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San Francisco Chronicle Panders to Newsom Ketchup Lie

Written by Luke Thomas. Posted in News, Politics

Published on June 30, 2009 with 14 Comments


Mayor Gavin Newsom and First Lady Jennifer Siebel
glad hand Pride celebrants Sunday following a die-in protest, sans Ketchup.
Photos by Luke Thomas

By Luke Thomas

June 30, 2009

The San Francisco Chronicle is up to its usual tricks of inventing propaganda and pandering to the political establishment.

According to an article posted today by Chronicle gossip maven Leah Garchik, Mayor Gavin Newsom and First Lady Jennifer Siebel were “attacked by ketchup-wielding protesters complaining about budget cuts for AIDS,” during Sunday’s annual Pride celebration.

“And the ketchup missed its exact target (but a mayoral aide said Monday that it washed out easily with water),” Garchik added.

Fog City Journal covered the Pride parade and was on scene during the budget die-in protest that forced Mr. Newsom to temporarily abandon his wife and vehicle. No ketchup was tossed at the Newsoms, or used during the protest.

Had Garchik made a few calls to verify the account of her unnamed “mayoral aide” source, she would have realized she was fed a bold-faced lie.

A request to Garchik for comment has been not been returned as of time of publishing, but we’ll add it later if she responds.

Update (3:40 pm): FCJ received the following response from Ms. Garchik, who warrants she had more than one source who fed her what is clearly a lie:

“My sources were folks who’d been at the after-party, and others in the mayor’s office”, Garchik wrote. “They emphasized it was no big deal, and the said the target hadn’t been hit. Which I said in the paper. But ouch what hurts is your saying I’m a dupe. I know that no one thinks they’re dupe-ish… but honestly, you don’t even know — nor did you ask, nor would I answer — what I think of the protest.”

FCJ followed up on Garchik’s last point, asking her what she thought of the protest and whether she feels she has been duped. She responded with an off-the-record response which we shall honor.

In the meantime, the following a sequence of photos, taken before and after the die-in protest, proves Garchik and the Chronicle were hoodwinked into publishing a manufactured fabrication.

Luke Thomas

Luke Thomas

Luke Thomas is former software developer and computer consultant who proudly hails from London, England. In 2001, Thomas took a yearlong sabbatical to travel and develop a photographic portfolio. Upon his return to the US, Thomas studied photojournalism to pursue a career in journalism. In 2004, Thomas worked for several neighborhood newspapers in San Francisco before accepting a partnership agreement with the SanFranciscoSentinel.com, a news website formerly covering local, state and national politics. In September 2006, Thomas launched FogCityJournal.com. The BBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, New York Times, Der Spiegel, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, 7x7, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Bay Guardian and the San Francisco Weekly, among other publications and news outlets, has published his work. Thomas is a member of the Freelance Unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, TNG-CWA Local 39521.

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  • paulhogarth

    Fuck the Chronicle … Thank God we have alternative media outlets (you know, “those blogs” that reporters insist are not “real” journalism) to bust them when they lie like this …

  • robert.haaland

    Thanks Luke. Here is a video that clearly shows how she was in the car during the protest and that no protesters were even near her. It’s a complete fabrication intended to deflect criticism of the fact that the cuts to HIV programs will cost lives.

    Here is the video that reveals how complete their lie is:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vl-g_TMHRM

  • http://www.fogcityjournal.com/profiles/profile_chris_daly.shtml Chris Daly

    I did see ketchup on some of the protesters. Jennifer probably got some on her shirt as she rushed in to save them!

  • http://www.fogcityjournal.com/profiles/profile_chris_daly.shtml Chris Daly

    Once a Bumblebee…

  • http://www.fogcityjournal.com/profiles/profile_h_brown.shtml Harold Brown

    Ketchupgate?

  • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/patmonkrn/ Patrick Monk

    BE LIKE KIM
    DUMP GAVIN.
    I posted a heads-up on Facebook. Little Tweedle Dum is reportedly throwing a ‘celebration’ tonight for all his duped, moronic and mindless twitterlings and other assorted corrupt political hacks and brown nosers. MATRIX 3138 Fillmore.
    6PM > whenever Jennifer drags his sorry arse home or the powdered party favors run out.
    ACT UP. RAISE A RUCKUS.
    Make a noise in support of those Supes who are still fighting for us.
    Flush the little toad out to the George W Sewage plant where he belongs.

  • http://sfgop.org Howard Epstein

    “San Francisco Chronicle Panders to Newsom…” I’m shocked and amazed.

  • sue

    I, too, took pictures of Team Newsom participants and can add them to the body of evidence, as according to my photographs, all are ketchup-free (granted, the Missus wasn’t there when I was clicking …).

  • Matt Stewart

    The least that Garchik can do is print another article getting the perspective of the progressives who took part in the demonstration.

  • Michael Goldstein

    I too heard the ketchup reports at a couple after parties. But, based on past experience and my own observations earlier, I didn’t believe them. By the time I left the last party, I heard reports coming from staffers that repudiated the earlier reports.

  • Matt Stewart

    I encourage readers of this post to write to Mrs. Garchik with their thoughts on her article.

    lgarchik@sfchronicle.com

  • robert.haaland

    Hello friends,
    Yesterday I was contacted by the Bay Area Reporter about our die-in. They Mayor’s office accused us of throwing ketchup on the Mayor’s seven month pregnant wife, and personally attacked me for the action. It was clearly meant to marginalize the impact of our effort. As the photos and the video show, it was a bald-faced lie.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vl-g_TMHRM

    http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2009/06/30/san-francisco-chronicle-panders-to-newsom-ketchup-lie/

    The Mayor’s office was never able to produce any evidence that anything of that nature occurred. I gave pictures to the reporter that contradicted their assertion, and we had four attorneys from the National Lawyers Guild who were observers/non-participants who are also willing to attest to the fact that our action was a non-violent action, and that no-one threw ketchup on her. (I was concerned that something like this might happen and contacted the National Lawyers Guild to ensure there was an objective witnesses to the event. Whew. Always good to cover your a#$.)

    One of the videos however did show that one of our protesters was thrown to the ground by one of the Mayor’s security detail. It was a disturbing shot. The video and pictures showed a woman following the Mayor, and the security person pushed her. She fell, and two other protesters stood over her to stop the security person from “going” after her. Fortunately she was fine, but I, and I suspect others, were left with a momentary chill.

    That all being said, our action was phenomenal. Much love to those who participated.

  • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/patmonkrn/ Patrick Monk

    BE LIKE KIM
    DUMP GAVIN

  • reginadesf

    Dear Mr. Thomas and commentators: It is absolutely correct that a ketchup bag was thrown. Not only did I witness it, it whizzed past my face. The bag was thrown seconds after Mike Farrah sat next to Jennifer. Had he not sat next to her, the bag would have hit her. The bag was thrown from a demonstrator located near the back of the car. You all did not see it as you were in the front.

    I was horrified that such an aggressive and violent act took place. We don’t tolerate such violent acts from the Religious Right in front of abortion clinics. An apology is due.
    Regina Dick-Endrizzi