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Friday, March 28, 2008
Whistleblower Makes Up McGurk Story? McGurk Makes Up Wulsin Story?
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
Reporter Margaret McGurk may have have fabricated information in a news story, but she’s quick to respond to what she says is a false story about herself.
As we’ve reported, McGurk claimed US congressional candidate Dr. Victoria Wulsin worked an employee of the Heimlich Institute. We have our doubts about that so we’ve repeatedly asked McGurk to provide the source of her claim. Her response? No response. She just ignores us. We figured that perhaps, like Greta Garbo, Ms. McGurk shuns attention.
Such thoughts were dispelled yesterday morning. Turns out that if she thinks another publication has made up something about her, Ms. McGurk quickly finds the key light:
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:46:54 -0400
From: “The Dean of Cincinnati” <dean@cincinnatibeacon.com>
To:
Subject: Media Inquiry
Cc: , ,
Keith Bulling, Human Resources Manager
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Dear Mr. Bulling,
From Hoyer to Stump for Wulsin, a March 18 Enquirer blog item by Carl Weiser about a March 20 Wulsin for Congress fundraiser featuring US House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (my underlining):
The March 21 Whistleblower (the local political tattler newsletter run by Jim Schifrin) posted the following item about Enquirer reporter Margaret McGurk (my underlining):
Disingenuous DemocRAT Steny Hoyer was in town to raise funds for Congressional DemocRAT candidates Steve Driehaus and Icky Vicky Wulsin (Millionaire-Indian Hill). Wulsin requested a name speaker to come here but only got Hoyer. Nobody knows who Hoyer is and Hoyer doesn’t know the candidates. At the Wulsin fund-raiser in the usual house in Walnut Hills, her supporters cringed at Virus Vic’s exaggerated arm-flapping, handclasps, lip-smacking and getting down on her knees on the floor to talk to people. Feminist Fishwrapper Margaret McGurk was there with her obvious drooling woman-crush on Icky Vicky.
To my knowledge, neither the Enquirer print, online edition, or blog has published any reports about the fund raiser which, as Mr. Weiser reported, was “closed to the press.”
Therefore I’m trying to determine if, in fact, Ms. McGurk attended the event and, if so, in what capacity. Typically I’d address such questions directly to the reporter. However, as we’ve reported, Ms. McGurk has failed to respond to repeated inquiries concerning her reporting about the Ohio 2nd Congressional campaign. Therefore I assume she would be unlikely to respond to this inquiry. Since my questions concern Enquirer employment policy, I’m directing them to you. In the interests of providing fair opportunity, I’m copying Ms. McGurk in the event she wishes to respond.
1) Did Ms. McGurk, in fact, attend Dr. Wulsin’s March 20 fundraiser?
2) If so, in what capacity did she attend, as a representative of The Enquirer or as an individual?
3) If she attended as an Enquirer representative, which editor assigned the story to her and did she ever turn in any copy?
4) If she attended as an individual, given that Ms. McGurk has filed recent stories about the Ohio 2nd race, does that constitute a violation of any Enquirer or Gannett employee policies? If so, what are those violations?
I’m reporting this story this Friday, so please respond no later than 5pm Thursday.
Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to a reply.
Sincerely,
[The Dean of Cincinnati]
The Cincinnati Beacon
cc: Margaret McGurk, Carl Weiser, Jim Schifrin
A few hours later, look who managed to find her way to the keyboard?:
From: McGurk, Margaret <MMCGURK@cincinna.gannett.com>
Date: Wed, Mar 26, 2008 at 9:56 PM
Subject: In regard to your inquiry of Masrch 26, 2008
To:
Cc:
Mr. Shifrin is mistaken. I was not present at the March 20 Wulsin fundraiser in any capacity.
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
312 Elm St.
Cincinnati OH 45202
Garbo speaks! Since the lines of communication appeared to be open, we quickly replied:
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:36:07 -0400
From: “The Dean of Cincinnati”
To: “McGurk, Margaret” <MMCGURK@cincinna.gannett.com
Subject: Re: In regard to your inquiry of Masrch 26, 2008
Cc: , ,
Ms. McGurk,
Thank you for your message, which I plan to report tomorrow. By the end of today, would you also please answer the fact-check question which I sent you on February 23 and 26, to which I never received your reply. From your 2/17/08 article, The Debunko Squad - Wulsin’s work criticized.
(Dr.) Wulsin worked for the (Heimlich) institute in 2004...
Please provide me with the source of information on which you based your claim that Dr. Wulsin was employed by the Heimlich Institute. If you are unwilling to answer the question, please state your reason(s).
Sincerely,
[The Dean of Cincinnati]
The Cincinnati Beacon
No reply yet, but maybe Ms. McGarbo’s checking her notes.
In the meantime, what about Jim Schifrin? Did The Whistleblower blow it? If he got a bum tip, will he out his source and publish a correction? Or will he stand by his claim?
Kind of an interesting journalism integrity match race here between two local publications, The Enquirer and The Whistleblower. Will either one back up their work or publish a correction or will they both simply “vant to be ah-lone”? We’ll keep you posted.
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28 Mar 2008 at 10:24 am | #
1) Dean to McGurk:
(Please) answer the fact-check question which I sent you on February 23 and 26, to which I never received your reply. From your 2/17/08 article, The Debunko Squad - Wulsin’s work criticized.
(Dr.) Wulsin worked for the (Heimlich) institute in 2004...
Please provide me with the source of information on which you based your claim that Dr. Wulsin was employed by the Heimlich Institute. If you are unwilling to answer the question, please state your reason(s).
2) From: http://www.asne.org/ideas/codes/gannettcompany.htm
GANNETT NEWSPAPER DIVISION
PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR NEWSROOMS
Correcting errors
When errors occur, the newspaper has an ethical obligation to correct the record and minimize harm.
* Errors should be corrected promptly. But first, a determination must be made that the fact indeed was in error and that the correction itself is fully accurate.
* Errors should be corrected with sufficient prominence that readers who saw the original error are likely to see the correction. This is a matter of the editor’s judgment.
* Although it is wise to avoid repeating the error in the correction, the correction should have sufficient context that readers will understand exactly what is being corrected.
* Errors of nuance, context or tone may require clarifications, editor’s notes, editor’s columns or letters to the editor.
* When the newspaper disagrees with a news subject about whether a story contained an error, editors should consider offering the aggrieved party an opportunity to express his or her view in a letter to the editor.
* Corrections should be reviewed before publication by a senior editor who was not directly involved in the error. The editor should determine if special handling or outside counsel are required.
* Errors should be corrected whether or not they are called to the attention of the newspaper by someone outside the newsroom.
* Factual errors should be corrected in most cases even if the subject of the error does not want it to be corrected. The rationale for this is rooted in the Truth Principle. It is the newspaper’s duty to provide accurate information to readers. An exception may be made – at the behest of the subject – when the correction of a relatively minor mistake would result in public ridicule or greater harm than the original error.
* Newsroom staffers should be receptive to complaints about inaccuracies and follow up on them.
* Newsroom staffers have a responsibility to alert the appropriate editor if they become aware of a possible error in the newspaper.
28 Mar 2008 at 10:51 am | #
.
Oh PLEASE !
Charles Foster Kane’s publication is a tabloid work of fiction. They will claim several people are at events, including Jim, to present their rhetoric.
Surely, you don’t thin jimmy actually butt danced with mean jean do you ?
28 Mar 2008 at 02:09 pm | #
Freedom Fighters: Charles Foster Kane’s publication is a tabloid work of fiction.
Although CFK’s Whistleblower is given to hyperbole, silliness, and vulgarity, I’m unsure if he actually makes up factual information, such as claiming that a named individual was present at a specific event.
This situation certainly presents an opportunity for him to clarify that.
28 Mar 2008 at 05:09 pm | #
.
“...I’m unsure if he actually makes up factual information, such as claiming that a named individual was present at a specific event....”
Not only will he make up that people where someplace, but, he’ll also claim your a no-show when you’re there.
Additionally, he’ll claim candidates are running unopposed when they certainly have opposition.
We can’t believe your even thinking there is an once of credibility in that tabloid.
Certainly, those in the know, KNOW !
.
28 Mar 2008 at 08:51 pm | #
Freedom Fighters, if you have facts to support your allegations, please present them, otherwise you’re simply engaged in the same conduct which you criticize. If you have anything newsworthy to contribute, I’m confident the Dean will consider reporting it.
Also, a quick grammar lesson. Please compare my use of the word “you’re” versus your improper “your.” As those in the know know, this is called a contraction.
01 Apr 2008 at 04:30 pm | #
Now you are basing your increasingly silly postings on the Whistleblower ? That smutty, right-wing gossip sheet put out by corpulent hate monger Jim Schifrin? You have reached a new low. congratulations. And you seem to be misdirecting your frustration that Wulsin won’t respond to a bush league blog at McGurk.
No wonder so few people read you blog these days.
01 Apr 2008 at 05:26 pm | #
So what do you know F.F.? Why don’t you care to share with us?
We all know that the Enquirer is nothing more than just a bunch of people who rewrite AP wire copy.
Just look at how many people HAD to write the Matt Maupin story. In the old days that was a 2 person job. Today there are 5 or 6 people on that one.
PLEEEZZZZ-any College Freshman can rewrite copy!
02 Apr 2008 at 12:26 pm | #
Anon, what’s a “bush league blog”? Are you implying that anyone that criticizes a Democrat is a Bush Republican? If the Dean had a nickel for everytime somebody said he reached a new low or lost his credibility he’d be a very wealthy man right now.
And just because the number of off topic anonymous comments are down doesn’t mean readership is down. There’s surprisingly no correlation between the number of comments and readers. Obviously you’re still reading and so is the rest of the Wulsin campaign.
Don’t be mad at us because we cover the Wulsin malaria-therapy scandal because the best is yet to come. Oh, I mean Immuno-therapy.
02 Apr 2008 at 02:13 pm | #
Don’t be mad at us because we cover the Wulsin malaria-therapy scandal because the best is yet to come.
I didn’t do anything wrong! I reported Dr. Heimlich and Phil to...okay, I didn’t exactly report them to anyone. But I was never serious about taking over the Heimlich Institute! I never met Michele Ashby! Joe Dehner had nothing to do with it either! Also, I love African children and, believe me, SOTENI does something to help them although I’m not exactly sure what we do or where the money goes.
02 Apr 2008 at 02:48 pm | #
Justin,
Ignore FF and let the truth out. The Beacon has been riding the Heimlich/Malaria/Immunotherapy story for a long time and it is time that someone cleans up the table that has to be a disaster for a candidate to make it a TV commercial.
If the Wulsin group is reading and there is more to the TV commercials, I hope that they are ready to stand and tell the truth and not run from you guys.
04 Apr 2008 at 01:00 am | #
The same few persons comment over and over again. And your web traffic is steadily declining. By the way.
04 Apr 2008 at 05:22 am | #
Traffic on this blog always goes down after an election, and then it comes back up. Part of the ebb and flow of having a political blog that focuses primarily on local stuff.
Also, with my second baby I have less time to write, which means less content. Traffic also relates to the frequency of site updates.
04 Apr 2008 at 05:24 am | #
Run a traffic comparison to CityBeat’s political blog, and you’ll see the same pattern in readership—quite similar spikes and valleys.
04 Apr 2008 at 06:10 pm | #
Anon, the same people comment on other blogs too and again comments don’t correlate to readers. You ignored my question and are apparently still sore about the jail and the malaria-therapy scandal. Get over it!