The Power of the Blog

The mounting power of the "blog-o-sphere" has been demonstrated by world o crap, americablog, and dailykos's investigation and subsequent outing of Jeff Gannon/James Guckert, a "GOPUSA"-er that got into the White House press room and actually asked questions of the president and his press secretary under a fake name. How he received press passes with a fake name and a "news" organization that has zero distribution we may never know. Even the administration's press secretary scott mcclellan played along calling the "reporter" by his pseudonym "Jeff". This latest propagandist/softball pitcher has quit his position with the made up news agency talon, after wiping its website and gopusa's clean (the paper shredder truly is dead). Gannon/guckert and karl rove shared a mentor in morton blackwell. Blackwell was the one handing out the purple heart band aids at the rnc. He holds two day seminars on "journalism" that gannon/guckert and rove have both attended. But this scandal doesn't stop there. Turns out gannon/guckert may have been in on the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame, one of this administration's many scandals (all of which concern national affairs as opposed to extra-marital). In addition, gannon/guckert was very involved in the gop's 2004 campaign against former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle in South Dakota under the same fake name. All this news making headlines as karl rove is made an official policy advisor with an appointment to deputy chief of staff, in addition to his advisor status of course. The gannon/guckert scandal is just the latest in a list of people spouting the administration's talking points under the guise of credentialed journalism (some "journalists" were even paid for these services). All the more reason to help Senators Kennedy and Lautenberg get their Stop Government Propaganda Act passed through the Senate.

The breaking of this story shows the focus of web loggers that seem to be uniting in a variety of different forms and forums on the net. A meshing and consolidating of ideas, ideals, and message seems to be occurring. This is a very positive step in the right (as opposed to wrong) direction. It seems that those of us who find ourselves in the "sphere" and overwhelmed with interest tend to do more or at least don't mind doing the research that seems to be sadly lacking in the mainstream media and the mainstream populace for that matter. It's always good to get information through multiple sources and to know the history and possible biases of those sources. When the story breaks and two to three days later the subject resigns and websites are scrubbed clean and/or shut down you know you have something.


McClellan's defense:
"I don't think it's the role of the press secretary to get into being a media critic or to get into the role of picking or choosing who gets press credentials."

I guess the press secretary of the United States doesn't care who is asking questions of the greatest office in all the land. I didn't realize the press room was open to anyone with a website.

"In this day and age, when you have a changing media, it's not an easy issue to decide or try to pick and choose who is a journalist. It gets into the issue of advocacy journalism," McClellan said.

"Where do you draw the line? There are a number of people who cross that line in the briefing room.

"There are a number of people in that room that express their points of view, and there are people in that room that represent traditional media, they represent talk radio, they're columnists, and they represent online news organizations."

Hey scott, when i go to a bar they check my ID at the door. Maybe you guys should start checking ID of people that will be in the same room as the president of the United States of America. Or did you just let this one slide, because of what he was asking and saying.