# Would you call Carl Paladino's \[statement\] to a reporter a death threat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 30, 2010, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574 "2010-09-30T05:34:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/41 "2010-10-01T13:40:40Z")
[Paladino has now had admitted he has no evidence](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/01/nyregion/01paladino.html) that Andrew Cuomo was engaged in any affairs while married. According to the NY Times, > [@](#): > > …he merely wanted reporters to scrutinize his rival’s personal life as closely as they had his own… The confrontation started with the reporter demanding that Paladino produce evidence of his accusations about Andrew Cuomo’s personal life. Earlier the same evening Paladino had suggested that Cuomo had as messy a personal life as Paladino, and had engaged in affairs while married. Paladino grew more and more angry that the reporter wouldn’t accept his word that the evidence would be made available “at the appropriate time”. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/42 "2010-10-01T14:03:38Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > > [@Mr.Moto](#): > > > > “Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you’ll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below!” > > > > [Cite.](http://www.trumanlibrary.org/trivia/letter.htm) > > > > Not a death threat, certainly, but not very nice. And let’s face it, Truman’s threat was as empty as Paladino’s. > > I thought your argument was that Paladino’s statement was okay because lots of right wingers like death threats against reporters. > > Now it is okay because Truman did it too? Where did I say it was okay? In the first post I was just saying that an ad highlighting his statement might not have the impact desired, in the second I was just answering what Truman actually wrote in his letter. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/43 "2010-10-01T14:32:40Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/44 "2010-10-01T14:47:13Z")
I would venture that most anytime a reporter become the news, he’s doing something wrong. Paladino’s culpability aside, the reporter gives the appearance of baiting someone, of egging him on in hopes of getting a sensational response. That’s not reporting, it’s creating. What story wouldn’t become a trainwreck if that practice was commonplace. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/45 "2010-10-01T14:53:46Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > I would venture that most anytime a reporter become the news, he’s doing something wrong. Paladino’s culpability aside, the reporter gives the appearance of baiting someone, of egging him on in hopes of getting a sensational response. That’s not reporting, it’s creating. What story wouldn’t become a trainwreck if that practice was commonplace. There was a more complete (and better quality) video of the incident on Lawrence O’Donell’s show last night. It started out more civilly than the link in the OP suggests. IMO Paladino escalated it. Also, I for one am getting tired of politicians making baseless accusations, and reporters sitting back and noting it down like gospel. I want reporters to challenge bullshit when they see it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/46 "2010-10-01T14:56:50Z")
I can’t make out the conversation well enough to say that Dicker baited Paladino into anything. And the confrontation has already started by the time the phone is turned on, which makes it that much harder to tell. Regardless, sending photographers to the kid’s home is over the line and stupid (even if it’s what you’d expect from a tabloid), and while I can understand Paladino being upset by that, he completely blew it. And suggesting to reporters that Cuomo has had affairs was also a stupid tactic. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/47 "2010-10-01T15:06:56Z")
On the bright side, at least he’s stopped forwarding horse porn and nigger jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/48 "2010-10-01T15:09:32Z")
[Here](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/tea-party-candidate-carl-paladino-scuffles-with-reporter-fred-dicker-11764184) is a considerably longer and better quality version of the incident. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/49 "2010-10-01T15:16:20Z")
Dicker does ask a couple of loaded questions for sure, but that doesn’t do Paladino any favors. Essentially the argument escalates because Paladino made up something about Cuomo and got called on it. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/50 "2010-10-01T17:53:02Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > I would venture that most anytime a reporter become the news, he’s doing something wrong. Paladino’s culpability aside, the reporter gives the appearance of baiting someone, of egging him on in hopes of getting a sensational response. That’s not reporting, it’s creating. What story wouldn’t become a trainwreck if that practice was commonplace. Like Katy Curic asking Palin what she reads? Paladino is crude, rude and aggressive. He will do more to show that . he gave an interview on CNN, Ricks List, and was very snotty. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/51 "2010-10-01T18:08:41Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > I would venture that most anytime a reporter become the news, he’s doing something wrong. Paladino’s culpability aside, the reporter gives the appearance of baiting someone, of egging him on in hopes of getting a sensational response. That’s not reporting, it’s creating. What story wouldn’t become a trainwreck if that practice was commonplace. As **Boyo Jim** replied, I think it’s right and proper (and unfortunately very rare) for reporters to challenge the BS that politicians spout. Kudos for this reporter for doing so, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/52 "2010-10-01T18:51:36Z")
> [@Mr\_Smashy](#): > > It’s pretty clear if you hear the tape that the future Governor meant that he was going to take him _ **out to dinner** _. I didn’t ask, and Paladino didn’t tell. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/53 "2010-10-03T00:59:58Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Dicker does ask a couple of loaded questions for sure, but that doesn’t do Paladino any favors. Essentially the argument escalates because Paladino made up something about Cuomo and got called on it. Define loaded. He asked about Paladinos charge that Cuomo was having affairs. That was a news story. He asked if he had proof so he could print it. Paladino had none, so Paladino got pissed off for getting caught making shit up. The reporter denies sending people to take pictures of Paladino’s daughter. Why are we to accept that he actually did? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574/54 "2010-10-03T01:45:49Z")
[quote=“gonzomax, post:53, topic:555574”] > [@Marley23](#): > > … Why are we to accept that he actually did? Which “he”? Reporters don’t send out photographers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-carl-paladinos-statement-to-a-reporter-a-death-threat/555574.md?page=2)