Posted on 02/23/2005 2:57:06 AM PST by JohnHuang2
There are some lessons to be learned in the Jeff Gannon-Jim Guckert scandal – for the press and for the politicians.
Guckert is a right-wing political activist with a seriously compromised personal life. Somewhere along the line, he decided the best way he could make a name for himself or help spread his "conservative" political ideology was to pose as a journalist.
He got a boost from a conservative political organization that founded a faux news organization called GOP News.
GOP News arranged with Guckert to become its White House correspondent under a pseudonym, Jeff Gannon.
Once the organizers of GOP News realized its very name betrayed its agenda, they hastily retooled a second sister outfit called Talon News. Guckert then apparently was able to continue seamlessly to get his daily White House press passes representing Talon News, despite using the phony name and despite the fact that he was leading a double life as a would-be purveyor of homosexual pornography and $1,200-per-weekend stud services on the Internet through now defunct websites such as Hotmilitarystuds.com, Militaryescorts.com and Meetlocalmen.com.
Maybe the reason the White House didn't mind looking the other way when it came to Gannon-Guckert was the fact that he was only too eager to lob softball questions at press conferences.
Who knows why this symbiotic relationship succeeded for as long as it did? Perhaps Gannon-Guckert knew something about people in the Bush administration. Or, perhaps some inside the Bush administration knew the truth about Gannon-Guckert. We may never know the full truth.
But the whole sordid affair illustrates just why a truly free and independent press is so vital to watchdogging government.
I have no doubts that the people who launched Gannon-Guckert in his ill-fated journalism career probably looked at the success of WorldNetDaily and said to themselves: "We can do this. Any one can start a website and claim to be a news operation, get access to government and use this platform to spread our ideology, befriend politicians we like and buy influence with politicians. It looks easy."
However, what the political activists pretending to be journalists never understood – and still do not understand to this day – is that you can't fool everyone.
WorldNetDaily has succeeded in reaching millions and influencing the rest of the media because it does not pretend. I founded WorldNetDaily only after working inside the news media doing everything one can possibly do for more than 25 years. WorldNetDaily's mission is to telling the truth – no matter whose ox is gored. WorldNetDaily hires only serious and experienced journalists with the highest standards of ethics – both in their professional lives and their personal lives.
That's the WorldNetDaily difference – something easily missed by political activists who want to hitch their wagons to the New Media trail blazed by WorldNetDaily and WorldNetDaily alone.
Oh, sure, there are other efforts. But I would submit to you that all of them have, unfortunately, more in common with the Gannon-Guckert media model than with the WorldNetDaily model.
There is no substitute for good journalism. There is no substitute for seeking the truth. There is no substitute for upholding high ethical standards. There is no substitute for fierce independence.
What the pretenders did backfired. They have hurt their own ideological cause more than they know. They have tarnished the image of the administration they championed. They have undermined the cause of the responsible New Media and the free press in America.
You might remember the two-year fight WorldNetDaily waged to become credentialed by the Senate Press Gallery. Meanwhile, an activist organization – pretending to be a journalistic one and ensnared in personal scandal – pranced into the White House and secured access to the president of the United States.
It raises serious security questions. It raises questions of propriety. It raises questions of judgment. And it raises questions about the role of a free press in a free society.
A homosexual, let alone a homo-pornographer, would not be "right wing." Maybe moderate, but not "right."
Republicans are for everyone. Big tent or no tent.
I'l be the first one to call this one. Sometimes you can't believe the stuff you read in WND, period. It's not exactly the Weekly World News, but there is some pretty far out stuff there.
"There is no substitute for good journalism. There is no substitute for seeking the truth."
I would not be writing a critique unless I had all the details straight..Gannon used his real name to get his pass.
And, may I add, why doesn't Farah get day passes like Gannon did?
pingage.
Farah does puff himself up.
This is a self serving piece for Farah. I hope he doesn't break his arm patting himself on the back. And his organization isn't without spot or wrinkle. But nowhere does he intimate how Gannon/Guckert was credentialed to get in the White House. What Farah does say is that it appeared that since it was from "friends", the whole thing was not done on journalistic integrity, but a wink and a nod.
He could get a day pass..just like Gannon did. Gannon was refused credentials.
Kyle Williams is 15 years old and lives in a rural community in America's heartland. In addition to his weekly weekend column on WorldNetDaily, Kyle also has a daily blog at OklahomaConservative.com.
Ooops.
It does raise questions about Gannon's propriety and judgement, but that isn't what Farah is talking about.
Feh.
Oh, well done, Corin! I had forgotten about Kyle Williams. HAR!
Well Farah couldn't miss a chance...now could he, to gore the White House?
"Who knows why this symbiotic relationship succeeded for as long as it did? Perhaps Gannon-Guckert knew something about people in the Bush administration. Or, perhaps some inside the Bush administration knew the truth about Gannon-Guckert. We may never know the full truth"...
but we can throw out all kinds of insinuations...all in the spirit of great journalism, of course.
Oh, well, I rarely read WorldNetDaily anyway.
Ditto
Lots of sour grapes in this article!
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