Reporter asks Scotty: who made you editor..lol

[bluedog]

Q Scott, you said that the retraction by Newsweek magazine of its story is a good first step. What else does the President want this American magazine to do?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, it's what I talked about yesterday. This report, which Newsweek has now retracted and said was wrong, has had serious consequences. People did lose their lives. The image of the United States abroad has been damaged; there is lasting damage to our image because of this report. And we would encourage Newsweek to do all that they can to help repair the damage that has been done, particularly in the region.

And I think Newsweek can do that by talking about the way they got this wrong, and pointing out what the policies and practices of the United States military are when it comes to the handling of the Holy Koran. The military put in place policies and procedures to make sure that the Koran was handled -- or is handled with the utmost care and respect. And I think it would help to point that out, because some have taken this report -- those that are opposed to the United States -- some have taken this report and exploited it and used it to incite violence.

Q With respect, who made you the editor of Newsweek? Do you think it's appropriate for you, at that podium, speaking with the authority of the President of the United States, to tell an American magazine what they should print?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not telling them. I'm saying that we would encourage them to help --

Q You're pressuring them.

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I'm saying that we would encourage them --

Q It's not pressure?

MR. McCLELLAN: Look, this report caused serious damage to the image of the United States abroad. And Newsweek has said that they got it wrong. I think Newsweek recognizes the responsibility they have. We appreciate the step that they took by retracting the story. Now we would encourage them to move forward and do all that they can to help repair the damage that has been done by this report. And that's all I'm saying. But, no, you're absolutely right, it's not my position to get into telling people what they can and cannot report.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/05/20050517-2.html



almost forgot this:


Q Let me follow up on that. What -- you said that -- what specifically are you asking Newsweek to do? I mean, to follow up on Terry's question, are you saying they should write a story? Are you going that far? How else can Newsweek, you know, satisfy you here?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, as I said, we would encourage them to continue working diligently to help repair the damage that has been done because of this --

Q Are you asking them to write a story?

MR. McCLELLAN: -- because of this report. I think Newsweek is going to be in the best position to determine how to achieve that. And there are ways that I pointed out that they can help repair the damage. One way is to point out what the policies and practices of our United States military are. Our United States military personnel go out of their way to make sure that the Holy Koran is treated with care --

Q Are you asking them to write a story about how great the American military is; is that what you're saying here?

MR. McCLELLAN: Elisabeth, let me finish my sentence. Our military --

Q You've already said what you're -- I know what -- how it ends.

[beaconess]

1. Bam!

[rodeodance]

2. give that reporter a brew!!

[pbartch]

42. give that reporter...........A HUGE RAISE!!!!!

[carolinayellowdog]

3. If "Elizabeth" is Bumiller, hell has frozen over

so I hope we can find out

[Career Prole]

4. Poor Scotty. I'll bet he hates getting spanked by reporters like this.

Unless he's wearing his Princess Leia wig and the reporter is Jimmy Jeff Gannon in his Darth Vader costume. :eyes:

[dogday]

5. Great Piece-nominated

[Bluebear]

6. Zing! nt

[bluedog]

7. you have to read the whole brief

looks like the reporters are sick of the sources they can and can not quote.......maybe they have decided to defend the freedom of speech.....

[carnie_sf]

13. That would be a switch

[cornermouse]

8. Give that reporter a big boquet of roses and a raise.

:bounce:

:woohoo:

[Renew Deal]

14. For doing his job?

Fuck that.

[cornermouse]

16. How many of them have you seen doing their job recently?

I for one, am thrilled to see hints that there may still be life in the freedom of press concept.

[Renew Deal]

17. These hints pop up from time to time

and then we go right back to normal. You don't know how many times I have read:

The press is starting to wake up.
The worm has turned.
OMG, did you see (name your favorite media whore)

I'm not patting them on the back for doing the minimum their jobs require.

[tavalon]

18. Positive reinforcement works in Kindergaten

and in DC.

[Renew Deal]

20. lol

How true. :thumbsup:

[Cha]

22. Her job!..her

job!:)

[beaconess]

27. We trash them when they DON'T do their job-why not praise them when

they do?

[Toots]

29. Wait until they do

So far all they have done is ask a question. When I see the articles written saying the Whitehouse is officially pressuring Newsweek and other Media outlets to slant stories I will be all for sending flowers but for now all I have seen is a couple of tough questions asked.

[kiki]

43. Because IT'S THEIR JOB.

Don't take this too seriously, but your comment highlights exactly what people expect from the US media these days - sweet fuck all. Not praise for doing an exceptional job, or a great job, or even a good job - praise for even doing their job at all. Pretty sad state of affairs.

"Hey! Remember that guy I hired to paint my house two months ago, and have been paying every day since? He actually turned up to work for the first time today! Wow! I gotta get him a card or something!"

[gristy]

9. man - this is scary stuff

[NorCalDem]

10. Seems to me that the press

has started to sprout a backbone. Looks like they're beginning to get a little perturbed with their role in all of this, which is churn out the propoganda, don't do any real reporting, oh, and take the fall when something goes bad. I don't think they want this role anymore :)

[Doctor_J]

11. Telling them what to write - this is the step right before

just taking over all the media, Soviet-style. They've been getting reporters fired, but that wasn't enough, so now they're going to dictate content. Within six months all of the "major" magaznes, radio, and TV stations will be staffed completely by GOP operatives.

[progressoid]

12. Hmm, looks like a few members of the press have found that thing that

goes from their heads down their backs...whats that called again?...oh yeah...

A SPINE!

Yea!!

[AirAmFan]

15. REBROADCAST of WH Briefing on C-SPAN2 now (6:40 pm)

[Miss Chybil]

19. These easiest way to keep the press from writing bad things is

not to do bad things. This assumes, of course, the press actually reports the facts. Considering this Koran thing has been floating around for a while, I'm thinking the retraction was done under duress.

[Cha]

21. A Woman reporter!

Thank you, Elizabeth Bumiller!

scatty was getting his clock cleaned!

[Disturbed]

23. The following statement is BULLSHIT!

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, it's what I talked about yesterday. This report, which Newsweek has now retracted and said was wrong...

NW never said that. A govt. official gave them his/her statement and then retracted it. NW did not make this statement up. The statement, in fact has been stated by many others before. Now it is obvious to me the NW was set and and a disinfo psyops by the BushFascists has been perpetrated to discredit yet another Media outlet that dares to print anything not favorable to the U.S. Fascist Regime.

[Cha]

25. It's the same thing that happened with

CBS and Dan Rather..when are the accused going to wake up and fight back this scourge on the Planet?

[Contrary1]

24. More of a good thing:

"Q Back on Newsweek. Richard Myers, last Thursday -- I'm going to read you a quote from him. He said, "It's a judgment of our commander in Afghanistan, General Eichenberry, that in fact the violence that we saw in Jalalabad was not necessarily the result of the allegations about disrespect for the Koran." He said it was "more tied up in the political process and reconciliation that President Karzai and his cabinet were conducting." And he said that that was from an after-action report he got that day.

So what has changed between last Thursday and today, five days later, to make you now think that those -- that that violence was a result of Newsweek?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, clearly, the report was used to incite violence by people who oppose the United States and want to mischaracterize the values and the views of the United States of America. The protests may have been pre-staged by those who oppose the United States and who may be opposed to moving forward on freedom and democracy in the region, but the images that we have seen across our television screens over the last few days clearly show that this report was used to incite violence. People lost their lives --

Q But may I just follow up, please? He didn't say "protest," he said -- he used the word very specifically, "violence." He said the violence, as far as they know from their people on the ground -- which is something that you always say you respect wholeheartedly -- it was not because of Newsweek.

MR. McCLELLAN: Dana, I guess I'm not looking at it the same way as you do, and I think the Department of Defense has spoken to this issue over the last few days. But the facts are very clear that this report was used in the region by people opposed to the United States to incite violence and to portray a very negative image of the United States, one that runs contrary to everything that we value and believe, and it has done some serious damage to our image."

Which is all Bushco cares about...their image. How can these idiots
even keep a straight face when they regurgitate this crap?

[beaconess]

28. The whole press briefing was great - they stayed on McClellan, followed

up each other's questions and wouldn't let him get away with his bull.

Great job!

[Hailtothechimp]

30. I think Scotty touched a nerve with them.

It would be like if he went into the kitchen at a restaurant and told the chef how to prepare the food. Stay out of what you don't know. McClellan doesn't have the smarts to do this, and so he's hopefully stirred up the hornet's nest with the press corps. He sure has it coming to him.

[beaconess]

34. Typical of the arrogance of this administration - always overreaching

[pgh_dem]

41. think this has more to do

with the press folks not being notified while the rest of WH, Congress etc were being evacuated due to the terrrrrible cessna.

They're willing to sleep on the job, they're even willing to participate in stupid, obvious lies...but if they wanted to risk getting killed, they'd be war correspondents.

I think they're pissed.

[oxbow]

26. Maybe they don't want to cannibalize Newsweek

After all, if Newsweek can take the fall for the WH, then so can any of them. One can hope they stop the scapegoating in its tracks soon

[Inland]

31. I considered that. On the other hand,

they still get paid if they don't report what goes on in Gitmo, and for the most part, that's the way they go.

Wait and see, I guess, if the press considers the WH to be threatening their very livelihoods.

[Hissyspit]

32. UK Memo! UK Memo! UK Memo! Newsweek? Yeah, whatever... UK Memo!

Can we get some sense of perspective from the U.S. media at all?

Well, one reporter at least. She should have brought up the UK Memo, though.

[MO_Dem]

33. Damn!

The stenographer white house press corp has been propping up, making excuses for, and turning a blind eye to the misdeeds of, this administration from the very beginning! I'm amazed that they are finally beginning to kick back, and it must a blow to the white house, especially considering that it is this administration that long ago blew any credibility the U. S. ever had in the world. It's ironic how the press is beginning to consider the "truth" at a time when it may be too late for themselves and the rest of us as well.

[tk2kewl]

35. bye-bye press pass

[eek]

36. Later in the same briefing (hot stuff!)

Q In context of the Newsweek situation, I think we hear the caution you're giving us about reporting things based on a single anonymous source. What, then, are we supposed to do with information that this White House gives us under the conditions that it comes from a single anonymous source?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not sure what exactly you're referring to.

Q Frequent briefings by senior administration officials in which the ground rules are we can only identify them as a single anonymous source.

(snip)

Q What prevents this administration from just saying from this point forward, you will identify who it is that's talking to us?

(snip as S Mc obfuscates)

Q With all due respect, though, it sounds like you're saying your single anonymous sources are okay and everyone else's aren't.

Read the transcript at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/05/20050517-2.html
or:
http://www.editorandpublisher.com (link is on front page)

[tk2kewl]

38. NOICE!

[otohara]

37. Must Have Been Terry Moran

he has sack...

[beaconess]

46. He jumped in McClellan's stuff again today:

Q: I just want to follow up on this filibuster issue, because, with respect, I mean, it just sounds ridiculous, the idea you want to -- you don't want to interfere in Senate rules when you know full well that if this step is taken, there might be a response that slows down priorities that this President cares about, including Social Security, if it ever gets that far. So what I'm asking is, does the President believe that, should Democrats not only block him on these nominees in the so-called nuclear option, but if they were to actually slow down business in Congress as a result of any steps the Republicans take, that that would have negative political consequences for them if they do that? In effect, is he daring them do to it?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think it would have consequences for the Democratic leadership in the United States Senate if they continue to hold up progress on the important priorities for the American people. The American people elected us to get things done. The American people want to see us work together on important priorities. The President has reached out across partisan lines in order to find solutions to our pressing priorities. Senate Democrats have been standing in the way of progress on some of those important priorities. And that's the President's -- that's the President's view.

[graywarrior]

39. Comrads, Beware of the Thought Police

War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength.

[FreedomAngel82]

40. That line was great!

Someone did something! I heard it on Malloy last night. It was great!

[ooglymoogly]

44. looks like at least some in the press are finally realizing

the m.o of the right wingers, "all the world art queer save thee and thou, and even thou art a little queer", and have just become aware of the obvious, that even thous head might be on the chopping block from another am*.

[Roland99]

45. Are those cojones I detect?!?!?

[donheld]

47. Some of these reporters are FINALLY getting some guts

It's high time, and i hope they make this a habit!