Jeff Gannon story is gathering steam! Please rate up the Yahoo story

[Bluebear]

NEW YORK Who is Jeff Gannon, why are some White House reporters saying terrible things about him, and why did the group that handles credentials for Capitol Hill correspondents turn down his request last summer, as E&P has learned?

Gannon, the White House correspondent for Talon News, a pro-conservative Web site linked to GOPUSA.com, has drawn attention recently among those who cover the president for what many consider to be an especially partisan approach. He is known for inserting blatantly pro-Bush statements in his inquiries at televised press briefings.

"Would they let Joe Lockhart or someone who works for the DNC come in and do that? I don't think so," Edwin Chen, who has covered the president for the Los Angeles Times, told E&P. "They ought to get legitimate members of the fourth estate, not political hacks on either side."

White House reporters say Gannon has regularly attended daily press briefings for more than a year. Then, during President Bush (news - web sites)'s televised press conference on Jan. 26, the president called on him for a question, bypassing dozens of far more experienced reporters. "I think Jeff's questions suggest he has a pretty strong partisan dent that is at odds with the mission of White House correspondents who go to those meetings on behalf of the public," said Bob Deans, who has covered the White House for seven years for Cox Newspapers. "That is not the point of White House briefings." ....

The White House Press Office has not responded to several requests for information on Gannon's credential status or why he is given daily press passes.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ep/20050203/en_bpiep/whitehousecorrespondentscriticizeallegedsoftballthrowerandjeffgannonfiresback

[notadmblnd]

1. You didn't rate it?

nt

[Bluebear]

2. Yes and just edited my header

Great minds think alike :)

[barbaraann]

3. The ratings aren't sticking.

I tried and it's not registering.

Gee, I wonder why?

[Bluebear]

5. Surprise, surprise

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

6. WTF

:wtf:

somehting fishy is going on here :grr:

[Guaranteed]

4. It's not rating nt

[in_cog_ni_to]

7. It says I'm the only one to vote. Hmmm. Try voting again.

You have given the news article White House Correspondents Criticize Alleged 'Softball Thrower' -- and Jeff Gannon Fires Back a rating of 5.
Its current average rating is 5.00 with 1 vote(s).

[tishaLA]

10. Ha! I thought it said *I* was the only vote!

something's amiss.

[nashville_brook]

from Editor and Publisher...about dang time they weighed-in

to jouranlists, the pay-for-ink controversy is HUGE without *any* coverage. so, it's about dang time we got a little commentary from the Scribe Tribe.

http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000778976

Senators to introduce 'Stop Government Propaganda Act

"In response to continued revelations of government-funded "journalism" -- ranging from the purported video news releases put out by the drug czar's office and the Department of Health and Human Services to the recently uncovered payments to columnists Armstrong Williams and Maggie Gallagher,who flacked administration programs -- Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) will introduce a bill, The Stop Government Propaganda Act, in the Senate next week.

"It's just not enough to say, 'Please don't do it anymore,'" Alex Formuzis, Lautenberg's spokesman, told E&P. "Legislation sometimes is required and we believe it is in this case."

The Stop Government Propaganda Act states, "Funds appropriated to an Executive branch agency may not be used for publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States unless authorized by law."

[ultraist]

17. GOOD NEWS! They need to add Gannon to that list

[CatWoman]

8. Let's ask Mr. Gannon if the White House has him on speed dial

http://talonnews.com/contact.shtml

[nashville_brook]

11. just for lonely late night "shoot the breeze" sessions

:)

[tishaLA]

9. My vote got through

It was the FIRST one

[Stephanie]

13. Yeah well mine was the first one too

What's that about?


You have given the news article White House Correspondents Criticize Alleged 'Softball Thrower' -- and Jeff Gannon Fires Back a rating of 5.
Its current average rating is 5.00 with 1 vote(s).

Back to article

[Bluebear]

15. Everyone's is the first one!!!

Maybe it is being locked for "National security" reasons.

[blonndee]

16. Nope, it didn't. It says mine was the first too. n/t

[librechik]

20. me too n/t

[moggie12]

12. kick - thanks for posting that n/t

Edited to add: If you're interested in improving media integrity, please consider signing the petition in support of re-establishing the Fairness Doctrine, posted here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3052955

Thanks.......

[ikojo]

14. I just voted and this is what I received

You have given the news article White House Correspondents Criticize Alleged 'Softball Thrower' -- and Jeff Gannon Fires Back a rating of 5.
Its current average rating is 5.00 with 1 vote(s).

[ultraist]

19. I got the same thing. "WITH 1 VOTE"

You have given the news article White House Correspondents Criticize Alleged 'Softball Thrower' -- and Jeff Gannon Fires Back a rating of 5.
Its current average rating is 5.00 with 1 vote(s).
Back to article

[Stephanie]

18. We need a response to this - this misses the point >

The point is, was he placed in the press corps as a PLANT, and does he get called on at press conferences BECAUSE he is a plant. The question is whether the WH put him in place to shape the press conferences to their liking.




At the White House, unlike on Capital Hill, the Correspondents Association does not oversee credentialing. That has made the group reluctant to lodge any formal complaint with White House officials who hand out the press passes, Hutcheson said. "We don't get into credentialing and we really don't want to," he added. "It is a judgment call. Just because comes in here with a different political view, is that wrong?"

Hutcheson pointed to Helen Thomas, the former UPI White House correspondent who now writes a column for Hearst Newspapers and still attends press briefings as sometimes doing the same thing from the left. "Her questions have changed since she switched from a reporter role to a columnist role," he said. "Often all she is trying to do is make a political point." But Thomas works for a major news operation with a wide and diverse audience.

[Bluebear]

21. Email them Steph

[e-mail]

is the author

[KarenS]

22. I was the only vote too!! Hey, is DieBold countin for them?? n/t

[bluedog]

23. hey.....its still 5

...and other conservative misinformation in the media at:

http://mediamatters.org/


They copy Republican documents directly and call them "news reports".

http://mediamatters.org/items/200501280001

They repeat Rush Limbaugh's lies as factual questions (Rush claims he was "joking" when he made up fake quotes from Democrats):

http://mediamatters.org/items/200501270005

Their entire staff has no journalism credentials (Gannon himself got his journalism certificate from a two day seminar that cost $50). Many are paid members of the GOP.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200501260015

Bush's Press Secretary uses them all the time whenever tough questioning comes up. They lob him either softball questions, or structure their questions to criticize Democrats:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200502020014

http://mediamatters.org/items/200501260015


This is way beyond paying pundits to advocate your programs. It is literally a group of Republicans disguising themselves as a news organization (insert Fox News joke here).

[Al-CIAda]

30. You would THINK the Dems would use this and BASH, BASH, BASH!

[Digit]

24. I was also the first vote.

[Johonny]

25. I enjoy the sample question

of Gordons. Where is claims Democrats are detached from reality because they claim the economy is bad but social security is solvent. Like somehow those to ideas are mutually exclusive and not in fact reality. I mean what a moron or more to the point white house plant. I'm glad at the end he complains about the lieing liberal media not having room for a conservative. Yeah because the media is sooooooooooooooooooo lacking in conservative view points these days. What a loser. I'm glad he won't be getting social security. The kind of gnome that does the dirty work and ends up living in a box.

[paineinthearse]

26. Just voted, WTF, says.......

You have given the news article White House Correspondents Criticize Alleged 'Softball Thrower' -- and Jeff Gannon Fires Back a rating of 5.

Its current average rating is 5.00 with 1 vote(s).

Was I the first to vote??????

[CatBoreal]

28. Said the same thing to me.

[Al-CIAda]

27. I was unable to vote either- or voted at the 1st one...

Its definately RIGGED.


..but per the article- what a weak assed reply/defence
" and Jeff Gannon Fires Back"

Thatt is 'firing back"? weak.

I think this should be an issue -expose ALL these fucks and the corporate media stacking the deck.

[AlCzervik]

29. Its current average rating is 5.00 with 1 vote(s).

WTF?

[tanyev]

31. Am I understanding this correctly?

This is in Yahoo's entertainment section, not a news story??

:wtf:

[Melynn]

32. From the very beginning

I have asked how much is this "Jeff Gannon" fellow getting paid from the White House?

Now I question if "Jeff Gannon" is a real person, or just some actor that the White House is using as a stage prop. "Jeff Gannon" sounds like a made up name to me. Is anyone investigating his background?

Also about this online Talon news service. Is it a legitimate news service? What revenues does Talon receive and where do those revenues come from?

Just a few questions I would like to see answered.

[Piedras]

33. 1st to vote on Yahoo too

I, too, wash first to vote on the Jeff Gannon story on Yahoo. My one vote total with a rating of 5. Went back for a look and the story remains unrated.

[paineinthearse]

34. TMS has dropped Gannon

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3051388&mesg_id=3051388

Take a few moments to contact TMS to thank them for doing the right thing.

[Lex]

35. My vote registered as the first vote too.

:mad:

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

36. over a day later, STILL not fixed! n/t

[donheld]

37. It's broke

It still says 5 with 1 vote.