White House reporter or party shill? It's not brain surgery

[tuvor]

Miami Herald via Salt Lake Tribune

Three weeks later, I'm still waiting for a good explanation of what Jeff Gannon was doing in the White House. And for you to be upset about it.

Gannon is the fellow who made himself memorable during last month's presidential news conference by asking about Democratic pessimism regarding the nation's economy. Specifically, he asked if President Bush could work with ''people who seem to have divorced themselves from reality.''

The unusually partisan phrasing prompted reporters and liberal groups to ask the same question: Who is this guy? Well, it turns out that Gannon is not really Gannon. James Guckert says he prefers that pseudonym for ''commercial'' reasons. It also turns out that a company he owns is the registered owner of several sexually suggestive Web addresses. Hotmilitary stud.com, to name just one.

Most curious of all, though, is that it turns out he is not really a reporter, at least not if that term still denotes a disinterested observer of events. Rather, Guckert writes for a Web site, talnonnews.com, which is linked to another site, GOPUSA.com. That site serves, as you might gather, to promote the Republican Party.

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2576444

[Demit]

1. Leonard Pitts--great columnist, love his work. Thanx for posting.