|
Post by RPankn on Feb 22, 2005 17:20:32 GMT -5
'Gannon' and S. Dakota Editor at Odds Over Daschle Race By Joe Strupp Published: February 22, 2005 2:20 PM ET NEW YORK Among the more curious sidelights of James Guckert's two years as a White House reporter for Talon News and GOPUSA is his deep involvement in coverage of the 2004 South Dakota U.S. senate race, which brought him into direct conflict with the Argus Leader of Sioux Falls. Guckert told E&P today that, in addition to writing articles, he had “traded information” with bloggers who are often credited with playing a key role in the defeat of Sen. Tom Daschle, the Democratic leader. Guckert, who quit his job at Talon News two weeks ago, after it was learned he had used the alias Jeff Gannon and had ties to several sex sites, took on the Argus Leader last year in at least a dozen articles in which he sought to link the paper to Daschle or claim a bias by the paper against Daschle's opponent, John Thune. "He mainly wanted to know about areas that made the paper look bad," Executive Editor Randell Beck told E&P Tuesday. "Our alleged bias -- he would keep coming back to that even though there was no proof." Among the attempts by Guckert to portray the paper as biased in favor of Daschle was a story that Daschle and Argus Leader political reporter Dave Kranz attended South Dakota State University at the same time. "They did know each other there," Beck acknowledged. "But that was all. He took things like that and tried to put it together and make two plus two equal five." Beck also criticized Guckert for going through stories Kranz had written years ago for other newspapers and "selectively offering passages for claims of his alleged bias." (Kranz declined to comment.) Guckert defended his work today and said he did not write anything that wasn't true or was not also being reported by several conservative South Dakota blogs. "I think it was spot-on," he said about his coverage of the Daschle campaign. "The Argus Leader's news about Tom Daschle was underplayed." Although Guckert said he was not paid by, or directed by, Daschle's opponents in South Dakota or in Washington, D.C., to write about the Argus Leader, he admitted to sharing information with local blogs, such as Daschlevthune.com and SouthDakotaPolitics.com. "We traded information back and forth," he told E&P. "But having some special relationship, I would not characterize it as that. We were pursuing the same story." Thune also appeared on Gannon's Web-only radio show on Feb. 8, 2004. He eventually beat Daschle in what many considered to be a major upset, given Daschle's standing as senate minority leader. After the electlon, it became known that one of Gannon's blog comrades received $27,000 from the Thune campaign, and another took $8,000. But Guckert said no one in the Republican Party or Thune's campaign directed him to cover the campaigns. "I looked at the Senate races, and that was going to be the most interesting," Guckert said. "When I looked at the background, I started looking at the Argus Leader, and it didn't look right." But Beck contends Guckert's coverage was aimed at making the paper look biased, not at fairly covering the race. "A lot of it was either not true or manipulated to leave the impression that we were biased in favor of Daschle," Beck said. The editor declined to be specific about claims Guckert made, and since Talon News has removed all of his work from its site, those stories were not viewable. Beck eventually stopped responding to Guckert's requests for interviews because "I realized it was not going to do any good. The best way to deal with it was not to deal with it," he said. "I felt like if we agonized over every new allegation, he was having the effect he wanted." The editor, who had made a regular weekly appearance on a local radio program for several years, also stopped that practice at one point in 2004 because, he said, the critics would call up and attack the paper. "I made that decision in a politicized climate where the bloggers would so manipulate the conversation that it was not worth it," he said. But Beck said the Argus Leader never ran a story on Guckert's allegations and, oddly, has yet to publish anything about Guckert's current problems. "What good is it going to do?" he said when asked why the paper was not covering Guckert's activities given his past reporting on the Argus Leader. "Because we never did anything in print to respond to him, there is no reason to do it now. I don't see how it serves the public in any way." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joe Strupp (jstrupp@editorandpublisher.com) 209.11.49.220/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000809455
|
|
|
Post by RPankn on Feb 22, 2005 17:41:21 GMT -5
Gannon/Guckert Met Kerry at WH Reporters' Bash, Hopes to Go Again By Joe Strupp Published: February 22, 2005 updated 3:05 PM ET NEW YORK At previous galas he says he managed to meet Sen. John Kerry and Al Franken. But will James Guckert's recent notoriety as a partisan White House reporter who used a fake name, among other alleged activities, keep him out of this year's White House Correspondents Dinner? Guckert, a.k.a. Jeff Gannon, doesn’t think so. "I have every intention of attending this year's [dinner]," Guckert, a guest at the last two dinners, told E&P today. "Don’t you think I could? I'm sure someone is going to ask me or offer me the opportunity to go. It is a great publicity event." This year's dinner will be held on April 30. Guckert, the former Talon News reporter, has become a center of controversy after it was learned that he had used an alias at the White House for two years and had ties to several sex Web sites, including escort services. He said he attended the past two White House Correspondents Association dinners, which are limited to WHCA members and their guests. Although he is not a WHCA member, and has never sought membership, he claims he attended the 2003 and 2004 dinners as a guest of two different members. "I got a ticket each year," Guckert said, declining to name those who brought him. "I paid, and I just wanted to be there. I met John Kerry at one of them and the cast of 'The West Wing.' I met Al Franken at the first one after he'd gotten into it with the Fox News table." Ron Hutcheson, WHCA president, did not recall seeing Guckert at any previous dinners, but said he would have no problem if the notorious reporter showed up as a guest. "I am not about to tell someone they cannot invite somebody," Hutcheson told E&P. "Controversial guests seem to be a regular thing." Hutcheson, who covers the White House for Knight Ridder, said the association has 300 members, all of whom are allowed to purchase tables of 10 for the dinner at $175 per person. He said WHCA membership is limited to those reporters who hold either permanent White House "hard passes" or Capitol Hill press credentials. In other matters, Guckert said he is spending most of his time these days writing in a journal he has kept since he first began covering the White House in February 2003, a journal that could become a book. "I have probably one page for each day at the White House, about 200 pages of stuff," said Guckert. "Is it all interesting? Probably not. But it could be . I haven’t thought that far ahead."
Guckert, who contends he still has a future in journalism, also added that entering the paid-speaker circuit is another goal. "It is likely that I will start making some appearances and speaking," he said, declining to name specific efforts he has taken in that regard. "There are people who are definitely interested in some of my behind-the-scenes work in the press room." That is certainly an understatement.
When asked about what journalistic opportunities he could find, Guckert said only: "I still think, despite the bad things being said about me, I am a journalist, I have been one for two years and have written about 500 articles. I paid a big price for the privilege to call myself a journalist."
Although Guckert said no one had asked him to be their guest at the 2005 White House Correspondents dinner, scheduled for April 30, he believes his recent fame will make him a potential guest. "There is still time," he said, noting that the dinner had often prompted attention because of some controversial guests in the past, such as Monica Lewinsky. "There is always someone there trying to make news," he added. "Maybe this year it is going to be me."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joe Strupp is a senior editor at E&P.
www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000809375
|
|
|
Post by Moses on Feb 22, 2005 18:00:26 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by RPankn on Feb 23, 2005 18:08:33 GMT -5
Both Houses of Congress Get Involved in 'Gannon' Case By Joe Strupp Published: February 23, 2005 4:55 PM ET NEW YORK Two leaders of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee want the federal prosecutor investigating the Valeria Plame case to subpoena a personal journal of controversial White House reporter James Guckert, following Editor & Publisher's disclosure yesterday that Guckert claims he kept the journal for the past two years. "It is clear that a primary obstacle to the ... investigation is uncovering a precise chronology of when, and to whom, classified information was leaked," Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), one of those seeking the subpoena, told E&P. "The revelation by Editor & Publisher that Mr. Guckert kept contemporaneous records of his 'reporting' activities could well be a major step forward in developing such a chronology." In addition, E&P has confirmed an online report that Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) is circulating a letter among his colleagues that asks President Bush to launch an investigation into how Guckert, who writes under the byline “Jeff Gannon,” gained access to White House press briefings over two years despite having no journalism background and using a false name. Both letters are just the latest in a string of inquiries by congressional leaders, which have included a previous request by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) for documents related to Guckert's continued White House access. In the latest effort, Conyers and Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) sent a joint letter today to Patrick Fitzgerald, the prosecutor investigating who leaked the identity of Plame, a CIA agent, to several reporters. Guckert, who worked for GOPUSA.com and Talon News before resigning two weeks ago, interviewed Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, last year. Guckert has been interviewed by FBI agents on the Plame case and given conflicting signals, over many months, concerning whether he saw a secret document or merely knew about it from other sources. Conyers and Slaughter indicated in their letter that Guckert's journal might contain information of value to the Plame investigation if, in fact, Guckert had been given some sort of access to documents related to the Plame leaks. "A person in the White House briefing room who had access to a memo revealing the operative’s name also kept a journal of his days covering the White House," the letter to Fitzgerald stated. "We bring this to your attention because we believe your office may need to subpoena the journal to further the work of the grand jury." "It now appears that Mr. Guckert memorialized his experiences at the White House," the letter added, noting Guckert's comments to E&P that he might turn the journal into a book. "It would be unfortunate if Mr. Guckert published information that would be useful to your investigation, such as the identity of the person who gave him the memo, without your office having the benefit of its contents." Durbin, meanwhile, is hoping to send Bush his letter demanding that the president investigate how Guckert was able to attend regular press briefings despite working for a Web site with obvious partisan support for the Republican Party, the senator's office confirmed to E&P, after the existence of the letter was first reported at the Raw Story online site. "We have ... learned that the questions he posed at White House press briefings and the stories he filed for Talon News frequently mirrored Republican Party talking points, that Talon News is a news organization in name only and that it has apparently close connections to the Republican party," Durbin's letter states. "Given the unprecedented level of security in Washington since 9/11, it is troubling that that a non-journalist using a false name and working for a sham news organization could have gained regular access to the White House for such an extended period of time. "We respectfully request that you order an immediate and thorough investigation into the Gannon/Guckert matter," Durbin declares in the letter. "How is it possible that a man using a fake name, with dubious journalism credentials, was able to clear the White House’s extensive security screening process and gain such close access to you and your staff for such an extended period of time? Have there been other, similar breaches of security and journalism standards? We appreciate your prompt attention to this important matter. We urge you to order a full inquiry so that the American people know the facts." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joe Strupp (jstrupp@editorandpublisher.com) is a senior editor at E&P. www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000816326
|
|
|
Post by RPankn on Feb 24, 2005 18:07:55 GMT -5
Reward: Jeff Gannon information By Kelly Ann Collins Have you seen this man? A wealthy Washington socialite is offering a $10,000 reward for proof that Jeff Gannon (pictured), an allegedly gay kinky-sex prostitute / escort / white house reporter / GOP operative, has had sexual relations with top-ranking government officials. The news on the Jeff Gannon case broke when he lost his White House correspondent credentials after some left wing blogs published links to gay military porn, featuring photos of him. Gannon, whose real name is James Guckert, says (in a Newsweek article to go to print Feb 28) that what has happened to him is "political assassination." He has has singled out the Media Matters quasi-blog that focuses on the political affiliations of US media outlets, although John Aravosis of AmericaBlog is another possible lawsuit target, as he posted links to Gannon's image on gay military porn sites. It remains unclear how Gannon got White House press access for almost two years (first in early 2003 as a GOPUSA , and more recently for Eberle's Talon News blog.
But one thing is for sure: Jeff Gannon is on the lips of every insider in Washington D.C., and many say he's been kissing some of them, too -- for $200/ hour and $1,200 / weekend. His profiles on escort websites say he leaves no marks, only lasting impressions.
So, I ask again -- have you seen this man? Have you slept with this man? Do you know this man?
A local socialite, who wishes to remain anonymous, has teamed up with this site to offer a $10,000 reward to anyone that can provide hard proof (photos, phone pictures, locks of hair, DNA on a suit) that Jeff Gannon had ANY sexual -- or romantic -- relationship with any top-ranking officials here in Washington.
I will post more information about this later, others have contacted me, offering to sweeten the reward.
(Editor's note: "Now we know what Bush means when he says he has a 'mandate!'" - Bill Maher)
posted by Kelly Ann Collins at 5:20 PM
kellyanncollins.com/2005/02/reward-jeff-gannon-information.html
|
|
|
Post by RPankn on Feb 24, 2005 18:46:48 GMT -5
He's Baaaaaaack!About Me Bruised but not broken I'm baaaaaaack! If you thought I was going to slink away - then you don't know much about me. Someone still has to battle the Left and now that I've emerged from the crucible, I'm stronger than before. Despite all the pleas from the Left to go over to the 'dark side' and expose the 'corrupt Bush administration' simply isn't going to happen. My faith and my ideology are rock solid. Still, the last few weeks have been difficult for my family and I disagreeociates. To them I offer my apology and gratitude for their support. In regard to the allegations about my personal life, I have been advised by my attorneys not to comment on any of the details pending the outcome of any possible legal action I might pursue. Therefore, I won't be discussing any of that stuff here. Fear and Loathing in the Press Room For the last two years, the Old Media figures at the White House thought of me as a gadfly, a right-winger with an agenda, harmless, someone to be ignored. From time to time there were grumbles among some of the reporters and one or two confrontations, but there was never a serious attempt to remove me from their midst. During my tenure I developed some good friends there who welcomed the refreshing perspective I brought to the briefings and respected my courage for asking the questions that I did. It wasn’t until I asked “The Question” that everything abruptly changed. Initially, my colleagues had no reaction to the query posed to President Bush. It wasn’t until Rush Limbaugh drew attention to it that there was any interest at all. But that was enough to get a liberal group dedicated to attacking conservatives in the media to mobilize. It was horrified that the relentless string of hostile and a few downright disrespectful questions had been broken. My greater sin in their eyes, however was that I dared to suggest that two Senate Democratic leaders held an illogical view of the economy’s weakness and the strength of Social Security. Immediately the questions about how I got into the briefing room began to be asked. After all, I had “no journalistic credentials” despite the fact that I had written over 500 articles for Talon News over a two-year period. I must be a plant, because there simply cannot be a conservative journalist walking on the hallowed domain of the Fourth Estate built over an old swimming pool. I feel badly for my colleagues who became the target of these same people on the Left who harshly chastised them for allowing a traitor operate among them. How could they stand idly by while Jeff Gannon breached the ideological barrier that kept conservatives out of the White House briefing room? [ ] The well-funded liberal attack machine, Media Matters, filled with operatives from the DNC and failed Democratic campaigns incited activist bloggers to wage a full-scale jihad against me. All sorts of personal information about me, including my Social Security number was published on the internet. Threats against me as well as my family led to my voluntary resignation in the belief that would bring it to an end, but the bloggers were aiming for my total destruction. [ Who is your family? It's strange no one has stepped forward to claim you or to say they know/knew you and come to your defense.] They dug deep for dirt, dredging up things long past and erecting a fantasy world worthy of a Vince Flynn novel. What they found is domain names and sexy pictures from which sprung rumors and conspiracy theories. [ Sexy? This guy really needs to get over himself because I'm sure everyone doesn't consider him "sexy." Those pictures should be called pornographic though.] Based on some of the emails I’ve received, many of these people were conflicted with hatred for my politics and tingling they experienced while viewing pictures said to be me. [ Lawdamercy. This guy's a narcissist.] Criticism of my work and my journalistic background is fair game, [ cue violins] but the intensive scrutiny into my personal life, especially things from the past have startled many in the journalistic community. Now Democrats in Congress are demanding that the White House do more thorough investigation into the personal lives and sexual histories of reporters. Is this what they want, to give the Bush administration a mandate to make this kind of information relevant to the vetting process for journalists? [ Ha ha ha. Mandate. That one's too easy so I'm not gonna touch it] What kind of reaction would there have been if the White House has announced such a plan two months ago? If I had been a liberal reporter with the salacious past now attributed to me, I would be the Grand Marshall of the next Gay Pride Parade as well as a media darling, able to give softball interviews. But because I am a conservative, they continue to try to smear me with allegations of behavior that they otherwise would vigorously defend. [ Get your kleenex out.] This episode is so rich with irony that it will take me many columns and a book to deal with it all. What is most telling about the Left is how quickly it was able to abandon its sacred principles of free speech and privacy to attack someone it disagreed with. The justification for this was based on erroneous characterizations of my reporting. This is not to say that I have not made mistakes in the past. Like all of us have at one time or another, I made poor choices and exercised bad judgment. But I believe in a forgiving God who changed my life. It was through that renewal that I went on to have a career as a reporter and further blessed to become a White House correspondent. [ Within 2 weeks of taking what basically amounts to a 2-hr seminar and having a sugar daddy in Houston with connections to the Texas Republican Party. You know, the same route as all those other White House reporters.] The Left is always celebrates about second chances, except when it comes to conservatives. [ His syntax in the sentence certainly has convinced me he's a capable reporter ] The only exception to that rule is when a conservative goes over to the dark side, like David Brock did. I have received many emails exhorting me to betray my “handlers” and expose their plans, citing him as the example to follow. At the heart of all this is the further erosion of the Old Media. The Left is engaging in “21st Century McCarthyism” in an effort to blacklist conservative journalists in order protect their domination of the media. These people may have exposed some of my human failings but they have also revealed their own hypocrisy. The damage to me is done, and it wasn’t fatal. But we are only beginning to see the effect of Gannongate on the Old Media and the Left. Copyright © 2005 Jeff Gannon.com -- All rights reserved. www.jeffgannon.com/fear_and_loathing_in_the_press_r.htm[/a]
|
|
|
Post by RPankn on Feb 24, 2005 18:51:04 GMT -5
[ This diary entry on Mr. Hotpants' blog is interesting.] February 23, 2005 8:35am Michael Isikoff at Newsweek helps me serve notice on the Lefties in a short blurb, Gannon's Enemies List. It sure does save the cost of sending all those certified letters. He got it wrong about Media Matters though, because I didn't identify any potential targets of legal action as per the advice of my highly-paid legal team. I mentioned that Brock's group got this all started by taking advantage of the liberal-dominated media and getting the New York Times' suburban rag, the Boston Globe to run an 'investigative report' based on its press release. Rush Limbaugh's take on the beginning of my political assassination said it all. Boston Globe Uncovers Friendly White House Reporter www.jeffgannon.com/
|
|
|
Post by Moses on Feb 26, 2005 23:39:25 GMT -5
Another Usraeli Defends "Gannon" as poor victim of "leftists". Let's see: Kurtz, Blitzer, Chicago Sun-Times, Isikoff, and this Usraeli publication. I think we are looking at an Israel-connected gay prostitution in high places thing.
|
|