Online Reporter Quits After Liberals' Expose

Washington Post ^ | 2/10/05 | Howard Kurtz

[conservative in nyc]

The conservative reporter who asked President Bush a loaded question at a news conference last month resigned yesterday after liberal bloggers uncovered his real name and raised questions about his background.

Jeff Gannon, who had been writing for the Web sites Talon News and GOPUSA, is actually James Dale Guckert, 47, and has been linked to online domain addresses with sexually provocative names. He has been under scrutiny since asking Bush how he could work with Senate Democratic leaders "who seem to have divorced themselves from reality." The information about Gannon was posted on the liberal sites Daily Kos, Atrios and World o' Crap.

---SNIP---

Gannon's resignation highlights the no-holds-barred atmosphere of the Web, which both enabled him to function as a reporter--his stories appeared on a site founded by Texas Republican activist Bobby Eberle--and produced a swarm of critics determined to expose him.

Among the domain names registered by Gannon's company several years ago, but never launched, were Hotmilitarystud.com, Militaryescorts.com and Militaryescortsm4m.com, along with Exposejessejackson.com. The bloggers also have linked to a since-withdrawn America Online photo of a man who appears to be Gannon, posing in his underwear, with a screen name bearing the initials "JDG." Markos Moulitsas, a San Francisco liberal who writes the popular Kos site, said of Gannon: "He has been extremely anti-gay in his writings. He's been a shill for the Christian right. So there's a certain level of hypocrisy there that I thought was fair game and needed to be called out."

---SNIP---

Several White House correspondents say they saw Gannon wearing what appeared to be a permanent White House pass with his picture and pseudonym--legal names are generally required because of the Secret Service background check--and that McClellan sometimes called on Gannon when he wanted a softer question.

[Mo1]

There is absolutely NO level they won't sink to.

Nope .. remember Alan Keyes daughter? and Mary Cheney .. the Dkos was one fo the leaders in pushing that

And these people claim to by on the side of gays

[ovrtaxt]

Thanks, that's my 'cruising for dates' look.

As a serious comment, I would once again like to offer the WH some advice: cancel those stupid daily press briefings and just go directly to the new media. Those journalist shlubs need to start working for a living instead of eating catered lunches in the green rooms and having their material handed to them.

[Mo1]

I recall them doing this same kind of smear job on Andrew Sullivan.

I forgot what they did to him

[LibertarianInExile]

The article said that "The bloggers also have linked to a since-withdrawn America Online photo of a man who appears to be Gannon, posing in his underwear, with a screen name bearing the initials 'JDG.'"

I said "if you have something to hide, going in front of the public is the last place you should be. Mr. Gannon found out the hard way." Call me crazy, but I think photos of yourself in boxers or briefs qualify as something to hide. If you disagree, maybe you have some you'd like to share with the group.

My only familiarity with him is the article. If you inferred otherwise, my apologies for stimulating your imagination.

[Mo1]

The information about Gannon was posted on the liberal sites Daily Kos, Atrios and World o' Crap.

Atrios is a nansty little SOB

If I recall didn't the Dkos have to take down a thread about the military he wrote?

[Howlin]

Call me crazy, but I think photos of yourself in boxers or briefs qualify as something to hide.

Well, you sure seemed pretty sure that photo WAS of him. What proof do you have for that accusation?

If you disagree, maybe you have some you'd like to share with the group

So you can't repond without a personal attack?

[ArmyBratproud]

So Kurtz' only source....is the dailykos and some other web sites. The folks at the Howard Dean campaign admitted that dailykos' Zuniga was on their payroll. And it is shown true on Zuniga's company web site
www.armstrongzuniga.com
left side

So Kurtz runs with the basis of his story being mainly from the internet. Which is funny since, at first, he was against the memogate story ...based on its blogbase...and the memogate story had many other sources.

No shock...on another thread...someone posted this info that shows Kurtz may have been working with the folks at dailykos. (see below line). Keep in mind..what the dailykos poster wrote below...is factually wrong. The White House does not handle press passes. Those are handled by the Congressional Press Galleries.

---

"http://georgia10.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/7/203035/3282
There's no indication in the column of when McClellan said this, however. Kurtz did get one important thing out in the open: that Gannon uses a pseudonym "he declines to reveal." (No one has yet attempted an explanation of why the Secret Service would approve a "reporter" with a false name, which tells me that they know very well what his real name is.) In an effort to find out a bit more, and to see if he could tell me how to apply for White House press credentials, I called Kurtz. But he never called me back. I guess when you're a big-time columnist, you're awfully busy.

However, a long-time friend who writes for one of our larger metropolitan dailies was able to give me the name and phone number of the person who handles administrative matters for their international news desk. That person was extraordinarily helpful and, once I had explained that I was trying to discover the process to apply for White House press credentials, offered to call the DC bureau for me.

The information returned from the large metropolitan daily's Washington bureau confirmed what I suspected all along: Anyone seeking a White House press pass must write, on official letterhead, to Jeff's friend Scottie."

[kcvl]

I see a person's "sex life" is fair game when the left is trying to destroy someone. It's just not important to them when it's the freaking PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IN THE OVAL OFFICE!

[Mo1]

I wonder why Kurtz was so slow to mention this one...Hmmmmmm Seems he likes left wing blogs best...
Where is the video of this..Why is the MSM not demanding its release.

They sure are ignoring that story, aren't they?

[Howlin]

Back biting, or somethign like that?

Yet another "photo" they claimed was him. Also on AOL.

[LibertarianInExile]

I seemed pretty sure because the article seemed pretty sure. But you knew that. I've no inclination to google for photos of the Gannon-in-undies and Gannon-in-pressroom pics to compare, but you could if it's crucial to your case to show that I'm leaping to conclusions based on an MSM article. I doubt you'll find I'm leaping to conclusions about something so simply demonstrable, which is why I have some faith in the article.

As to your accusation I personally attacked you--how's that? I just said if you don't think an undie picture of yourself is exposure beyond what ought to be on the web, gosh, shouldn't be such a big deal to you to post a few. That's no personal attack, it's you putting your money where your mouth is.

[Mo1]

The White House does not handle press passes. Those are handled by the Congressional Press Galleries.

I didn't know that info .. thanks

[kcvl]

Markos

While born in Chicago, I was raised in El Salvador and lived there until civil war forced our family back to the states in 1980.

My family settled in the Chicago suburbs, where I spent the next long, torturous nine years, plotting my escape.

Immediately after high school, at the age of 17, I enrolled in the US Army, and served in Lawton, Oklahoma and Bamberg, Germany. I was a 13P -- an MLRS/Lance Fire Direction Specialist (artillery), and served between 1989-92. While my MLRS unit (A/76 FA, 3rd ID) was designated for deployment, the war ended too quickly and I was spared the desert heat and Gulf War Syndrome.

I subsequently received two bachelor degrees from Northern Illinois University (with majors in Philosophy, Political Science and Journalism) and my J.D. from Boston University School of Law (emphasis in trial litigation). I moved to San Francisco to work in the tech industry, where I remain today.

I started Daily Kos on May 26, 2002 (named after my Army nickname, rhymes with "rose"), and continue to maintain the site from Berkeley, California. In its first year, Daily Kos attracted over 1.6 million unique visits and about 3 million pageviews. Nowadays, it receives about eight million unique visits per month.

I also launched the Political State Report, a collaborative weblog (with over 100 contributors) tracking politics from all 50 states (now run by new management), and Fishyshark -- another weblog which tracked the daily foibles of my wife's pregnancy from a father-to-be's viewpoint. My latest project (with Jerome Armstrong) is OurCongress.org, a site tracking the nation's hottest races.

My heroes are Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, Cesar Chavez, and, above all others, my late father.

[Howlin]

I seemed pretty sure because the article seemed pretty sure.

Sure of this?

The bloggers also have linked to a since-withdrawn America Online photo of a man who appears to be Gannon, posing in his underwear, with a screen name bearing the initials "JDG."

Let's see if I have this straight; BLOGS are saying it was him, so Howie Kurtz is right?

Are you new to this?

[Howlin]

I just said if you don't think an undie picture of yourself is exposure beyond what ought to be on the web, gosh, shouldn't be such a big deal to you to post a few.

Kindly point to where I said anything close to that.

[Mo1]

Yes, I am aware of the so-called photos

Which have nothing to do with him being a reporter

I'm sure David Gregory, Terry Moran and John King have photo's of them taken throughout the years

[Howlin]

He left out the part where he took money to post.......LOL.

[kcvl]

Atrios, whose real name is Duncan

[Howlin]

Do you think they were/are real?

[Mo1]

Let's see if I have this straight; BLOGS are saying it was him, so Howie Kurtz is right?

Hmmmm .. does this mean that bloggers can go after anyone who has a photo of a reporter they don't like???

WOW ...