snip
Gannon told E&P this afternoon that he had no political affiliation and had never contributed to a political campaign. "Which is more than I can say for some of my colleagues," he added.
He would not discuss Talon News's ties to Republican groups. "I write a news story, I post it, and anything having to do with GOPUSA, I don't know about." Added Gannon, "I'm not the '60 Minutes' producer with the Kerry campaign on speed dial."
Gannon would not reveal his age and was vague about his educational background. He said he had been writing for Talon News for two years.
snip
When asked about being denied a Capitol Hill credential, Gannon told E&P, "I understand their criteria, and I can see where their questions weren't fully answered. But I think their rules do not reflect the reality of a changing media."
snip
Judy Keen, a USA Today White House reporter whose tenure dates back to the first President Bush, said Gannon was always cordial with her and may not be the only reporter with a political angle. "I do have some questions about whether he is a legitimate journalist," she admitted. "But, if you start jerking people's credentials based on who they work for, that is a dangerous road to go down. He is not the only one who occasionally includes a personal opinion."
But Gannon's actions have drawn an angry response from Media Matters For America, a Web site run by David Brock. On Monday, Brock posted a letter that he had apparently sent to White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan urging that Gannon's credentials be revoked. "Mr. Gannon's conduct during your briefings, as well as presidential press conferences, further suggests that his true role is that of a partisan operative rather than an independent journalist," Brock's letter stated in part.
snip
In his conversation with E&P today, Gannon admitted having a conservative viewpoint, but said most of the White House press corps "have liberal leanings that are reflected in their questions and their news stories. I don't think anyone in that room is free of bias. They all reflect their own personal views or the editorial policy of the organizations they represent. I think I am no more or less partisan than any of my colleagues."
"The story isn't me, the story is that it doesn't seem that there is room for a single conservative in the White House press corps," he added.
Gannon believeds many of the questions from White House reporters are unnecessarily hostile and picking on everything Bush says: "Every single word he says, they jump on and make it a headline."
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:HrZL5cicWWsJ:editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp%3Fvnu_content_id%3D1000787908+Julie+Davis,+reporter&hl=en
Judy Keen, a USA Today White House reporter whose tenure dates back to the first President Bush,
Reporters have "tenure"? Who knew?
So Gannon says he doesn't know anything about GOPUSA; just another smear by the left, no doubt. Not that there's anything wrong with GOPUSA...but their attempts to link him to a blatently partisan site is quite transparent.