Hannity Is Claiming That He's a JOURNALIST

[CO Liberal]

And stating that he will refuse to divulge where he got that memo, even if Sen. Jay Rockefeller threatens him with jail.

The battle lines are being drawn.

IMHO, he's no journalist - he's a commentator, and does NOT have tyhe right to shield his sources.

[Skittles]

1. HA HA, HA HA HA HA

OMG, that is RICH. :puke:

[loudnclear]

24. It's up to REAL journalists to attack him for that statement

but they don't have the balls or the guts.

[Skittles]

33. REAL journalists

don't need BALLS but otherwise I aree with your sentiment.

[brainshrub]

2. Hannity ain't gonna get investigated

He knows this...but it makes for better radio to cry about persecution.

[tom_paine]

7. No, the Imperial Family will NOT investigate one of their favorite

propgandists.

You might as well have expected Hitler to investigate Julius Streicher.

Hannity, of course, is as much a "journalist" as Axis Sally, Tokyo Rose or Baghdad Bob.

But, as Imperial Amerika seems to now be based on lies and Orwellianisms, it would seem logical that Hannity (had he lived in 1933 he wouldn't even be Julius Streicher, he would have been an SA street thug) would lay claim to the title "journalist".

Perhaps he is also a doctor, a lwayer, a bake and a candlestick-maker!

[ThoughtPolice]

37. As a rabid fan of Orwell's work...please tell me -

What about "Imperial Amerika" is based on "Orwellianisms?"

[Timefortruth]

57. It wasn't my post but I think I can clear things up for you.

The Imperial Amerika refers to our current state in America. It is Imperial because our leader was not elected but appointed as an heir to the thrown. Adding k to America is an effort to remind the reader of both Nazism and the KKK at once, the reasoning there is that we have abandoned liberties in favor extremism based on both fear and racism. As for the connection to Orwell in modern America the truth has become the lie that is repeated the most loudly and frequently. A specific example is calling what we are doing in Iraq an effort for peace. Other examples are the new creepy limitations on freedoms the Patriot Act, when the act itself is antifreedom and anti-American. Another example of Orwellian influence is to call the cynical attempt to cut federal funding to underpriviledged schools, thereby ensuring that fewer children than ever get even a minimal education, the “No Child Left Behind Act.” In a sense it is comic that it is more easily determined what an imitative intends to do by considering the opposite of its stated purpose then any other way, that’s Orwellian.

Hope this helps.

[ScreamingMeemie]

3. Next thing you know he'll have won THREE Peabody's and a

Nobel Peace Prize. ;)

[robsul82]

4. Heheh, nice try...

...to cover that rotund bootay, Sean.

Later.

RJS

[lysergik]

5. and I'm the president of the USA! n/t

[knight_of_the_star]

6. That's funny

I thought that pundits weren't journalists. Another classic example of the Right re-writing the rules when it doesn't suit them.

[redqueen]

12. Maybe they're just overconfident, and getting sloppy?

e.g. the way Fox got Frankened on their 'lawsuit'?

I'm even able to believe that he's just that stupid. Who knows?

[MadMan]

29. "Got Frankened" I love that!

n/t

[Faygo Kid]

8. What IS his background? Some help, please?

Really, know a lot more about Rush, Savage, O'Reilly and the other right wingers than this stealth - well, plug in your own term. Know nothing about him; nothing of any help on Faux website. Help, please?

[CO Liberal]

13. I Went To The Source - Hannity's Own Web Site

Here's an excerpt - if you can stomach it, you can read the whole thing by using the following link. Note nowhere in his bio does it list any journalism positions.......

http://www.hannity.com/story.php?content=/about_hannity

Hannity got his start in commercial radio after drawing attention and enthusiasm from his college radio station. He placed a "JOB WANTED" ad in the R&R, billing himself as "the most talked about college radio host in America." A station in Huntsville, Alabama took a chance on the brash young voice. The world of talk radio would never be the same.

From that first station in Alabama, Hannity quickly moved to WGST in Atlanta where his strong ratings attracted the attention of WABC New York and the Fox News Channel, in the fall of 1996. Hannity moved to New York to co-host Fox News Network's, "Hannity and Colmes" show. Fox was so confident in Hannity's ability to attract viewers, it slotted the show at 9pm, opposite Geraldo on CNBC and Larry King on CNN. Today the "Hannity and Colmes" show is one of the most successful cable news shows. In addition to his "on-air" duties, Hannity is also the author of the New York Times best seller, "Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty Over Liberalism."

Hannity grew up in Franklin Square, Long Island in the shadows of Manhattan. By 1997, Hannity finally crossed the Williamsburg Bridge and joined 77WABC Radio in New York City, the nation's largest market. There he quickly became the #1 rated News and Talk show in the afternoon drive period. But that was only the beginning. The show became so successful that by September 2001, ABC Radio decided to syndicate Hannity across the country. That bold move was such a success that Talker's Magazine deemed it, "the fastest growing syndicated talk show in talk radio history." After just one year in syndication, that same publication moved Hannity up to 2nd place in the nation in their semi-annual list of nationally syndicated radio talk show hosts. He had officially become an American phenomenon.

[Faygo Kid]

15. How sparse. Does he have a degree? Who's his family?

This tells me virtually nothing, except he was on the fast track in radio. Rush took three weeks of college; what's Hannity's background? I think we have a right to know, if we are supposed to blindly follow him. Thanks for the post, though.

[burythehatchet]

20. He was a bartender

my condolences to bartenders everywhere

[Darranar]

9. Commentater?

I assume you mean spouter of worthless junk?

[DancingBear]

10. I resent that "journalist" remark

Sincerely,

Jayson Blair

[Brian Sweat]

11. I'm claiming I'm a stud muffin of a male model.

If he can make shit up, so can I.

[nostamj]

14. and I'm the QUEEN OF ENGLAND

(and Brooklyn, of course)

;-)

[Cocoa]

16. go to jail over that stupid memo?

he sounds more like the creator of Hi and Lois, because he's making me laugh. :-)

[Richardo]

27. LOL! WTG Comic Book Guy

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! :D

[Semi_subversive]

17. I'll bet he was one of those kids

in school that did their best to piss people off and then got their asses kicked.

[CO Liberal]

18. I'm Sure He Beat Up Other Kids & Stole Their Lunch Money

He's still a bully.

[Armstead]

21. He's not a bully

Rush Limbaugh is a bully.

Hannity is the guy in the front of the room who would say: "Teacher you forgot to give us homework." Or he would stick his tongue out at a fellow classmate, and then when the classmate throws a spitball at him he'd start bawling "Teacher! Johnny threw a spitball at me!"

At least Rush has a sense of humor and is clever. Hannity is just a phony moral indignation machine.

[Armstead]

22. He's not a bully

Rush Limbaugh is a bully.

Hannity is the guy in the front of the room who would say: "Teacher you forgot to give us homework." Or he would stick his tongue out at a fellow classmate, and then when the classmate throws a spitball at him he'd start bawling "Teacher! Johnny threw a spitball at me!"

At least Rush has a sense of humor and is clever. Hannity is just a phony moral indignation machine.

[tom_paine]

23. The smaller kids, of course

H eprobably toadied to the bigger kids who could kick his ass.

[rasputin1952]

19. Being born and bred in NYC...

I can assure you that your thoughts are not that far from the truth. However, I would like to add, that he would have gotten his ass kicked once, then retreat into a shell, figuring he would pounce when he could. He reminds me of a little punk that never had a grip of reality.

I ggoled hannity...and got tired of reading the autobiographies. No where was a class in Journalism mentioned, in fact, I did not even see where ANY education was mentioned. He is a shameless self promoter and makes all NY'ers look bad.

:kick:

[PopSixSquish]

25. To Quote Suzanne Sugerbaker...

"I donate to the SPCA, but that doesn't make me a cat"

[kyrasdad]

26. Hannity is a journalist

and I'm a 275 pound Chippendale Dancer...

[qanda]

28. Well, Bush* is claiming he's the President,

So I guess anything goes these days.

[Unknown Known]

30. Let him keep yapping!

Crybaby Insannity is making himself look loonier everyday. By the sounds of it, he needs to pee in a cup:evilgrin:

[Westegg]

31. Hannity

Hannity's not merely strident---he's just plain dumb. Makes Rush look like a genius. His passive supplication at the feet of whatever GOP senator or Bush spokesperson he has on his program is simply embarrassing.

[RebelOne]

35. Not passive supplication

Ass-kissing is the more appropriate term.

[djg21]

32. Amazing

He and Drudge and Rush etc. claim to be merely "entertainers" when that label suits them (for instance, when drudge disparaged Blumenthal, or when Rush's drug habit was disclosed), and then the claim to be journalists when that label is more convenient. Fuck them all. Hold him in contempt and send him to jail.

[Cat Atomic]

34. Ok, he's a journalist. A journalist who gets 15 solid hours of national

airtime every week.

Which makes the media very obviously conservative. So why does he bitch about the liberal media?

[MessiahRp]

36. Hannity should be investigated

for putting so many buffets out of business. I mean I know he has a big mouth to fill but jesus... :)

Rp

[HotAndSpicy]

38. Journalist, no

but should he, and others who have the same job have that shield of protection? Yes.

[LincolnMcGrath]

39. Even for national security reasons?

Please,, This was a memo from the intelligence committee.

[CO Liberal]

40. Hannity Getting Hold of a Memo From The Intelligence Committee...

...is an oxymoron - with the emphasis on "moron".

:-)

PS to any lurkers from Hannity.com - your boy Sean sucks, and so do you!!!

[CO Liberal]

41. "Sean Hannity, You're No Journalist"

To paraphrase Lloyd Bensen, when he made his famous remark to Dan "Mr. Potatoe Head" Quayle.

:-)

[PretzelzRule]

42. Oh, that's RICH!

LMFAO!!

I can't remember the last time I witnessed real journalism....they're practically extinct...

[corarose]

43. He didn't graduate from High School

He's a journalists like I am Queen Of England.

[Muddleoftheroad]

44. Whether we like it or not

He would fall under journalism rules. Like Helen Thomas, he is now a commentator, but they still are both covered by protections of journalism.

[corarose]

45. Funny how you point out Helen Thomas

She has been a Journalist for years.

Insanity has nothing but hate in him and he is TRASH!

[Muddleoftheroad]

46. She is a perfect example

Because now she is a pundit and columnist. She, in fact, is the ideal example. She has been a journalist her entire career but no longer writes news, now she only writes opinion. Still she and he are covered under the protections of journalism, even though neither could accurately be described as merely a journalist.

[elperromagico]

47. And Alan Colmes is claiming that he's a liberal

Ordinary night on Hannity and Colmes, eh?

[CO Liberal]

48. But Then Again, Sean Also Claims to be a Christian

And he ain't acting very Christ-like, IMHO.

[Bombero1956]

49. well in that case

I'm Santa Clause and I want all the kiddies to line up outside my door starting tomorrow.

[corarose]

54. InSannity is a Christian like I am a

Nun!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

50. and i'm albert einstien

[Guaranteed]

51. "Dear Diary,

Another day of whoring and lying for the Bush administration! Boy, would I ever love to get my hands on that hunk G.W.! Someday...

Love,
Sean

"

[rustydog]

52. If he's a journalist, I'm a proctologist

I know a real butt-hole when I see one.

[hansberrym]

53. Does the freedom of the press belong to each of us?

Or does it belong only to certain persons such as members of an official press corps?

Is there a "select" press?

[atre]

55. Explanation of Press Clause and this Journalist Privilege Nonsense

In one of the very few cases recognizing any substance in the Press Clause, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a Minnesota tax on ink and paper targetted towards the top newspapers in that state violated the Clause. In that sense, the Press Clause only adds the press (collectively) to the "suspect classes" which triggers heightened scrutiny, creating a strong presumption- in a sense- that the regulation is unconstitutional.

The Court has specifically rejected notions that the Press Clause requires a journalists' privilege not to disclose sources. Therefore, if a court orders a journalist to divulge sources on the stand, he has no recourse whatsoever unless the jurisdictions statutorily (or by judicial fiat) recognizes a journalists' privilege not to disclose sources.

Even in jurisdictions which recognize a journalist's privilege (like D.C.), it is merely conditional and can easily be defeated upon a showing by the prosecutor that the ends of justice would be met by requiring disclosure. Unless the identity of the informant is of no value to the determination of the trial, the court will generally order disclosure even in journalist privilege jurisdictions.

I feel this point is moot. Has anyone actually threatened Hannity with prosecution? Or is this just grandstanding?

[hansberrym]

56. Seems like grandstanding.

My point in responding to the post was the questioned begged by the claim that Hannity is not a journalist, therefor not deserving of a journalist's privilege.

Whatever the extent of the so called journalist's privilege(I do not doubt your information regarding the extent of the privelege), it must apply ot all of us equally since the freedom of the press applies to all of us.

There was a very interesting back-and-forth during the audio carried by CSPAN of the supreme court hearing on the constitutionality of the Campaign Finance Law. Surprisingly it was Scalia defending the idea that the freedom of the press applies to all of us, and someone else (I don't remember who that was) suggesting that the "press" in the first amendment was a distinct group of people.