James O’Keefe Mug Shot Lands On New York Times Front Page

by Joe Coscarelli | 9:29 am, January 31st, 2010

» 9 comments

There was a moment when conservative vigilante videographer James O’Keefe was a man of the web — making a name for himself online, most notably at Big Government, but also on the sites that tracked his exploits (ahem). Then Fox News took notice — and how could they not? — while O’Keefe peacocked in his pimp costume. Now, O’Keefe and his associates have landed on the front page of the New York Times — but not exactly under ideal circumstances.

“From Hijinks to Handcuffs,” reads the headline, “A Provocative Conservative Movement Born on Campus.” And the former GOP hero is the star from the first sentence: “James O’Keefe III, the guerrilla videographer, advised conservative students this month that they needed to start taking more risks.”

The three-page feature to follow, by two reporters with three more contributing, provides what very well may become the definitive account of O’Keefe’s alleged attempted telephone bugging of Senator Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana.

Mr. O’Keefe said Friday that the four men had been trying to determine whether Ms. Landrieu was avoiding constituent complaints about the Senate health care bill after her phone system was jammed in December. (Her office said no calls had been intentionally avoided.) On reflection, he said in a statement, “I could have used a different approach to this investigation.”

And yet the Times won’t let this quote sit, instead noting that this approach — “a kind of gonzo journalism or a conservative version of ‘Candid Camera’” — was O’Keefe’s M.O., as well as the tactics of many young conservatives nationwide hoping for exposure. O’Keefe is hailed as a “cult hero” for his zany activist events, but the Times notes that he is merely the public face for fed-up conservatives who utilize “political pranks and embarrassing recordings to upend what they view as overwhelming liberal biases on college campuses and in the culture at large.”

The in-depth article may be O’Keefe’s move to the mainstream — impossibly high visibility bestowed on a man clearly craving the spotlight — but maybe, if it were up to him, he would’ve picked a better headshot. Here’s an image of Sunday’s front page, via frontpages:

Read the entire fascinating piece by clicking the link below:

High Jinks to Handcuffs for Landrieu Provocateur [New York Times]

Andrew Breitbart, Big Government, James O'Keefe, Mary Landrieu, Mediaite, New York Times

TfT

And I thought the NYTimes had a picture of him on the front page when he broke the corruption story about ACORN. Silly me.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

This may be O’Keefe’s first mug shot, likely won’t be the last. I’d say he just won “Most Likely To Go To The Federal Pen” vote at his alma mater, Breitbart.com.
Cecelia

Ah…the NYTs finally got around to reporting the ACORN story…
tjl

Ah… Cecilia, we’ll give you a few extra days to read this article. There are a lot of words in it!
Cecelia

Now don’t fret, tjl. If I don’t have time to read it to you, I’m sure someone will!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Robin-Jones/100000476959878 Robin Jones

uhm.. maybe because there were no laws broken by the few acorn workers on his edited tapes?
why didn’t fox ask for or show the unedited tapes? this leaves Okeefe’s version of the acorn encounter suspect.
I was thinking that it’s not beyond the pale “no pun” for someone who actually has seen a ‘real pimp’ to play along with these two ‘clownish caricatures’ for a bit of office banter / gossip / comedy to share later among co-workers.

we will never know , unless we see unedited footage. i also find it suspect that no apparent prior criminal history of the acorn workers was presented. “investigative journalism”? no … but i see a pattern of Nixonian criminality and arrogance on the part of the coddled, privileged, and self-righteous.
http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

@TfT: That story would’ve been about ACORN (or more accurately, a few of their volunteers), while today’s NYTime piece is a profile of O’Keefe and his friends. I just glanced at his Twitter and it hasn’t updated in days, but I’m sure in his mind, making the front page of the paper of record is a reason to crow.
Cecelia

Well, Robin that’s quite advantage you’ve given to ACORN workers. You’ll voluntarily stand them beside the “coddled, privileged, and self-righteous”.

Don’t be so hard on ACORN, man! And don’t be so specific… Why not put the “alien, the otherworldly, and the Martianesque” on ACORN’s other side other. You can check out those odds for seeing how ACORN workers stack up.

What is a fact is that if Eric Holder had bothered to investigate, ALL the footage O’Keefe collected could have been subpoenaed.

If there had been an investigation we wouldn’t be sitting here speculating about why some ACORN workers found it necessary to be ever so helpful in providing information on how to deal with the IRS AND a child slavery operation.

Perhaps then when ACORN says it will rehabilitate its hiring practices and its screening of volunteers, we’d read some report by some sort of overlooking agency (ala even the FBI…) that this had been accomplished.

Perhaps then I wouldn’t have to worry about my particular politics trumping my status as a taxpayer, in the eyes of people who not only occupy that same territory themselves, but who’ve built a park with monuments.
felixw

Whoa, alleged telephone bugging? Haven’t you done any research on this story? No bugging is mentioned in the affidavit, and law enforcement officials have admitted that there was no intent to wiretap. They didn’t even have bugging equipment with them.

You need to issue an apology and a retraction.