Sunday, April 10, 2005

Gosch-2-Gannon: Was a reporter fired?

Remember that alternative weekly in Iowa that published a (somewhat skeptical) piece on the Johnny Gosch-Jeff Gannon conspiracy theory (I theory I've tended to scoff at)? Well, this notice has been making the rounds on some right-wing boards (as well as some left-wing sites, such as this one)...

Print crackdown on Gosch/Gannon Inquiry? (or ''Jeff Gannon'''s background)

by "anonymous" -- April 7, 2005

The alternative weekly paper that published the Gannon/Gosch piece closed its doors the day the story came out and will not print another issue. The paper will apparently be printing under the name of another alt-type weekly paper in town (cityview) but the writer of the Pointblank piece - the managing editor - was fired. Apparently, the company that owns the new paper is owned by Michael Gartner, a high-powered individual in Des Moines who owns the Minor league baseball team in that town, oversees a state board that disburses funds to big business, and was a former writer for the Des Moines Register and Tribune who once won a Pulitzer. He was also once president of NBC news, but was forced to leave after the debacle when they blew up trucks with rockets to make them look like they exploded on impact.

Interesting no?...
I remain very skeptical about all of this. Still: Let's keep an eye on it.

The writer of the piece in question is one Tim Schmitt, and I have yet to receive any confirmation that he has, in fact, been fired. Schmitt has, however, gotten into trouble over a previous -- and unrelated -- controversy. Apparently, an earlier story by Schmitt may have incorrectly identified a man as a crack user.

So presuming a Gannon link may well be premature.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hate unsubstantiated rumors, so I looked this stuff up. According to the Des Moines Register, Cityview was sold on Wednesday, and ten staff members were fired the same day. No names were mentioned. The remaining employees will be interviewed to see who stays and who goes. "We don't know how it's going to all fall out," says Cityview's music critic.
http://www.dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050407/BUSINESS04/504070393/1029

I also looked up Michael Gartner. He was the editor of the Des Moines Register until 1982, when the title was passed to James Gannon, the man who mocked Noreen Gosch in the pages of the Register - which was, of course, the paper that Johnny Gosch worked for delivering newspapers.
I don't know what all of this means, but it sure is strange.

Anonymous said...

And, for the sake of verification, you can enter Pointblank's URL:

http://www.pointblank-dm.com

at which time you will be re-directed to "City View - Central Iowa's Smart Alternative".

So as of (at the very latest) Saturday April 16, 2005 (today), Pointblank and its website no longer exist.

Anonymous said...

When I click on the "contact us" link at the cityview site, it opens a new blank-mail message to..jron@pointblank-dm.com

Anonymous said...

I've also been reading today that the MSNBC show "Dietl and Daniels" has been cancelled after running a segment on the same issue in their initial broadcast.

Anonymous said...

If anyone still wonders about the validity of the Gosch/Gannon story with all the inferences, all anyone has to do is watch what's happening AROUND the story, beginning with America's Most Wanted. "They" tried to stop John Walsh's story on Johnny Gosch from airing.."They" won't let anything on Gannon/Gosch air--Now, I'm learning that, mysteriously, today's advertised MSNBC interview (4/22 Dietl and Daniels Show)on Jeff Gannon/Noreen Gosch has not only been taken off the air, but the show has been cancelled as well. Talk about hitting a nerve!--What in the world is going on with this news story, and who is Jeff Gannon--We really want to know, now that we're seeing the hugest attempts to silence this story. What kind of power is behind this cover-up of epic proportions?

Anonymous said...

Trust me....

The only thing that cancelled Deitl and Daniels was Deitl....

No big conspiracy here...