What about Jeff Gannon?

Some people would say that not only was it a bogus press conference, but that FEMA is not even a real federal agency.

Somebody might get aroud to asking one day, but Chertoff was right there if I'm not mistaken.  How could he not have known? And if he did not know, wouldnt the soft-toss questions have tipped him off?

I can't believe Chertoff didn't know.  If Clinton had tried anything similar, even back in Arkansas, it would be recounted daily in this age.

And FEMA is a part of something sorta like a democratic government. How real is it? Well we need more information about that than they're willing to give us.

James Guckert A.K.A. Jeff Gannon did get a mention above Foggy.

talk about spin from the los angeles times.  they note that there was 15 minutes notice given before the press conference.  but then they say "when no reporters showed up", the fema flacks stood in for them.  how about maybe it was planned that way?  a 15 minute heads up on a press conference no one was expecting? 

"employ" means paid for. The Bushbots get this schizz for free!

My thoughts exactly!  Why buy the cow when you can get all that rich creamery butter for free?

Can You Imagine The Outrage If Gay Escort/Fake Reporter Threw Softballs (No Pun Intended) To A Clinton Press Secretary?The episode involving Jeff Gannon was the first thing to come to mind when I saw the headline. Imagine the Limbaugh's, Hannity's, and O'Reilly's of the reich wing smear machine and how they would have responded to such an occurrence if it would have happened under a Clinton Administration. They would still be talking about the fact that a no talent hack (speaking only of journalistic talents not his escort skills) was in the White House some 196 times and worked for a fly by night partisan 'news' organization. I have even heard that there is evidence that he sometimes was never 'logged out' and may have spent the night! Can anyone say Karl Rove in A$$ Pants?!?!?!

I still find it incredibly hard to believe that the Jeff Gannon story didn't get more coverage. It should have been a 60 Minutes in depth investigative piece. We're talking about a former male escort (who supposedly dressed in military garb) posing as a reporter and actually having a press pass! What a world!

The republicans have set the bar high.  Just when the news bureaus think they've got something great, along comes something else to distract the attention it's getting.

I don't ever remember during my lifetime when the scandals and oddities kept coming with the ferocity and frequency as they come from the current GOP.  And I lived through the Nixon years.  Seems like we get something new Friday of each week.

It's a fascinating strategy, and seems to be working. The news folks can't keep up with it all, and I get the impression the public as a whole has become numb to it now.

7 yrs, totally agree. And the Gannon stuff involved sex, which during the Clinton/Lewinsky happening practically became the media's blanket in their coverage. Why isn't Gannon as interesting and swept away with barely a mention? And wouldn't it be great if a pundit brought it up everytime there was a mention of Clinton and sex (like last week when we had to hear it again from the Ford memoirs?).

Gosh, all this fuss about a little fake reporting, when that has been the essence of Corporate Media since 1980. The reporters paid by the administration, and those blessed with faked credentials (i.e., Guckert) are but the tip of this iceberg. Thank God (or the flying spaghetti monster - your choice - ) for the internet, else we would be completely at the mercy of this conspiracy.

This is why MMFA is an important site.

Unless the previous instances that contradict the White House claim are known, a person might take the statement at face value and give it credence.

These sins of omission can only be corrected by a knowledge of the facts.

Thanks for honouring the truth and showing this spin for what it is. 

"It is not a practice that we would employ here at the White House and we certainly don't condone it."

That is, at least not recently...

I think the mainstream press does so much fake reporting themselves that the fake fake stuff just slips right by them.

And I do wonder if there might be others on the White House payroll that just haven't been exposed as yet...

Dear Media Matters (very little),

I guess the whole premise for this little enterprise, matters less and less everyday. :(

http://www.journalism.org/node/8197

Bush has become a monster since his coupe began in the year 2000. I think the general public is just waiting for the day he leaves office and is

replaced by some non-narcissist who has a connection with the people of the United States of America.../ 

Hell I don't blame Fema...

They're just following the lead of the Bush Administration and others who practice FAKE NEWS! News that got us into the biggest war blunder of all time.

You want some good fake news? Tune in to The Fox News Channel. Want some more, just observe President Bush himself on an aircraft carrier proclaiming "Mission Accomplished." Just listen to the Vice President or Alberto Gonzo or Condo Rice or, or, or...

Just sit down and write a whole book on FAKE NEWS. There's plenty of matterial to work with. Much of it comes from the Republican'ts side of the island.