Roberta Baskin, a veteran of CBS News, ABC News, PBS and Washington, DC's ABC affiliate, with a stint at the Center for Public Integrity mixed in, “will join the Department of Health and Human Service's office of inspector general as a senior communications adviser in mid-August,” Washington Post “Federal Eye” blogger Ed O'Keefe reported late Monday. Specifically, O'Keefe related, her job will be “to help drum up media attention for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team, an HHS-Justice Department task force aimed at combating Medicare and Medicaid fraud.”
My list of journalists who have jumped to the Obama administration -- plus one who traveled through the revolving door from helping the Obama campaign into a news media slot -- is now up to thirteen. Not counting Baskin: Three each revolved through CNN and the Washington Post; two through ABC News; and one each via the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek and Time magazine.
For the full list, check the July 29 NewsBusters item: “Revolving Door from Journalism to Team Obama Now Up to a Dozen.”
She won't be lonely at HHS where the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs is ex-CBS News and ABC News Washington correspondent Linda Douglass. O'Keefe observed that she's “the third journalist-turned-public-servant that previously worked at both ABC and CBS. The administration's health care spokeswoman-at-large Linda Douglass and Justice Department spokeswoman Beverley Lumpkin also worked for both networks.”
The Politico's Michael Calderone provided a brief rundown of her career, going back to the early 1990s:
Baskin's previous gigs include executive director of the Center for Public Integrity, senior Washington correspondent for NOW with Bill Moyers, senior investigative producer for the ABC News magazine 20/20, chief investigative correspondent for 48 Hours, ABC7 investigative reporter and contributor for the CBS Evening News.
After a couple of years running the Center for Public Integrity starting in 2005, she returned to WJLA-TV channel 7 in Washington, DC for a brief tenure. The screen shot is from a report she provided to Good Morning America, in May of 2008, when she was with WJLA-TV.
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Something or someone has to
August 4, 2009 - 00:18 ET by bigtimerSomething or someone has to put a halt to this....
Czars, and this too... the SRM incrementally being placed in this administration, it's blatantly put in front of our faces!
This is infuriating, it's outrageous....somebody needs to start yelping about this...fast!
O trying to out-do Chavez.
This is very serious...it's like nothing I've ever seen in my 54 years....and these are the very ilk that scream for the Fairness Doctrine.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
This is why I call the
August 4, 2009 - 06:08 ET by motherbeltThis is another example of why I call the media Obama's Ministry of Information.
Oooo....
August 4, 2009 - 07:35 ET by supercon"This is another example of why I call the media Obama's Ministry of Information."
Good one.
" if Republicans are able to stop Barack Obama on health care, 'it will be his Waterloo, it will break him...." -Sen. Jim DeMint
No!
August 4, 2009 - 08:01 ET by KC MulvilleLet them go! I'd rather have acknowledge that they're partisan than let them spread disinformation under the disguise of impartial journalists.
After all, do you really want these same liberals "reporting" and posing as objective? Let 'em go.
Just another harbor rat boarding the Titanic at the last minute
August 4, 2009 - 00:30 ET by R D HelmPerhaps if we are lucky, they will all go down with the ship.
-Dave
Center for Public Integrity?
August 4, 2009 - 05:33 ET by ThisnThatExactly what kind of integrity is examined there, and who are the graduates? Well, go to their web site and here's their motto: The Center for Public Integrity is dedicated to producing original investigative journalism about significant public issues to make institutional power more transparent and accountable.
And what are three dominant topics on their page? (1) Iraq; (2) Hidden costs of clean coal; and (3) Blue dogs. The Blue dogs are interesting. The Center for Public Integrity is attacking the Blue dogs. Wonder why?
What's missing from their web page? Is there anything about Government, and how bad it is? WELL YES. There's a headline called Broken Government. But don't get excited -- it's all about how bad President Bush is.
Don't be fooled by this so-called Center. It's as left-wing as it can get. BTW, nothing about the current administration.
___________________________________
"Tax the rich" is a basically unstable way of governing - The NYT
Well, T, you have to
August 4, 2009 - 06:06 ET by motherbeltWell, T, you have to understand that now that President Obama is in office, there is no more need to make institutional power more transparent and accountable.
Because we are all safe now; no need to worry. We can trust The First One to take care of us.
Why does the U. S. taxpayer need...
August 4, 2009 - 05:59 ET by Red Jeep...a senior communication advisor “to help drum up media attention for the Health Care Fraud Prevention
and Enforcement Action Team..."?!?! At what salary? 100,000+?
Couldn't someone who already works there issue a press release...etc., etc Geez...
$100,000?
August 4, 2009 - 08:11 ET by SickofLibsHell, "the average" fed employee makes $75,000/year. That would include the biddy at the SS office that yells "Stay behind the line until you're called!"
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/05/12/business/econwatch/entry5007862.shtml
MSM Cabinet
August 4, 2009 - 08:01 ET by Six String SpiffWow, nope. No bias here. Move along folks.. Good grief
All these 'czars' are unconstitutional as well. Where in the Constitution does it mention anything about czars? I can't believe Obama has not been questioned on this. He has a 'Czar' for everything. Seems to me he could use a HISTORY czar, and an ETHICS czar. This president needs all of these czars because he doesn't know a damn thing. He's just an empty suit 'community organizer'. Yep. He organized the community well. What was the murder rate while he was in Chicago again? What's the murder rate now?
EXACTLY
Islamic Religious Services Will Be Held at the Firing Range At 0800 Daily.
Pay attention people. School is in session.
August 4, 2009 - 08:07 ET by superconAnd if we do not learn the lesson's of the past we are doomed to repeat them. This is America and if any media person wants to join the Obama administration then it is their right to do so. From an Obama perspective it is a very media saavy thing to do. I heard once that he gets unbelievably good and positive press coverage and this is one reason why.
Are we learning yet....? Today's and tomorrow's political battlefield is not on the floor of the Congress. It is on T.V. screens,newspaper front pages and on the internet. McCain did not realize that. The concept of having his message filtered and dissected through a partisan media screen was something that he could not overcome and was unprepared for. Bush did not understand it either and the leftie media crushed him with the Iraq war even though he won there.
Any Republican candidiate for office in 2010 and 2012 had better better not bring anymore knives to gunfights if they want to win. They need to tap into the Tea party movement and use them as an alternative to ACORN and reach out to conservative media outlets and blog sites such as talk radio, Fox News, Redstate, HotAir and others.
Let's face it. Independent objective media is a thing of the past.It's gone. It's never coming back. Who ever can harness their sympathetic media the best nowadays most likely will win elections.Nobody ever remembers the righteousness of the loser. They're too busy listening to the words of the winner.
" if Republicans are able to stop Barack Obama on health care, 'it will be his Waterloo, it will break him...." -Sen. Jim DeMint
They need to tap into the
August 4, 2009 - 08:33 ET by PeskyDaneThey need to tap into the Tea party movement and use them as an alternative to ACORN...
You are on to something here.
We Are Tired of Being "Tapped"
August 4, 2009 - 09:45 ET by JustAlThe teaparty movment is not a Republican movment. If they (the Republicans) want to grow a pair, actually practice small government and conservative, libertarian principles. . . then they can join us.
"...then they can join
August 4, 2009 - 09:53 ET by mattm"...then they can join us."
That's exactly it!
Concur with mattm above -
August 4, 2009 - 15:54 ET by PeskyDaneConcur with mattm above - better way of putting it.
Let
August 4, 2009 - 09:43 ET by jessieHLet them all go to work for obama. When he is removed from office, they will all be out of work. Maybe McDonalds will give them a job. I won't ever eat there again, though. No telling what they might put in the food. Patriot & Proud!
We don't need no stinking
August 4, 2009 - 12:23 ET by TN MomWe don't need no stinking lobbiest, we've got the media and the czars...
On one hand it is good that
August 4, 2009 - 13:59 ET by RR GOPOn one hand it is good that these Libtard "journalists" are getting taken out of the MSM by the Politburo.
On the other hand, it is we that will be paying them, and I'm sure there are many more that will step right into their Bozo shoes.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).
Journalism is ...
August 4, 2009 - 15:00 ET by Jaibones... a joke. Obama is a joker.
Hey Brent Baker...this blog
August 4, 2009 - 17:59 ET by bigtimerHey Brent Baker...this blog post/ your name was just mentioned on Mark Levin's show....
I love it!
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart