Posted on 02/26/2005 2:38:18 PM PST by Para-Ord.45
In a previous post, I wrote that Lou Chibbaro Jr is "quite possibly the best reporter writing for the gay press." Today, in "THE WASHINGTON BLADE," he once again shows his sterling journalistic qualities, writing a piece on the debate over the newsworthiness of the sex life of gay journalists.
In a previous post, I made clear my opposition to reporters (or bloggers for that matter) invading the "private lives of individuals in the public eye." My blog-league has made that point of numerous occasions, most recently here. On this one at least, we agree with Andrew Sullivan. (I tend to find Andrew at his strongest when he stands up against such invasions of privacy.)
In Lou's piece today, he covers both sides of the debate, even quoting his own editor acknowledging that their paper erred: "in retrospect, our reporting went considerably further than necessary to raise the ‘hypocrisy’ issue for readers."
Lou gets it right when he reports:
Had the Guckert story remained focused on whether he had been operating as a conservative shill to promote the president’s agenda, it most likely would have died a quiet death, most media commentators have said.
http://www.gaypatriot.net/blog/archives/000078.php#000078
That's not the story. The story is how did this "man" gain access to the WH using a false name. If anyone here tried this stunt they'd be spending a couple of sleepless nights at the crow bar motel.
Gannon had his weird past, but only when he asked a partisan softball question of the Prez did he become a target. I'd like to ask these same investigative reporters to take a look at the series of underhand pitches the adoring press give to Pelosi and Reid, setting up every ball so they can t-off against the Bush administration.
Sure,everyone should be vetted to the nth degree but there is always lattitude to like minded individuals.I explicitly trust the guys in my gun club.
His was a daily pass,easy to get,as opposed to a permanent one,which is rare and extremely hard to get.
http://www.anncoulter.org/
Any day now, Matthews will devote entire shows to exposing Larry Zeigler, Gerald Riviera and Michael Weiner — aka Larry King, Geraldo Rivera and Matthews' former MSNBC colleague Michael Savage. As a newspaper reporter, Wolf Blitzer has written under the names Ze'ev Blitzer and Ze'ev Barak. The greatest essayist of modern times was Eric Blair, aka George Orwell. The worst essayist of modern times is "TRB" of The New Republic.
Air America radio host and "Nanny" impersonator "Randi Rhodes" goes by a fake name, and she won't even tell people what her real last name is. (She says for "privacy reasons." That name must be a real doozy.) As Insideradio.com describes Rhodes, she refuses "to withhold anything from her listeners" and says conservatives "are less likely to share such things." How about sharing your name, Randi? We promise not to laugh.
Democrats in Congress actually demanded that an independent prosecutor investigate how Gannon got into White House press conferences while writing under an invented name. How did Gary Hartpence, Billy Blythe and John Kohn (Gary Hart, Bill Clinton and John Kerry) run for president under invented names? Admittedly, these men were not reporters for the prestigious "Talon News" service; they were merely Democrats running for president.
--and I suspect that a look into the off-camera life of Peetah Jennings, with his marital record, would give the Kitty Kellys several books--best sellers all--
I think the MSM is realizing they stepped in it with this Gannon thing--anyone who wants to do as you suggest would be attacked for prying into Jennings's personal life, and one could simply say "Well you went hog wild on that Gannon guy and you brought up a good point, we can't let just ANYbody report the news."
"The story is how did this "man" gain access to the WH using a false name."
He used his REAL name when he applied for the pass.
You honestly don't think the clearance people had his real name for the security stuff? Just because he uses a pen name for his stories doesn't mean they didn't check his ID and run a check.
A local TV weatherman where I live flies occasionally. He uses a fake last name on the TV news, but when he flies (I work for an airline), he uses his real name on his reservation, which matches his ID. I'd imagine the White House can accomplish the same thing.
Matthews isn't going to expose any Democrats, because Matthews is what he has always been: a Democratic Party political operative. And he's complaining about Guckert being biased? Sheese!
I assume that any of us with keyboards shouldn't have an opinion on issues of war and peace?
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