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WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has provided White House media credentials to a man who has virtually no journalistic background, asks softball questions to the president and his spokesman in the midst of contentious news conferences, and routinely reprints long passages verbatim from official press releases as original news articles on his website.
Jeff Gannon calls himself the White House correspondent for TalonNews.com, a website that says it is "committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news coverage to our readers." It is operated by a Texas-based Republican Party delegate and political activist who also runs GOPUSA.com, a website that touts itself as "bringing the conservative message to America."
Called on last week by President Bush at a press conference, Gannon attacked Democratic Senate leaders and called them "divorced from reality." During the presidential campaign, when called on by Press Secretary Scott McClellan, Gannon linked Senator John F. Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, to Jane Fonda and questioned why anyone would dispute Bush's National Guard service.
Now, the question of how Gannon gets into White House press conferences is coming under intense scrutiny from critics who contend that Gannon is not a journalist but rather a White House tool to soften media coverage of Bush. The issue was raised by a media watchdog group and picked up by Internet bloggers, who linked Gannon's presence in White House briefings to recent controversies over whether the administration manipulates the flow of information to the public.
Jeff Gannon
A Voice of the New Media
The voice goes silent.
Because of the attention being paid to me I find it is no longer possible to effectively be a reporter for Talon News. In consideration of the welfare of me and my family I have decided to return to private life.
Thank you to all those who supported me.
Originally posted by brimstone735
To my conservative friends out there, don't go near this story. It's a black hole where nobody escapes. I mean, damn.
Originally posted by RANT
I think that's going to be the "official response" as well.
Silence.
Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
I have been hearing of this story, but I fail to recognize the importance of it. Maybe we get FredT into the White House.
linked Gannon's presence in White House briefings to recent controversies over whether the administration manipulates the flow of information to the public.
----
Gannon is not a journalist but rather a White House tool to soften media coverage of Bush.
Originally posted by James the Lesser
Hey, where is Ed Singer? Or any other Bush Babies? IS this one of those dozen things Bush has done that can't be defended? Let's see, Iraq, there about 3-4 things, Economy, there about 3-4 things, and now media, there about 3-4 things. So Bush now has, at a conservative count, 9-12 things no one, not even the Bush Babies, can Defend.
Or any other Bush Babies?
The mention of "This can't be defended" There are so many anti-Bush threads that pop-up, it'd be impossible for us "Bush Babies" to get to every-single one in time before this particular tactic is used.
IS this one of those dozen things Bush has done that can't be defended?
Let's see, Iraq, there about 3-4 things, Economy, there about 3-4 things, and now media, there about 3-4 things.
And wrap it up with another generalization, and Hell, throw in another jab at 'every Bush supporters" while you're at it!
So Bush now has, at a conservative count, 9-12 things no one, not even the Bush Babies, can Defend.
Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
I have been hearing of this story, but I fail to recognize the importance of it. Maybe we get FredT into the White House.