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Yesterday started with an early flight to Columbus, Ohio . I was told about the Ohio trip the evening before (7 p.m.?) We don’t do much planning, do we?
We expected to spend only the day in Columbus, covering the disappearance of a medical student, and then fly back to D.C. to do the show out of D.C. A long day, but one we could do without staying over night in Ohio. Needless to say, we did not pack… (and this turns out to have been a mistake.)
A short time after we arrived in Columbus, I received an e-mail asking if I could go to Dallas from Columbus. I said, “Sure… why?” I was told why and while I worked in Columbus I called my assistant to help make arrangements for travel.
We finished our work in Columbus (we conducted several interviews at several locations) and then went (raced?) to the airport and flew to Dallas. We also arranged for a D.C. colleague to go to our homes and get some clothes (I have a suitcase packed at all times… I was just an idiot and neglected to bring it with me.)
We arrived in Dallas, rented a car, drove to a hotel, checked in and then off to the live shot. We did not have time to eat dinner. I went over the show with my senior producer by cell phone (and of course, I had been doing this all day long when I had a few minutes to talk.) We did the show, headed back to the hotel, grabbed some room service… and now?
We are headed to Atlanta in two hours — if all goes as planned (which it does not often) I expect to be there late afternoon. We are celebrating FOX News’ 10 years on the air by going across the country to thank viewers.
I get asked all the time when we sleep. That’s easy: on the plane. I slept from D.C. to Columbus and then took two naps in the almost 3-hour flight to Dallas from Columbus.
(By the way, I have posted some pictures from our tour of the USA yesterday and my favorite of the pictures is the one of our “glamorous” office. Wait until you see where we can have an office to put on the show — click here to check out the pics.)
Incidentally, we have a great show planned for tonight from Atlanta, including Beth Holloway Twitty , who just got home from Holland. Stay tuned…
One other thing — and this is random — but I just heard a discussion on TV about this: constitutional errors are NOT “technicalities.” I hear so many people calling constitutional rights “technicalities.”
Now for some e-mails:
E-mail No. 1
Greta,
I wonder who is gonna pay for John Karr‘s trip back to Thailand… to get him out of the country. And if he’s going back on a champagne flight.
Jim Arnold
Lebanon, PA
E-mail No. 2
Ref: News coverage on Dallas Cowboy T. Owens: It’s a personal medical problem, it’s overdone and in case it hasn’t occurred, to anyone at FNC: “It’s NONE OF OUR BUSINESS. It’s a PERSONAL PROBLEM! And most viewers are nauseated with incessant coverage. ENOUGH ALREADY… either hang him or butt out, but stop the gossip! Golly.”
Bob
San Diego, CA
E-mail No. 3
Hi Greta,
What the heck kind of “supplements” is he taking? What is it, extra calcium supplements to heal his broken bones in his hand? I don’t know, maybe that extra “calcium” made him make a “bone-head” mistake. Not like I’ve never been a “bone-head” and can make and have made mistakes. No Ma’am, not me. Watch, as I ascend into heaven on my own spotlessness! (Yeah, right, tee-hee). I know the value of God given pain medication, though. I can imagine he was in some pain with a broken hand. I myself was stabbed 55 times and lived through it. Never broke a bone in my life though! I thank God for the morphine and codeine that pretty much saved me from going out of my skull in pain during that time! I don’t know, I think I’ll pass on making any judgments on this. It was a personal mistake, or something he made, and was not endangering anyone else physically.
Blessings,
Todd Nado
Brighton, MI
E-mail No. 4
Greta,
Normally I would say no to revealing sources. Our society needs journalists that can keep tabs on elected officials, and corporations. Unfortunately, in this case I say yes. Grand jury testimony has to be kept sealed to protect the integrity of the judicial process. If a witness cannot be confident that what they have said under oath in a grand jury process well be protected, then why testify at all?
Scot Raffelson
E-mail No. 5
Greta,
On the whole, journalists should protect sources. I disagree this is absolute. It is not. The concept as a whole largely favors the press and I agree with that.
When a clear criminal investigation is underway, then common sense should rule. I can see a confidential source being protected, but not the data gathered from the source. Anything less than a criminal investigation, the source is protected.
An example of where a source should be given up is who is the leaker of classified information to the NY Times? The leaker is clearly doing this for political reasons and as a result, putting real lives at risk. Sorry, in that scenario sources must be given up or the journalist must suffer the same consequences of treason as the source. Especially in a time of war (whether or not one agrees we are at war).
Prosecutors should only go after the source where strong evidence suggests the source committed a crime, otherwise don’t bother. If a source thinks the president is a scumbag, sorry. Source is protected. Source wants to kill a sitting president, sorry, must reveal the source.
Revealing classified intelligence during a hot war? Charge of treason applies. Journalist won’t give up the source? They suffer the same consequences.
Russ Eggen
Dunedin, FL
E-mail No. 6
Greta,
I can understand the need to protect the source in most cases, except for when someone’s credibility or life is on the line. When it comes to classified government information, I think the news personnel should be held responsible to either disclose their source or face jail time. We do have a free speech society, however I don’t believe that when our founding father’s wrote that, they meant that it was okay for the press to give the enemy information on our tactics or secrets. I remember watching “In the Army Now” with Pauly Shore some years ago and the leader of the bad guys new about an attack that was taking place the following morning, then he said that he got his news from CNN. As a nation we have to put certain restrictions on our free speech or we are going to end up being our own demise. The New York Times and other outlets that are breaking stories that are deemed classified should be hit with multimillion dollar fines as well as having managing editors and reporters punished to the maximum extent of the law as treason.
Mark A. Alcantar
Las Vegas, NV
One last item today: A few minutes ago in an interview I said something I regret — regret more than you can imagine. In answering a question of whether I was aware of something I said, “I am not blind… I read newspapers, etc.” No sooner did the words slip out of my mouth that I wanted to slit my throat. I am so mad at myself. Of course blind people are very aware of what goes on in the world… and they read newspapers in many ways. Many people with impaired vision are more aware of news than those with 20-20. Apparently I am the ignorant one. Plus, my own family had blindness and I should know better. My Mother suffered from macular degeneration and when she was living with my husband and me in the last years of her life I used to race home from work between the two daily shows I worked on at CNN and read to her. Her blindness was very difficult for her. I know others are more triumphant over blindness than she was, but for our family it was difficult watching her struggle with it. So, if anyone heard my remark, please understand that I, too, heard myself say it and regret my insensitivity. I am so mad at myself, but I hope I have learned.
Send your thoughts and comments to: ontherecord@foxnews.com
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