Media Matters, Democrats Threaten Rights of Journalists, Talk Radio Hosts

Contact: Jeff Gannon, 202-409-3850

WASHINGTON, October 9 /Standard Newswire/ -- Former White House correspondent Jeff Gannon is warning against a grave threat to free speech and the free press posed by liberal activists and Congressional Democrats. He cites Media Matters for America, a self-proclaimed media watchdog group established with the help of Hillary Clinton and funded by liberal activists including George Soros as the "smear machine" concocting false controversies that serve as the basis for attacks on conservatives in the media by Democrats in Congress.

Gannon stated, "The assault by the Democratic party leadership on the First Amendment poses the most serious threat to the free press since Congress passed the Sedition Act over 200 years ago. Led by their stalking horse Media Matters, Democrats are trying to stifle free speech by targeting reporters and talk radio hosts with threats of investigations, reinstatement of the so-called Fairness Doctrine and with revocation of broadcast licenses."

Gannon added, "In 2005, Media Matters came after me because I was critical of their co-founder Sen. Hillary Clinton while asking President Bush a question during a nationally televised press conference. As retribution for speaking ill of Sen. Clinton, Media Matters launched a smear campaign to run me out of the White House press corps, deliberately misrepresenting my two years of reporting at the White House during which time I wrote over 500 news articles for a daily readership of over half a million and falsely labeling me a 'fake reporter.' Media Matters also demanded that the White House pull my press credentials, a direct attack on the First Amendment guarantee of a free press."

Following Media Matters' lead, Democrats in Congress, led by Sen. Harry Reid, Rep. John Conyers and Rep. Louise Slaughter, launched unprecedented and unconstitutional investigations into Gannon's work as a White House correspondent.

In 2006, Democrats successfully threatened ABC Television over its broadcast licenses to force changes in the docudrama "The Path to 9/11" to make the film less critical of the Clinton administration's failures against al Qaeda.

Gannon stated, "Now, Hillary's 'goon squad' at Media Matters is going after talk radio host Rush Limbaugh with false allegations that he insulted American troops who disagreed with President Bush's Iraq policy. Democrats in Congress are using the phony story to try to take the conservative talker off the air and control the content of the free press. Sen. Ken Salazar proposed censure of Limbaugh and others are seeking his removal from Armed Forces Radio. Rep. Henry Waxman reportedly asked his investigative staff to begin compiling reports on Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin.

"A chill wind is blowing in Washington, D.C. I urge my colleagues, whether liberal or conservative, to defend the free press from this unconstitutional assault by Congress."

Gannon details Media Matters' campaign against him in his new book, "The Great Media War: A Battlefield Report." He offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the White House press corps and tells how liberal activists and Democrats forced him out of his job as a correspondent. Gannon described his story as a cautionary tale for journalists of all stripes of what can happen when politicians and activists object to their reporting.

More information on "The Great Media War: A Battlefield Report": www.thegreatmediawar.com

Interview requests: mailto:media.relations@jeffgannon.com or 202-409-3850