John Gibson: One of the Absolute Best at Being Bad

You don't know John Gibson? He's labored in semi-obscurity on Fox News in the shadow of shadowy character Bill O'Reilly. You can find a bio of Mr. Gibson on the Fox News web site here. The smiling picture makes him look friendly enough, but as your mama told you, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

Why do I have such a beef with John Gibson? He wrote this piece about the Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena. Ms Sgrena, as you probably know, spent weeks as a captive of Iraqi insurgents, was finally released to Italian authorities, and nearly killed at an American checkpoint near Baghdad airport. What we don't know is exactly what happened at the shooting. An American spokesman says one thing, and she says quite another.

So, how do we arrive at the truth? Investigations are conducted to ascertain all the facts and to go over all the evidence carefully. At the end of that investigation, a report is published detailing exactly what happened. Usually at that point blame is assigned-- if it's possible to determine where blame lies.

Ah, but John Gibson doesn't need an investigation. He already knows that the Americans are telling the truth, and Ms. Sgrena is lying.

Not so fast! One thing I can determine right here and now and without further investigation: John Gibson doesn't know squat. He thinks what he wants to think, and that's damned well good enough for him. And while everyone has a right to his opinion, Gibson expresses his as a journalist. He should know that kind of behavior is irresponsible, and actual journalists don't behave that way.

I've grown weary of alleged journalists acting like they know what they don't, spreading lies, and making journalism look worse in the process. I'm also tired of taking this stuff lying down. Here's what I wrote to him:

Mr. Gibson—
You’re speculating on what happened to Ms. Sgrena at almost every turn, including the most important one: whether or not her car tried to speed through a checkpoint. Your Fox News bio strongly suggests you’re a journalist. Your posting on Ms. Sgrena however, proves you’re not one.
The most disgusting thing about this whole deal--other than the tragic death--is your absolute, complete and utter rush to embrace the truth as you want it to be. If facts emerge which disprove your assumptions (and here’s a tip for Mr. Journalist: when you have to use the word assumptions, you’re not being a journalist) will you re-publish an apology?
Hell freezes over…when?

Anyone care to guess whether or not he's responded? You're pretty sharp! No response yet...and I'm not holding my breath. The stupid thing is, it's possible that everything he reported as fact will be proven to have happened. But that's why investigations are conducted. That in no way would absolve him for his completely unjournalistic column.

One last thing: I'm going to take this opportunity to suggest that you write letters of complaint when you see stupid errors like this one. Don't let them get away with this stuff without you giving them a piece of your mind. And fear not. If you're on my blog, that means you have plenty of mind to give...so don't worry about being left with too little!