ABC 15's Steve Irwin: There were rumors about Brewer's health "for weeks"
The ABC 15 reporter blasts John Dougherty, the New Times reporter turned Senate candidate, for posting unsubstantiated rumors about Jan Brewer’s health.
That’s fair comment; but I was struck by this remark, emphasis added:
For weeks now, we’ve been hearing Gov. Jan Brewer was suffering from some unnamed health problem that was limiting her schedule. The rumor was circulating among numerous reporters to be sure, but none would go with the story without something to substantiate it. That’s called responsible reporting, especially knowing the tendency of campaigns to float hearsay in order to derail their opponents.
What I don’t understand about the Phoenix reporter corps is why, hearing the rumors, someone just didn’t make a formal query to Jan Brewer’s staff.
Reporters don’t have to say why they are asking anything. They can just call the office up, and ask, “How is the governor’s health? Does she get regular physicals? Does she have any medical condition that voters should know about?”
If, as you’d expect, the office said the governor was fine, the reporter could conclude there was nothing to the story, absent any hard evidence to the contrary. At the same time, the reporter had the governor’s office on the record on the matter should anything contrary come out in the future.
And right now, someone like Irwin could be saying that ABC news had looked into the rumor and had concluded there was nothing to it, rather than just attacking Dougherty.
No one deserves to be harried by false rumors, of course, but chatter during a political campaign is there for a reason.
Brewer is trying to get elected to office by keeping her profile as low as possible, agreeing to just one debate, barely making herself available to reporters and refusing to answer questions when she’s caught in public. The local media should be fighting back against these tactics.
8:10 AM
Brewer's office: Health concerns "bogus"
The Phoenix Business Journal quotes a Jan Brewer aide saying there’s no truth rumors that the governor has health problems..
The idea was started by John Dougherty on his Twitter and Facebook pages… and promulgated by PHXated. Dougherty is the former New Times investigative reporter who ran for the Democratic senate nomination this summer.
The PBJ:
Brewer communications director Paul Senseman said Monday there is nothing to the Dougherty claims.
“Those comments are completely bogus and started from Mr. Dougherty, who has exactly zero credibility,” Senseman said.
7:11 AM
Is Jan Brewer ill?
The Twitter account of John Dougherty, the former New Times reporter who ran in the Democratic Senate primary, said this last night:
There are persistent reports from reliable sources that Gov. Jan Brewer is seriously ill and may not be capable of…
The tweet linked to this Facebook statement:
John Dougherty for U.S. Senate There are persistent reports from reliable sources that Gov. Jan Brewer is seriously ill and may not be capable of finishing a four-year term. The public has a right to know about her physical fitness now, not after Nov. 2.
A number of people have commented and asked for more detail, but Dougherty responded only this:
This kind of thing is why it can be a mistake to vote your early ballots right away. Wait until the last week, see what surfaces, then make more informed decisions.
PHXated talked to Dougherty, who is a serious person and has a long history as an investigative reporter. He confirmed that he’d posted the tweet and said he based it on “reports from multiple people.”
7:51 AM