TBR NEWS- September 13, 2004

Controlling the News:  The White House Strikes Back!

In-House Memos on Television And Print Media News Presentations

To see prior Installments of "Controlling the News" click here

There are a number of our readers who object, in one form or another, to the ‘Controlling the News’ section. They claim that this is all invented nonsense; that the American media is not controlled but is a free and democratic institution. They demand that we supply them the name or names of our sources so as to convince them of our accuracy and sincerity. The usual answer to these specious objections is that if the reader does not wish to believe what we publish, the reader has an obligation to his sensitivities not to read it.

 That the American media is strongly controlled is evident to the great mass of our readers and the positive comments we receive far outnumber the negative ones. For those discerning readers, we are presenting, as published, a very clear exposition of how our “free and democratic” media is controlled.

A number of internet sources published a series of articles, some merely copied and others completely original, about the mental problems of the President. Our own “Voice of the White House” discussing the serious emotional and physical problems of George Bush was the first one of these stories..

Here is an article from another internet source who published very similar material a month after our posting.

Pointing out that the White House was outraged by allegations of Bush’s serious mental problems would be a waste of time. In the case of our own earlier posting, an irate White House staffer hotly denied some of our writer’s allegations, confirmed a number others and ended his scream of rage by telling us we ought to be ashamed of ourselves for attacking a great American President and Defender of the Republic, George W. Bush.

Read the following publication and make up your own mind on the subject of a controlled media.

Passing the Smell Test (or: See the Rabbit Run!)
by Sandra Riley
September 8, 2004
Capitol Hill Blue Ombudsman

 One of my first tasks as Capitol Hill Blue’s ombudsman was to examine previous stories published on the web site.

Doug Thompson, the editor and publisher, has given me absolute authority to review all stories, edit where I feel necessary or pull the story if I feel it does not meet accepted journalism practices. His instructions were simple: "If it doesn't pass the smell test, get rid of the odor."

When I first arrived, I immediately pulled a story about former First Lady Nancy Reagan allegedly telling the campaign of President George W. Bush that she did not support the President’s re-election because of his stance on stem-cell research (stem-cell researchers believe it holds the key to a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease which crippled former President Ronald Reagan in his final years).

After reviewing it, I killed the story because it quoted unnamed sources and a named source for the former First Lady later refuted the story in a statement released to the wire services.

I also reviewed several other stories.

Bush’s Erratic Behavior Worries White House Aides: This June 4, 2004, story – written by former CHB Editor Teresa Hampton – quotes unnamed sources as saying the President’s mood swings and erratic behavior has White House aides worried. The story, as written, did not quote a single named source and Hampton, when queried, could not provide sufficient background on her sources. Based on that, the story has been killed.

Worth noting, however, is a June 14 follow up story headlined: Prominent DC Shrink Diagnoses Bush to be a Paranoid, Sadistic Meglomaniac. That story, compiled from staff and wire reports, quotes a named source: George Washington University Hospital’s Dr. Justin Frank as does a follow up story, New Information Suggests Bush Indecisve, Paranoid, Delusional, also written by Hampton.  Several sources are cited by name in the article so both pass the smell test and remain in the archives.

The later stories, which quote authoritative sources, suggest Hampton’s earlier story might also be accurate but without a single named source, it is best to err on the side of caution.

The same problem with unnamed sources brings Hampton’s July 28 story, Bush Taking Anti-Depressants into question. While she again quotes Dr. Frank on his analysis of the President’s behavior, she does not offer any collaboration of the claim that White House Physician Col. Richard J. Tubb actually prescribed any anti-depressant medication to Bush. For that reason, the story was pulled.

I also killed a July 29 story, Sullen, Depressed President Retreats into a Private, Paranoid World, by Hampton and former CHB reporter William D. McTavish. Again, the only quoted source was Dr. Frank and the quotes were repeats of those from earlier story. His quotes did not back up the claims by unnamed sources.

This makes three stories removed from the CHB archives. A common thread in all three is that they were authored in part or in whole by Hampton, who was recently relieved of her duties as editor because of a lapse in judgment over publication of a column that reflected a personal agenda by the writer (McTavish, who was also fired).

Because of this, our publishers has asked me to go back over all articles written by both Hampton and McTavish. I am doing so and will report to our readers when the review is complete.

Comment: We will be able to see this report just after Karl Rove writes it. There may a time lapse as poor Mr. Rove is heavily engaged in trying to blunt proliferating stories, some from members of his own family, of Bush’s chronic use of cocaine.

My late grandfather, a gentleman of considerable experience with government and media, once said to me, “Once a newspaperman, always a whore.” Grandfather rarely made errors of judgment. Grandfather would be validated here.