| Topic: |
Science > Abortion |
| User: |
"james g. keegan jr." |
| Date: |
24 Feb 2005 05:44:53 PM |
| Object: |
Press Impostor |
Press Impostor
At the White House, don't duck the real questions
February 23, 2005
How is it that an administration that screened thousands of people for
attendance at Bush campaign rallies repeatedly let a fake reporter into
the sanctorum of the White House pressroom under a false name? Who was
running that background check? How could a president who declares that
national security is his prime concern be so ill served for nearly two
years by his own security detail?
What is the public to make of the fact that legitimate protesters are
kept far away from President George W. Bush while an illegitimate
"journalist" who's really working for a Republican propaganda mill is
repeatedly allowed into the White House pressroom and regularly called
upon by the president and the president's press secretary to ask
questions?
Is it possible that the administration's formidable public relations
machine was well aware that reporter "Jeff Gannon" of the Talon News
Web site was really James Guckert, and that Talon and the Web site
GOPUSA have the same owner and often the same pro-Republican content?
Is it possible that an administration that is so careful about
scripting events and managing information approved of Guckert being
planted in the pressroom to ask softball questions and even to keep an
eye on the real reporters working there? Isn't that fair to ask,
considering this is the same administration that used its
taxpayer-funded, $250-million public relations apparatus to pay
columnists to say nice things about its programs?
Once Guckert was exposed, shouldn't the administration, for the sake of
security and integrity, have run identity checks on the other members
of the White House press corps? Are there any pseudo-reporters planted
there from Democratic organizations to ask hard questions?
Based on the Guckert case, can any self-styled journalist from an
obscure Web site or blog expect to obtain a daily pass to attend White
House press briefings? Given the proliferation of same, is the White
House prepared for a stampede of applications? Will all identities be
verified? Will reporters from GOP-friendly media receive preferred
seating?
Is anyone in the Bush administration asking these questions? Or
interested in answering them?
http://www.freep.com/voices/editorials/eguckert23e_20050223.htm
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