A recent high-profile case of media abuse involves faux-correspondent Jeff Gannon, who for nearly two years received daily credentials from the White House press office to attend briefings and, when the occasion arose, lob "softball" questions at Press Secretary Scott McClellan.
He became a useful escape hatch for McClellan, especially when grilling by other journalists got intense. Gannon – whom we now know to be James D. Guckert – continued to come to the aid of the White House throughout the election year, even though the Standing Committee of Correspondents earlier in 2004 had refused to issue him a permanent pass, citing questionable ties between Gannon's news organization, Talon News, and its wealthy Republican supporters in Texas.
The Talon News' correspondent showed his true colors during the live broadcast of a January 26 presidential press conference when he asked Bush a question about the White House Social Security plan. The request was a poorly disguised dig at Bush's political foes, whom Gannon described as people "divorced from reality." This partisan ploy backfired. A subsequent investigation by bloggers found Gannon to be gaining special access to the White House, each day exploiting a credentialing loophole set up to provide visiting journalists with a temporary pass.
McClellan has pleaded ignorance in the resulting furor over Gannon's free pass, saying: "In this day and age, when you have a changing media, it's not an easy issue to decide, to try to pick and choose who is a journalist." This appears to contradict evidence at hand. In the 10 months since the Standing Committee refused Gannon's credentials, the fact that he worked for an outlet that simply promoted one political party was no secret within White House press circles. The line between reporter and propagandist had been crossed so many times that this administration didn't give Gannon's intransigence a second thought.
1. Introduction: Ghosts in the Media Machine
2. A Propaganda Slush Fund Courtesy of U.S. Taxpayers
3. Armstrong Williams and the White House Payola Trail
4. Propagandists on the Pentagon Payroll
5. The Demise of FOIA and the Special Prosecutor
1 comment:
Your article leaves out many details that are important to get the full view of this situation. I like what you have written, but you've given this story an iceberg typereport and there is so much more to this than the part sticking out of the water that you did accuratly cover. among the hidden details are: The high number of White House visits the secret service logs show that were made by Mr Gannon/Guckert. According to the Secret Service logs, many of the visits either had only the sign out, or the sign in, without a corresponding in/out for the visit. He either had such clearance that he didn't use the normal press exit or entrace allowing him to bypass security, or secret service is very loose on the people entering and exiting the white house. My bet is security is tight m, but there are private exits and entrances used by the highest level of White house staff, and the families of Bush /Cheney. And apparantly this former internet escort also has this highest level of access. His previous business was a series of web sites all dealing with Male escorts catering to the Men who pay $$ to have sex with Men crowd. Not only did he own these sites (with several different themes, such as Military/muscle) but he was featured as one of the escorts available for hire. He listed himself as "8 inch cut Top, among other qualities....
Most of his signed visits to the white housde were on dates that no press conferences were held. This is according to secret service logs. held.. Many of his visits were at night and lasted more than 3 hours, a couple were up to 8 hours in length, on days with out a press conference.... Who hired this man to escort them in the white house? We spent $87 million to find out that Monica was orally serving Clinton. We should be concerned that this escort also boasted on his blog, before anyone else, that Dan Rather was going to go too far and use fabricated documents about W's military service. How did he know first? Were these documents supplied thru the White House? Who is this guy so connected with that he is allowed to come and go at odd hours and is not required to go thru Security? And how does he have such insider knowledge and who keeps issueing him these daily passes? This is so much more than a blow job. This man is f--ing the press and the public, and with top level access and support. He has flown on Air force One on several occasions to be briefed on the lastest propaganda to be spun. The obvious question is, who is he sleeping with? This is a matter that is the public's right to know because he is acting as a journalist, but, he's not serving the public he's serving the lies of the administration. The public deserves a full disclosure on who allowed this, and all who are involved in this sexually and who is helping this continue to take place and to continue to dupe the public. Investigate, Prosecute, and Punish every single person involved in this covert sexual and press manipulation of lies and complete spin. I am outraged that this is not being investigated by the press. 18 reprters from the washington Post worked full time on the watergate scandal. $87 million spent to find out about a blue dress with a stain on it and a few bj's. Where is the soul of journalism? Why do none of today's jouralists investigate this misuse of power. Is gannon that good at f---ing the press that they are whipped into servibng whatever lies they are fed, Retelling this garbage as a news story to mislead and create the public opinion into the dumbest and least informed public in the history of our country. We are failing to hold this administration to the law, we are allowing our rights to be diminished along with the envireonment, the economy, and the future looks to continue this spiral down at incredible distasterous results for the country and the world. We must make more effort because we are already past the point of fixing this. Now we need to try and give ourselves a glimmer of a chance to sop the acceleration to destroying all the things that freedom and democracy were suppossed to mean in the United States of America. Will we survive the Bush? Not at this rate. No we won't. Please wake up and wake your friends and family and neighbors. Find the truth it is so obvious if you make the slightest effort. Turn your TV on only for entertainment, you will not find any real news on TV. Mt Escrt ir Gannon or Guckert is nothing even close to being a journalist. Then among the press working today, there nare only a few real journalists who aare still working at finding facts and reporting real news based on the truth. Not many at alll in the national media. The fact is mr 8 inch cut top is a mouthpiece for spreading distortions and lies to the public, via the white house press corp. A plant by the administration to ask the questions that best mislead the public. He is a liar, and a whore. I demand an investgation, a real hard line investigation. Not a cover up like the 9-11 Commission. Time to put this group of radicals who have corrupted the government so completely where they belong. Put them in prison, never let them out again.
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