Posted on 02/18/2005 6:28:03 AM PST by kristinn
All FReepers and lurkers in good standing are invited to join the D.C. Chapter in our demonstration this evening. Details in the following press release:
DEMONSTRATION IN SUPPORT OF JEFF GANNON
&
THE FIRST AMENDMENT
WHEN: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2005, 6 P.M. TO 8 P.M.
WHERE: THE SIDEWALK BY MONICA’S GATE,
AKA THE NORTHWEST VISITORS ENTRANCE
THE WHITE HOUSE, 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVE., NW, WASHINGTON, D.C.
(Washington) The D.C. Chapter of Free Republic, an independent grassroots organization, will be holding a demonstration at the White House this evening in support of former Talon News White House Correspondent Jeff Gannon and the rights of other reporters to do their jobs without fear of being destroyed by the political establishment.
The group will also be bringing attention to several First Amendment-related issues pertaining to the current imbroglio. Among them are the unconstitutional efforts of Democratic congressmen to determine who is a reporter and efforts by the establishment media to shut out Internet-based news sites from having access to government press conferences.
Kristinn Taylor, Co-Leader of the D.C. Chapter of Free Republic, issued the following statement: “It is common knowledge that Jeff Gannon was singled out for personal destruction for the crime of asking a question of the President of the United States at a press conference that was insulting to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
“The Clintonista slime machine, led by former Clinton White House Chief of Staff John Podesta’s Media Matters for America, went into high gear and made an example of Mr. Gannon to any reporter who might dare to challenge Sen. Clinton’s credibility in her anticipated 2008 presidential candidacy.
“What was done to Mr. Gannon was the Clinton impeachement era Ellen Romesch strategy played out for all concerned parties to see. The D.C. Chapter of Free Republic will be out demonstrating for the rights of Mr. Gannon and all other reporters to exercise their rights without fear of personal destruction.”
Must be a DC Chapter Activist. You all know...a guy with guts, ready to stand week after week, year after year in the face of corruption and in support of what he beleived was right.
Perhaps I don't feel as strongly about this as you do, kristinn, but if I was in driving distance I'd be there with you just to bask in the glow of your strength of character.
"Jeff is a good guy. This the media trying to lynch someone because he writes for an conservative internet publication."
He very well may be a good guy. However, there are lots of people who write for conservative internet publications. What made them decide to focus on him? Do you really want to be shilling for the guy described in this article?
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/02/man-called-jeff.html
Anyone? I suppose 'anyone' that has naked pictures of them posted on their male escort site. As for the rest of us, I don't think we need be concerned.
"Focus on the issue"
Remind me what the issue is. Is it the right of gay prostitutes using an alias to ask questions of the president on behalf of phony news sites? If so, what's the source of this "right", and why should I be defending it?
Bump! Despite my personal misgivings about him, I believe this is a worthy cause. I won't be able to make it but good luck kristinn/everyone!
It will not do any conservative any good to take this guy's part - and most folks here have the stones to admit that. While y'all are whining about the "attacks" on Gannon, why not stop and think about how geared up you would be if a male prostitute was regularly admitted into the CLINTON WH press room after being denied Capitol Hill credentials and did nothing but lob t-ball questions whenever the going got a little rough for Lockhart. Think about it, and be honest with yourself about what you would be saying and doing. Then come back and explain why you think you should protest in this guy's corner.
Do you mean "good guy" in his professional capacity? Worth $200 / hr.?
OLBERMANN: Now to Ron Hutcheson of “Knight-Ridder” newspapers, current president of the White House Correspondents Association. Mr. Hutcheson, good evening. Thank you for your time.
RON HUTCHESON, “KNIGHT-RIDDER”: Thanks for having me, Keith.
OLBERMANN: About getting White House press credentials, obviously we can stretch a point one way or the other, and say that the legitimacy is in the eye of the beholder. One man‘s, no matter which political affiliation you have, one man‘s vanity Web site, is another‘s alternative media outlet. But how do you get a White House press credential if you aren‘t actually affiliated with anything that look like a news organization, in so much it appears as Mr. Guckert did that before the founding of Talon News?
HUTCHESON: Well, to me, that‘s what‘s this whole story is about, Keith.
What “Editor & Publisher” has brought to life, it‘s pretty easy to get into the White House briefing room. It‘s pretty easy to go to any news conference in Washington, whether it‘s on Capital Hill or whether it‘s at the White House. And the truth of the matter is, most of us in the journalistic profession aren‘t looking ways to make it harder. Certainly at the White House Correspondence Association, my goal is to get people in to the briefing room not to work with the White House on ways to get them out.
OLBERMANN: As Mr. Fleicsher said today, to quote him again, I don‘t think the party organization should have people in that room acting as reporters. They are advocates, not reporters, and a line should be drawn.
He‘s saying, I presume, that if the White House isn‘t necessarily going to draw that line or it is not fair to draw that line and say, no, opposite party Web site could be represented. Then somebody else has to. Would that devolve to being your responsibility?
HUTCHESON: It could be if we wanted to take it on. And frankly, it is funny, and frankly, I agree entirely with Ari. I looked at Gannon or whatever his name is, his Web site early on. My initial reaction was this is the Republican National Committee thing. That‘s outrageous. I looked a little closer, it is not really R.N.C.
You know, one thing that‘s overlooked, we have a long not so proud history of coconuts in that briefing room. We get questions from the left. We get questions from the right. We get questions from outer space. And for most of us, most of us are in there to try to get—try to listen for information, not to promote ideology. So, we all sort of resent it when the briefing gets hijacked for ideology.
On the other hand, trying to figure out how to solve that problem, the solution is probably worse than the problem. So, you get a couple questions that come from the left, come from the right, come from presumably nowhere. So what? We can live with that.
OLBERMANN: But judging by what Ms. Dowd “New York Times” wrote today, and judging by Mr. Fleicsher‘s surprise about the real name of Jeff Gannon and somewhat contradicting Mr. McClellan‘s statement, obviously somebody does decide who gets in and who doesn‘t. Is that one person the press secretary to the president? And if not, who is? And what are the rules?
HUTCHESON: It is definitely not the press secretary. It‘s somebody at a lower level. The bar is pretty low.
And in fact, I guarantee you if Maureen Dowd wants to go there tomorrow, all she has to do is call up and get a daily pass.
It is harder to get what we call a hard pass, which is a regular White House credential. For that, you have to undergo some certain checks that you don‘t go for a daily pass, which is really intended for people, say, the mayor from their town goes up, their local sports team comes up, they want to get into the White House, they have a legitimate reason to go there on a short-term basis, but not on a regular basis.
OLBERMANN: And you just brought it up so she clarify this. This whole question that has just been raised about whether or not Guckert had a hard pass or a daily pass. He apparently had nothing but daily passes. And what people thought might have been a hard pass was his own he lanyard, his own thing around his neck that‘s really had a plastic card that said Talon News. That‘s what we‘ve been able to see from video.
HUTCHESON: Yes. That‘s certainly my belief.
OLBERMANN: OK. Ron Hutcheson of Knight Ridder, president of the White House Correspondents Association, great thanks for an inside view of what‘s going on there. Thank you, sir.
HUTCHESON: Thank you.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6993032/
ROFL!
So, is his name really "Jeff Gannon" or is it something else?
Wouldn't we be hollering if we found that Peter Jennings' real name was something else?
Probably Mohammed bin Runnin, or something like that.
Actually, I'd say they're the definite minority here.
Since when was being a hooker a private matter, unrelated to professional concerns? If it were to be discovered that I had at any time in my past sold that particular type of "service", I'd be fired in an instant. And that's regardless of whether I had an actual criminal record.
I wonder what types of questions Gannon would have had to answer from the FBI if he had applied for a "hard pass"?(What an awful term in this context!) Isn't lying to an FBI agent a crime? Is that why he serially renewed a daily pass for two years?
The issue is quite clear -- Gannon/Guckert is being attacked because the liberal press corps didn't like the questions he asked. Period. Everything else is smokescreen.
That's odd of you to say, since I've been reading his Talon News articles for some time, long before this all came up.
I'm sorry, it might be helpful if you could you remind us all of how we reacted to the NJ Governor's pal?
... that was given a $100,000 homeland security job with no credentials? Hardly analogous to this case, where Gannon's "secret life" had nothing at all to do with his presence in the White House briefing room.
"Everything else is smokescreen."
A gay prostitute using a phony name employed by an internet news site that operates entirely out of a suburban living room in Pearland, TX is given unfettered access to white house press briefings and favorable treatment in questioning the President. There's the smoke.
Guess what -- no one cares anymore what the questions were.
Remember, smoke inhalation can be as deadly as fire.
"Remind me what the issue is."
Freedom of speech. ...what is the content of the message, not shoot the messenger, he might have something of value to say regardless of his personal life.
How do you define a phony news site?
Guckert filed for credentials under his own name. Who cares that he published uder a pen name? He's hardly the first (nor will he be the last) to do so.
employed by an internet news site that operates entirely out of a suburban living room in Pearland, TX
Nice thing about that internet... you can run a pretty large operation with almost no overhead. Talon News reports hundreds of thousands of hits per day, more than the circulation of many publications in that briefing room.
is given unfettered access to white house press briefings and favorable treatment in questioning the President.
"unfettered"? He had to go through a security check every time he showed up. He had no access greater than any other journalist/reporter in the room. He never received favorable treatment from the press secretary or the President.
Quit with the hyperbole.
kristinn, this guy has stained us. He asked a smartass question which drew attention to him. You guys bring up Helen Thomas and cry about a double standard. Well, there is one and it sucks, but we are supposed to hold people on our side to a higher standard.
When his possible role as a male prostitute is brought up, you guys talk about Barney Frank. Fallacious reasoning. Barney is open about his homosexuality.
If you go forward with this demonstration, you will hand our enemies an excuse to paint all of us at Free Republic as clueless extremists. There are many thoughtful people here at Free Republic. They help make FR the top conservative site on the net. And some of them have spoke out on this thread.
Please call this off, kristinn. There is still time to do so.
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