Celebrity TV journalist Geraldo Rivera kicked out of Iraq: Pentagon

March 31, 2003 11:34 AM

Celebrity TV journalist Geraldo Rivera kicked out of Iraq: PentagonI had seen Geraldo drawing the map referred to. Geraldo was not "embedded" and therefore acting as a real reporter. Did he give away key info? My suspicion is No. I had earlier seen retired officers (they all retire and then go on TV) make similar marking to show where our forces were on the way toward Baghdad. I knew in advance where Geraldo would conclude his map in the sand because I had seen it on the "embedded" reports on various cable stations.
posted by Postroad (29 comments total)

Also being discussed in the Peter Arnett thread.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:37 AM on March 31, 2003

I had seen Geraldo drawing the map referred to.

I saw Geraldo drawing the map

or

I did see Geraldo drawing the map
posted by The Jesse Helms at 11:42 AM on March 31, 2003

Geraldo Rivera is TV personality trash. If for no other reason, he should have been kicked out of Iraq for being a disgrace.
posted by Mushkelley at 11:42 AM on March 31, 2003

Phrases I would have bet $1,000,000 I would not hear today -

Geraldo was ... acting as a real reporter.
posted by ElvisJesus at 11:47 AM on March 31, 2003

From the linked article:

He has become best known in recent years however for tabloid fodder, particularly during a stint several years ago as host of the prime-time "Rivera Live" talk show, when he catapulted to national celebrity for his coverage of the OJ Simpson trials.

I thought his shitty, schlocky talk show and the whole "Al Capone's Vault" fiasco was what catapulted him into the spotlight long before Rivera Live or OJ came along? The whole klansman wielded chair to the nose incident was prior to Rivera Live, no?
posted by Pollomacho at 11:49 AM on March 31, 2003

Can we kick him out of the US too?
posted by KnitWit at 11:49 AM on March 31, 2003

Celebrity TV journalist Geraldo Rivera kicked out of Iraq ... (emphasis added).
posted by monju_bosatsu at 11:59 AM on March 31, 2003

Wow, this seems to be an issue that right or left, we all actually seem to agree, Geraldo is a jackass!
posted by Pollomacho at 12:06 PM on March 31, 2003

I saw him yesterday and thought he was *rolls eyes* embedded. I thought - what a tough, tough break - being assigned to babysit Geraldo as part of your military duty! Can you imagine? This will be a morale booster for those troops.
posted by rainbaby at 12:11 PM on March 31, 2003

It's for his own safety. The Iraqis have developed a new, letahl folding chair.
posted by jonmc at 12:14 PM on March 31, 2003

Geraldo doesn't want you to know this, but pretty soon he is going to be too old for this kind of thing. He's been doing shlock TV "journalism" since the 60s.
posted by zaelic at 12:16 PM on March 31, 2003

It's pretty much the first good chunk of war news I'd heard...Now he can resume his pistol-fortified search for Bin Laden.
posted by jalexei at 12:21 PM on March 31, 2003

You think he got "kicked out" on purpose to draw publicity for Fox and to give him credibility (look I got "kicked out" just like Arnett and you made a movie about him!)? Kind of like how Fox accidentally revealed the Joe millionaire underwear photos on week one and the bondage shots close to the end?
posted by Pollomacho at 12:22 PM on March 31, 2003

Okay, you're gonna love this. Rivera is now denying he was kicked out- leaving us to choose who's telling the truth: the United States Military or Geraldo Rivera.

Excuse me, I have to go pick up the little bits of my head.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 1:00 PM on March 31, 2003

You think he got "kicked out" on purpose to draw publicity for Fox and to give him credibility (look I got "kicked out" just like Arnett and you made a movie about him!)?

So....let's see....Fox News -- which has had its best ratings ever since the war started -- asked Geraldo to draw a map in the sand in hopes that he would get kicked out of the country, so that Fox could get better ratings? These left-wing "conspiracy theories" never cease to amaze me.

By the way, isn't Geraldo a total bleeding heart? I thought Fox only had conservatives on? Oh I suppose that's part of the Fox News plot to discredit liberals.....
posted by Durwood at 1:02 PM on March 31, 2003

Boy am I weirded out by being the one to talk about the good story done by Geraldo Rivera. He did do a great story when he was with 20/20 about the deplorable state of mental health facilities called "Back to Bedlam." The program was sensationalistic, but it pointed out a huge problem that was being largely ignored at the time. Then, of course, he left 20/20 because they wouldn't let him cover the JFK/Marilyn story.

A few weeks ago, his television program was the only one I could find that was even covering the Turkish vote to deny the Americans ability to wage war on their lands. Please don't ever force me to bring up something nice about Geraldo Rivera again. Please.
posted by answergrape at 1:15 PM on March 31, 2003

Can anyone confirm or deny reports that his mustache was allowed to stay?

Add his departure to a long list of journalistic blunders. (WARNING: satire)
posted by Frank Grimes at 1:16 PM on March 31, 2003

OT: I have this theory that Giraldo is Salvador Dali reborn. The theory is clearly false though. GR was born in 1947 and SD died in 1989. Also, reincarnation probably does not occur. There is a resemblance though, you must admit. Links open in new window.
posted by ArcAm at 1:18 PM on March 31, 2003

Fox had a hit with Joe Millionaire and still "leaked" the photos to the press, conveniently using the NY Post for the "scoop" (NY Post is owned by HarperCollins publishing, a subsidiary of NewsCorp. aka Fox also convenient that some photos broke on the Smoking Gun owned by Court TV a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp. who happens to be working out a sweet buyout deal by, yep, you guessed it Rupert's own NewsCorp.) why would it be a stretch for them to pull this sort of BS. Besides Fox News wants to pull top ratings from CNN, MSNBC, etc. and keep them, that's how they make money (please don't tell me you buy the "fair and balanced" line?).

I personally despite my hours of TV watching including Fox News, didn't even know Geraldo was in Iraq, so the news of him being suddenly kicked out has had to have been hyped more than his being sent there in the first place!
posted by Pollomacho at 1:36 PM on March 31, 2003

OT: I have this theory that Geraldo is Harry Reems (possibly NSFW?) reborn, but it suffers the same weaknesses as ArcAm's.
posted by jpoulos at 1:39 PM on March 31, 2003

I love it: (a.k.a. Tim Long, Herb Stryker)

Why is it that porn names and "news character" names are so similar? Herb Stryker would be a great news name! "This is Herb Stryker reporting for Fox News, somewhere in Iraq."
posted by Pollomacho at 1:50 PM on March 31, 2003

My youthful Geraldo-virginity was lost when i witnessed the Al Capone Vault thing, and journalism was just never the same

Okay, you're gonna love this. Rivera is now denying he was kicked out- leaving us to choose who's telling the truth: the United States Military or Geraldo Rivera.

Excuse me, I have to go pick up the little bits of my head.

XQUZYPHYR Classic!
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 2:45 PM on March 31, 2003

never mind geraldo, this war is a programme idea developed by jerry springer.
posted by sgt.serenity at 3:11 PM on March 31, 2003

Geraldo was kicked out of Iraq because the US military was afraid they'd be accused of crimes against humanity if they let him stay.
posted by kewms at 4:14 PM on March 31, 2003

For all the ridicule he has heaped upon himself I must say Geraldo has balls like a gunfighter, as evidenced by his reporting with the Mujadin in 80s Afghanistan and the thousands of TV/Movie Stars he claimed (in his autobiography) to have boned.
posted by Mack Twain at 4:29 PM on March 31, 2003

Since when does the US Military have the authority to kick someone out of Iraq?
posted by krakedhalo at 5:56 PM on March 31, 2003

Wasn't he originally known as Jerry Rivers? I heard that somewhere.

Herb Stryker would be a great news name!

What about Gary Strieker? It's pronounced the same way.
posted by Vidiot at 6:58 PM on March 31, 2003

His parents were named Rivera, Vidiot: Puerto Rican father, Jewish mother. But his first name was Gerald, and he was called Jerry by his friends. It was when he began his broadcasting career at WABC that he chose the stage name Geraldo, and forever after it has been seen as a cynical career move.

Granted, knowing him now, that seems much less unfair than it once did.

krakedhalo: The military has broad authority within its area of operations to protect its own security. But the issue here is that FOX is being pressured by the Pentagon to simply decredential him; at this point he merely has lost his welcome to travel with military units, which was a distinct privilege for a reporter not in the Embed program.
posted by dhartung at 11:46 PM on March 31, 2003

We now learn that Geraldo is leaving because....

Pentagon and Fox News reached an agreement

*cough*

Who's really in charge at the Pentagon thing ? Do they have any decision power left ? I'm starting to think foxnews directs the pentagon....
posted by elpapacito at 1:21 PM on April 1, 2003