Anderson Cooper scored an interesting exclusive interview last night: He sat down with Jeff Gannon, a.k.a. James Guckert. Here’s the transcript. My favorite excerpt:
| COOPER: This liberal group, Media Matters, which I’m sure you know well about. They have been very critical about you, really looked into this probably closer than just about anybody. They say that essentially, you are not a real reporter. And it’s not even a question of being an advocate, that you have directly lifted large segments of your reports directly from White House press releases. GANNON: All my stories were usually titled “White House Says,” “President Bush Wants,” and I relied on transcripts from the briefings, I relied on press releases that were sent to the press for the purpose of accurately portraying what the White House believed or wanted. COOPER: But using the term “reporting” implies some sort of vetting, some sort of research, some sort of — I mean, that’s called faxing or Xeroxing, if you are just lifting transcripts and putting them into an article. GANNON: If I am communicating to my readers exactly what the White House believes on any certain issue, that’s reporting to them an unvarnished, unfiltered version of what they believe. |
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