Reporter quits at WHYY over angry (liberal) message

[scoopmeister]

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/10299287.htm

A voice-mail message left last week at the Virginia office of Laptoplobbyist.com, a conservative Internet site, went like this:

"Hi, my name is Rachel, and my telephone number is... I wanted to tell you that you're evil, horrible people. You're awful people. You represent horrible ideas. God hates you and he wants to kill your children. You should all burn in hell. Bye."

Rachel is Rachel Buchman, 25, a regular reader of Laptoplobbyist's e-mail newsletter - and a reporter with public radio station WHYY-FM (90.9) for about three years. And she left her office number at WHYY in the message last Tuesday.

Laptoplobbylist executive director Chris Carmouche, who said he'd had no personal dealings with Buchman before, learned of her WHYY tie when he returned her call Friday night. During their conversation, he questioned her journalistic impartiality.

Yesterday morning, Carmouche went a step further. He e-mailed his 150,000 members a transcript of the message and a link to an audio clip of it. He said he did that "to put some perspective on the term 'media bias.' In many cases, we're finding it to be too soft of a term to describe the journalistic activism and outright hatred that some of the younger journalists are exhibiting these days."

(snip)

[sniffa]

1. good for her

i hope she gets hired pronto.

[poppet]

2. Since when is speaking the truth

biased?

[trapper914]

3. Pretty dumb thing to do...

As a journalist, if you're going to editorialize on a voice mail, you leave your home number. By leaving the radio station number, she gives them a "media bias" black eye.

[Supersedeas]

31. More than stupid...I'll second the PARLOCK motion on this one

[genieroze]

4. We should all call them and leave them our own message.

lol

What a freeper site, holy crap
http://www.laptoplobbyist.com/

[nibbana]

23. But they take your privacy very serious!!! Phone number here..

Laptoplobbyist.com
888-864-1964
888-239-9306 FAX

We take your privacy very seriously, you can read our privacy statement here.

[pokercat999]

35. Have some fun

they have an opinion poll about NPR if all DUers would respond we could really mess with their minds. Well if they had a mind we could mess with it.....on second thought forget about it.

[Rush1184]

42. What is with repubs hating NPR?

I mean seriously...

[trogdor]

36. Lousy web design.

Makes BartCop look slick by comparison. Resembles the work of a small team of 7th graders.

The content is even worse. They hit the same one note with a sledgehammer - that we're a bunch of hating haters who hate. Apart from that, there isn't a single thing on that site that even remotely resembles a cogent argument.

150,000 members read this tripe? Give me a break! DU has about 60,000 members, and DU has been around for four years. 150,000 member mailing list purchased from some spammer is more like it.

[Flammable Materials]

5. This doesn't pass the smell test.

The important piece of information is buried near the end of the article:

A spokesman said the exchange between Buchman and the Web site "was a personal matter related to e-mails she received at home and did not directly involve WHYY."

This was in direct response to harrassing messages she was receiving. Believe me, I've been on the receiving end of a Freep Attack (back during the Clinton Impeachment) and they ARE evil people. I think the "God wants to kill your children" comment was over the top, but then again, I have no idea what kind of ruthless harrassment she was receiving. I'm quite certain it must have been vicious.

[koopie57]

9. I agree

Didn't the message sound as though it was written by a 12-year-old? The story doesn't seem to add up right.

[genieroze]

13. Does this woman have any kids or younger siblings?

The first thing I thought was someone impersonating her and leaving her work number. I would never leave a message like that. I might say something like "you are all a bunch of narrow minded people and I hope you become enlightened someday" Then again I'm not a journalist and if I were I would have said something tasteful like "I disagree with your politics" LOL

[fraud08]

6. what if all the good journalist quit and started their own blogs ;->

i'm already hooked :evilgrin:

[kayell]

7. Sorry, but that was just plain stupid, and this part -

"God hates you and he wants to kill your children." was every bit as bad as the typical freeper hate drivel. While I completely sympathize with the frustration the woman feels, she went over the line, and connected it to her job.

[trapper914]

10. Agreed

on every point.

A better course of action? Collect all the e-mails she received, go to her program director, and ask to go on the air with an editorial on the subject of the partisan chasm we now face...where a difference in ideas leads to vicious attacks and invasion of privacy (sending e-mail to her home).

[Just Me]

20. I would like to read the inciteful, harassing emails,...

,...because I believe they would provide more perspective on this situation.

Although I hold the young journalist responsible for losing control, I would demand that those who attacked and incited her reaction be held fully accountable for their actions. Moreover, I would further point out that the bully picking a fight then weilding a natural human action as some kind of evidence that the bully is good and the defender is bad is just plain ridiculous.

[BiggJawn]

34. Not so sure about that....

"God hates you and he wants to kill your children."

That's pretty much what I was left with after studying the OT.

Condemns us to eternal damnation for using the brain He gave us. Never mind that His omnipotence should have TOLD Him that we were gonna 'rebel" in the FIRST place....

Abraham has Issac, his only son, late in life. God commands Abe to take Zack into the mountains and sacrifice him. Of course, God says "Whoa! Only funnin', put the knife down!" at the last moment.

God's kinda twisted, IMO.

Suzuki said it best:
"God against man, man against nature, nature against God - very funny!"

[wicket]

8. It was really dumb to leave her office number

If she had left her phone number she probably could have avoided this all since her employer wouldn't have been dragged into it.

[LynnTheDem]

11. "some" like pigboy? Hannity? Coulter? etc etc etc? Oh wait, they're old.

He's referring to YOUNGER journalists. Gee, wonder where they learn such outright hatred from...possibly the OLDER "journalists"?

But this shit is BOGUS. The rightwingnuts are again LYING. What they're not saying is what THEY did to harrass this young reporter to the point she said what she said...and notice SHE left her REAL name & number, unlike the cowardly rightwingnuts.

Two wrongs may not make a right, but who the fuck ever decided we progressives must be 100% angel-perfect??? WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS. We do on occassion get fed up with shit and strike back.

DON'T THROW STONES when you live in GLASS HOUSES, dear rightwingnuttery. And knock off the "poor little us" victimization bullshit, you whining snot-faced little assholes.

[trapper914]

18. Hannity, Coulter, et al

aren't journalists.

[LynnTheDem]

29. Yeah but we don't HAVE journalists in the US of A anyhoo.

Other than the handful remaining.

[bones_7672]

12. If a Repuke did this ...

they'd be crucified on DU. Why does Buchman get a free pass just cuz she's a liberal?

[genieroze]

14. Did http://www.laptoplobbyist.com/ give her a free pass.

No they dragged her boss into this mess. We should try and contact this person, something is wrong with this.

[Ian David]

16. Laptop Lobbyist- An Evil Fundie Scam

Here is an important expose on Laptop Lobbyist

Parenting Your Life, So You Don't Have To
http://home.earthlink.net/~bnesheim/llindex.html


Laptop Lobbyist
Crusader Christians Celebrate Battle Win on Internet!!





Normal Bob Smith got his "Dress Up Jesus" site shut down through a fax campaign organized by Laptoplobbyist.com. Laptop lobbyists found the site offensive because it depicted a an image of a crucified Jesus Christ that could dressed up like a paper doll with various outfits. Laptop Lobbyist was able to have this site removed by making Normal Bob's web host provider aware that he was hosting material that was considered offensive by some people. You may have heard of Normal Bob before. Urban Outfitters got in trouble by selling magnets based on the popular site.

More about Laptop Lobbyist

Also:
Laptop Lobbyist

[soup]

21. Quick work, IanDB1

thank you - and a big welcome to DU. :hi:

I'm looking, too. This whole thing just doesn't sound right to me.

Makes me wonder what got the LL's panties in a wad in the first place, and what set Ms. Buchman off like that?

For what it's worth - found this Veteran's Day special report:

---
Veterans Day
Veterans Day activities take place around the Delaware Valley today. But as soldiers return home from Iraq and Afghanistan, anti-war sentiment in the region runs high. WHYY's Rachel Buchman talked to some local vets about what it means to support the troops. (11/11/04)
http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:t4o0i-zQIcQJ:www.whyy.org/91FM/reports.html+Rachel+Buchman+whyy&hl=en
---

I don't hear anything myself that would lead to it, but is there something there that would rile up some of the LLer's enough to harass Ms. Buchman?

Just trying to figure out what's going on. "God hates you and he wants to kill your children." ??? Whoa!

Wonder if the archive of their action alert newsletter is available anywhere, and if that would provide a clue?

Very weird. Again, thanks for your post. One of the many reasons I love this forum is because there's invariably someone who goes beyond the headlines and shares their findings here.

Dress Up Jesus? They killed Dress Up Jesus? :cry:

[trotsky]

19. "Free pass"?

Maybe you didn't read some of the other reponses on this thread. Several people have said it was stupid, either saying what she did at all, or bringing her employer into it.

Besides, how much to they criticize Ann Coulter - who wanted John Walker Lindh executed to teach liberals a lesson - over at Free Republic?

[leesa]

15. "God hates you and wants to kill your children" Doesn't sound like liberal

speak to me. Is this yet another in the endless line of games by the RW?

[Lerkfish]

27. sounds parlockish to me.

sorry, but it does. I don't think laptop lobbyists should be considered a trustworthy source.

[booksenkatz]

28. LMAO

I was going to post that it sounded "parlocky"... thanks Lerkfish!
LOL

[genieroze]

37. parlockish? eom

[Lerkfish]

39. refers to a munchausen-by-proxy repuke, Parlock, who...

pretended to have his little girl get "assaulted" for having Bush signs at a Kerry rally, complaining about it, getting press for it...to play the victim, when in fact, he had a history of staging such events. (and this time, the "assaulter" turned out to be his son, masquerading as a union member).

do a search for "parlock" here at DU...its rather sordid but interesting, in a severely psychotic sort of way.

[genieroze]

41. My God the guy should have his kids taken away.

That's mental child abuse. Saying he was asaulted is one thing, but involving his children is weird.

[rooboy]

17. She's either dumb enough to be a freeper or smart enough to work for Rove.

eom.

[jobycom]

22. Damn. A journalist actually reporting the truth? Of course she's fired. nt

[VivaKerry]

24. Oh then, well, sure, the s. ct should side with congress.

get rid of public funding. Yeah. Amazing this story came out today. NOT~

[gatorboy]

25. Get a load of the Laptoplobbyist "mission"

Our Mission:

For far too long, the Liberal Establishment has held the reins of power and dictated public policy. They have manipulated the political system, monopolized the mass media, and marginalized honest debate. The result has been crime in the streets, drugs in our schools, higher taxes, lower standards, and an open disdain for "duty, honor, and country."

So the Conservatives have been running every portion of the Gov't for the last 4 years and they still whine about being the underdogs? If liberals have manipulated the political system, someone please send me a link to this Bizarro World they talk about.

[xchrom]

26. the neighborhood has gotten dangerous

and this woman recognizes that fact -- and gotten in their faxe over it.
it's the only way to deal with these fucks.
those of you who think otherwise are being naive -- these folks will actively work toward the demise of liberals -- through character attacks and yes even physical ones.

[NVMojo]

30. having worked as a journalist off and on for 20 years ...

this doesn't sound like any journalist I've worked with, especially leaving the name and phone number and where she worked. Pretty weird if someone values their job to do this.

[hippiegranny]

32. I think she was set up

This does not seem to pass the smell test. I doubt this woman is that stupid.

[scoopmeister]

33. Here's the TRUTH on laptoplobbyist.com

This Phila. Daily News blog item pretty much lays out the other side of the story about these wingnuts. They want people's MONEY -- $20 to send out something called an "Instafax."

There's also some other stuff in their past, from the head of the Maryland Republican (that's right, Republican) Party accusing them of blackmail to even bribing foreign politicians. Read the whole sordid story for yourself:

http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/extra/archives/001269.html

[ScreamingMeemie]

38. Why does that sound like a freeper message to me?

:shrug: Not normal "liberal" speak...more like "Christian" fundy speak. :hi:

[cincinnati_liberal]

40. Tell it like it is

God bless her angry heart. If we had more democrats who stood up and spoke out instead of being doormats we wouldn't be in this mess. I suggest everyone do the same. Why sugar coat your statements when they don't even offer a reach around?

[Ian David]

43. Sinking Laptop Lobbyist

Plan:

1) Subscribe to Laptop Lobbyist's free email list
2) See who and what they are ranting and raving about
3) Research the contact information for the people they plan on sending "InstaFaxes" to
4) Post this contact information online where it is available to anyone for free

Let's see how long Cardouche wants to carry on his crusade once it stops making him money.

Extra credit:
5) Get fundies to subscribe to your FREE email list providing the same contact info that Cardouche finds
6) Eventually (after Cardhouche goes broke) publish the contact information of the fundie subscribers who joined your list