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Howard Kurtz, Unreliable Source
by Larry C. Johnson    Truthout
Entered into the database on Wednesday, May 31st, 2006 @ 14:48:29 MST


 

Untitled Document

Author's Note: Knowledge is power folks. This is not about trashing Howie's wife. Let's just have some basic disclosure. By way of disclosure, my wife is the Head Nurse of the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. No Conflict. - LJ

I'm writing at 35,000 feet over the Atlantic. Lufthansa is now offering wireless internet on board the airplane, and the connection is amazing. Anyway, it is time to blow the whistle on Howie Kurtz and his hypocrisy. Kurtz, the media reporter for the Washington Post, tries to present the persona of the objective journalist. But a review of his pieces shows a decided tilt to the right and a tendency to be an apologist for the Republican administration. Why is that?

It's all about love. You see, Howie's wife, Sheri Annis, is a Republican consultant/activist. I don't begrudge the lady making a living. I just think it is important that Howie disclose his conflict of interest on this front. Yes, Howie's wife is fair game. She is not undercover. She is not doing classified work. But, she is carrying water for the Republican party and little Howie is more than willing to drink from that cup. Hey, as someone who has been married for 30 years, I fully understand the power of the wife.

I first dealt with Howie when he wrote the story on Robert Greenwald's documentary, "Outfoxed."

Howie, acting as a journalist, wrote the following diatribe:

Robert Greenwald, an admirer of Michael Moore, is trying to give Fox News Channel the kind of cinematic spanking that Moore just delivered to President Bush in "Fahrenheit 9/11."

"Fox is not a conservative network, it's a Republican network," and its fair-and-balanced slogan is "ridiculous," the Los Angeles director says in explaining why he sought funding from two liberal groups - and took out a loan - to make the documentary "Outfoxed."

But Greenwald, whose last movie was "Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War," makes no effort at fairness or balance himself. Not only did he avoid contacting Fox, and indulge in some misleading editing, but the film also features a parade of the network's liberal detractors - including Al Franken, Vermont Rep. Bernie Sanders, the group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting and out-of-the-closet liberal columnist Walter Cronkite.

That, my friends, is the work of a political hack. Start with the fact that Michael Moore is not the central focus of the film. Then consider that the facts Robert Greenwald presented are not refuted because, surprise, surprise, they can't be refuted because they ARE FACTS!

So, the next time you read little Howie, just remember, he certainly appears to be carrying water for his wife to ensure she stays on good terms with the Bush White House.

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Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder of BERG Associates, LLC, an international business-consulting firm that helps corporations and governments manage threats posed by terrorism and money laundering. Mr. Johnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and US State Department's Office of Counter Terrorism (as a Deputy Director), is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management. Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety of media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, ABC's Nightline, NBC's Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News and the BBC. Mr. Johnson has authored several articles for publications including Security Management Magazine, the New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. He has lectured on terrorism and aviation security around the world.