Bloggers Cover Growing Gannongate Scandal

Posted on February 14, 2005

Two recent media firings have occurred after questions were raised in numerous blogs. One fired journalist was CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan, who was fired after he made some comments that journalists had been "targeted" by the U.S. military in Iraq. He later clarified his comments to downplay the accusation, but CNN still let him go. The other story, a much bigger story, is about Jeff Gannon, a fake reporter using a false name who worked for The Talon News, a "news organization" owned by a conservative organization called GOPUSA.

Gannon used to lob softballs at President Bush during press conferences, but he quit once blogs reported that he was using a false name and making false claims during his questions. While these two stories both resulted in firings they are very different -- one was a respected CNN journalist and the other was a man who somehow obtained White House press credentials while not using his real name and having no journalism background. There is now information emerging on blogs that Gannon/Guckert is a gay prostitute with multiple unseemly photos of himself online. How a gay prostitute found his way into the White Press Corps under a false name (especially given the post 9/11 security situation) raises a large number of questions and the story refuses to die -- so the blogs continue. The blogosphere is referring to the growing scandal as Gannongate.

Update: Maureen Dowd addresses Gannongate in new op-ed column. She says, "He used a driver's license that said James Guckert to get into the White House, then, once inside, switched to his alter ego, asking questions as Jeff Gannon."