Daily Kos :: Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation.: "Suppressing free speech
by kos | Tue Mar 29th, 2005 at 08:36:51 PST"
...
But Monday, March 28, the Secret Service called three everyday people into their offices to discuss why we were kicked out of a presidential event in Denver last week where Bush promoted his plan to privatize Social Security. What they revealed to us and our lawyer was fascinating.
There we were - three people who had personally picked up tickets from Republican Congressman Bob Beauprez's office and went to a presidential event. But as we entered, we were told that we had been "ID'ed" and were warned that any disruption would get us arrested.
After being seated in the audience we were forcibly removed before the President arrived, even though we had not been disruptive. We were shocked when told that this presidential event was a "private event" and were commanded to leave.
...
The Secret Service revealed that we were "ID'ed" when local Republican staffers saw a bumper sticker on the car we drove which said "No More Blood For Oil." Evidently, the free speech expressed on one bumper sticker is cause enough to eject three citizens from a presidential event. (Similarly, someone was ejected from Bush's Social Security privatization event in Arizona the same day simply for wearing a Democratic t-shirt.)
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Saturday, March 19, 2005
The Hidden Hand Of The CIA, 911 And Popular Mechanics
The Hidden Hand Of The CIA, 911 And Popular Mechanics: "By Christopher Bollyn | Exclusive to American Free Press | 3-19-5
A brutal purge of the senior staff at Popular Mechanics preceded the publication of last month's scandalous propaganda piece about 9/11. Pulling the strings is the grand dame of Hearst Magazines and behind the scene is her obscure husband a veteran propaganda expert and former special assistant to the director of the C.I.A. ...
...
The magazine pushing the government's 9/11 propaganda, Popular Mechanics (PM), is published by the Hearst family. Its March cover story, Debunking 9/11 Lies, has been exposed by credible researchers to contain numerous distortions and flawed conclusions. American Free Press revealed that Benjamin Chertoff, the 25-year-old senior researcher who authored the 9/11 article, is related to Michael Chertoff, the new Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The PM article illustrates how a propaganda method, used by dictatorships, is now being employed by the U.S. government: controlling mainstream media outlets to promote its version of 9/11.
...
In the months leading up to the Chertoff article in PM, a brutal take-over occurred at the magazine. In September 2004, Joe Oldham, the magazines former editor-in-chief was replaced by James B. Meigs, who came to PM with a deputy, Jerry Beilinson, from National Geographic Adventure. In October, a new creative director replaced PMs 21-year veteran who was given ninety minutes to clear out of his office.
A former senior editor at PM, who is forbidden from openly discussing the coup at PM, told AFP that the former creative director was abruptly told to leave and given severance pay of two weeks wages for every year spent at PM. Three or four people have been similarly dismissed every month since, he said. He said he was astounded that the coup at PM had not been reported in the mainstream media.
PM has long been a supporter of the U.S. military. The magazine ran a full page ad in support of the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in May 2003. Since the purge last September, however, PM readers have noticed that government propaganda has replaced scientific writing. A letter to the editor in the current issue says, I think you guys are just another tool in the governments propaganda machine.
A brutal purge of the senior staff at Popular Mechanics preceded the publication of last month's scandalous propaganda piece about 9/11. Pulling the strings is the grand dame of Hearst Magazines and behind the scene is her obscure husband a veteran propaganda expert and former special assistant to the director of the C.I.A. ...
...
The magazine pushing the government's 9/11 propaganda, Popular Mechanics (PM), is published by the Hearst family. Its March cover story, Debunking 9/11 Lies, has been exposed by credible researchers to contain numerous distortions and flawed conclusions. American Free Press revealed that Benjamin Chertoff, the 25-year-old senior researcher who authored the 9/11 article, is related to Michael Chertoff, the new Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The PM article illustrates how a propaganda method, used by dictatorships, is now being employed by the U.S. government: controlling mainstream media outlets to promote its version of 9/11.
...
In the months leading up to the Chertoff article in PM, a brutal take-over occurred at the magazine. In September 2004, Joe Oldham, the magazines former editor-in-chief was replaced by James B. Meigs, who came to PM with a deputy, Jerry Beilinson, from National Geographic Adventure. In October, a new creative director replaced PMs 21-year veteran who was given ninety minutes to clear out of his office.
A former senior editor at PM, who is forbidden from openly discussing the coup at PM, told AFP that the former creative director was abruptly told to leave and given severance pay of two weeks wages for every year spent at PM. Three or four people have been similarly dismissed every month since, he said. He said he was astounded that the coup at PM had not been reported in the mainstream media.
PM has long been a supporter of the U.S. military. The magazine ran a full page ad in support of the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in May 2003. Since the purge last September, however, PM readers have noticed that government propaganda has replaced scientific writing. A letter to the editor in the current issue says, I think you guys are just another tool in the governments propaganda machine.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Why is ABC News ignoring DeLay ethics story? ..
Why is ABC News ignoring DeLay ethics story? ... [Media Matters for America]: "Why is ABC News ignoring DeLay ethics story?"
As of this post, ABC News is the only one of the three network news outlets not to have reported on recent revelations that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) accepted lavish, all-expense-paid trips to South Korea and Britain, apparently in violation of House rules forbidding members from accepting travel expenses from registered lobbyists.
As of this post, ABC News is the only one of the three network news outlets not to have reported on recent revelations that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) accepted lavish, all-expense-paid trips to South Korea and Britain, apparently in violation of House rules forbidding members from accepting travel expenses from registered lobbyists.
USA today quotes IRI survey ["The IRI is a non-partisan, U.S. taxpayer-funded group ... of neoconservative Republicans]
Morning Sedition: Wednesday -- Non-PartisanMarch 16, 2005 | Wednesday -- Non-Partisan
USA Today is running a poll that says about 62-percent of Iraqis believe their country is headed in the right direction. Normally we would be happy to receive the news that Iraqis prefer the idea of burgeoning democracy to that of a dictatorship, but then we saw how the poll was presented:
"The poll, by the International Republican Institute (IRI), [is] due to be made public Wednesday... The IRI is a non-partisan, U.S. taxpayer-funded group that promotes democracy abroad."
A little research on the IRI turned up this information:
- All 24 of the organization’s board members, including its president, are Republicans.
- The IRI came to fruition in 1982 when President Ronald Reagan proposed a new U.S.-led effort to promote free-market democracies around the world.
- George A. Folsom, IRI's president and CEO, was a member of the Bush-Cheney Transition Team.
- Millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money channeled through the IRI funded groups opposed to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez during the years preceding a failed April 2002 coup against the Venezuelan President.
- When it was falsely believed that the coup was successful, Folsom rejoiced over Chávez' removal from power. "The Venezuelan people rose up to defend democracy in their country."
- The IRI supplied aid to opposition groups in Haiti.
So, we have a Republican-led and controlled group, one that perpetuates the Neo-con agenda of unilateral nation building, conducting a poll that serves its own interests by justifying the Iraq war as necessary means to a democratic society. Again, here's USA Today's presentation of the poll:
"The IRI is a non-partisan, U.S. taxpayer-funded group that promotes democracy abroad."
Infuriating? Yes. Dishonest? Possibly. Surprising? Hardly, especially considering the current culture of bought-and-paid-for-news-reports that are being disseminated by the Bush administration.
USA Today is running a poll that says about 62-percent of Iraqis believe their country is headed in the right direction. Normally we would be happy to receive the news that Iraqis prefer the idea of burgeoning democracy to that of a dictatorship, but then we saw how the poll was presented:
"The poll, by the International Republican Institute (IRI), [is] due to be made public Wednesday... The IRI is a non-partisan, U.S. taxpayer-funded group that promotes democracy abroad."
A little research on the IRI turned up this information:
- All 24 of the organization’s board members, including its president, are Republicans.
- The IRI came to fruition in 1982 when President Ronald Reagan proposed a new U.S.-led effort to promote free-market democracies around the world.
- George A. Folsom, IRI's president and CEO, was a member of the Bush-Cheney Transition Team.
- Millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money channeled through the IRI funded groups opposed to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez during the years preceding a failed April 2002 coup against the Venezuelan President.
- When it was falsely believed that the coup was successful, Folsom rejoiced over Chávez' removal from power. "The Venezuelan people rose up to defend democracy in their country."
- The IRI supplied aid to opposition groups in Haiti.
So, we have a Republican-led and controlled group, one that perpetuates the Neo-con agenda of unilateral nation building, conducting a poll that serves its own interests by justifying the Iraq war as necessary means to a democratic society. Again, here's USA Today's presentation of the poll:
"The IRI is a non-partisan, U.S. taxpayer-funded group that promotes democracy abroad."
Infuriating? Yes. Dishonest? Possibly. Surprising? Hardly, especially considering the current culture of bought-and-paid-for-news-reports that are being disseminated by the Bush administration.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Bush Defends Packaged News Stories from Government: cites Justice Dept to ignore GAO ruling as illegal
Reuters News Article: "Bush Defends Packaged News Stories from Government | Wed Mar 16, 2005 03:16 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush said on Wednesday that the U.S. government's practice of sending packaged news stories to local television stations was legal and he had no plans to cease it.
His defense of the packages, which are designed to look like television news segments, came after they were deemed a form of covert propaganda by the Government Accountability Office watchdog agency.
GAO, an arm of Congress, said this ran counter to appropriation laws and was a misuse of federal funds.
But Bush cited a Justice Department opinion that disagreed with the GAO.
"There is a Justice Department opinion that says these -- these pieces -- are within the law, so long as they're based upon facts, not advocacy," the president told a news conference.
Among the packages the GAO looked at was one produced by the Health and Human Services Department to promote the Medicare prescription drug law. The story included a paid actor who narrated the piece in a similar style to the way a television reporter would.
"The entire story package was developed with appropriated funds but appears to be an independent news story," the agency said. ///
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush said on Wednesday that the U.S. government's practice of sending packaged news stories to local television stations was legal and he had no plans to cease it.
His defense of the packages, which are designed to look like television news segments, came after they were deemed a form of covert propaganda by the Government Accountability Office watchdog agency.
GAO, an arm of Congress, said this ran counter to appropriation laws and was a misuse of federal funds.
But Bush cited a Justice Department opinion that disagreed with the GAO.
"There is a Justice Department opinion that says these -- these pieces -- are within the law, so long as they're based upon facts, not advocacy," the president told a news conference.
Among the packages the GAO looked at was one produced by the Health and Human Services Department to promote the Medicare prescription drug law. The story included a paid actor who narrated the piece in a similar style to the way a television reporter would.
"The entire story package was developed with appropriated funds but appears to be an independent news story," the agency said. ///
Editorial: And Now, the Counterfeit News: tapes are very skillfully done, including "interviews" that seem genuine and "reporters"
The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: And Now, the Counterfeit News: "Published: March 16, 2005
The Bush administration has come under a lot of criticism for its attempts to fob off government propaganda as genuine news reports. Whether federal agencies are purchasing the services of supposedly independent columnists or making videos extolling White House initiatives and then disguising them as TV news reports, that's wrong. But it is time to acknowledge that the nation's news organizations have played a large and unappetizing role in deceiving the public.
As documented this week in an article in The Times by David Barstow and Robin Stein, more than 20 federal agencies, including the State Department and the Defense Department, now create fake news clips. The Bush administration spent $254 million in its first four years on contracts with public relations firms, more than double the amount spent by the Clinton administration.
Most of these tapes are very skillfully done, including "interviews" that seem genuine and "reporters" who look much like the real thing. Only sophisticated viewers would easily recognize that these videos are actually unpaid commercial announcements for the White House or some other part of the government. Some of the videos clearly cross the line into the proscribed territory of propaganda, and the Government Accountability Office says at least two were illegally distributed....
The Bush administration has come under a lot of criticism for its attempts to fob off government propaganda as genuine news reports. Whether federal agencies are purchasing the services of supposedly independent columnists or making videos extolling White House initiatives and then disguising them as TV news reports, that's wrong. But it is time to acknowledge that the nation's news organizations have played a large and unappetizing role in deceiving the public.
As documented this week in an article in The Times by David Barstow and Robin Stein, more than 20 federal agencies, including the State Department and the Defense Department, now create fake news clips. The Bush administration spent $254 million in its first four years on contracts with public relations firms, more than double the amount spent by the Clinton administration.
Most of these tapes are very skillfully done, including "interviews" that seem genuine and "reporters" who look much like the real thing. Only sophisticated viewers would easily recognize that these videos are actually unpaid commercial announcements for the White House or some other part of the government. Some of the videos clearly cross the line into the proscribed territory of propaganda, and the Government Accountability Office says at least two were illegally distributed....
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
White House to agencies: Ignore GAO's ruling on 'illegal' TV news releases
White House to agencies: Ignore GAO's ruling on 'illegal' TV news releases: "Ken Herman | Cox News Service | Mar. 15, 2005 12:00 AM
WASHINGTON - The White House, intent on continuing to crank out "video news releases" that look like television news stories, has told government agency heads to ignore a Government Accountability Office memo criticizing the practice as illegal propaganda.
In a memo on Friday, Joshua Bolten, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said the lawyers the White House depends on disagree with the GAO's conclusions.
Accompanying Bolten's memo was a letter from Steven Bradbury, principal deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, who said video news releases "are the television equivalent of the printed press release."
"They can be a cost-effective means to distribute information through local news outlets, and their use by private and public entities has been widespread since the early 1990s, including by numerous federal agencies," Bradbury said.
Comptroller General David Walker of the GAO said Monday that his agency is "disappointed by the administration's actions" in telling agency heads to ignore the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress.
"This is not just a legal issue, it's also an ethical matter," Walker said. "The taxpayers have a right to know when the government is trying to influence them with their own money." ...
WASHINGTON - The White House, intent on continuing to crank out "video news releases" that look like television news stories, has told government agency heads to ignore a Government Accountability Office memo criticizing the practice as illegal propaganda.
In a memo on Friday, Joshua Bolten, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said the lawyers the White House depends on disagree with the GAO's conclusions.
Accompanying Bolten's memo was a letter from Steven Bradbury, principal deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, who said video news releases "are the television equivalent of the printed press release."
"They can be a cost-effective means to distribute information through local news outlets, and their use by private and public entities has been widespread since the early 1990s, including by numerous federal agencies," Bradbury said.
Comptroller General David Walker of the GAO said Monday that his agency is "disappointed by the administration's actions" in telling agency heads to ignore the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress.
"This is not just a legal issue, it's also an ethical matter," Walker said. "The taxpayers have a right to know when the government is trying to influence them with their own money." ...
Did a federal agent ban anti-Bush signs in downtown storefronts? calling businesses to tell them not to put up any negative signs in their windows
Memphis Flyer :: Issue 837 :: BARNSTORMING EXCLUSIVE!: "Did a federal agent ban anti-Bush signs in downtown storefronts? | CHRIS DAVIS | 3/12/2005
“The man who called was very polite and nice,” says John Gasquet, owner of Empire coffee at 2 N. Main in Downtown Memphis. “He said he was special agent Something-or-other. He said that due to the fact that in some states the President had been to, there were issues of security regarding area businesses, he was calling businesses to tell them not to put up any negative signs in their windows that were negative toward President Bush. He said there were designated areas of protest and this would cut down on the possibility of problems.”
Gasquet didn’t have any negative signs in his window, and he hadn’t been planning on posting any signs at all. As a businessman—about to pass his business off to new owners—it didn’t seem logical to post material that might antagonize half his clientele.
“I thought sure, okay. Fine. But then it started to irritate me. I’m a veteran… I’ve served my country. I was happy to do it and I would do it again. And it bugged me that someone from the Federal Government would try to tell me not to do this.”
“The man who called was very polite and nice,” says John Gasquet, owner of Empire coffee at 2 N. Main in Downtown Memphis. “He said he was special agent Something-or-other. He said that due to the fact that in some states the President had been to, there were issues of security regarding area businesses, he was calling businesses to tell them not to put up any negative signs in their windows that were negative toward President Bush. He said there were designated areas of protest and this would cut down on the possibility of problems.”
Gasquet didn’t have any negative signs in his window, and he hadn’t been planning on posting any signs at all. As a businessman—about to pass his business off to new owners—it didn’t seem logical to post material that might antagonize half his clientele.
“I thought sure, okay. Fine. But then it started to irritate me. I’m a veteran… I’ve served my country. I was happy to do it and I would do it again. And it bugged me that someone from the Federal Government would try to tell me not to do this.”
Monday, March 14, 2005
Social Security: On With the Show (washingtonpost.com)
Social Security: On With the Show (washingtonpost.com): "President's 'Conversations' on Issue Are Carefully Orchestrated, Rehearsed | By Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker | Washington Post Staff Writers | Saturday, March 12, 2005; Page A03
MEMPHIS, March 11 -- It sounded as if all of Graceland were clamoring for President Bush's plan to restructure Social Security.
The mostly white audience in this mostly black southern city clapped wildly as Bush took what he called the 'presidential roadshow' to its 14th state Friday. He was greeted like Elvis -- adoring fans hooting and hollering, and hanging on his every word.
The few dissenting voices in the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts were quickly silenced or escorted out by security. One woman with a soft voice but firm opposition to Bush was asked to leave, even though her protests were barely audible beyond her section in the back corner of the auditorium. The carefully screened panelists spoke admiringly about Bush, his ideas, his "bold" leadership on Social Security.
MEMPHIS, March 11 -- It sounded as if all of Graceland were clamoring for President Bush's plan to restructure Social Security.
The mostly white audience in this mostly black southern city clapped wildly as Bush took what he called the 'presidential roadshow' to its 14th state Friday. He was greeted like Elvis -- adoring fans hooting and hollering, and hanging on his every word.
The few dissenting voices in the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts were quickly silenced or escorted out by security. One woman with a soft voice but firm opposition to Bush was asked to leave, even though her protests were barely audible beyond her section in the back corner of the auditorium. The carefully screened panelists spoke admiringly about Bush, his ideas, his "bold" leadership on Social Security.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Calif. Gov. 'News' Videos Cause a Stir: Schwarzenegger follows Bush into what critics call "taxpayer-funded campaign propaganda"
The New York Times > AP > National > Calif. Gov. 'News' Videos Cause a Stir: "By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Published: March 11, 2005 | Filed at 7:45 p.m. ET"
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has acknowledged making several videos masquerading as news stories to promote its agenda, creating an uproar from Democrats and labor leaders in a controversy parallel to one ignited by the Bush administration.
``When the governor produces official government propaganda and tries to fake it to look like news it's very, very corrosive to democratic values,'' said Barry Broad, a labor lobbyist who compared it to efforts by totalitarian regimes.
Criticism initially focused on a video promoting labor regulations altering workers' meal breaks. But the administration later said it made videos on Schwarzenegger's efforts to reshape state government, stall rules that would increase nurse staffing at hospitals and alter teacher pay and tenure requirements, said aides to Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles.
Critics said the tailored-for-TV-news videos amount to taxpayer-funded campaign propaganda.
Last year, the federal Government Accountability Office said the Bush administration violated a prohibition against using public money for propaganda when it created videos made to resemble news reports promoting Medicare changes.
Deputy Legislative Counsel Cecilia Moddelmog told a Senate budget subcommittee Thursday that she doubted the Schwarzenegger administration had the authority to produce the videos. ...
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has acknowledged making several videos masquerading as news stories to promote its agenda, creating an uproar from Democrats and labor leaders in a controversy parallel to one ignited by the Bush administration.
``When the governor produces official government propaganda and tries to fake it to look like news it's very, very corrosive to democratic values,'' said Barry Broad, a labor lobbyist who compared it to efforts by totalitarian regimes.
Criticism initially focused on a video promoting labor regulations altering workers' meal breaks. But the administration later said it made videos on Schwarzenegger's efforts to reshape state government, stall rules that would increase nurse staffing at hospitals and alter teacher pay and tenure requirements, said aides to Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles.
Critics said the tailored-for-TV-news videos amount to taxpayer-funded campaign propaganda.
Last year, the federal Government Accountability Office said the Bush administration violated a prohibition against using public money for propaganda when it created videos made to resemble news reports promoting Medicare changes.
Deputy Legislative Counsel Cecilia Moddelmog told a Senate budget subcommittee Thursday that she doubted the Schwarzenegger administration had the authority to produce the videos. ...
In Bush's agencies, P.R. blurs into news: At least 20 agencies have made and distributed hundreds of television news segments in the past four years,
The Seattle Times: Nation & World: In Bush's agencies, P.R. blurs into news: "March 13, 2005 | By David Barstow and Robin Stein | The New York Times"
It is the kind of TV news coverage every president covets.
"Thank you, Bush. Thank you, U.S.A.," a jubilant Iraqi American told a camera crew in Kansas City for a segment about reaction to the fall of Baghdad. A second report told of "another success" in the Bush administration's "drive to strengthen aviation security"; the reporter called it "one of the most remarkable campaigns in aviation history." A third segment, broadcast in January, described the administration's determination to open markets for U.S. farmers.
To a viewer, each report looked like any other 90-second segment on the local news. In fact, the federal government produced all three. The report from Kansas City was made by the State Department. The "reporter" covering airport safety actually was a public-relations professional working under a false name for the Transportation Security Administration. The farming segment was done by the Agriculture Department's office of communications.
Under the Bush administration, the federal government aggressively has used a well-established tool of public relations: the prepackaged, ready-to-serve news report that major corporations long have distributed to TV stations to pitch everything from headache remedies to auto insurance. At least 20 federal agencies, including the Defense Department and the Census Bureau, have made and distributed hundreds of television news segments in the past four years, records and interviews show. Many were broadcast on local stations across the country without any acknowledgment of the government's role in their production.
It is the kind of TV news coverage every president covets.
"Thank you, Bush. Thank you, U.S.A.," a jubilant Iraqi American told a camera crew in Kansas City for a segment about reaction to the fall of Baghdad. A second report told of "another success" in the Bush administration's "drive to strengthen aviation security"; the reporter called it "one of the most remarkable campaigns in aviation history." A third segment, broadcast in January, described the administration's determination to open markets for U.S. farmers.
To a viewer, each report looked like any other 90-second segment on the local news. In fact, the federal government produced all three. The report from Kansas City was made by the State Department. The "reporter" covering airport safety actually was a public-relations professional working under a false name for the Transportation Security Administration. The farming segment was done by the Agriculture Department's office of communications.
Under the Bush administration, the federal government aggressively has used a well-established tool of public relations: the prepackaged, ready-to-serve news report that major corporations long have distributed to TV stations to pitch everything from headache remedies to auto insurance. At least 20 federal agencies, including the Defense Department and the Census Bureau, have made and distributed hundreds of television news segments in the past four years, records and interviews show. Many were broadcast on local stations across the country without any acknowledgment of the government's role in their production.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
'Dean Scream' clip was media fraud
Tallahassee Democrat | 02/23/2005 | 'Dean Scream' clip was media fraud: "Wed, Feb. 23, 2005 | By Edward Wasserman
The news media got an unusual bashing during last year's bitter electoral campaigns. They got slapped around from all sides, and everybody argued about how the media tried either to undermine Bush or discredit Kerry or both.
...
You've seen the clip. After Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl, it's the most famous news video of 2004. Dean is addressing campaign supporters after he lost the Iowa party caucuses in January. He's screaming for no apparent reason, practically shrieking, ticking off the states where he's vowing to continue the race. His face is red, his voice breaking. He looks deranged. It's a portrait of a man out of control. It's documentary evidence that Dean lacks the temperament for high office.
In fact the Dean Scream was a fraud, probably the clearest instance of media assassination in recent U.S. political history.
Last year, a young cable news producer attended one of our twice-yearly Ethics Institutes at Washington and Lee University, in which students and journalists gather to discuss newsroom wrongdoing. He brought two clips.
The first was the familiar pool footage of Dean in Iowa. The candidate filled the screen, no supporters were visible. Crowd noise was silenced by the microphone he held, which deadened ambient sounds. You saw only him and heard only his inexplicable screaming.
The second clip was the same speech taped by a supporter on the floor of the hall. The difference was stunning. The place was packed. The noise was deafening. Dean was on the podium, but you couldn't hear him. The roar from his supporters was drowning him out.
Dean was no longer scary, unhinged, volcanic, over the top. He was like the coach of a would-be championship NCAA football team at a pre-game rally, trying to be heard over a gym full of determined, wildly enthusiastic fans. I saw energy, not lunacy.
...
The Dean Scream footage that was repeatedly aired rests on a similar falsehood. It takes a man who in context was acting reasonably, and by stripping away that context transforms him into a lunatic.
But that clip was aired an estimated 700 times on various cable and broadcast channels in the week after the Iowa caucus. The people who showed that clip are far more technically sophisticated than I and had to understand how tight visual framing and noise-suppression hardware can distort reality.
The news media got an unusual bashing during last year's bitter electoral campaigns. They got slapped around from all sides, and everybody argued about how the media tried either to undermine Bush or discredit Kerry or both.
...
You've seen the clip. After Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl, it's the most famous news video of 2004. Dean is addressing campaign supporters after he lost the Iowa party caucuses in January. He's screaming for no apparent reason, practically shrieking, ticking off the states where he's vowing to continue the race. His face is red, his voice breaking. He looks deranged. It's a portrait of a man out of control. It's documentary evidence that Dean lacks the temperament for high office.
In fact the Dean Scream was a fraud, probably the clearest instance of media assassination in recent U.S. political history.
Last year, a young cable news producer attended one of our twice-yearly Ethics Institutes at Washington and Lee University, in which students and journalists gather to discuss newsroom wrongdoing. He brought two clips.
The first was the familiar pool footage of Dean in Iowa. The candidate filled the screen, no supporters were visible. Crowd noise was silenced by the microphone he held, which deadened ambient sounds. You saw only him and heard only his inexplicable screaming.
The second clip was the same speech taped by a supporter on the floor of the hall. The difference was stunning. The place was packed. The noise was deafening. Dean was on the podium, but you couldn't hear him. The roar from his supporters was drowning him out.
Dean was no longer scary, unhinged, volcanic, over the top. He was like the coach of a would-be championship NCAA football team at a pre-game rally, trying to be heard over a gym full of determined, wildly enthusiastic fans. I saw energy, not lunacy.
...
The Dean Scream footage that was repeatedly aired rests on a similar falsehood. It takes a man who in context was acting reasonably, and by stripping away that context transforms him into a lunatic.
But that clip was aired an estimated 700 times on various cable and broadcast channels in the week after the Iowa caucus. The people who showed that clip are far more technically sophisticated than I and had to understand how tight visual framing and noise-suppression hardware can distort reality.
Social Security Official: "inappropriate for officials from the Social Security Administration to hit the hustings in support of the president"
The New York Times > Washington > Democrats Criticize Social Security Official: "By ANNE E. KORNBLUT | Published: February 25, 2005
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 - In the midst of a fractious debate over changes to Social Security, a senior official of the agency that administers the program has been joining Republican members of Congress at public events around the country devised to promote personal retirement accounts.
James B. Lockhart III, the deputy commissioner at the Social Security Administration, said Thursday that he had appeared with four Republican members in recent days to provide information, not to endorse the diversion of some payroll taxes to personal accounts. ...
...
Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said the agency "is supposed to serve all the people and should not be giving the appearance that it is taking sides."
"It is absolutely inappropriate for officials from the Social Security Administration to hit the hustings in support of the president's plan," Mr. Schumer said in a statement. ...
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 - In the midst of a fractious debate over changes to Social Security, a senior official of the agency that administers the program has been joining Republican members of Congress at public events around the country devised to promote personal retirement accounts.
James B. Lockhart III, the deputy commissioner at the Social Security Administration, said Thursday that he had appeared with four Republican members in recent days to provide information, not to endorse the diversion of some payroll taxes to personal accounts. ...
...
Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said the agency "is supposed to serve all the people and should not be giving the appearance that it is taking sides."
"It is absolutely inappropriate for officials from the Social Security Administration to hit the hustings in support of the president's plan," Mr. Schumer said in a statement. ...
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
More propaganda: Fake reporter fits administration's pattern of made-up journalism.
HoustonChronicle.com - More propaganda: Fake reporter fits administration's pattern of made-up journalism.: "Feb. 13, 2005, 10:33PM
MORE PROPAGANDA
The unmasking of an alleged journalist who used a pseudonym to gain access to White House briefings and news conferences raises more questions about the Bush administration's tactics for securing favorable news. James Guckert, who used the Talon News byline 'Jeff Gannon,' managed to get access to the White House on a daily basis for two years."
MORE PROPAGANDA
The unmasking of an alleged journalist who used a pseudonym to gain access to White House briefings and news conferences raises more questions about the Bush administration's tactics for securing favorable news. James Guckert, who used the Talon News byline 'Jeff Gannon,' managed to get access to the White House on a daily basis for two years."
Bush cancels much-touted American-style 'town hall' meeting ...when German event can't be scripted
Daily Kos :: Bush cancels...when German event can't be scripted: "by Ed Tracey | Wed Feb 23rd, 2005 at 10:59:35 PST
From today's Der Spiegel:
The much-touted American-style 'town hall' meeting the White House has been planning with 'normal Germans' of everyday walks of life will be missing during his visit to the Rhine River hamlet of Mainz this afternoon.
A few weeks ago, the Bush administration had declared that the chat -- which could have brought together tradesmen, butchers, bank employees, students and all other types to discuss trans-Atlantic relations -- would be the cornerstone of President George W. Bush's brief trip to Germany [...]
The Germans, though, insisted that a free forum should be exactly that. Wolfgang Ischinger, Germany's Ambassador to the United States, explained to the New York Times last week: 'We told them, don't get upset with us if they ask angry questions.'
But on Wednesday, that town hall meeting will be nowhere on the agenda -- it's been cancelled. "
From today's Der Spiegel:
The much-touted American-style 'town hall' meeting the White House has been planning with 'normal Germans' of everyday walks of life will be missing during his visit to the Rhine River hamlet of Mainz this afternoon.
A few weeks ago, the Bush administration had declared that the chat -- which could have brought together tradesmen, butchers, bank employees, students and all other types to discuss trans-Atlantic relations -- would be the cornerstone of President George W. Bush's brief trip to Germany [...]
The Germans, though, insisted that a free forum should be exactly that. Wolfgang Ischinger, Germany's Ambassador to the United States, explained to the New York Times last week: 'We told them, don't get upset with us if they ask angry questions.'
But on Wednesday, that town hall meeting will be nowhere on the agenda -- it's been cancelled. "
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Where Was the Press When This Was Going On? Where Was the Press? While Helen Thomas and hard questions were frozen out, Gannon lobs softball question
MediaChannel.org - A Global Network of More Than 1,000 Media Issues Groups: "Where Was the Press When This Was Going On? | By Danny Schechter | MediaChannel.org | NEW YORK, February 21, 2005 --
...
And now there's Gannongate.
....
At the moment, everyone is smirking about the antics and improbability of a holier than thou White House conniving with a planted "reporter" who seems to have doubled as an on-line gay sex-for-hire panderer and practitioner, defiling images, no less, of our macho military warriors with websites like militaryescortsm4m.com.
...
And yet, what's the question lost in all the focus on the sleazy antics of GOP propaganda plant Jeff Gannon/Jim Guckert by a gang bang of bloggers and comedians, including, most hysterically, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart. Where was the rest of the press corps(e) while all this was going on for TWO YEARS?
...
Where were the other reporters and news rooms with a permanent presence at the White House Press Room when softball questions and partisan points were being offered up routinely in what were supposed to be press conferences aimed to eliciting truth?
Is this another case of the silence of what Greg Palast calls "the media lambs?"
Weren't any of our journo "pros" curious about this guy and his weird ways and phony news service operating as a front group for Republican hardliners? He was operating right in front of them but seems to have become transparently invisible.
Was the White House Correspondents Association so busy planning its next celebrity dinner to give the President a platform for banal one-liners that none objected to his presence or the favorable treatment this imposter was accorded?
While Helen Thomas and hard questions were frozen out, deference became the order of the day in a clubby and collegial atmosphere that so typifies the servility and complicity of mainstream media.
...
And now there's Gannongate.
....
At the moment, everyone is smirking about the antics and improbability of a holier than thou White House conniving with a planted "reporter" who seems to have doubled as an on-line gay sex-for-hire panderer and practitioner, defiling images, no less, of our macho military warriors with websites like militaryescortsm4m.com.
...
And yet, what's the question lost in all the focus on the sleazy antics of GOP propaganda plant Jeff Gannon/Jim Guckert by a gang bang of bloggers and comedians, including, most hysterically, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart. Where was the rest of the press corps(e) while all this was going on for TWO YEARS?
...
Where were the other reporters and news rooms with a permanent presence at the White House Press Room when softball questions and partisan points were being offered up routinely in what were supposed to be press conferences aimed to eliciting truth?
Is this another case of the silence of what Greg Palast calls "the media lambs?"
Weren't any of our journo "pros" curious about this guy and his weird ways and phony news service operating as a front group for Republican hardliners? He was operating right in front of them but seems to have become transparently invisible.
Was the White House Correspondents Association so busy planning its next celebrity dinner to give the President a platform for banal one-liners that none objected to his presence or the favorable treatment this imposter was accorded?
While Helen Thomas and hard questions were frozen out, deference became the order of the day in a clubby and collegial atmosphere that so typifies the servility and complicity of mainstream media.
Monday, February 21, 2005
All the News That's Fit to Fake:
Dave Lindorff: All the News That's Fit to Fake: "February 21, 2005 | Jayson Blair, Where Are You?
Okay, so we know now that the Bush administration has been using all kinds of devious means to push propaganda on the American public-fake news generated by the Pentagon for overseas, and ultimately, courtesy of blowback, U.S. consumption, fake news reports by fake reporters peddled to local TV stations, bought reporters and syndicated columnists paid to shill for the administration's policies, and even fake reporters salted into the White House press corps to ask puffball questions if the president or press secretary start getting too much heat.
But why is this all happening?
Sure the administration should take some of the blame for this Soviet-style manipulation of public opinion.
But what about the press itself?
This column already made the point that if the White House press corps were doing its job and asking tough, probing questions, James Guckert, aka Jeff Gannon, would have stood out like a stallion with a hard-on...er, excuse me...a sore thumb.
But what about the "Karen and Mike Show," those fake "news reports" by fake reporters which were sent directly to local TV stations across the country by the DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services, where they were often aired without question as local reports on administration activities. Do local news shows have so little concern about the content of their programs that they would just run a report by a reporter they don't even know without fact-checking it and checking on the credentials of the reporter? Of course not! They had to know that the reports they were broadcasting were from government agencies and were nothing but blatant propaganda. This is the video equivalent of publishing press releases verbatim.
And what newspaper would do that?
Oops! Lots of newspapers do that-and not just government press releases. They publish corporate press releases verbatim, too. Just scan the business pages of the New York Times. ...
Okay, so we know now that the Bush administration has been using all kinds of devious means to push propaganda on the American public-fake news generated by the Pentagon for overseas, and ultimately, courtesy of blowback, U.S. consumption, fake news reports by fake reporters peddled to local TV stations, bought reporters and syndicated columnists paid to shill for the administration's policies, and even fake reporters salted into the White House press corps to ask puffball questions if the president or press secretary start getting too much heat.
But why is this all happening?
Sure the administration should take some of the blame for this Soviet-style manipulation of public opinion.
But what about the press itself?
This column already made the point that if the White House press corps were doing its job and asking tough, probing questions, James Guckert, aka Jeff Gannon, would have stood out like a stallion with a hard-on...er, excuse me...a sore thumb.
But what about the "Karen and Mike Show," those fake "news reports" by fake reporters which were sent directly to local TV stations across the country by the DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services, where they were often aired without question as local reports on administration activities. Do local news shows have so little concern about the content of their programs that they would just run a report by a reporter they don't even know without fact-checking it and checking on the credentials of the reporter? Of course not! They had to know that the reports they were broadcasting were from government agencies and were nothing but blatant propaganda. This is the video equivalent of publishing press releases verbatim.
And what newspaper would do that?
Oops! Lots of newspapers do that-and not just government press releases. They publish corporate press releases verbatim, too. Just scan the business pages of the New York Times. ...
The mole, the US media and a White House coup ... part of a wider press scandal ... would have been during Clinton years
The Observer | Focus | The mole, the US media and a White House coup: "The mole, the US media and a White House coup | Sunday February 20, 2005 | The Observer
The reporter who wasn't is part of a wider press scandal, writes Paul Harris in New York
For two years Jeff Gannon cut an unobtrusive figure at White House press conferences. ....
No one is laughing now, because Gannon was far from being a harmless distraction. He was writing under a false name and working for a Republican front organisation. Suddenly, his 'softball' questions to White House officials looked less like eccentricities and more like plotting by an administration which has frequently displayed a dark mastery of the arts of press control.
When it emerged that Gannon was also linked to gay prostitution websites and might be a gay prostitute himself, the scandal as to how he was allowed daily access to the White House grew even murkier. The American media is now being forced to confront the possibility that Gannon, whose real name is James Guckert, was simply a Republican plant, ...
...
Right-wing media ratcheted up the long-standing conservative complaint that the media is dominated by liberal publications. Though many journalism experts deny that is the case, the image has settled in the American consciousness, forcing newspapers, magazines and television stations to go out of their way to prove they are not liberal. 'We have a conservative media and also a mainstream media, which is also now fairly conservative because it has been forced to deny being liberal,' said Lule.
The Gannon case is a prime illustration. If, during the Clinton administration, a fake reporter from a Democrat front organisation, using a false name, had been exposed as attending White House press conferences it would have been a national scandal. If he had then been shown to be a gay prostitute, the scandal could have threatened a Democrat presidency. With 'Gannon' and Bush there has been no such outcry. The mainstream media has approached the story warily, while right-wing organisations such as Fox News have largely ignored it. ...
...
The media is in the midst of a transformation which the Bush administration is keen to foster. They have discovered that a partisan and atomised media can be controlled, manipulated and used to an unprecedented degree. ...
The reporter who wasn't is part of a wider press scandal, writes Paul Harris in New York
For two years Jeff Gannon cut an unobtrusive figure at White House press conferences. ....
No one is laughing now, because Gannon was far from being a harmless distraction. He was writing under a false name and working for a Republican front organisation. Suddenly, his 'softball' questions to White House officials looked less like eccentricities and more like plotting by an administration which has frequently displayed a dark mastery of the arts of press control.
When it emerged that Gannon was also linked to gay prostitution websites and might be a gay prostitute himself, the scandal as to how he was allowed daily access to the White House grew even murkier. The American media is now being forced to confront the possibility that Gannon, whose real name is James Guckert, was simply a Republican plant, ...
...
Right-wing media ratcheted up the long-standing conservative complaint that the media is dominated by liberal publications. Though many journalism experts deny that is the case, the image has settled in the American consciousness, forcing newspapers, magazines and television stations to go out of their way to prove they are not liberal. 'We have a conservative media and also a mainstream media, which is also now fairly conservative because it has been forced to deny being liberal,' said Lule.
The Gannon case is a prime illustration. If, during the Clinton administration, a fake reporter from a Democrat front organisation, using a false name, had been exposed as attending White House press conferences it would have been a national scandal. If he had then been shown to be a gay prostitute, the scandal could have threatened a Democrat presidency. With 'Gannon' and Bush there has been no such outcry. The mainstream media has approached the story warily, while right-wing organisations such as Fox News have largely ignored it. ...
...
The media is in the midst of a transformation which the Bush administration is keen to foster. They have discovered that a partisan and atomised media can be controlled, manipulated and used to an unprecedented degree. ...
Bush Administration has reversed itself barring the use of term "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender."
News & Politics: "HHS reverses itself on using 'LGBT' | Christopher Curtis, PlanetOut Network | Friday, February 18, 2005 / 06:58 PM"
The Bush Administration has reversed itself on whether it is permissible for programs sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to use the words "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender."
The fight was sparked by a SAMHSA official insisting a program originally titled "Suicide Prevention Among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Individuals" be changed for a Feb. 28 conference in Portland, Ore.
...
After a public outcry and intense media coverage, SAMHSA officials tried backing away from the controversial position but did not say whether LGBT references in future SAMHSA-funded activities would be barred.
...
"I am pleased that Mr. Curie was so cooperative and moved so quickly to repudiate the apparently erroneous earlier statements that SAMHSA policies bar the use of references to any of these terms."
The Bush Administration has reversed itself on whether it is permissible for programs sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to use the words "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender."
The fight was sparked by a SAMHSA official insisting a program originally titled "Suicide Prevention Among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Individuals" be changed for a Feb. 28 conference in Portland, Ore.
...
After a public outcry and intense media coverage, SAMHSA officials tried backing away from the controversial position but did not say whether LGBT references in future SAMHSA-funded activities would be barred.
...
"I am pleased that Mr. Curie was so cooperative and moved so quickly to repudiate the apparently erroneous earlier statements that SAMHSA policies bar the use of references to any of these terms."
Sunday, February 20, 2005
I was reject for a White House press pass ... but someone with an alias, a tax evasion problem and Internet pictures gets in every week!
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Bush's Barberini Faun: "By MAUREEN DOWD | Published: February 17, 2005
...
... I was rejected for a White House press pass at the start of the Bush administration, but someone with an alias, a tax evasion problem and Internet pictures where he posed like the "Barberini Faun" is credentialed to cover a White House that won a second term by mining homophobia and preaching family values?
At first when I tried to complain about not getting my pass renewed, even though I'd been covering presidents and first ladies since 1986, no one called me back. Finally, when Mr. McClellan replaced Ari Fleischer, he said he'd renew the pass - after a new Secret Service background check that would last several months.
In an era when security concerns are paramount, what kind of Secret Service background check did James Guckert get so he could saunter into the West Wing every day under an assumed name while he was doing full-frontal advertising for stud services for $1,200 a weekend? He used a driver's license that said James Guckert to get into the White House, then, once inside, switched to his alter ego, asking questions as Jeff Gannon.
...
... I was rejected for a White House press pass at the start of the Bush administration, but someone with an alias, a tax evasion problem and Internet pictures where he posed like the "Barberini Faun" is credentialed to cover a White House that won a second term by mining homophobia and preaching family values?
At first when I tried to complain about not getting my pass renewed, even though I'd been covering presidents and first ladies since 1986, no one called me back. Finally, when Mr. McClellan replaced Ari Fleischer, he said he'd renew the pass - after a new Secret Service background check that would last several months.
In an era when security concerns are paramount, what kind of Secret Service background check did James Guckert get so he could saunter into the West Wing every day under an assumed name while he was doing full-frontal advertising for stud services for $1,200 a weekend? He used a driver's license that said James Guckert to get into the White House, then, once inside, switched to his alter ego, asking questions as Jeff Gannon.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Administration Is Warned About Its 'News' Videos: "G.A.O. is sending a clear message ... shut down the propaganda mill"
The New York Times > Washington > Administration Is Warned About Its 'News' Videos: By ANNE E. KORNBLUT | Published: February 19, 2005
WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 - The comptroller general has issued a blanket warning that reminds federal agencies they may not produce newscasts promoting administration policies without clearly stating that the government itself is the source.
Twice in the last two years, agencies of the federal government have been caught distributing prepackaged television programs that used paid spokesmen acting as newscasters and, in violation of federal law, failed to disclose the administration's role in developing and financing them.
...
The two best-known cases of such video news releases - one concerning the new Medicare law, the other an antidrug campaign by the Bush administration - drew sharp rebukes from the G.A.O. after separate investigations last year found that the agencies involved had violated the law.
...
"The G.A.O. is sending a clear message to the Bush administration: shut down the propaganda mill," Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey said in a statement on Friday. "The G.A.O. is simply telling the White House to stop manipulating media, stop paying journalists and be straight with the American people."
WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 - The comptroller general has issued a blanket warning that reminds federal agencies they may not produce newscasts promoting administration policies without clearly stating that the government itself is the source.
Twice in the last two years, agencies of the federal government have been caught distributing prepackaged television programs that used paid spokesmen acting as newscasters and, in violation of federal law, failed to disclose the administration's role in developing and financing them.
...
The two best-known cases of such video news releases - one concerning the new Medicare law, the other an antidrug campaign by the Bush administration - drew sharp rebukes from the G.A.O. after separate investigations last year found that the agencies involved had violated the law.
...
"The G.A.O. is sending a clear message to the Bush administration: shut down the propaganda mill," Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey said in a statement on Friday. "The G.A.O. is simply telling the White House to stop manipulating media, stop paying journalists and be straight with the American people."
Friday, February 18, 2005
Gone... But Not Forgotten
Gone... But Not Forgotten: "Friday, February 18, 2005
BREAKING NEWS: Gannon reportedly knew about 'Shock and Awe' four hours before it happened
A news producer for a major network just told me that Gannon told the producer the 'shock and awe' campaign launching the Iraq war was about to happen four hours before President Bush announced it to the nation. Source"
BREAKING NEWS: Gannon reportedly knew about 'Shock and Awe' four hours before it happened
A news producer for a major network just told me that Gannon told the producer the 'shock and awe' campaign launching the Iraq war was about to happen four hours before President Bush announced it to the nation. Source"
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Gannon: Scott McClellan often called on the pseudoreporter for softball questions.
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Monday, February 14, 2005
Bush: they don't like our "freedom of speech" ... but neither does Bush at Bush events
How Team Bush Controls the Message, Stages the Events: "Monday, February 14, 2005 by Cox News Service | How to Get Straight to the People: Control the Message, Stage the Event | by Ken Herman
...
From how the message is delivered, to who is in the audience to hear it, to who gets to ask questions about it, the White House goal is control. It's a critical effort for a president who must get Americans to give him a listen about proposed overhauls of basic institutions such as Social Security, health care and taxes.
The tactics include public events, sometimes called "conversations," sometimes called "forums" and sometimes called "town hall meetings" featuring Bush....
...
Regardless of the name, such events are always the same: Bush as congenial host with hand-picked on-stage guests with stories to prove the president's point.
...
In addition to orchestrating the on-stage portion of the events, there is evidence that the White House works to control the live audience. Presidential appearances are "ticketed events," with ticket distribution controlled by local officials and organizations.
...
Inside the box of tickets and other event materials he got from the White House was a list passed down by the advance team of people it deemed could be disruptive to the event, he said.
Burgum said volunteers were told it was not a "do-not-admit list." What it was, he said, was more of please-behave list. The 42 people on the list, if they sought tickets, were to be asked not to disrupt the event.
...
Among those on the Fargo list was Linda Coates, a local city commissioner who said she initially was "amused, shocked and creeped out" about it. She said those on the list probably were singled out because of "our history of outspoken opposition to many of the administration's policies."
...
"Getting out of Washington is healthy, and getting out amongst the people is invigorating, and I want to thank you for coming out to say hello," Bush said by way of wrapping up.
...
From how the message is delivered, to who is in the audience to hear it, to who gets to ask questions about it, the White House goal is control. It's a critical effort for a president who must get Americans to give him a listen about proposed overhauls of basic institutions such as Social Security, health care and taxes.
The tactics include public events, sometimes called "conversations," sometimes called "forums" and sometimes called "town hall meetings" featuring Bush....
...
Regardless of the name, such events are always the same: Bush as congenial host with hand-picked on-stage guests with stories to prove the president's point.
...
In addition to orchestrating the on-stage portion of the events, there is evidence that the White House works to control the live audience. Presidential appearances are "ticketed events," with ticket distribution controlled by local officials and organizations.
...
Inside the box of tickets and other event materials he got from the White House was a list passed down by the advance team of people it deemed could be disruptive to the event, he said.
Burgum said volunteers were told it was not a "do-not-admit list." What it was, he said, was more of please-behave list. The 42 people on the list, if they sought tickets, were to be asked not to disrupt the event.
...
Among those on the Fargo list was Linda Coates, a local city commissioner who said she initially was "amused, shocked and creeped out" about it. She said those on the list probably were singled out because of "our history of outspoken opposition to many of the administration's policies."
...
"Getting out of Washington is healthy, and getting out amongst the people is invigorating, and I want to thank you for coming out to say hello," Bush said by way of wrapping up.
Bush administration assigns 'minders' for reporters: [... muzzling attendees from speaking freely to reporters! ]
Unknown�News: "Bush administration assigns 'minders' for reporters | THANKS, TIM M. | by Paul Farhi, Washington Post | Jan. 30, 2005
Reporters who cover the White House are accustomed to being spun by administration officials. The modern presidential toolbox includes carefully rationed press conferences, say-nothing spokesmen, dead-of-night releases of unfavorable news, and phony "town hall" meetings composed solely of sycophantic supporters. More recently, government agencies have issued fake-news videos and secretly contracted with two pundits to promote the administration's policies on education and marriage.
But now the art of press handling has evolved into actual manhandling. The Bush team has expanded the use of "minders," employees or volunteers who escort journalists from interview to interview within a venue or at a newsworthy event.
..
... For the first couple of hours of the Independence Ball, I roamed the vast width and length of the Washington Convention Center hall dangerously unescorted.
...
As I was dictating from my notes, something flashed across my face and neatly snatched my cell phone from of my hand. I looked up to confront a middle-aged woman, her face afire with rage. "You ignored the rules, and I'm throwing you out!" she barked, snapping my phone shut. "You told that girl you didn't need an escort. That's a lie! You're out of here!"
...
Their real purpose only occurred to me after I had gone home for the night, when I remembered a brief conversation with a woman I was interviewing. ... No, the minders weren't there to monitor me. They were there to let the guests, my sources on inaugural night, know that any complaint, any unguarded statement, any off-the-reservation political observation, might be noted. ...
Reporters who cover the White House are accustomed to being spun by administration officials. The modern presidential toolbox includes carefully rationed press conferences, say-nothing spokesmen, dead-of-night releases of unfavorable news, and phony "town hall" meetings composed solely of sycophantic supporters. More recently, government agencies have issued fake-news videos and secretly contracted with two pundits to promote the administration's policies on education and marriage.
But now the art of press handling has evolved into actual manhandling. The Bush team has expanded the use of "minders," employees or volunteers who escort journalists from interview to interview within a venue or at a newsworthy event.
..
... For the first couple of hours of the Independence Ball, I roamed the vast width and length of the Washington Convention Center hall dangerously unescorted.
...
As I was dictating from my notes, something flashed across my face and neatly snatched my cell phone from of my hand. I looked up to confront a middle-aged woman, her face afire with rage. "You ignored the rules, and I'm throwing you out!" she barked, snapping my phone shut. "You told that girl you didn't need an escort. That's a lie! You're out of here!"
...
Their real purpose only occurred to me after I had gone home for the night, when I remembered a brief conversation with a woman I was interviewing. ... No, the minders weren't there to monitor me. They were there to let the guests, my sources on inaugural night, know that any complaint, any unguarded statement, any off-the-reservation political observation, might be noted. ...
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