That was the most amazing radio discussion I've ever heard. Dude also managed to somehow smear David Brock as a "former closeted homsexual" in the process of "defending" GannGuckert's right to have sex for money... while sidestepping the fact that MediaMatters reported ONLY on GannGuckert's fake "articles" which were plagarzied white house and GOP press releases.

It was insane. Arguments with people like that are not just meaningless; they are ANTI-meaning. Like, normally, an argument is a series of statements which support a conclusion.

That guy began with a conclusion, and was content to throw whatever contradictory statements around (oftentimes directly contradicting himself with one statement right after another was made) and gainsaying Franken and Conason without regard to any semblance of making sense... assuming, I guess, that if you just yell a lot of stuff, it won't matter what you actually said.

Conservatives can only talk loud and fast up against Conason and Frankin because both guys outclass just about every conservative talking head I've seen (and I do listen to the other side to try to understand their point of view). If only they all had Helen Thomas' work ethic, then Jon Stewart would be the second coming of Johnny Carson instead of the most trusted name in news. His take on Gannongate (Dan Rather? Puhleeze) was dead on, especially when Ted Hitler mentioned that this stuff kind of overshadows the stuff this administration is getting away with, you would not believe!

Frank Rich nails it (as usual) in his Gannon/Guckert analysis here: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/021905Z.shtml

Actually, the press's job is to entertain us. This is the press's job, because this is what the American people want the press to do, and what they watch. News programs are now very very similar to the kind broadcast we'd expect from a sporting event.
Now, heres a theory. TV shows, news, whatever, are there to make money. Period. Newspapers, same thing. Any media really. They do this, by selling ads. Ads are more expensive when they reach more people, so the TV folks try to get the most viewers, to get the most money for ad spots. Soooo, this means they put on whatever will get the most viewers. If anybody WANTED real reporting, watchdogging, ect, there would be a market for it, and somebody would put it on TV, because it would get a huge market share, and sell shitloads of pricey ads. But it doesnt, they dont, and we get what we ask for.

Face it, people WANT Fox News. Maybe WE dont want to be spoon fed shit, but compare the readership here to the viewership of FOX, and ask yourself why we're here, and FOX gets insane ratings on TV.

You can't change the press. Maybe, in time, enough people will want real news again to make it profitable. Until that time, start looking elsewhere. TV news, major newspapers, are lost causes. If you must watch them, watch like you would the Daily Show, or Weekend Update on SNL. Seperate your base fact from your punchline.

Helen Thomas is a full-blooded journalist with 40 years in the White House press corp...To say that she's biased is an absolute LIE.

Ah...c'mon...

Most reasonable people should be able to agree that Jeff Guckert/Gannon should never have been given a credential to cover the White House. Not because he is biased (everyone in those briefings is biased right or left, open your eyes), but because he circumvented traditional White House security procedures for the press.

This is exactly why I rest easy knowing that the GOP still has the upper hand in political strategy. Instead of focusing on the real scandal, liberals are busy defending dinasaurs like Helen Thomas.

Juicy tidbits aside Doug, the question is how did this guy with absolutely no journalism background, whose idea of journalism was plagarizing RNC and White House talking points get information that legitimate working journalist of either slant did not have access to (valerie Plame, bombing of badhdad 4 hours ahead of everybody else, etc.). His info would suggest a high level leak to a severly low level scumbag. Ms. Thomas may be an old dinosaur but she was a highly ethical PROFESSIONAL. Do you rest easy with mediocrity and abject failure? The upper hand in political strategy seems derived from the arrogance of not knowing what your doing, not admitting when things aren't going as you would have hoped, and bullying anyone who might take a closer look into submission/acceptance. The emperor has no clothes, however much Gannon was paid he apparently doesn't either.

Stephen,

uhhh...duuuuhhhh!

I thought it was pretty obvious too, but apparently there are still some people left laboring under the delusion that the press is there for anything but entertainment and profit.