Fox 5 banned from Nathan Deal immigration bill signing
Fox 5/WAGA-TV’s Justin Gray was blocked by state troopers from a public immigration bill signing held today by Gov. Nathan Deal at the Gold Dome. Why? Deal’s press office was angry about an unrelated, unflattering story Dale Russell had done the night before about Deal.
VIDEO: Governor Deal’s Office Bans FOX 5 Reporter from Immigration Bill Signing: MyFoxATLANTA.com
Below is the story that upset Deal’s office. The campaign had paid $90,000 to a fund-raising company the I-Team had never heard of called Southern Magnolia Capital. Russell discovered that company was connected to Deal’s daughter in law Denise Deal. Phil Wilheit, identified in the story as Deal’s campaign manager, told Russell the transaction was “transparent” but Russell said the firm has no website or any obvious public information or direct link to Deal’s name.
Fox 5 news director Mike McClain sent a statement today at about 5:30 p.m. to me: “FOX 5 Atlanta stands by our I-Team investigation and Reporter Dale Russell. The barring of FOX 5 cameras from the bill signing today was unacceptable and obviously an emotional reaction to our I-Team investigation. We’ve voiced out concerns to the Governor’s Office and hope that they will reconsider that decision.”
Deal’s spokesman Brian Robinson, when I called him, was still hot under the collar. He said the campaign never hid the fact Denise Deal ran the governor’s fund-raising campaign and having a family member do so is not illegal. He challenged me to Google the name “Southern Magnolia Capitol.” There was one site that immediately came up with her name attached to it: the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. (It was added, however, on May 10, just days before the report aired, so when Russell was first working on the piece, indeed, there was no sign of Deal’s connection with Southern Magnolia online.) He said she was compensated at a market rate. A P.O. box number Fox 5 identified as connected to Southern Magnolia was a clerical error, not a way to hide anything, he noted.
The person identified as campaign manager in the story Wilheit was the chairman, Robinson said, not the campaign manager, and he didn’t know all the details Fox 5 had showed him. Robinson thought they had “ambushed” him. The governor chose not to talk to Fox 5 about it because he didn’t want to be ambushed either, Robinson said.
He said the reason they blocked Gray was not anything Gray did but the fact the station did “a shoddy piece of journalism in which they should be embarrassed.” He is demanding an apology. He felt this was one way to punish Fox 5 because “we don’t have a TV station. We don’t have the power of the airwaves.”
Ironically, he said Deal has developed a good relationship with Fox 5 before this, noting the governor has has appeared on “Good Day Atlanta” since coming into office. “We’ve given them incredible access,” Robinson said. “That’s why this was so particularly upsetting to us.”
He said the story has “lots of innuendo but no context and very little facts.”
Judge for yourself:
I-Team: Gov. Deal Campaign Funds: MyFoxATLANTA.com
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By Rodney Ho, rho@ajc.com, AJCRadioTV blog
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263 comments Add your comment
BJ
May 13th, 2011
8:21 pm
The big complaint the Deal campaign cited in the story was that Philip Wilheit was identified as “campaign manager” rather than “chairman.” It is worth noting that Wilheit was the “campaign manager” during the time in question – Deal’s run for Governor. It is also worth noting that Wilheit’s son, Philip Wilheit Jr. was appointed as a Board Member to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources by Nathan Deal. Wilheit Jr. – the son of the campaign manager/chairman identified his experience in hunting and fishing as qualifications for this appointment. Go figure…
wagwar
May 13th, 2011
8:34 pm
Milk it Fox5, milk it
JojoMojo
May 13th, 2011
8:57 pm
This guy reminds me of Tom DeLay: Smiling away as he picks your pockets.
growup
May 13th, 2011
8:58 pm
Could Deal be anymore of an 8th grade girl! You said something about me that I don’t like so I’m gonna be petty & shun you in front of everybody! That’ll teach you a lesson.
Sage
May 13th, 2011
9:05 pm
ut oh, the national media has a hold of this. Deals in trouble now!
USMC
May 13th, 2011
9:11 pm
GREAT!
The media needs to be slapped down every once in a while.
The Media is so Arrogant and Narcissistic it’s unbelievable!
Sher Lock
May 13th, 2011
9:13 pm
Deal is a petty little creep. His impotent retaliation is Nixonian. Prior to his election, it was proven that he was an insolvent crook. But the lemmings voted in the fake GOP-er in anyway. Keep his fat feet to the fire and he’ll resign.
Fox 5 Sucks
May 13th, 2011
9:19 pm
I am okay with blocking fox 5…they get away with bad reporting all the time! Dale Russell sucks and looks for anything to be a story. It’s crazy…we aren’t talking about tax dollars…just private donations. He (Deal) can do what he wants with those dollars. Stupid story Fox 5…find some real news.
GA Republican
May 13th, 2011
9:20 pm
Barring Justin Gray made the governor appear to have a score to settle with FOX 5, which makes it appear that he is upset with them for reporting the story. If there is no truth to the story then he shouldn’t be upset. The fact that he is upset sems to me that he had something to hide & he is upset that FOX 5 reported the story. I am a republican born & & wrong os wrong no matter who the individual is. What happened to freedom of the press? Juston should not have been barred from a PUBLIC bill signing. Bad decision by the governor’s office.
john
May 13th, 2011
9:24 pm
Your beacon of democracy in action.And this country tries to teach others how to do freedom(that most of those countries either don’t want or don’t need)
Tirshata
May 13th, 2011
9:29 pm
`
Tirshata
May 13th, 2011
9:31 pm
@jim. This story is not about a Black Governor – it’s about Governor Deal
Rhodie33
May 13th, 2011
9:33 pm
Where there is smoke there is fire. This cat is on shady mofo. But isn’t all politicians. Only out for them selves period. and this gov. already has a shady past. We need to replace all public officaials period.
I-team my butt
May 13th, 2011
9:40 pm
The I-team is a bunch of second-string pseudo-journalists that are there to drve ratings for a second-tier station. They overstepped their turf and got beeyach slapped for it. Works for me!
Rhodie, can I have some?
May 13th, 2011
9:42 pm
Dude- whatever it is that you are smoking has you all goofed up. You aren’t even mking nosens. Cn I hav a tok?
JimNATL
May 13th, 2011
9:46 pm
Shouldn’t the other stations have refused to shoot it if their colleagues were not allowed in to shoot?
ReallyNow?
May 13th, 2011
9:49 pm
Brian Robinson says Southern Magnolia Capital can be found on Google. What he doesn’t say is the link in question, from the State Chamber of Commerce, was FIRST put up May 9th, 2011. 4 days ago.
BRW
May 13th, 2011
9:50 pm
They didn’t miss anything by being blocked out. The supposed “law” will be the next thing “beeyach slapped” out of existence. The whole episode did nothing but lend credence to the idea that he did something wrong. The good-ole-boy mentality will eventually get this redneck guv-ner in real trouble.
Milton Hoodrat
May 13th, 2011
9:51 pm
Nathan, hook me up! I’ll block Fox 5 for less than the State Patrol costs per hour.
BRW
May 13th, 2011
9:54 pm
I also think it’s a real hoot that the new wana-be guvernator did this to a FOX station. Guess he hasn’t heard the Fair and Balanced BS they speak of.
BRW is an a$$
May 13th, 2011
9:59 pm
’nuff said.
BRW
May 13th, 2011
10:00 pm
Haha! The truth certainly gets a rise out of some people!
seattle2015
May 13th, 2011
10:00 pm
rednecks keep voting these hillbillies into office making georgia and atlanta stagnant and behind while north carolina and florida progress
hondorita
May 13th, 2011
10:07 pm
the chicken plants in gainesville pay more taxes than the rest of the county combined .do you believe that they are going to run the mexicans out? its about money! wake up.
Mongo
May 13th, 2011
10:10 pm
What a crock!! The Southern Magnolia Capitol company has only been on the Chamber of Commerce web site for FOUR DAYS!!! Deal’s daughter-in-law also worked for a branch of the Chamber of Commerce. Can you say COVER UP?
It’s bad enough that Deal got his worthless son-in-law a six figure job in the state government. Don’t you feel grand that your tax money will line the pockets of Deal’s relatives?
darb
May 13th, 2011
10:17 pm
Another questionable govenor in GA, what else is new. Give us a good, ole hard working man from here in the city, not from out in the country. At least he did the right thing to sign a bill that will rid us of so many tax gobbling, service hoging, school clogging dam foriegners that only come to GA and do their best to suck us and the syetm dry, and then send outr dollars back to wherever the rest of their family is held up.
Nathan Deal
May 13th, 2011
10:18 pm
Time to pay higher taxes. Papa Deal needs a new McMansion.
Unfair and Unbalanced
May 13th, 2011
10:18 pm
I can’t wait to see the State Patrol pull over the Fox5 news vans on Briarcliff. I’m sure they all have some sort of violation!
Debate the issues all you want folks, but using armed lawmen to bar the media is scary stuff.
Atlantaphotog
May 13th, 2011
10:19 pm
Hey – the peanut farmers wanted him …. now they got him. All over a little flag thing a decade ago. Southern stereotypes at their best. Yeeehaw.
You get what you deserve
May 13th, 2011
10:22 pm
Ol’ Roy doesn’t look that bad anymore, does he?
Who Cares
May 13th, 2011
10:28 pm
Hey “You Suck” I have something for you to suck on…..Iil Girlie Man!!
BehindEnemyLines
May 13th, 2011
10:47 pm
Since when has Russell, or WAGA for that matter, ever let the facts get in the way of a story?
Lynnie Gal
May 13th, 2011
10:52 pm
It’s shocking and should be illegal for a governor to use our state troopers for political retaliation against anyone. It’s an abuse of power. This picture needs to be on the front page of the AJC.
Quyatt Burp
May 13th, 2011
10:57 pm
The Georgia State Patrol, ostensibly a law enforcement agency, is a disgrace. Sworn to uphold the law, they have proven themselves to be hired goons for a corrupt dictator. Huey Long lives. And, these rent-a-cops are little more than the gestapo in the service of a corrupt fascist. The governor isn’t above the law, but the GSP law dawgs act as though he is.
tim
May 13th, 2011
11:12 pm
DEAL is still a clown at his own circus.
@ poster jim………smear the governor?? Deal does a nice job of that himself. Like I said…a clown!
Voice of reason
May 13th, 2011
11:20 pm
We have elected a horrible shady Governor. Our state deserves better and I am a conservative.
Traffic Headache
May 13th, 2011
11:25 pm
A Fox affiliate smearing a Republican? Does this mean the sun won’t come up tomorrow morning? Will Fox up it from channel 5 and the station revert to CBS? It’s all so amusing.
Nathan Deal In
May 13th, 2011
11:27 pm
Nathan Deal is a lying political shill. How about impeachment!!!
TheAntiMe
May 13th, 2011
11:29 pm
I was wondering what Boss Hogg was up to these days. It appears he was elected as the current Governor of Georgia.
deegee
May 13th, 2011
11:36 pm
Tomorrow that worthless piece of crap is taking his hillbilly family on a two week European vacation and you taxpayers get to pay for it. Where are you going on vacation this summer?
Elon
May 13th, 2011
11:43 pm
Let me understand this:Nathan Deal signs the immigration bill in which one of the laws says that police will have powers to to arrest people who are suspected of being such, yet he wouldn’t let Justin Gray witness the signing of the bill? Well…well…well, who is the real illegal person here? If he was innocent, he should have nothing to be afraid of and let Justin to do his job.
Maybe it was also meant to for that to happen the signing of that bill is a national disgrace. It is not a great time in Georgia, it will be a hostile one. Let’s be honest,there is a racial agenda behind this bill. As I mentioned one of the laws under HB87 is that it gives the police powers arrest “suspected” illegal immigrant criminals( gee, I wonder what they are supposed to look like? ) and those who are in the the U.S.A illegally,but you know that some of those cops are going to abuse their powers and not only going to continue to harass them and other minorities as well and have then the nerve to say that still want you business. I hope boycotts and sickouts will prevail.
fat pig
May 13th, 2011
11:43 pm
deal pickle? Nice way for politics to work in GA, a guy who cannot balance a checkbook gets to balance the state? #onlyinAmerica
Ramones
May 13th, 2011
11:44 pm
KKK took my baby away! Our best song….
independent
May 13th, 2011
11:48 pm
Let’s keep in mind, he’s a Republican, they are Fox News. They will cave in to National pressure.
Bob LeMaster
May 14th, 2011
12:00 am
It will be interesting to see how the national Fox network responds to this. Do they side with Deal as they usually support Republican regardless of the facts? Do they support their local Fox station? Do they completely ignore this story? I would bet they ignore this story although it deserves national coverage.
Old Violin
May 14th, 2011
12:11 am
The new deal ! Deal or no deal ! Let’s make a deal ! Raw deal ! Deal the cards ! What’s the big deal ! Deal….ers choice ! I would question the authority of the state patrolman to deny access to this signing ! I would question the legality of the governors office giving such an order ! I would agree that the governor has a right to be mad if he feels that Fox 5 has treated him unfairly, but he can’t use the governors office to fight personal battles……and in this case it appears he’s done just that…..so this case should be heard by an investigative committee with no ties to either party !
JAY CEE
May 14th, 2011
12:13 am
this is in the paper FOR WHAT !!!!????!!!
Brian
May 14th, 2011
12:25 am
hate to say it, but most of the “I-Team, Whistle blower” journalist are there only to sensationalize news. Who can sell more newspapers or get a better % of the ratings???… I know that one of the “Investigative” Reporters at WSB that flat out LIED about an insurance claim gone wrong and was blown out of proportion when they got involved. (YES, Jim Strickland, I am talking about you), so doubting what the Governor said about this being “Shoddy Journalism” does not shock me!
Eric
May 14th, 2011
12:45 am
I believe Gov. Nathan Deal is a crook. FOX 5 cameras and reporter Justin Gray being banned from the Immigration Bill signing could very well prove something isn’t right. Deal’s predecessor (Gov. Sonny Perdue) was a crook too… my grandmother and I haven’t forgotten about the “oaky woods” hubbub from a while back.
One thing to understand is that… Elections have consequences. Gov. Deal could be subject to impeachment, if an ethics investigation is to prove any wrong-doing. Gov. Deal could also be subject to recall election attempts… Georgia being one of several states with recall laws on the books.
The media landscape has changed drastically over the years. B&C had an interesting story (from April 26, 2011) about FCC Commissioner Michael Copps wanting to see better, and more accountable journalism… I believe the story applied more toward local TV news. Some might see the FCC Commissioner’s proposal of better, and more accountable journalism as a reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine, in disguise. When Jim Axel was still living… he was the gold standard when it came to local TV news.
Bill Orvis White
May 14th, 2011
12:48 am
Mr. Ho is asking for civility here and what happens? The Socialist-Democrat Party of Georgia members get on here trashing the honorable Governor Nathan Deal and his beautiful family. Governor Deal’s press people are right: everything was blown out of proportion in that hit piece by that socialist secular reporter. So, the reporter just hates Governor Deal, that’s all and it has nothing to do with the real FOX News, one of the very good things to come out of Godless New York. Well, that and Mr. Trump.
Amen,
Bill