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18 Jul 2011 15:29

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Politics: James O’Keefe is back with more video, this time on Medicaid

  • The return of O’Keefe’s gotcha journalism: Conservative activist James O’Keefe, widely know for his undercover videos made at the expense of ACORN and NPR, unveiled his latest video today claiming to expose Medicaid fraud. Any discussion of O’Keefe’s work needs, we think, to be couched in an acknowledgement that he has virtually no credibility on these things; his ACORN videos were duplicitously edited (then-California Attorney General Jerry Brown found no evidence of criminal behavior on ACORN’s part) as was his tape of NPR fundraising exec Ron Schiller. Basically, he deserves even less than the benefit of the doubt (don’t forget this disgusting hoax attempt as well), and as such we urge everybody to wait a few days for the full context of his video to emerge. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Mar 2011 10:53

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Politics: Waste of time: House GOP pushes to hur NPR’s federal-funding

  • Taxpayers should not be on the hook for something that is widely available in the private market. I wish only the best for NPR. Like many Americans, I enjoy much of their programming.
  • Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) • Attempting to make his final dagger-push into the body that is the federal funding of NPR. The bill “prohibits NPR and its local affiliates from using federal dollars to produce programming or purchase content from other member stations. Affiliate stations could only use taxpayer money for administrative costs, under the bill.” It’s being fast-tracked for a vote later on today. Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me! The House GOP’s going to push for something that’s not going to pass the Senate, Obama’s not going to sign, and is going to waste everybody’s time yet again. Check. Come on. Your party can’t complain about Obama picking his NCAA bracket if all you’re giving him to work with are stupid things that won’t go anywhere. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Mar 2011 14:38

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Politics: Ira Glass is having none of this left-wing NPR talk

  • …people on the right are going around trying to basically re-brand us, saying that it’s biased news, it’s left wing news, when I feel like anybody who listens to the shows knows that it’s not. And we are not fighting back, we are not saying anything back. I find it completely annoying, and I don’t understand it.
  • “This American Life” host Ira Glass • Talking to NPR’s “On The Media,” which, well, focuses on the media. Glass, who actually works for Public Radio International, nonetheless knows the meaning of solidarity, and he seems none too pleased with NPR’s rather tepid defense of itself. On the heels of James O’Keefe’s candid video of NPR fundraiser Ron Schiller (which, it bears mentioning, was not on the level, like basically everything O’Keefe has done) NPR does seems to be pretty willing to let its enemies define it. Our take? It’s just not in the rhetorical DNA of NPR to engage in full-throated argument against it’s critics the way, say, a cable news channel or politician might, so Glass’s frustrations may not abate anytime soon. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Mar 2011 10:16

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Politics: NPR’s board discusses CEO Vivian Schiller’s resignation from NPR

  • I recognize the magnitude of this news – and that it comes on top of what has been a traumatic period for NPR and the larger public radio community. The Board is committed to supporting NPR through this interim period and has confidence in NPR’s leadership team.
  • NPR Board of Directors Chairman Dave Edwards • Discussing what happens next, as CEO Vivian Schiller resigns from her job with NPR. Her resignation, caused by a gotcha clip where NPR fundraiser Ron Schiller was caught saying things critical of the Tea Party to a couple dudes pretending to be Muslims. (How do these people get duped?!) “The Board accepted her resignation with understanding, genuine regret, and great respect for her leadership of NPR these past two years,” Edwards notes. We feel all those things, too. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Mar 2011 10:02

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U.S.: Whoa … NPR’s CEO, Vivian Schiller, just quit. O’Keefe drew blood.

  • schiller #1 Last night, NPR’s Senior Vice President for Fundraising, Ron Schiller, pushed up his resignation two months. The change was caused  by the release of a gotcha video clip. He’s now resigning “effective immediately.”
  • schiller #2 The CEO of NPR, Vivian Schiller, who’s unrelated to Ron, has resigned herself in the wake of the news. That was fast. Point to James O’Keefe: Your guys went past “finish him!” and scored a fatality on NPR. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 18:59

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Politics: Andrew Breitbart: No beef between me and James O’Keefe

  • The mainstream media uses me as a way to marginalize James, and James as a means to marginalize me.
  • Andrew Breitbart • Explaining why his decision to pass on the latest James O’Keefe saga, involving a soon-to-be-departing NPR exec, isn’t an attempt to distance himself from the gotcha video specialist. “I’ve said all along that James needs to be an independent journalist,” he said. “His ACORN videos weren’t posted exclusively on Breitbart sites.” Breitbart famously criticized his protegé after he attempted to do some sketchy stuff involving CNN reporter Abbie Boudreau. But for what it’s worth, Breitbart appears to be pretty happy with O’Keefe’s latest story, even if he wasn’t the guy who brought it to the world. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Oct 2010 14:09

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Politics: Andrew Breitbart throws James O’Keefe under the bus

  • From what I’ve read about this script, though not executed, it is patently gross and offensive. It’s not his detractors to whom he also owes this public airing. It’s to his legion of supporters.
  • Andrew Breitbart • In a post on his “Big Journalism” site yesterday, regarding the whole James O’Keefe-faux-seducing incident involving CNN reporter Abbie Boudreau. While Andrew has been critical of the network in the past, particularly for the coverage of James O’Keefe’s Mary Landrieu incident earlier this year, he noted that Boudreau and her producer “conducted themselves professionally, and I believe James owes them a candid and public explanation.” He kind of left the door open for this to be a big misunderstanding, but it’s pretty crazy that not even Breitbart can back the Hunter S. Thompson wannabe’s behavior this time. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

29 Sep 2010 10:56

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Politics: James O’Keefe tries to punk CNN reporter, fails miserably

  • I never intended to become part of the story. But things suddenly took a very strange turn.
  • CNN correspondent Abbie Boudreau • On nearly getting punked by @(&#(&!) (@&!(!( James O’Keefe. O’Keefe apparently wanted to meet the reporter, alone, and pretend to hit on her in an overtly sexual way in a room complete with props (“condom jar, dildos, posters and paintings of naked women, fuzzy handcuffs”), then tape the whole thing for a hit piece. Boudreau was doing a piece on O’Keefe and other conservative activists, by the way. Is it us, or did this guy get lucky once (with completely inaccurate information) and is now just a piece of scum on the American culture? Seriously, James. Go away. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Mar 2010 19:34

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Politics: The New York Times admits to getting the ACORN facts wrong

  • Public editor Clark Hoyt set the record straight. With ACORN’s pending closure taking over the news today, it’s perhaps a sad footnote to the scandal that The New York Times admits to misrepresenting the case. Among other things, Hoyt says (and BigGovernment.com founder Andrew Breitbart agrees that) James O’Keefe never dressed as a pimp during his visits to ACORN – just at the beginning and end of videos when he wasn’t actually in their offices. The damage is done, though. ACORN is now dead. (ACORN housing, however, lives on under a different name.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Mar 2010 19:07

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Politics: ACORN closes, James O’Keefe succeeds, Twitter reacts



Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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