February 9, 2005, 11.17pm • 18 comments » • 2,667 Views

Paid press corp plant unravels

Some investigative reporters recently started digging around a credentialed White House journalist named Jeff Gannon.

It turned out Gannon (apparently not his real name), a correspondent at the Talon News, was apparently paid by the Republican party to ask leading rhetorical questions in press briefings. What a way for the government to counter so-called “liberal media bias” - just plant your own guys in the media. Talon News was found to be owned by GOPUSA (that’s GOP as in “Grand Old Party“, AKA the Republican party).

This was not a blogosphere story. But, says MediaChannel.org chief Timothy Carr, who has done some digging of his own:-

Investigative bloggers at World O’Crap, Daily Kos and Eschaton have dug up evidence that implicates Gannon as the owner of web domains hotmilitarystud.com, militaryescorts.com, and militaryescortsm4m.com, which are registered under the same owner as Gannon’s home page www.jeffgannon.com

Which wouldn’t seem to sit particularly well with the pro-family line Gannon was allegedly paid to push, especially when photos are uncovered purporting to show you are anything but homophobic. Result - he’s quit.

It’s not an isolated case. News reports from the last week or two shows how journalists have been paid to write pro-marriage policy stories by America’s Department of Health, paid to write articles for a website aiming to influence public opinion in the Balkans by the Pentagon and more.

Wonkette runs with an admonishing letter from the House Committee on Rules to President Bush on the Gannon issue - and the beltway bloger rounds it all up.