| Author
|
Post |
 
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
.
Snyder videographer poses as a phony CNN reporter at Schauer campaign event
By Eclectablog on March 6, 2014 in Mark Schauer, Media, Republican-Fail, Rick Snyder
Seriously? That’s the level you’ve sunk to?
This past Saturday, a videographer working for Governor Rick Snyder posed as a CNN reporter while filming Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer at a campaign stop in Coldwater.
Schauer staffers questioned the man who showed them this homemade media pass:
When asked where he was from, he pointed to his CNN hat. A Schauer staffer then explicitly asked Steinborn if he was working for CNN, and he replied, “Yep. We’re keeping an eye on the race.” He then proceeded to videotape the event wearing his bright orange CNN hat seen in these photos:
After the event, he left promptly without attempting to interview Schauer, an odd thing for someone from a major cable news network claiming to be “keeping an eye on the race.”
It turns out that Steinborn was NOT working for CNN. MIRS news service contacted CNN and they confirmed that they had no one assigned to cover the event in Coldwater.
Steinborn has worked for the Snyder campaign in the past and was the director of photography for Snyder’s bizarre scuba diving video. He’s given credit for it on the Vimeo page for the video
MIRS has more:
Steinborn, a professional videographer from Tennessee, told MIRS he hits the road, takes video and catalogs it so “it’s available for whoever needs it.” He denied having done work on the Snyder advertisements, even though his name is listed on the published credits for Snyder’s fall TV ad as posted on Vimeo.
“No, I don’t do anything like that,” he said.
“Have you ever done anything for the Snyder campaign, then?” MIRS asked Steinborn.
“No . . .” he answered before hastily getting off the phone.
Campaigns send photographers, observers, and people to videotape their opponent’s campaign events all the time. It’s how they gather material to slam their opponents with and it’s a normal part of politics.
Anne and I attend Republican events from time to time, for example. Anne is a freelance photographer who provides images for this blog and who sells images to various campaigns as well as the Michigan Democratic Party. When I attended an Americans for Prosperity presidential forum in Troy during the 2012 election where Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Andrew Breitbart, and Michelle Malkin were in attendance, I checked in as media and gave them my Eclectablog business card.
We don’t pretend to be anyone we’re not and, because of this, sometimes we get turned away. Anne tried to attend Governor Snyder’s campaign launch in Detroit, for example, and was not let in. That’s fair and it’s how campaigns protect themselves in case they have a “Macaca Moment”.
Jeff Steinborn, however, lied outright and impersonated a CNN journalist. It’s bush league, unprofessional behavior unbecoming of the top Republican campaign in the state.
What we don’t know is who Steinborn was working for. He has worked for Governor Snyder in the past but perhaps he’s working for some other group working to defeat Mark Schauer. If nothing else, the Snyder campaign should answer whether or not they sent Steinborn to the Schauer event and if they instructed him to impersonate a CNN journalist.
If not, Steinborn should tell us who he was working for since he misrepresented himself as someone who he is not. |
|
|
Thu Mar 06, 2014 4:52 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Politically Speaking: March 2014
11 hours ago ... Did Snyder send fake CNN newsman to Schauer campaign event? ... The imposter was just some guy who shoots video and is pretty hapless at ... “On Saturday, March 1, Mark Schauer hosted a public 'Meet and Greet' with ...
macombpolitics.blogspot.com/2014_03_01_archive.html
Macomb Daily
Politically Speaking
A country that loses its values, its principles, has lost its heart. A country that loses its sensible center, its common ground, has lost its mind.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Did Snyder send fake CNN newsman to Schauer campaign event?
The fake CNN cameraman is at the far right, partially obscured, wearing the bright orange cap.
When I first heard this story, I thought it had to be a joke, or an attempt by someone to get Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer “punked.”
But apparently this is for real: Someone claiming to be from CNN showed up at a little Schauer campaign event in Coldwater with just a couple dozen people in attendance and he began filming every word. After some checking, the Schauer campaign discovered that this guy actually does camera work for Gov. Rick Snyder campaign ads. Dirty tricks in the works?
I envisioned a bit of Republican skullduggery -- perhaps GOP Congressman Kerry Bentivolio with a fake beard, imitating Wolf Blitzer. But, no. The imposter was just some guy who shoots video and is pretty hapless at pretending to be someone he is not.
The sleuth, identified as Jeff Steinborn, had a phony-looking press credential and a bright orange CNN cap. While the Schauer appearance at a coffee shop was nothing of significance, Steinborn videotaped the entire event. Then he left without bothering to get any direct quotes from the candidate.
A memo produced by the Schauer campaign says:
“On Saturday, March 1, Mark Schauer hosted a public ‘Meet and Greet’ with voters in Coldwater at the Northwoods Coffee Shop. A man wearing a CNN hat attended the event with professional video equipment and a ‘Media Photographer’ credential, which identified himself as ‘Jeff Steinborn.’ The suspicious credential was issued on January 1, 2014. When Steinborn was asked who he was with by Schauer campaign staff, he pointed to his CNN hat. A Schauer staffer asked Steinborn explicitly if he was working for CNN, and he replied, “Yep. We’re keeping an eye on the race.”
It turns out that Steinborn is a professional videographer from Tennessee whose work for the Snyder campaign included the role of director of photography for the Snyder Super Bowl ad, which infamously featured the governor snorkeling.
Clandestine audio and video recordings of an opposition candidate are common in Michigan political campaigns. The tape that is secured is typically leaked to the media – if it’s juicy stuff – or it’s used in negative advertising that casts the opponent in the worst possible light. If caught, the person doing the taping is supposed to come clean when asked who they work for.
And falsely claiming to be part of a media outlet is strictly forbidden.
Meanwhile, it appears the governor’s campaign team has yet to comment on Coldwatergate. The Schauer camp is demanding that all the videotape shot by Steinborn of Schauer be destroyed.
A Schauer spokesman called the incident a “desperate and Nixonian move” by the governor.
“It should be beneath a sitting governor to send a highly-paid political consultant to impersonate a national news reporter at his opponent's campaign events,” said Zack Pohl. Snyder should admit his mistake, apologize, and agree to run his campaign above board. Moreover, he should fire his media firm, Strategic Perception, and Mr. Steinborn over this matter.”
Posted by chad selweski at 11:21 AM
MotownVoiceMarch 6, 2014 at 12:46 PM
Oh yes, I've seen this many times. Staging a condition that lends to capturing a candidate saying something or doing something that can be repackaged out of context and sold to the base. It's called Breitbarting, so named after the hack journalist who paid little lackeys to break into offices, steal records, roll tape and hide recorders so Breitbart could edit it into a news item (stitched together like a quilt made in the bowels of hell.)
Breitbart died. But I see his methods live on. |
|
|
|
Fri Mar 07, 2014 4:19 am |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Register
Profile
FlintTalk.com Forum Index
> Political Talk
