After reading John Ziegler's defense of his interview with ACU chairman David Keene and watching the videos, we are of the opinion that the documentary film maker, former talk show host and shameless self-promoter blew it.
Well before Keene got up and started to walk away, it became painfully obvious that Ziegler doesn't know to quit while he's ahead. As an interviewer, once you've asked the same question several times in a row and your subject hasn't answered it, you have made your point. To continue asking the question gives the appearance that you are badgering, and that's what happened when Keene walked into the hall. Ziegler should have wrapped up his interview well before that point, but instead he chose to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. By following Keene into the hallway and continuing to press him, Ziegler stomped all over his own effectiveness.
We believe that Keene is a fraud, but by running what should have been a five-minute interview into the nearly half-hour farce which resulted, Ziegler's fiasco had the effect of actually generating sympathy for Keene in some quarters, and it did Sarah Palin no favors. The Western CPAC dustup was a missed opportunity and a doggone shame.
Ziegler was extremely effective in making a point (several of them, in fact) with his excellent documentary "Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted" which was a great help to Sarah Palin in making her case that the media had taken sides in the 2008 presidential campaign and was shamelessly smearing her family. Perhaps John should stick to making films and promoting them, two things which he's very good at. But he has a long way to go to master the art of the interview. Though by his words he insists he is trying to effect change in the corrupt "conservative" leadership, Ziegler has forgotten what is a cardinal rule whether one is practicing medicine or trying to change hearts and minds: First, do no harm.
Updates: Morrissey, Riehl and Freire all weight in, each with a unique perspective. Our question about Ziegler's pursuit of Keene is the same one we try to remember to ask ourselves before we post anything on this blog -- in the long run, does this help Sarah Palin or hurt her?
- JP
This is John Ziegler. I am very sorry that you have completely misunderstood my actions and intentions and have somehow missed that continuing the interview provoked Keene into a profanity-laced tirade that did more to reveal the truth of what I was saying than anything else. I was willing to put myself out there to get some accountability for actions that should upset you greatly. It is too bad that you don't "get" or appreciate that. Unlike Keene, I did absolutely nothing wrong and the video shows that. Finally, the notion that I am a self-promoter is absurd. Whether you choose to realize that or not, no one outside of Sarah Palin's immediate circle has sufffered more for her cause than me. If I am only interested in self-promotion I must be the dumbest person on the planet.
ReplyDeleteSorry, John, we call 'em as we see 'em.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, we have been upset with Keene ever since he made his remarks disrespecting Sarah Palin. We also have question his commitment to conservative principles since 2004, when he supported the liberal Specter over conservative Toomey.
We appreciate what you did with your standout documentary and your support for Sarah Palin while promoting the film.
But we stand by what we said. The incident where you got handcuffed for trying to ask questions about Katie Couric's "award" was one thing. But taken toigether with the W-CPAC dustup, it is just too much theater.
Because you got Keene to call you an a-hole, you believe that's the important thing, but you had already shown that he was unfair to Sarah Palin, a faux conservative and a whore just seven minutes into the interview. We stand by our opinion that you should not have followed him into the hallway. That took what had been a great job on your part beyond the point of diminishing returns.
We're not the only ones who share this opinion. Dan Riehl also thinks you went too far, and though we don't agree with all of what he had to say about it, we do agree on that point.
You had Keene nailed, if you would have just wrapped it up sooner. If we have misjudged your motives, we apologize, but we can't think of any other good reason for following him into that hallway other than you took your eye off the ball.
Sincerely,
- JP
If I had wrapped it up, as you judge from your computer, at the exact right moment (when was that exactly??) would anyone have cared about this at all???? Hardly anyone cares as it is. Your arm chair quarterbacking is hilarous. Let's see, a true-blue Palin defender asks legitimate questions for a couple minutes more than you want vs. a total Palin sell out going into a profanity-laced tirade, stifling free speech, and calling the cops and you guys side with the latter than the former?! That is rich. Wow. And you wonder why Sarah Palin was allowed to be destroyed and so few defend her? This is why.
ReplyDeleteWhere are we siding with Keene, John? Let's see... we called him unfairly biased against Palin, a phony conservative and a whore.
ReplyDeletePlease explain how that is siding with him against you? Step back, John. It isn't all about you.
- JP
Mr Z.,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have made money off Gov. Palin due to the "media malpractice" but where were you when Sarah was being attacked by those who did exactly as Keene did? You were making a movie.
I was here in Alaska ... in the background, starting to have laws reversed, which is still in the works. Are people like myself, who are silent or quietly working to undo the problems of the past going to be blasted by people such as yourself? I would respect that you keep in mind that it is people like Josh, I and other bloggers who keep people informed whether you like it or not.
Interesting. What is next Mr. Z.? As I do not like wasting my time. Time is money.... as you well know.
Believe me, I know it isn't all about me. I wish someone else would do this work and take these chances and that it wasn't about me at all.
ReplyDeleteAs for your question, I must have missed your headlines: "Keene embarrasses himself at CPAC" "Outrage! WCPAC Stifles Free Speech" or "ACU Chairman Exposed as a Fraud." All I caught was the one where you ripped on me unfairly.
To answer Upinak, While I don't have exact figure right now, if you take all the hours I put into the film Media Malpracitce, I doubt very seriously that I would come close to making minimum wage. I have been to 20 cites across the country screening the film and have given away many copies of the film (including in Alaska) just to educate people about what really happened. I have also taken numerous losses in trying to promote the filminstead of sitting on the small profit that was made. What else did you want me to do?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNo sir.
ReplyDeleteWe called Keene biased, a fraud and a whore. We recognized your film and your earlier support of Sarah Palin as outstanding. We said that the first part of your interview was very good work.
But when we criticized you for going too far with it, you went off like a Roman candle, and you say such criticism is unfair.
We have nothing further to say on this matter. You can have the last word, if you want it.
- JP
I posted earlier about the absurd "money" issue but seems to have disappeared.
ReplyDeleteAs for me going off like a "roman candle," I called it "unfair." Please. And almost all of your focus on this episode was on me (rather ironic considering want to remind me it isn't about me) instead of on Keene's errors, where it belonged.
John, you did "go off". I think maybe you don't consider that you might be going about things a bit over the top. You're working from a place of being passionate about something and that can cloud a person's perspective. We all sometimes need to hear the truth about ourselves.
ReplyDeleteYou have a lot of Conservatives telling you that you push too much sometimes and can go too far. On this board, you did lash out. You seem to lash quite a bit. And, quite frankly, the blame is always on others and never on you. Everyone else doesn't "get" it and they are "hilarious" for the conclusions they've come to. In this thread you called Josh an "arm chair quarterback" but yourself a "true blue defender" of Sarah Palin who has sacrificed more than almost everyone else for her cause.
Really John - It doesn't fly and you're alienating yourself. You do some good work and you should stick around. Just kind of hang a little more loosely , try a daily cup of chamomile, work on the things you do best, and add your talents to the pool.