Re: You Da Man (on Da Street)

[Donna Halper <dlh@donnahalper.com>]

At 11:19 PM 6/16/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>Some time ago, Auntie Donna shared her article on media
>hoaxers with us, so I'd be interested in getting her comments on another
>kind of media manipulator.

This is a problem that afflicts the right-wing, left-wing and moderate 
media outlets-- you are in a hurry and you need a quote, and here is this 
perfectly normal looking guy and he is willing to give you a comment... and 
so what if he has been quoted about 300 times over the years and has no 
expertise other than getting himself admitted to events and getting 
journalists to notice him?  I also notice that some of the talk shows 
"round up the usual suspects", using the same guest commentators over and 
over, as if nobody else out there might possibly have an opinion.  But hey, 
as much as Greg Packer (the guy who gets quoted way too much for no 
apparent reason) needs to get a life, at least he is a real person:  some 
journalists we all know have made up quotes or made up the people they 
quoted... sigh...