Lots of squirming-- The right is pissed at Fox News' Gannongate coverage

[TexasLawyer]

http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/guest/2005/ck_03011.shtml

Watchdogs Ignore Facts in 'Gannongate'
By Cliff Kincaid
March 1, 2005

Fox News Watch is proving to be one of the most disappointing programs airing on the Fox News Channel.

<Snip>

But the February 26 edition of the program showed Gabler, Burns and other panelists going even further off the deep end, giving viewers a grossly distorted view of the affair that has been labeled "Gannongate." If the past is any guide, don't count on Burns & Company to correct the record in this case. The segment concerned the conservative journalist, Jeff Gannon, who got into White House briefings and press conferences, and whose real name is James Guckert. He was forced to resign from Talon News, an on-line conservative-backed news operation, when his personal life came under scrutiny and he was linked to homosexual activity. The far left, which claims to respect peoples' privacy, just won't let go of this story.

Fox News Watch panelist and columnist Jim Pinkerton, who is fairly conservative on most issues, turned in the worst performance on the February 26 show, insisting that Gannon had gained access to the White House under a false name and that this constituted a major security threat that requires an investigation. This is precisely what liberal Democrats are demanding. Pinkerton, who worked under two Republican presidents, said, "I worked in the White House for 6 years. I can tell you that clearing somebody in under a false name with the Secret Service takes an incredible amount of intervention from somebody high up in the White House to do that." Host Eric Burns asked, "So somebody was complicit?" Pinkerton replied, "Yes."

Yet Pinkerton offered no evidence for this sensational charge-and there is none. Those concerned-Gannon, his former employer, and White House officials-all say that he got into the White House under his real name, and no evidence to the contrary has been produced.

<snip>

Why wouldn't the White House want to support conservative-style journalism? Only the far left finds this repugnant.

The issue, however, has never been whether Bobby Eberle or Jeff Gannon thanked Karl Rove or whether Gannon had a conservative or pro-Republican bias. The issue is why Gannon was singled out for savage scrutiny as a conservative journalist and why left-wing bloggers investigated his private life and harassed his family members in order to drive him out of those briefings and press conferences. Host Eric Burns didn't want to tackle that. Instead, he introduced the segment by making fun of Gannon's predicament.


<snip>

[LoZoccolo]

1. The issue is how he got a press pass with a fake name.

Which is neither of the reasons that this article mentions!

[LoZoccolo]

3. Tinfoil hat theory - Rove or whoever picked Gannon because...

...of his background with the pr0n site, so that if he got caught they could turn the issue into that and it would distract from the real issue of how he got the press pass with the fake name and slim credentials!

:tinfoilhat:

[Eric J in MN]

4. It isn't the fake name itself, preferential standards.

Most of us who have blogs couldn't get into the White House press briefings every time for 2 years.

[LoZoccolo]

8. True that. n/t

[bush_is_wacko]

11. While selling his body on the INTERNET. I could care less if he was

selling it to men or women quite frankly, PROSTITUTION is illegal whether it is gay or straight!

[LoZoccolo]

15. Oh I don't care about that.

I think prostitution should be legal (though pimping should be very illegal).

[bush_is_wacko]

19. Maybe prostitution SHOULD be legal, but it isn't legal

right now which means Gannon/Guckert is a criminal and he was allowed unprecedented access to the WH press room while involved in criminal activity. My guess is he was allowed access to a lot of places the American fundie wouldn't be happy about!

[moggie12]

2. I love it when they squirm

It lets you know you're getting to them. And that reminds me, I forgot to write a nice e-mail to Jim Pinkerton at Newsday complimenting him on saying what he thought. Good for him.

[SpiralHawk]

5. Please keep stirring the Guckert pot, mr. and ms. Freepers

America wants to know just how bad the White House shit stinks. You are doing your part by complaining. Every little thing that calls attention to the reality of the Bush-Guckert scandal is another drip...drip...drip

Answer please: Why did the Bush White House favor a gay prostitute and give him "special" privliges when he was using a false name and constituted a security threat?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

6. Look who wrote it!

Cliff Kincaid! What did you expect him to write, something honest and objective?

He had his honest and objective gland removed a long time ago. Now, he is reduced to blaming JimmyJeff's actions on us. How utterly pathetic.

What is even more pathetic is the scores of anacephalic right-wing mouthbreathers who will read this and go "Hill, hill hill. Yupyupyup".

[CatholicEdHead]

10. Cliff is a nut

He has Rathergate on the brain. Months after the mess he still posted it on AIM.

He used to have a poll I used to skew the results until AIM stopped doing that.

AIM is nothing but tin-foil hatters.

[FreedomAngel82]

7. These people ugh

It's not about his privacy! And his "privacy" wasn't private anyways. He was advertising himself on the internet! That's called prostetution! :eyes: And besides THEY'RE making it about sex and "privacy" when it's about security and FAKE palagrisim!

[intheflow]

9. "harassed his family members "

Funny... only Guckert's word on this. As far I know we on the "far left" haven't been able to find this guy's family, or even much of his past.

[rumpel]

12. Yes, I was wondering about that. But notice how they say homosexual

activity and not illegal activities called "prostitution"?

[intheflow]

14. Absolutely. Selective memory for sure. n/t

[robbedvoter]

13. NOTE TO RW: Prostitution is NOT PRIVATE!

Sex stop being private the moment a bill is presented. Prostitution becomes political the moment it's associated with a White House pass.

[peacetalksforall]

16. This is just another example that these people come from a different

human species lineage - one that blocks understanding of certain words and their meanings. Hypocrisy is the most difficult for them to grasp - ln fact it appears to be impossible for them to grasp.

Non-understanding combined with a limitation on the way they recall history.

Other words they cannot graps is relativity and gravity.

Their memories can't seem to accomodate the history of a decade past when it was OK to character assassinate a former President and Vice-President to remove a duly elected President for sex and a lie (and blocking a VP with lies about non-lies and a successful attempt to keep him from being President by a theft and an arrangement).

They don't see the relevance of a non-journalist working for an overnight news outlet, a non-journalist who also plagiarized and who was supported by a political action organization of long standing and closeness to the President - and whose main employee, known as their 'Washington Bureau Chief', who operated a side business that featured same sex companionship for our military heroes with sex implied by inclusion of details of anatomy and style.

See...hypocrisy is not in their vocubulary. History is distorted. Relevance of seriousness is not a concern.

[tanyev]

17. Spin is more important than truth.

Pinkerton is obviously wrong (to them) because he wants the same thing the "liberal Democrats" want. There is no desire to get the facts, only to continually hammer home the point that conservative Republicans = good and liberal Democrats = bad.

[paineinthearse]

18. I thought this seemed familiar, so I googled it.

The article first appeared on February 28, in MENSNEWSDAILY.COM - http://www.mensnewsdaily.com/archive/k/kincaid/2005/kincaid022805.htm
where he is stupid enough to list his personal email address:

Cliff Kincaid is a veteran journalist and media critic. Cliff concentrated in journalism and communications at the University of Toledo, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He has written or co-authored nine books on media and cultural affairs and foreign policy issues. Cliff Kincaid has appeared on Hannity & Colmes, The O’Reilly Factor, Crossfire and has been published in the Washington Post, Washington Times, Chronicles, Human Events and Insight. Web Site: www.AIM.org, E-Mail: [e-mail]

[leftynyc]

20. I'm curious about who put a gun to his head

and forced him to resign. The whore couldn't take the heat and ran away. Has anyone asked to see the complaint I'm sure he filed with the police about the harassment he claims? And isn't this the website that was connected with Talon?