Plagiarize Jeff Gannon

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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. MORE

Column Archives

Gannonblog

March 8, 2005

Rep. Louise Slaughter is accusing House Republicans of 'abusing their power." What does she think investigating a journalist is? STORY

10:46am

I offer the following article about Teresa Heinz Kerry without comment. You be the judge of where this falls on the "Divorced From Reality™" scale. STORY

9:48am

Mississippi Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson wants unbiased news coming out of the White House press room. Good luck with that! STORY

9:29am

On Monday, blogger Garrett Graff attended his first White House press briefing. His observations are similar to what I experienced two years ago. I wish him the best of luck. STORY

9:13am

The debate continues over whether blogging is journalism. A California judge is asked to decide. STORY

9:01am

March 7, 2005

Mark Jurkowitz of the Boston Globe presents a one-sided view of the Washington press corps, failing to acknowledge that there might be liberal bias at work or a political agenda being pursued by some news agencies. This from a newspaper that many times sounded like a mouthpiece for the Kerry campaign. STORY

7:30am

Randell Beck, editor of the Sioux Falls (SD) Argus Leader simultaneously tells readers not to trust what is found on blogs but then repeats distortions from them in discussing Gannongate. STORY

7:17am

The New York Times is hailing the first blogger to be issued a "day pass" to a White House press briefing. It goes to great lengths to play up his genealogical background in journalism, but fails to mention that the Vermont native served as deputy national press secretary on Howard Dean's presidential campaign last year. Hmmm...no political ties there! STORY

According to the "Gannon Standard", I am expecting to see other bloggers' reports on his sexual and financial history as well as some conspiracy theories about who this guy is.

Actually, I like the guy, we've talked on the phone several times. I wish him luck and am pleased that others will gain from what I pioneered. Now I'm looking for a conservative blogger to step up and get in there!

5:45am

March 6, 2005

I just finished up on the Steve Yuhas Show, and was glad to finally get a chance to talk about the important elements of this story. I'll be doing more of this from this point on and I have a lot to say. There is so much more to this story that has yet to be told.

10:01pm

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

I will be a guest on the Steve Yuhas Show Sunday night, March 6 at 9:00pm EST. The segment will be LIVE - I'll be talking about Gannongate and the Hyper-Hysterical (and not in a funny way) Homosexual Hypocrites and their enablers in the Old Media who played the "gay card" to try to destroy me.

"I'm here, I'm conservative. Get used to it!"

5:58pm

A sore loser from the failed re-election bid of Sen. Tom Daschle complains about my coverage of last year's race, but says it didn't have any effect. So what's the beef Hildy? STORY

4:17pm

I watched a clip of Sen. Joe Biden on Bill Maher's HBO crapfest. I wonder why he didn't mention meeting me some years ago. C'mon Joe, think...

1:18pm

More interesting observations about the Washington press elite from Fred Brown in the Denver Post. STORY

12:47pm

James Joyner wieghs in with an interesting observation on the Outside the Beltway blog, Why is Sgrena Called a Journalist?

12:40pm

The impartial Helen Thomas takes a break from her Bush-bashing column to share her views about Gannongate. STORY She was interviewed during an appearance at Siena College's First Woman President Symposium held coincidentally following the release of its own poll that said a majority of Americans are ready for a female commander-in-chief and that Hillary Clinton should run in 2008.

10:15am

Johanna Neuman of the Chicago Tribune has an interesting article about the White House press corps. STORY

Doug Schmitz at MichNews.com takes a thorough look at Gannongate with The White House press clubhouse: No conservatives allowed.

8:27am

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

I will be a guest on the Steve Yuhas Show Sunday night, March 6. The segment will be LIVE - I'm coming out swinging and fighting back!

8:00am

Frank Rich gives Maureen Dowd a run for her money to be the most asinine columnist at New York Times with Gonzo Gone, Rather Going, Watergate Still Here, but Maureen still manages to maintain a two-Prozac edge.

7:25am

Russell Cobb of the Daily Texan implies that I drove Hunter Thompson to suicide in Gonzo Journalism to Bootlicking.

6:05am

March 5, 2005

CK Rairden, managing editor of the National Ledger is talking about The Post-Jeff Gannon Era.

9:43pm

White House correspondent Les Kinsolving, who is recovering from triple-bypass surgery following a January heart attack, wrote of the colorful history of the Washington press corps, for World Net Daily in 2002. STORY I send my best wishes and continued prayers to Les and his wonderful wife.

1:01pm

March 4, 2005

Congressional Democrats continue their assault on a free press with an unprecedented request for an inquiry into a conservative journalist who attended White House briefings for the last two years. STORY Who is behind this 21st Century McCarthyism? THE USUAL SUSPECTS

3:05pm

House Democrats are clamoring for an investigation into how a journalist was allowed inside the White House press room. Jennifer Harper at the Washington Times quotes Rep. Louise Slaughter saying, "This is a matter of national security..." STORY

8:51am

Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur signs onto the "Divorced From Reality™" team in an article from the Toledo Blade in which she claims I misrepresented her remarks TWO YEARS AGO and then proceeds to take a big gulp of the conspiracy Kool-Aid. STORY

8:34am

March 3, 2005

Democrats unveiled "the house that Daschle built" Tuesday night. The new headquarters for the National Democratic Senatorial Committee will bear the name of the former Minority Leader who was FIRED by constituents last November. The Sioux Falls (SD) Argus Leader presents a wistful account of the unveiling, Democrats name building for Daschle. The former South Dakota senator was the first party leader turned out of office since 1952 - that's something to be remembered for.

2:03pm

Steve Yuhas, a terrific radio host in Southern California scores with Media Matters for America Doesn’t: David Brock is just one angry Mary. Ha!

12:51pm

Brent Bozell, president of Media Research Center has a an article posted at Townhall.com where he asks, Is the liberal media dead?. Seriously wounded maybe and still dangerous, I'd say.

12:30pm

After a month of Media Matters for America smearing me as a political operative instead of the independent conservative journalist that I am, it has been revealed that my accuser is itself a political operation of sorts. Marc Morano of CNSNews.com exposes the financial connection between MMA with liberal activist groups funded by convicted insider trading billionaire George Soros, David Brock Group Backpedals on Soros Funding.

9:01am

CNSNews.com highlights the position of the Divorced from Reality™ crowd with Senate Dems 'United' Against 'Goofy Privatization Scheme'

8:49am

Ann Coulter again lambastes the Left for its hypocrisy with Calling the Kettle Gay.

6:10am

March 2, 2005

I just had an email from some folks who have been away and don't know how this all got started. For those who are playing catch-up on the news, I am providing a link to my column about "The Question", Touching American Journalism's Third Rail.

3:50pm

Tom Bevan has an great piece at Real Clear Politics, PLAYING HARDBALL WITH MAUREEN DOWD, in which he makes some good points about this gal who probably needs a bit of the old Jeff Gannon to relieve some of that pent up whatever. He also describes the media bubble that protected John Kerry from pesky questions like those about releasing his entire military record until after the election. This is the same bubble that keeps Sen. Hillary Clinton from having to reconcile her statements about the economy and Social Security that I so elegantly framed in "The Question."

12:54pm

The Media Research Center rips apart the bias deniers at Hardball with Matthews & Carlson Reject Notion White House Press Corps Liberal.

12:45pm

Jay Rosen at Pressthink is spouting another conspiracy theory about how the White House created Jeff Gannon. In the Press Room of the White House that is Post Press puts Rosen onto the "Divorced From Reality™" Express.

12:37pm

Senate Democrats gathered in Washington Tuesday night to honor their fallen leader, Tom Daschle. It was billed as a celebration, but turned out to be more like a wake. For Daschle, Democrats Are the Farewell Party Sen. Chuck Schumer seemed to suggest that Daschle consider running for Senate in Maryland if Paul Sarbanes decides to retire. Why not? He doesn't live in that state either. The Foxhall Road homeowner once proclaimed, "I'm a DC resident!"

10:08am

Howard Kurtz writes about former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, who is currently on a tour to promote his book "Taking Heat" in Ari Fleischer's View From the Briefing Room. Of course no discussion of the White House Press Corps these days is complete without a mention of Jeff Gannon.

6:05am

March 1, 2005

I just noticed a snarky bit by MSNBC's David Shuster on Hard-blah-gger. When you're done with that, take a look at my piece on Shuster from last September, Shuster's Shame.

4:13pm

Bloggers are again doing what the Old Media will not, that is, giving me an opportunity to answer questions without editing, filtering or interpretation. Therefore, I am granting interviews to both conservative and liberal bloggers.

I took 10 questions from Aaron at Lifelike Pundits

12:39pm

Garrett Graff at FishbowlDC is featuring an interview I did with him yesterday, "Gannon: It's a Making Lemonade Thing"

10:29am

The Old Media still doesn't get it. Dick Polman, a political analyst for the Philadelphia Inquirer promotes the idea that Gannongate is part of a larger conspiracy by the Bush administration to manipulate the news. In "White House stirs debate on media tactics," Polman demonstrates that those of his ilk who have dominated the media for decades cannot grasp that there could be possibly be an independent, conservative journalist. Is that because those on his side are unabashed operatives themselves?

8:12am

Gannonblog Archives

IT IS AS IF IT NEVER HAPPENED, but we did get this "unbiased" question: "Scott, those surveys that you mentioned a couple of times also show the more the President talks, the less Americans seem to trust him on the issue of Social Security, and the less they like the notion of private or personal accounts. What accounts for that? "

March 3, 2005

"Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan told members of Congress on Wednesday that the U.S. economy is growing at a "reasonably good pace" and recommended that budget deficits be fixed through spending cuts instead of tax increases. Does the White House consider this an endorsement of its fiscal policies as opposed to Democrats who still want to roll back the Bush tax cuts?"

NOT EVEN CLOSE - It looks as if continued job growth and a strengthening economy will go unreported until the Old Media can make it look like it would have happened anyway or find a way to give Democrats credit for it.

March 2, 2005

"West Virginia Democratic Senator Robert Byrd took to the Senate floor Tuesday and likened Republicans' efforts to get an up or down vote for the President's judicial nominees to the fascism of Nazi Germany. Would you comment on those remarks?"

NOT ASKED