[Imc-us-editorial] RE: [IMC-US] more on: PropaGannon scandal rocksWhite House

Sat Feb 12 07:33:14 CST 2005

Excellent! A few minor suggestions (additions in caps):

1)First line: "the rapidly blossoming WHITE HOUSE press scandal"

  Second line:
Also, let's make the connection to Rove and the rightwing PR machine w/an 
added question like:
"What's his connection to Karl Rove and the rightwing <a 
href="http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/extra/archives/001437.html">PR 
machine</a>?

2)First line, 2nd graph: "That sounds a little harsher than IT'S MEANT TO.

3)3rd graph: Media Matters isn't a blog. David Brock (interestingly a 
reformed rightwing hatchet guy) and his coworkers run a kick-ass media 
activism org. You could just add: "..AND Media Matters"

4)First line,Last graph: Either "we in the alternative media have been 
gleefully tearing down the walls that separate journalists from ordinary 
people for years now" or "we at INDYMEDIA have been gleefully tearing down 
the walls that separate journalists from ordinary people for close to six 
years now"

5)2nd line, Last graph: "...and doesn't seem to care who is a "journalist" 
these days as long as this or that person ADHERES TO THE BUSH REGIME'S 
FAR-RIGHT AGENDA"

I like the way you've left it open ended. Hopefully it will spark a lot of 
productive dialogue & comments. Very cool.

Here's a telling pic of Scott McClellan: www.straitstimes.com/.../ 
white_house.jpg

d.o.

>From: Chris Anderson <chanders_imc at yahoo.com>
>To: imc-us at lists.ucimc.org, imc-us at ucimc.org,imc-us-editorial at ucimc.org
>CC: rabble at indymedia.org, breitbart at indymedia.org
>Subject: [Imc-us-editorial] RE: [IMC-US] more on: PropaGannon scandal 
>rocksWhite House
>Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 22:02:03 -0800 (PST)
>
>Here's an UNFINISHED draft of some thoughts on Gannon. I'll certainly add 
>more to it tomorrow, and when its done it'll be up on the nyc-imc website 
>for use at imc us if people want it.
>
>----
>
>Why <b>shouldn't</b> James Guckert (aka 'Jeff Gannon')have been allowed in 
>the White House briefing room?
><p>
>Multiple questions surround the rapidly blossoming <a 
>href=http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2005/02/1710897.php>press scandal</a>: 
>did Guckert <a href=http://dailykos.com/story/2005/2/10/224122/709>blow the 
>CIA cover</a> of Valerie Plame? Or <a 
>href=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000799182>not</a>? 
>What's Guckert's connection to the raft of <a 
>href=http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=47>homosexually-themed</a> 
>military escort websites registered under his name? What is <a 
>href=http://www.leadpencil.net/blog/archives/000234.html>'Talon News'</a>? 
>How does the Guckert case relate to other <a 
>href=http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/1/11/145618/565>recent</a> 
>Bush-admnistration propaganda scandals? The real question, though, is far 
>harder to answer: what does it say about the state of American journalism 
>when a fraudulent, partisan journalist is unmaked by insurgent, partisan 
>bloggers?  On what grounds can those of us in the radical media
>  criticize J.D. Guckert?
><p>
>That sounds a little harsher than I probably mean it to. After all, the 
>bloggers (<a href=http://www.dailykos.com>Daily Kos</a>, <a 
>href=http"//atrios.blogspot.com>Atrios</a>, <A 
>href=http://mediamatters.org/>Media Matters</a>) who uncovered this farce 
>really are heroes. And there are a few big differences between Guckert and 
>the members of the left-wing blogosphere; for one thing, they don't use 
>fake names to get access to White House press conferences, and for another 
>they haven't been under invesitgation for their connection to the Plame 
>affair.
><p>
>But the issue goes deeper than this. After all, we in the alternative media 
>have been gleefully tearing down the walls that separate journalists from 
>ordinary people for close to six years now. It seems the Bush 
>administration is cynically taking our advice, and doesn't seem to care who 
>is a "journalist" these days as long as this or that person is on their 
>side. As White House spokesman Scott McClellan <a 
>href=http://wmass.indymedia.org/otherpress/display/276>said</a> on Friday, 
>"in this day and age, when you have a changing media, it's not an easy 
>issue to decide or try to pick and choose who is a journalist."  Of course, 
>as long as they spin your lies and shill for your domestic programs its 
>easy to look the other way.<

>
>Tribal Scribal <valeoftheoaks at hotmail.com> wrote:
>just checking in for a minute. i'll take a stab at "tying it all together"
>in the AM if no one does a workup before then, but we need more indy links.
>i was hoping dc would have something up, but no dice. you guys in nyc have
>today's interview between "gannon" and E&P here:
>http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/141366/index.php which helps, but
>we have no original indy material (commentary anyone?).
>
>i think "what can indymedia add that everyone else cant?" is to get into 
>the
>nuances of what constitutes journalism. This will be dicey. As we all know,
>indy's been slammed for not being "real journalists" too. This is where i
>need to hear from you guys. Talon is an obvious PR front for far-right
>operatives. It's lies and disinforms. Indy is democratic grassroots,
>advocacy journalism. I would hope that we all strive to seek the truth, but
>it's open publishing and that leaves us open to disinfo as well. How do we
>make the distictions here? How do we make the case that indy should be in
>the room and talon shouldn't? OR do we just blow this part of the story off
>and hope that it doesn't come back & bite us in the ass?
>
>Also, we need to keep the focus on the Bush regime's MASSIVE public
>relations scam and manipulation of the corporate media. The White House is
>going to pull out all the stops to move the focus over to the need to
>improve security ("how'd this guy get into the WH so easy" blaa, blaa). 
>They
>may even find some McClellan underling to fall on his sword. The corporado
>media will probably follow suit (even though they've been publicly 
>shafted).
>
>Your thoughts?
>
>d.o.
>
>
>
>***************************************
>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as
>necessary in the political world as storms in the physical world."
>
>- Thomas Jefferson
>***************************************
>more rebellion here:
>http://concertobi.blogspot.com/
>
>***************************************
>
>
>
>
> >From: Chris Anderson
> >Reply-To: "Working Group for IMC-US."
> >To: "Working Group for IMC-US." ,imc-us at ucimc.org,
> >imc-us-editorial at ucimc.org
> >CC: rabble at indymedia.org, breitbart at indymedia.org
> >Subject: [IMC-US] more on: PropaGannon scandal rocks White House
> >Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 16:45:55 -0800 (PST)
> >
> >-There are really four (or five) stories going on
> >here. I figured the next step would be to break them
> >down one by one:
> >
> >1. The story of how what bascially ammounted to a
> >right-wing blogger got prime access to White House
> >press briefings on a Daily basis where he asked
> >partisan and misleading questions
> >
> >2. His connection to the Valerie Plame affair.
> >
> >3. The way he is tied into larger bush media
> >manipulation's, including Bush's staged "pre-war"
> >press conference, the fact that Bush paid various
> >conservative columnists to promote his programs, and
> >the fact that Bish admin sent out fake tv-news release
> >to promte social programs.
> >
> >4. Gannon's domain name ownership of vaious
> >gay-escort military sites
> >
> >5. the larger meta question about blogs, the media,
> >indymedia, etc.
> >
> >here are some more links (more mainstream):
> >
> >Howard Kurtz on the affair
> >http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/nation/columns/kurtzhoward/
> >and buzzflash on kurtz
> >http://www.buzzflash.com/editorial/05/02/edi05028.html
> >editor and publisher runs 3 stories, including an
> >interview with gannon where he basically denies the
> >whole thing
> >
> >http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000799182
> >
> >http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000798573
> >
> >http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000798395
> >
> >interesting, the lefty bloggers are now totally
> >playing down the whole sex thing: the major wrap up
> >press release by
> >daily kos doesn't even mention it:
> >
> >http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000798395
> >
> >because the fact that they probed the guy's personal
> >life if being used, in the height of hypocricy, but
> >the right wing bloggers to attack the lefties
> >
> >what else to folks think? anyone want to tie this all
> >together? and the key question is still: what can
> >indymedia add that everyone else cant?
> >
> >chris
> >
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