James O'Keefe Has Interesting Manner of Treating MSM

Before getting to that, Rep. Charles Boustany is calling for an investigation into ACORN.

Now, as to James O'Keefe's interesting response to the MSM.

Get this: Rather than begging to be on their air as they spin the scandal away, he's telling them to stick it up their asses. (Or, in my favorite snatch of Sicilian, I'ett u sangua, "let your blood," literally, but really meaning "go slit your own throat.")

Either cover the story properly, or he'll only appear on a "competitor with curiously-higher ratings." (Link Fixed.)

I hope he won't mind if I quote him... um... extensively:

So far CNN has only reported on the breaking story on blatant ACORN CORRUPTION from angles that attempt to extricate the government funded “community organizing” enterprise from the extreme crime we caught on videotape.

First CNN pushed the false ACORN line that “[t]his film crew tried to pull this sham at other offices and failed.”

To set that record straight please check the Washington D.C. tape we dropped today at BigGovernment.com, which is also being aired on your cable news competitor with curiously higher ratings.

Now that ACORN lied to you, Jonathan Klein, what are you going to do?
Here’s what I have noticed from your coverage: You brought in the damage control crowd to FRAME the story. Before even airing our damning Baltimore video. You know your audience would turn on ACORN if you showed them the evidence. So instead you put your competitors in journalism in the crosshairs instead of airing a blockbuster report making massive waves elsewhere.

You even trotted out shameless Clinton era apologist Joe Conason to challenge the ETHICS of our expose. Unreal.

What about the ethics of those at ACORN caught on tape trying to help create a brothel featuring illegal immigrant age range 13-15 from El Salvador?

What about the countless laws broken on tape from a group that stands to get billions from President Obama’s “stimulus” package?

Why don’t we wait to have the Columbia Journalism School debate on “journalistic ethics” after you do actual journalism.

When you air the raw ACORN footage that is now viral on the Internet, and being played on FOX NEWS and countless talk radio shows, then and only then — when America can see, hear and smell the stench we have exposed — will I subject myself to a CNN hit job.

I admit this tactic never occurred to me. Reverse the process. Instead of groveling to these lint pickers, set the terms yourself.

I like it. We'll see if CNN actually caves, though, or if they just take this as an excuse (as if they need one) to continue burying the story.

I just don't think these guys have the "Gatekeeper/Decider" power anymore to strangle stories they don't like in the crib.

Every time this happens -- and it happens now pretty much every day -- they're sending out a press release to the public saying Don't watch us; we deliberately embargo the most interesting and important news in order to act as the DNC's de facto press office.

And the public is reading that PR release, and taking the advice.

BTW: I'm not really endorsing this tactic -- because I doubt it will accomplish much except catharsis.

I surely am interested in the experiment, of course.

And O'Keefe is an a particularly good position to deign to dictate terms. Most commentators/reporters/politicians don't have the whip-hand he does at the moment.

Basically I think CNN is kinda obligated to pretend they were covering this properly the whole way through -- cover their ass for covering their ass -- and will haughtily say that they will not let the likes of O'Keefe dictate to them what sound journalistic practice is.

So I don't think it will work. At all.

But: I don't think punching a big fat bully in the nose is likely to "work," either. You'll still probably get your ass kicked. But damn, it's still nice to see the obese bully take one in the snout.

posted by Ace at 05:27 PM

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