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Compliant Chicago Media Threaten Conservative Writer for Questioning Dick Durbin
NewsBusters ^ | August 12, 2011 | Matthew Sheffield

Posted on 08/13/2011 4:55:32 AM PDT by PJ-Comix

It's not very often that you run into a story that so perfectly captures both the sheer contempt which many reporters hold for the public and their desire to enable Democratic politicians. That's what happened in Chicago earlier this week when conservative journalist Bill Kelly had the temerity to ask Illinois Democratic senator Dick Durbin if he felt that he shared any responsibility at all for the recent U.S. debt downgrade.

As a coddled and protected Democrat, Durbin certainly wasn't used to a tough question and he proceeded to ignore it, turning instead to a more compliant journalist, one Jim Anderson of Illinois Radio Network, for a different question. Little did he know just how helpful Anderson would be, even going so far as to threaten Kelly with expulsion from the news conference. Read on for video and summary of the disgraceful encounter.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsbusters.org ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: chicagomedia; dickdurbin
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Kelly refused to leave though and continued talking, correctly stating that he had a right to ask a question. "You can stand and listen but you can't ask questions at a press conference" Anderson said, not realizing the absurdity of his words.

"No fighting in the War Room."

"You can't ask questions at a press conference."

1 posted on 08/13/2011 4:55:38 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
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To: PJ-Comix

The link doesn’t work...


2 posted on 08/13/2011 5:03:58 AM PDT by gogogodzilla (Live free or die!)
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To: gogogodzilla

Huh? I just clicked on the link and it works fine.


3 posted on 08/13/2011 5:07:08 AM PDT by PJ-Comix (aka Big Daddy Goo-Goo)
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To: gogogodzilla

Link works for me. You might check your security settings.


4 posted on 08/13/2011 5:07:47 AM PDT by Truth29
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To: PJ-Comix

‘Lil’ Dick has a hissy fit.....


5 posted on 08/13/2011 5:12:45 AM PDT by Vaquero ("an armed society is a polite society" Robert A. Heinlein)
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To: Vaquero

Video exposes how the press doesn’t so much cover Durbin as cover FOR him.


6 posted on 08/13/2011 5:13:50 AM PDT by PJ-Comix (aka Big Daddy Goo-Goo)
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To: PJ-Comix
We may as well call this Barackistan now...

"You can't ask questions at a press conference." (UNLESS YOU ASK QUESTIONS THAT ARE PRO-DNC)

IF you ask questions that are not DNC-friendly you are escorted out of the room by the SS agent!!

This isn't America!

7 posted on 08/13/2011 5:13:58 AM PDT by missnry (The truth will set you free ... and drive liberals Crazy!)
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To: PJ-Comix

That’s not the press. That’s the Sphincter Licking Posse, also known as the SLP. “Can we Dick? Can we lick it now, Dick? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze, Dick, please? Now Dick?” (pant, pant; drool, drool). There are many chapters of the SLP. There is the Obama SLP (Jake Tapper is the chapter president), there is the Biden SLP. There is the Reid SLP. This happens to be the Durbin SLP, with Jim Anderson as chapter president. And don’t you dare get between the SLP and its mission!


8 posted on 08/13/2011 5:26:38 AM PDT by Juan Medén
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To: Truth29

I dunno, I ping the site (98.124.166.102) and there was no response. Which means that either the site is down or it’s been programmed not to respond to my service provider.

Which is a possiblity, as I’m in South Korea, so my server provider is a South Korean one. I guess I’ll need to use a proxy server to read the article (again!).


9 posted on 08/13/2011 5:32:29 AM PDT by gogogodzilla (Live free or die!)
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To: PJ-Comix
"You can stand and listen but you can't ask questions ...."

"If I read this to you ....... you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime—Pol Pot or others—that had no concern for human beings."

10 posted on 08/13/2011 5:33:10 AM PDT by digger48
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To: gogogodzilla
"I dunno, I ping the site (98.124.166.102) and there was no response. Which means that either the site is down or it’s been programmed not to respond to my service provider."

Well, the link is definitely working (I just checked again) so you are being blocked for some reason so maybe it is because of your South Korean service provider.

11 posted on 08/13/2011 5:46:17 AM PDT by Truth29
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To: PJ-Comix

http://www.illinoisradionetwork.com/Staff.htm

Jim Anderson, News Director
jima1991@att.net


12 posted on 08/13/2011 5:54:56 AM PDT by Drango (NO-vember is payback for April 15th)
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To: gogogodzilla
Here you go:

Matthew Sheffield's picture

It's not very often that you run into a story that so perfectly captures both the sheer contempt which many reporters hold for the public and their desire to enable Democratic politicians. That's what happened in Chicago earlier this week when conservative journalist Bill Kelly had the temerity to ask Illinois Democratic senator Dick Durbin if he felt that he shared any responsibility at all for the recent U.S. debt downgrade.

As a coddled and protected Democrat, Durbin certainly wasn't used to a tough question and he proceeded to ignore it, turning instead to a more compliant journalist, one Jim Anderson of Illinois Radio Network, for a different question. Little did he know just how helpful Anderson would be, even going so far as to threaten Kelly with expulsion from the news conference. Read on for video and summary of the disgraceful encounter.

"Will you be quiet?" a very angry Anderson blurted out as Kelly began talking. When he refused and asked why Anderson was trying to shut him up, the former traffic reporter blurted out "Because you're not with the press. Get out of the room."

Kelly refused to leave though and continued talking, correctly stating that he had a right to ask a question. "You can stand and listen but you can't ask questions at a press conference" Anderson said, not realizing the absurdity of his words.

"Do you know this man?" the irritated senator asked to his enabling crowd of journalists.

"I know who he is," the ever-helpful Anderson replied. "He runs Tea Party rallies."

Durbin continued to filibuster until his enabler Anderson blurted out "If you're not quiet, we're going to have you thrown out of the room by the cops."

The double standard of civility is frankly disgusting. Back when George W. Bush was president, liberal media figures cackled with glee at an Iraqi reporter who threw his shoe at him.

Newsweek reporter Michael Hirsh spoke for many in the press when he said that it was "one small measure of justice that was achieved." ABC and CBS hailed him as a "celebrity" and a "folk hero."

That incident and this one show perfectly how the hackneyed leftist notion of "speaking truth to power" only applies to those criticizing Republicans or conservatives.

It's certainly possible that Kelly may have violated some protocols by his actions or presence (I don't know since I wasn't there) but it speaks volumes about Durbin and his enabler Anderson that both were incensed that someone would dare to question a very powerful liberal politician who has smeared his fellow citizens on numerous occasions.

Kelly was forced to leave the room. His wrap-up of the event is worth considering:

No other blogger, freelance journalist, or other member of the media was asked to show their credentials at this event. In fact, the event was sponsored by City Club of Chicago and was open to media and the public.

This brings us to the eternal question: Who is media and who is not? Who gets to decide? Sen. Dick Durbin? His friends in the Chicago media? Are public officials accountable to the public? Do we have the right to question authority? Or must we just accept what they bestow upon us? Do we have the right to question the media? Or do we have to let the so-called “real” journalists impose their own idea of news? Of truth?

During my exchange with him, Sen. Durbin told (instructed) the media, “You guys aren’t going to cover this are you?” And the media…didn’t.

He is correct. As of this writing, there has been zero coverage of the incident from the self-styled "mainstream media." That contrasts perfectly with the wall-to-wall coverage that was given to a left-wing protestor who was kicked out of an event by then-Republican senator George Allen back in 2006.

13 posted on 08/13/2011 6:04:23 AM PDT by GreenAccord (Bacon Akbar)
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To: gogogodzilla

Link worked for me


14 posted on 08/13/2011 6:09:28 AM PDT by JRios1968 (I'm guttery and trashy, with a hint of lemon. - Laz)
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To: GreenAccord
Gee,when they referred to Obama’s town as ShiCago I thought they were talking about the politicians and the people who elected them, not the press,
15 posted on 08/13/2011 6:21:09 AM PDT by BilLies (330,000 northern whites died between 1861-65 so that Obama could use Affirmative Action.)
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To: PJ-Comix
Democratic senator Dick Durbin

It just suddenly occured to me .... like out of the blue .... 'Dick' is actually Durbin's first name. I always assumed it was a descriptive pronoun.

16 posted on 08/13/2011 6:33:11 AM PDT by layman (Card Carrying Infidel)
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To: PJ-Comix

We have the best free press that Democrat money can buy.


17 posted on 08/13/2011 6:52:51 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: conservatism_IS_compassion

Hanging curve ball...


18 posted on 08/13/2011 7:35:34 AM PDT by headsonpikes (Genocide is the highest sacrament of socialism - "Who-whom?")
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To: PJ-Comix

democrats are evil thugs.


19 posted on 08/13/2011 8:05:33 AM PDT by ken21 (ruling class dem + rino progressives -- destroying america for 150 years.)
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To: PJ-Comix

I would have told that white-haired goon to STFU, and if he wanted to take it from there, that would have been fine with me.


20 posted on 08/13/2011 12:38:10 PM PDT by ozzymandus
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