Rex Kickass Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 One way to make sure you don't have hard questions asked of you? Make up your own reporters. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...7102502488.html FEMA has truly learned the lessons of Katrina. Even its handling of the media has improved dramatically. For example, as the California wildfires raged Tuesday, Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson, the deputy administrator, had a 1 p.m. news briefing. Reporters were given only 15 minutes' notice of the briefing, making it unlikely many could show up at FEMA's Southwest D.C. offices. They were given an 800 number to call in, though it was a "listen only" line, the notice said -- no questions. Parts of the briefing were carried live on Fox News, MSNBC and other outlets. .... "And so I think what you're really seeing here is the benefit of experience, the benefit of good leadership and the benefit of good partnership," Johnson said, "none of which were present in Katrina." (Wasn't Michael Chertoff DHS chief then?) Very smooth, very professional. But something didn't seem right. The reporters were lobbing too many softballs. No one asked about trailers with formaldehyde for those made homeless by the fires. And the media seemed to be giving Johnson all day to wax on and on about FEMA's greatness. Of course, that could be because the questions were asked by FEMA staffers playing reporters. We're told the questions were asked by Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of external affairs, and by "Mike" Widomski, the deputy director of public affairs. Director of External Affairs John "Pat" Philbin asked a question, and another came, we understand, from someone who sounds like press aide Ali Kirin. Asked about this, Widomski said: "We had been getting mobbed with phone calls from reporters, and this was thrown together at the last minute." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonxctf Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 wow!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlaSoxxJim Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 QUOTE(Rex Kicka** @ Oct 26, 2007 -> 01:32 PM) One way to make sure you don't have hard questions asked of you? Make up your own reporters. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...7102502488.html Now if only Ari, Scotty, Tony, and Dana had figured out this nifty trick their lives could have been so much easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 Maybe I should just make a new thread for everything I post...no one ever catches the ones I slip into the Dems only thread... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapkomet Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 This one is absolutely ridiculous. What a bunch of chumps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted October 26, 2007 Author Share Posted October 26, 2007 I think it's kinda funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_genius Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 haha, thats a great move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowerCaseRepublican Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 If anybody ever gets a chance, Evan Greer's song "Go Call FEMA" goes along these lines of FEMA bashing -- and he put it in a much more entertaining way than I could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 I guess faking a press confrence is better than faking being a real disaster relief agency... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosMediasBlancas Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 Heard about this a couple of days ago. Who the hell runs FEMA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Oct 28, 2007 -> 03:40 PM) Heard about this a couple of days ago. Who the hell runs FEMA? NEXT QUESTION! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 28, 2007 -> 03:07 PM) I guess faking a press confrence is better than faking being a real disaster relief agency... Zing! Nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted October 28, 2007 Author Share Posted October 28, 2007 Chertoff went off on this over the weekend. He's pretty pissed about it. Which surprises me because the guy is such a hack I figured he would have arranged it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 QUOTE(Rex Kicka** @ Oct 28, 2007 -> 04:20 PM) Chertoff went off on this over the weekend. He's pretty pissed about it. Which surprises me because the guy is such a hack I figured he would have arranged it. He could be suffering from a case of Rich Daley syndrome, where he suddenly forgets who he knows, and what he agreed to... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_genius Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 (edited) meh most of the 'journalists' at these things are frauds anyways. who cares. Edited October 28, 2007 by mr_genius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 28, 2007 -> 02:42 PM) He could be suffering from a case of Rich Daley syndrome, where he suddenly forgets who he knows, and what he agreed to... According to the Washington Post, the guy who arranged the Presser, John P. "Pat" Philbin, FEMA's director of External Affairs...has already resigned. Of course...resigned in these times is defined widely enough to include "promoted to Head of Public Affairs for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Oct 28, 2007 -> 09:53 PM) According to the Washington Post, the guy who arranged the Presser, John P. "Pat" Philbin, FEMA's director of External Affairs...has already resigned. Of course...resigned in these times is defined widely enough to include "promoted to Head of Public Affairs for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence". Not exactly true. He had been scheduled to take that job before he pulled this stupid stunt... He isn't getting the new job anymore. http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/29/fem...wser/index.html Paulison said the entire episode "represented egregious decision-making" by the director of external affairs for FEMA, Pat Philbin, and his staff, who, he said, "lost perspective of the core imperative that they preserve the credibility of our agency." Philbin was scheduled to become director of public affairs for the director of national intelligence -- a job National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell said Philbin will not be doing. It was not immediately clear whether Philbin offered his resignation or was fired just as he was set to begin the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilMonkey Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 I wonder if the staffers for Hillary that planted her softball questions will get any percentage of the scrutiny as the FEMA folks? http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,310417,00.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 QUOTE(Alpha Dog @ Nov 11, 2007 -> 01:06 PM) I wonder if the staffers for Hillary that planted her softball questions will get any percentage of the scrutiny as the FEMA folks? http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,310417,00.html Not even close to the same scale of scuzzy-ness. She didn't have a press conference filled with her staffers. It was a small percentage as bad, and accordingly, its getting a small percentage as much coverage. That said, as I've noted, her repeated tendency to do this is making her more and more like W every day. Like his "town hall" meetings during the 2004 cycle where the entire crowd was sifted to be only his most ardent supporters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted November 11, 2007 Author Share Posted November 11, 2007 QUOTE(Alpha Dog @ Nov 11, 2007 -> 02:06 PM) I wonder if the staffers for Hillary that planted her softball questions will get any percentage of the scrutiny as the FEMA folks? http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,310417,00.html Every preznitial campaign does this. Every single one. Most of them have better minders though who don't give 12 year olds questions that sound like they're coming from the mouth of a 40 year old college professor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_genius Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 11, 2007 -> 03:57 PM) Not even close to the same scale of scuzzy-ness. What if this is true? http://cameron.blogs.foxnews.com/2007/11/1...y-team-hillary/ after they promise not to do it anymore they continue. no one can out scuzzy the Hillary Clinton, no one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 QUOTE(mr_genius @ Nov 11, 2007 -> 05:16 PM) What if this is true? http://cameron.blogs.foxnews.com/2007/11/1...y-team-hillary/ after they promise not to do it anymore they continue. no one can out scuzzy the Hillary Clinton, no one. I wouldn't bet otherwise. I think she has yet to reach BushCo levels, but she's headed that direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_genius Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 11, 2007 -> 05:21 PM) I wouldn't bet otherwise. I think she has yet to reach BushCo levels, but she's headed that direction. she's just getting started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 QUOTE(mr_genius @ Nov 11, 2007 -> 05:23 PM) she's just getting started. That's true. Maybe she needs more time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share Posted November 12, 2007 Give her a week :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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