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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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5

Media Sucked Up to Sanford to Get Access, Emails Show

News outlets offered aides a 'friendly' ear

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(Newser) – No surprise that a lot of media outlets tried to butter up Mark Sanford’s aides in order to win interviews with the governor when he was AWOL in Argentina. But their emails, obtained by the State, show the lengths they were willing to go to, some coming about as close as you can get to promising to put a positive spin on what turned out to be a major scandal. “You know that you will be on friendly ground here!” gushes a Washington Times staffer to a Sanford rep. “I’ve already have calls from others who want to bash,” notes a local TV host. “I’m not doing that!”

National ABC correspondent Jake Tapper slammed NBC’s coverage of the story as “slimy” in an email to the Sanford spokesman. Meanwhile, a blogger offered to “push back” against “media speculation” over the AWOL Sanford. These are no-nos, says a media expert: “You can’t promise friendly ground. It’s legitimate to ask for a focused interview, but you have to ask about current events.”

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford gestures during an interview with the Associated Press in his office in Columbia, S.C., Tuesday, June 30, 2009.
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford gestures during an interview with the Associated Press in his office in Columbia, S.C., Tuesday, June 30, 2009.   (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford waves to his staff as he walks down the hallway to his office at the Statehouse June 29, 2009 in Columbia, S.C.
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford waves to his staff as he walks down the hallway to his office at the Statehouse June 29, 2009 in Columbia, S.C.   (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford gestures as he talks during an interview with the AP about his relationship with an Argentine mistress in his Columbia, S.C., Statehouse office June 30, 2009.
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford gestures as he talks during an interview with the AP about his relationship with an Argentine mistress in his Columbia, S.C., Statehouse office June 30, 2009.   (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
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Having known the Governor for years and even worked with him when he would host radio shows for me—I find this story and the media frenzy surrounding it to be absolutely ridiculous! Please give him my best. - A Fox correspondent's email

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5 comments
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Bambi
Jul 15, 09 11:21 AM CDT
Like the CIA, news agencies need to interrogate. This 'scandal' is certainly less urgent than those the CIA typically deals with, but then journalists' methods of getting information are accordingly, shall we say, less severe than those of the CIA. I'm inclined to think that promises of spin-correction are unlikely to be kept tightly between scoop-seeking jounalists and scandalized politicians despite promises recorded in phone calls and email. There's more serious, chronic and blatant problems of major news-agency spin, manipulation and mind-control over at Fox than anything the emails reported about here could ever hope to match. Reply
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schmidtkoff
Jul 15, 09 11:28 AM CDT
he's the gov. he's an adulterer, he abandoned his staff and the whole state of SC, yet he remains the golden boy. he still holds his head up high. shame on him shame on the hipocracy of .SC the moral, god fearing belieif in the man perfect. f-you.Sc Reply
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Snarfeh
Jul 15, 09 1:12 PM CDT
Damn, I thought it said "sucked off" at first...then again, what's the difference, eh? Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
kokuaguy
Jul 15, 09 1:36 PM CDT
Good point, Sharfie.
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Observer
Jul 15, 09 3:01 PM CDT
He should run for President. What a leader! Reply
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