VP Candidate Paul Ryan (Left) and WJRT TV 12's Terry Camp
TV-12 Reporter Terry Camp's Question to Paul Ryan Logical, Not "Strange"
October 14, 2012
By: Dave Rogers
Flint television reporter Terry Camp is the nicest guy you ever want to meet. Yesterday he made national headlines by doing his job -- asking questions.
It all happened when visiting politician Paul Ryan, a Member of Congress from Wisconsin who also happens to be running for vice president, came by Flint's WJRT-TV 12 looking for an interview and air time.
Asked a mundane question "do we have a gun problem?," by Camp, Ryan launched into an ideological spiel about the crime problem and how to change society, specifically in the inner cities (read Flint):
"But the best thing to help prevent violent crime in the inner cities is to bring opportunity to the inner cities...is to help teach people good discipline, good character -- that is civil society, that's what charities and civic groups and churches do to help one another make sure that they can realize the value in one another."
Reporter Camp, no doubt hoping to keep the interview alive after the sermon, keyed in on the central tenet of Ryan's campaign, cutting taxes, a logical segue to an illogical answer he had just gotten on tape regarding guns.
"And you can do all that by cutting taxes...with a big tax cut?" queried Camp.
Instead of giving an honest answer, according to Washington Post political blogger Erik Wemple, "Ryan interpreted the words as the skepticism of a sneering reporter. The candidate said to Camp, 'Those are your words, not mine.'"
A Ryan aide stepped in to stop the interview: "Thank you very much, sir." As he got up to leave, Ryan quipped to Camp: "That was kind of strange -- stuff words in people's mouths."
Was Mr. Camp attempting to stuff words in Ryan's mouth? Or just asking?
"No, that's not what Camp was doing, says TV-12 News Director Jayne Hodak. "Terry in no way was trying to make a political comment. He said he was just asking a question."
According to the Ryan campaign, a local TV reporter "embarrassed himself" by asking the tax cut question.
Did Ryan's aides think Camp was editorializing? Ryan spokesman Brendan Buck responded, "[W]e'll leave that up to folks at home." The session ended "because it was already well over time," he said.
In our opinion it was the other way around. It was Ryan who embarrassed himself, and showed a real lack of class and diplomacy that is required of national political figures. And a remarkable clumsiness -- especially for a candidate on a national ticket -- in handling news people whose job it is to ask provocative questions.
It seems as if Mr. Ryan assumed that because he was in Flint, he would be facing hostility from the press corps.
I guess his attitude would have been more understandable had it been Michael Moore instead of nice guy Terry Camp asking the questions.
Mr. Ryan may face even more "embarrassing questions" at Thursday night's debate in Danville, Kentucky, from Vice President Joe Biden, who often proves he is no nice guy like Terry Camp.
Some in the punditry theorized that Ryan's aides cut off the interview after the candidate made a gaffe when he said: "Even President Obama isn't calling for stronger gun laws." That statement contradicts the National Rifle Association which launched a massive ad campaign "Defeat Obama" attempting to creat fears that the President would push anti-gun legislation in his second term.
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