Posted on 02/09/2005 8:19:29 PM PST by tgslTakoma
All Things Considered, February 9, 2005 · A reporter for the conservative news site TalonNews.com resigns. The reporter, who went by the pseudonym Jeff Gannon, drew critical attention at President Bush's Jan. 26 press conference when he referred in question to Democrats "who seem to have divorced themselves from reality" on the issue of retooling Social Security.
Liberal bloggers have disclosed that Gannon, who has little previous journalism experience, was easily granted a coveted White House press pass -- even though he did not work for a traditional or established news organization. He also routinely asked "softball" questions at press conferences. There are also allegations that Gannon is linked to Web sites with homoerotic themes.
Gannon spoke with NPR's David Folkenflik the day before he resigned. He says he is open about his conservative point of view, but that he is just as valid a journalist as other reporters in the White House press corps.
Excuse me...But just DAMN!
Not a problem. I didn't know it either until I went to change my radio station affiliation for my Delaware State Police issued press pass back in the 80s.
I needed to show ID, my driver's license obviously, and a question was raised because I wanted the pass reissued with the new affiliation under the same name as the old one. My DL had a different name on it....because I had gotten married in between.
In these post 9/11 days, I'm sure it is even much more difficult to do it, but it can be done.
Helen Thomas has been moved to the back row.
Heeheehee!
And we've all known this for quite a while, haven't we? Certainly no reason to get wobbly.
Jeff also said that he is "a graduate of the Penn State University system".
I checked my new Penn State alumni directory and found this entry:
Guckert, Donald James '78 BS, '78 BA, '86 M ENG
r: (address in Columbia Missouri and phone number follows)
I don't know if this is the guy, but it looks a little coincidental. There are only two other "Guckerts" listed, but one is a doctor who graduated in '61 and the other graduated in 2000. Neither has a "James" in his name.
Don't ask, don't tell.
Amen!..and their PBS icon Bill Moyers just had to issue an apology to James Watt for attributing a quote to him that was never made.
This "he's not a 'real journalist' "crap makes me sick. Anyone who's writings are read by others is a journalist. The "J-Schools" turn out people who can write, know how the print media works in terms of hierarchy (reporter, feature writer, stringer, editor, publisher, etc.) and how to ask questions. But you can't ask intelligent questions about a subject unless you know something about it. And because most (not all) J-School graduates and practioners of the journalist's trade have no other area of expertise or at least some competence in some other areas that might equip them to to ask the occasional intelligent question and write the occasional informative article or column; what we usually get are the reporter's bias-slightly colored with what he observed or heard. Whether he understood anything about the subject or not doesn't seem to be of any concern in his eagerness to leap upon an opportunity to spread his (usually) political point of view.
I hope President Bush allows more "non-mainstream" people to participate in the important business of questioning the President at these press opportunities.
I am very tired of the snob "credentialed" reporters looking down their noses at those who are much smater than they are, but don't happen to be employed by the MSM.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1339334/posts
Jeff Gannon - A Voice of the New Media - The voice goes silent.
jeffgannon.com ^ | February 9, 2005 | Jeff Gannon
Posted by good ole lib MurryMom..
851 posts
If he were the guy you found in the directory wouldn't he go by "D.J." as opposed to "J.D."?
I don't know if they are the same person, and personally, I don't care. I've gotten really annoyed with FReepers who have been jumping all over him because he is apparently laying low and who believe that since he isn't front and center defending himself all these leftwing bloggers are telling the truth.
But readers would never know that seeing as how NPR and all the other media outlets have prominently mentioned that he was using as 'alias', implying that it was dishonest and shocking.
If you are out of the news business, I hope someday you'll get back in. We need honest journalists, right now it is one of the most disgusting, dishonest, and damaging industries in America. I have more respect for the porn industry than for much of the media.
I'm with you on this "not a real journalist" crap.
I never went to J-School......but I knew that was what I wanted to do, and I did it, and am proud of what I did.....and happy I got out of it when I did :)
But there are enough of us here that will fight back, with gusto, to make up for the ones who won't.
Oh yeah.
People like Rep. Slaughter are claiming that Gannon is a liar because he claims to be a graduate of the Penn State University system but nobody has been able to verify it.
According to Snopes.com, Geraldo Rivera was born Gerald Riviera, not Jerry Rivers.
They'll do it to anyone but sKerry.
If it's war they want...
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