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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Mike Stark here, the reporter.

1. After Charlottesville, Mr. Gillespie, why is George Allen on your campaign? You know, the former governor that kept a Confederate Flag and a noose in his office... The guy that refused to sign a bill making MLK's birthday a state holiday, but did commemorate Confederate Day. The guy that used the n-word prolifically according to several witnesses.

2. After Las Vegas, Mr. Gillespie, why won't you release your NRA questionnaire? You made certain promises to the NRA, and won their endorsement as a result. Why won't you tell Virginian voters exactly what you promised by releasing your questionnaire?

3. You are running MS-13 ads across the state. Have you given any thought to the effect those ads may have on Latino families that are working hard and playing by the rules? My kids go to school with Latino children and my kids see those ads. What should I tell my kids to ensure we don't produce another generation of young adults that are scared of people that look different or speak a different language?

That's what I've been asking him for six weeks. Maybe you can tell me why that isn't journalism and what differentiates your work from mine.[/quote]

It isn't journalism because these are "when did you stop beating your wife" questions. 1 & 3 are not aimed at extracting information. 2 is a little better. But on the whole, the wording and the tone are aimed at inflicting blows for partisan purposes. Your agenda is to discredit, not to extract information and embarrass him for political means. You're not a journalist -- you are an activist. This is not "citizen journalism." You're no better than Breitbart or James O'Keefe. You can be a provocateur all you want, but this not the way a professional behaves, nor is it more virtuous -- quite the opposite.

[/quote]

A couple of things...

If this is the case, the best of 60 Minutes, Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, Byron York, Eli Lake, Josh Marshall, Greg Sargent (and for that matter, what we read in, say New Yorker, Mother Jones, Harpers, The Nation, Weekly Standard, National Review, etc.) is not journalism. In fact, no investigative journalism can be journalism, because it's all meant to expose folks with something to hide. The truth is, most Virginian's don't know about George Allen's racism (or even that he was a former Governor/Senator, for that matter). They also don't know Allen is on Gllespie's campaign. By asking the question, I convey a lot of information that at least some Virginians will find useful when deciding at the voting booth. As for #3, I would say that if Gillespie ever answered the questions, you are right - it would be activism rather than journalism to continue to ask the question. But... He's avoided that question for as long as I've been asking it.

I'd say this too: the best journalism is that which upholds the mission of the 4th Estate - the check on the power of the three branches of government. If you want good people in government, you should want aggressive media flushing out the candidate's weaknesses. And that applies to both sides. I'm a Democrat, so who better to put the GOP candidate to the test? And, for the good of the Commonwealth, I'd like to see a Republican doing what I do on the other side. An accountability media is crucial to a functional democracy.

I didn't want to address the Brietbart or O'Keefe part of your comment because it's unnecessarily demeaning and insulting. But I'm afraid if I leave it hanging, it'll be interpreted as acceptance on my part.

Both Brietbart and O'Keefe are liars. Not in all of their work, but in much of it, and in much of their presentation. Brietbart was responsible for the unbelievable egregious Shirley Sherrod hit, for example. O'Keefe has used unsavory practices to do some work that is of questionable legitimacy (NPR, NYT hits), but he's also presented his work in false context (ACORN, Robert Creamer). Both entities have shown, repeatedly, a willingness to mislead in pursuit of partisan gains. I have never, and will never, do that. At least not intentionally. And that, I think, is what separates journalists from something less ethical (I don't want to smear activists by using the term to describe O'Keefe and Brietbart).[/quote]

Bless your heart, you're not doing investigative journalism.

I ask again, are you credentialed -- WITH A HARD PASS (any clown can get a day pass -- from the press galleries on Capitol Hill or the White House or a federal agency?

This, alone, is why you're not a journalist: "By asking the question, I convey a lot of information that at least some Virginians will find useful when deciding at the voting booth." Legitimate journalists don't do ask leading questions. Probing questions, sure. Good followups, sure. Aimed at getting truth and information, absolutely. But you don't try to "convey" information to others with questions. You convey information with ANSWERS. And in order to get answers, you have to do more than just stalk interview targets with the intention of berating them.[/quote]

So one requirement of a journalist, I suppose, would be integrity and consistency within your arguments. But you keep moving the goal posts. First you ask if I've been credentialed, and I answer by referring to twice in the past month that I've been issued credentials - once at the Gallery, and next at the debate at Wise. Whoops! Now the Gallery day pass isn't good enough, and evidently, only a HARD PASS (I guess it needs to be screamed in all caps too) is sufficient.

Look, if working for NowThis and their 2.5 BILLION MONTHLY VIEWS isn't enough to be considered journalism - notwithstanding the fact that we're reporting on tax policy - then I can't help you, except to remind you that dictionaries exist and you may do well to consult the definition of "journalist" or "reporter". I just took a gander, and I didn't see anything about a HARD PASS being required.

Finally, I'll add that just about every reporter's advocacy organization you can imagine has contacted me to offer assistance in the wake of this incident, so even among our peers, you are lonely in your obtuse obstinance.

Let me ask you something though: If I worked for DailyCaller, would I merit the lofty title of journalist? They have HARD PASSES. So do some clowns from Brietbart. And Newsmax, and CNSNews. I think that with the possible exception of DC, you and I would agree that each of those organizations - though they sell ads and ostensibly meet the credentialing requirements of the Gallery - are embarrassments to the news industry.

So c'mon... Your HARD PASS standard is hollow, ridiculous and pathetic.

Nah... My standard - are you delivering quality information to a significant audience - is much better than any arbitrary HARD PASS requirement which only a vanishingly small minority of reporters have ever had.

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