In White House: Washington Post Article ‘Flat Wrong’ for Talon News, former correspondent Jeff Gannon cited this entry, posted to PoynterOnline.com, by Jonathan Weisman.
This is the letter in which Weisman admitted to playing along with the White House press office’s demand that quotes be approved and edited if necessary before publication. Gannon, aka “The Conservative Guy” and “James Dale Guckert“, referred to Weisman’s March 2003 confession as “recent” and pulled this quote, ” I think it is time for all of us to reconsider the way we cover the White House.”
That Weisman’s letter is still fresh in his mind, and he frames it as proof that Weisman is just another disgruntled, Bush-bashing liberal, says a lot about Gannon’s mindset. How Gannon’s story is handled will tell us a lot about the media.
“Go Ahead, Jeff“, “still sexy after all these years“, claims to be leaving public life in fear of his personal and his family’s safety. NY Daily News says it’s due his links to gay prostitution.
Democrats.com has a petition calling for a Special Prosecutor since Gannon seems to be the lone “journalist” who was leaked the internal CIA memo naming Valerie Plame as a covert agent.
He also managed to pass a background check and gain access to the WH press room using an alias? where he quickly became a favourite of Scott McClellan’s. The timeline of a White House plant/foil.
So how will the Democrats handle it? My guess is they’ll sit back as the Bush squad spins their way out of it and all of the bloggers working to uncover it will find, once again, they toiled for naught.
Gannon’s clone will report their conspiratorial demise.