Alaska TV Station Fires Staff for ‘Phonegate’ Plot Against Joe Miller
- Posted on November 2, 2010 at 11:15pm by
Meredith Jessup
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In an election week bombshell, the Senate campaign of Alaska Republican Joe Miller released audio captured on a phone message left by a local television affiliate. In the audio, the Miller campaign claimed, employees of KTVA could be heard discussing plans to undermine Miller’s campaign by purposefully negatively skewing their reports.
After former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin derided the reporters as “corrupt bastards” during a Fox News interview, KTVA claimed the accusations were “absurd” and the comments were taken out of context. “The complete conversation was about what others might be able to do to cause disruption within the Miller campaign, not what KTVA could do,” the station said.
Now the station is backtracking on its comments and has announced that the staff involved in the recorded conversation have been fired.
Local CBS affiliate KTVA announced Tuesday afternoon via press release (.doc) that two producers are no longer with the station as a result of an accidental voice recording which captured newsroom staff discussing coverage plans for Joe Miller rally last Thursday.
“At no time did any of the elements associated with the recorded comments become part of any coverage or broadcast. The recorded conversation in question specifically involved how that evening’s Miller rally might be promoted and the ensuing dialogue went downhill from there. These particular comments were not in line with KTVA standards,” states KTVA General Manager Jerry Bever in the press release.
“As a result of this incident, the two producers involved in the recorded conversation are no longer with the station,” he continued.
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Comments (70)
Red Neckerson
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 2:07amHa Ha they look like scat in moose tracks running from Momma Grizzly!
Report Post »CowboyExpat
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 1:50amRaised my taxes, implemented more stupid security measures at airports as a knee-jerk reaction, failed to enforce immigration statutes, sued those who would, increased to cost of my company provided medical plan…. I’m tired of this BS. Welcome to the first day of Obama’s lame duck presidency, bitch!
Report Post »wrecked
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 1:42amWhere the hell is Dan Blather i mean Dan Rather. I’m sure it must have been some staffers fault. What do you expect from CBS? any one that would watch the alphabet stations has got something wrong with them. But then they will do any thing to keep a democrat in office. go get em CBS. hows that Katie couric working out for ya?
Report Post »mommy5bears
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 1:42amIf those reporters are so brazen in the way the report the so called news JUST IMAGINE what the big guys do on the so called MAIN STREE media. WHAT A JOKE the News media has become! Unfortunately there are too many mind numb robots who do not question anything they are told to believe!
Report Post »heavyduty
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 1:03amTook them long enough. They should have been fired on the spot. But then I guess late is better than never. Good for the station. But if they didn’t then Miller would have grounds to sue.
Report Post »tnturner
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 12:44amSadly, now they may be off to greener and larger market pastures. Keep an eye on them.
Report Post »cmsmik
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 7:58amTnt, so true! I’m sure Huffpo already scooped them up! Lying, smearing, corruption is required to work there. I can’t wait to see how they spin this massacre of the Dem party last night. I bet all they do is talk about Reid and Coons victory, ignoring the shift of power to the Republicans.
Report Post »rosie100
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 12:39amToo bad this information was not disseminated on a national and state level BEFORE the polls closed so that those who doubted the truths that Joe and Sarah spoke about the media disrupting the republican vote would have been heard and affected Joe’s count more. I think Joe would have gotten more votes only this media “chaos” contributed further doubts about Joe Miller’s campaign.
Report Post »pattybbb1
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 12:27amexcellent thing with crooks get fired!
Report Post »davidwjohnson
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 12:26amCBS now needs to do what NPR did without hesitation, drop the affiliate station from the CBS roster for fostering hate and betraying public confidence.
Report Post »Robert W
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 12:16amI love watchin obummers presidency crash n burn!!!
Report Post »lobster
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 12:14amTwo Down 40,000 to go. How did we ever let the news media control our lives so corruptly?
Report Post »longhorn mama
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 12:12amAdded 4 trillion to the federal deficit with a projected deficit of 20 trillion by the end of his term(s).
Deficit too be 77.4% by 2020.
Sabotaged the war effort in Afghanistan with his procrastination, undermanning, deadline, and by coordinating the war plan himself in spite of his generals’ advice.
Almost 10% unemployment with closer to 20% unemployment when you include underemployed and those that gave up.
Stocking his administration with Marxists of various flavors.
Racial polarizing and race-baiting politics.
Stimulus.
Auto takeover.
Obamacare, the Trojan horse of socialized medicine.
I am getting tired and depressed, troll, so I think I’ll stop here.
Report Post »kschmud
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 12:02amBravo!
Report Post »w4jle
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 12:02amHey 13, taking a cue from the Democrats, we didn’t read the messages. I promise that tomorrow I will take the time to peruse your talking points.
Report Post »pcantidote
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 12:00amwhat say you MMFA?
Report Post »Robert W
Posted on November 2, 2010 at 11:58pmAlso helped destroy more babies through abortion. What a guy.
Report Post »Sage0925
Posted on November 2, 2010 at 11:53pmGOOD!!! That’ll teach you to hang up the damn phone, won’t it??? Or do stupid people like you ever learn?
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on November 2, 2010 at 11:50pmDitto.
Report Post »Verum Ad Potentia
Posted on November 2, 2010 at 11:36pmBless you 13, and may your eyes be opened to the pabulum you have been fed.
Report Post »mikenleeds
Posted on November 2, 2010 at 11:33pmSum ,, they all should be fired
Report Post »Tundra4x4
Posted on November 2, 2010 at 11:26pmIt took this Communist Broadcasting System affiliate, what, 3 days to fire these criminals? What they did was conspire to commit a crime. They, the station and its management need to be charged and convicted for their actions.
Report Post »SnapTie
Posted on November 2, 2010 at 11:22pmWhy wait so long, I hate lying media.
Report Post »Ms. Jones
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 2:26amWhy wait so long? Let the scandal remain unresolved until AFTER the polls close.
Report Post »Okpulot Taha
Posted on November 2, 2010 at 11:22pmWell, this is a surprising about-face after Bever adamantly denied any wrong doing.
Sarah Palin called this perfectly, “corrupt bastards”.
Okpulot Taha
Report Post »Choctaw Nation
EgoBrain
Posted on November 2, 2010 at 11:20pmGood. My letter writing campaign, might have helped.
Report Post »TruthTalker
Posted on November 2, 2010 at 11:29pmI bet it did
Report Post »cmsmik
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 7:37amGood job Egobrain!
Report Post »TruthTalker
Posted on November 2, 2010 at 11:18pmgood
Report Post »Robert W
Posted on November 2, 2010 at 11:26pmLiberals take notice…its our country again, watch what you say.
Report Post »DrammyCoke
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 12:51amThey earned it!!!
Report Post »SgtBarrett
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 6:55amPlease dont ask libs to watch what they say. Please, let them spout who they are from the mountain tops! That way it’s easier to spot them and call them out.
Report Post »chazman
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 7:42amThat’s right, SARGE. I want all Liberal Marxists’ on the LIST. We must never allow them to attain positions of authority again.
Report Post »Thomas Payne
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 8:35amToo bad we cant carve it into their foreheads like Brad Pitt did to the Nazi’s in Inglorious Basterds. That way, no matter what “uniform” they want to wear, we can still spot them……
Report Post »HKS
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 9:15amLooks to me like Alaska has more problems then that, something smells there.
Report Post »jamesctheman
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 11:17amAmerica has begun building a new foundation. Liberal media gaffs at the GOP, Tea Party will not stop, but we stand together against them. We show them they can & will lose. Backtrack all you want. These were just the ones at the station that got caught.
Report Post »butler180
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 11:18amRight on, Right on, Right on. Kudos to Rush
Report Post »I am 'We the People
Posted on November 3, 2010 at 2:10pmThey should not just be fired, they should be investigated for fraud as they had access to company materials and information to commit the felony.
Report Post »White Devil
Posted on November 4, 2010 at 8:37pmHow do we know they were fired? Where is the proof?
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