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10/08/2001 This incident set the talking heads to chattering. Every aspect of the eavesdropped conversation was examined from every possible angle. Few TV viewers ever heard a full explanation of why then-Governor George Bush would want to call this guy a bad name. But now, Clymer himself has given the world an excellent example. This past Tuesday, 10/02/2001, elderly Senator Strom Thurmond, R-SC, collapsed on the floor of the Senate. [Sen. Thurmond's collapse was determined to be a fainting spell brought on by dehydration. Reportedly, he is now doing just fine.] Reporters were removed from the Senate gallery and TV cameras controlled by the Senate were turned off. U.S. Capitol Police established a security perimeter, forcing reporters from the second-floor hallways and restricting access on the East Front plaza where Sen. Thurmond was brought to an ambulance. The high drama lit the fuse of Adam Clymer. He complained that Robert Petersen, the director of the Senate Daily Press Gallery, failed to look after reporters' interests. Perhaps the reporters interests were not a priority at the time! "Anyone who closes the gallery and keeps the press from doing its job shouldn't be working in the press gallery,' Clymer said moments after butting heads with Petersen at a media stakeout over the issue of access to the galleries. "He is a bureaucratic hack." "Daschle went along with it," Clymer continued, "and that is outrageous." Petersen refused to comment on the argument except to say, "He asked me 'Do you think the gallery should be cleared?' and I said, 'Well, common decency is if a man was dying, you wouldn't want an audience.'" - Mark Preston, Roll Call Is it really so hard for Mr. Clymer to understand that gawking at the ill, injured, and deceased is generally considered to be in poor taste? This issue came up recently with picture takers at the ruins of the World Trade Center. Lt. Dan Nichols, spokesman for the Capitol Police, defended the decision to take security steps when Thurmond fell ill, saying that clearing the galleries so medical teams could "work on a Member with a certain amount of discretion and decorum" was appropriate. "We had a situation where a Member of Congress needed medical assistance, and we have to make sure we got the medical teams in ... that is our responsibility." - Mark Preston, Roll Call The article goes on to explain that many members of the press who cover Capitol Hill have found that heightened security since the terrorist attacks of September 11 oppressive. Yet this security incident was strictly a matter of showing respect for a long-time public servant. Except for the partisan vultures anxiously awaiting the demise of certain elderly legislators, decent people prefer privacy in medical treatment - for themselves and others. Hard to imagine why anyone would call Clymer a "major league asshole". Maybe Daschle would now agree with Dick Cheney's "big time" endorsement of George W. Bush's observation. - Brent Baker, Media Research Center Sadly, we can't do anything about Clymer's personality flaws, but we can let his bosses know what we think. Below is the contact information: Letters to the Editor Russell T. Lewis, President and Chief Executive Officer Read more here:
Roll Call, 10/04/2001 When you feel your personal media bias tolerance gauge rising into the red zone, don't throw stuff at the TV screen! Send your suggestion to outrage@fairpress.org! Each week, one hideous example of media bias will be selected for closer examination. Hmmmmmm . . .
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