lord_casek Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 White House: Fake FEMA news conference won't happen again http://rawstory.com/news/2007/White_House_apologizes_for_fake_FEMA_1026.html White House Press Secretary Dana Perino assured reporters today that the staged news conference organized on Tuesday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would not happen again, and said the White House would never employ such tactics at its own press briefings. "It is not a practice that we would employ here at the White House or that we -- we certainly don't condone it," said Perino. According to a report in the Washington Post, FEMA had instructed its own public relations staff to pose as reporters when no legitimate members of the media arrived in time for a hastily arranged briefing about the California wildfires. "We had been getting mobbed with phone calls from reporters, and this was thrown together at the last minute," a FEMA deputy director of public affairs told the Post. "We pulled questions from those we had been getting from reporters earlier in the day." Perino said FEMA alone was responsible for the decision to go ahead with the event. "FEMA has issued an apology, saying that they had an error in judgment when they were attempting to get out a lot of information to reporters, who were asking for answers to a variety of questions in regard to the wildfires in California," she said. "It's not something I would have condoned. And they, I'm sure, will not do it again." FEMA Deputy Administrator Harvey Johnson, who fielded questions from the stand-in "reporters," issued a statement today claiming an "error in judgment." "Our intent was to provide useful information and be responsive to the many questions we have received," he said. "We are reviewing our press procedures and will make the changes necessary to ensure that all of our communications are straight forward and transparent." Among the questions Johnson answered from FEMA employees was a query about the agency's performance during the fires: "I'm very happy with FEMA's response so far," Johnson told his fellow FEMA employee. "This is a FEMA and a federal government that's leaning forward, not waiting to react. And you have to be pretty pleased to see that." A full list of questions asked during the briefing is available at MSNBC's First Read. The following video is from MSNBC's News Live, broadcast on October 26, UPDATE Fake FEMA news conference director gets promotion CNN reports that John "Pat" Philbin, the Director of Public Affairs responsible for FEMA's recent faked news conference, is effectively receiving a promotion. PRNewser was notified by an email which said that Philbin's new job was an "amazing opportunity to head the communications shop at ODNI." Philbin is slated to become Director of Public Affairs for the Director of National Intelligence, Mike McConnell. The following video is from CNN's Newsroom, broadcast on October 28, 2007. http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Fake_FEMA_news_conference_director_gets_1028.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILOTSMYBRAIN Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 Another step to controlling more information. I don't see how shit like this doesn't tie into everything else that's going on, and why people don't wake the fuck up already. "and said the White House would never employ such tactics at its own press briefings." My absolute favorite part of the article. I sure as fuck hope not. Because if it gets to that stage then the American people have become completely complacent with all of this non-sense. Not to mention how completely absurd the thought of that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lord_casek Posted October 29, 2007 Author Share Posted October 29, 2007 yeah, the whitehouse would never do that http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1410627,00.html http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/02/10/gannon_affair/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WORDISM45 Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Hahaha^ I remember that gay neo con now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILOTSMYBRAIN Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 I was naive indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CALIgula Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 did they really think they could have a fake news conference and get away with it?....hahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LIVERWURST* Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Remember when the White House did let the former gay prostitute who had a shitty Republican funded web site ask incredibly favorable questions during a press conference? No? Let's remember together: This is an excerpt: http://mediamatters.org/items/200501260015 During President Bush's January 26 White House press conference, Jeff Gannon, Washington bureau chief and White House correspondent for the self-described conservative news outlet Talon News, asked the president the following question: Thank you. Senate Democratic leaders have painted a very bleak picture of the U.S. economy. [senate Minority Leader] Harry Reid [D-NV] was talking about soup lines. And [senator] Hillary Clinton [D-NY] was talking about the economy being on the verge of collapse. Yet in the same breath they say that Social Security is rock solid and there's no crisis there. How are you going to work -- you've said you are going to reach out to these people -- how are you going to work with people who seem to have divorced themselves from reality? Although Gannon is a regular at White House press briefings and Talon News claims to be a news organization, Talon appears to be little more than an arm of the Republican Party. Talon News' editor in chief, Bobby Eberle, is a Republican activist who served as a delegate to the 1996, 1998, and 2000 Texas Republican Conventions and to the 2000 national Republican Convention. In 1999, Eberle "was recognized with a unanimously approved resolution of commendation by the Republican Party of Texas for service and dedication to the Republican cause." His biography on Talon's website notes: "Bobby has devoted considerable time and energy to the Republican effort" and "Bobby is a member of Texas Christian Coalition and Texas Right to Life." Eberle is also the president and CEO of GOPUSA.com, a "conservative news, information, and design company dedicated to promoting conservative ideals" that carries articles and commentary by Gannon and Talon News. GOPUSA is also affiliated with MillionsofAmericans.com, a conservative advocacy organization run by Bruce Eberle, a relative of Bobby Eberle and a conservative fundraising consultant. Gannon's articles for Talon News frequently appear on GOPUSA.com (for example, here, here, and here). Bruce Eberle and his company have made extensive financial contributions to Republican Party candidates and committees. Gannon identifies himself on his personal website as "A Voice of the New Media" and "a conservative journalist embedded with the liberal Washington press corps." The top item on his website reads: NOTE TO MY LIBERAL COLLEAGUES: Bush is here for another 4 years. Get over it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LIVERWURST* Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 In fact if you guys weren't so busy talking about pink dolphins from space this thread would be on the top page forever: http://www.12ozprophet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=98598 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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