ISRAEL: U.S. election star Joe the Plumber lays down his tools for a pen and paper to report on the Gaza conflict

Record ID: 396411

  • Title: ISRAEL: U.S. election star Joe the Plumber lays down his tools for a pen and paper to report on the Gaza conflict
  • Date: 12th January 2009
  • Summary: SDEROT, ISRAEL (JANUARY 11, 2009) (REUTERS) UNITED STATES ELECTION STAR JOE WURZELBACHER, KNOWN AS JOE THE PLUMBER, ARRIVING IN ROCKET BATTERED TOWN OF SDEROT RESIDENTS GATHERING AROUND WURZELBACHER VARIOUS OF WURZELBACHER BEING TAKEN ON TOUR OF TOWN WURZELBACHER WALKING THROUGH SHELTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOE WURZELBACHER, KNOWN AS JOE THE PLUMBER, SAYING: "First of a
  • Embargoed: 27th January 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: War / Fighting,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA2A8MW62IXSOG7HM27F85TY08
  • Story Text: U.S. election star Joe the Plumber gets a taste of life as a front-line correspondent as he runs for shelter while reporting in Israel on the Gaza conflict.
    U.S. election star 'Joe the Plumber' laid down his tools and took up reporting on Sunday (January 11) in Israel's rocket battered town.
    "Joe the Plumber" - who became a somewhat surreal media icon in last years U.S. presidential election - said other media were "slanting" coverage of the conflict against the Jewish state.
    Joe Wurzelbacher of Ohio told reporters he had arrived in the rocket battered town of Sderot to cover the war for a conservative U.S. network PJTV - part of the Pyjamas Media website - because he saw "bad press" coverage coming out of Israel.
    Standing on a street with visible damage from rockets fired from Gaza, Wurzelbacher said he is "in search of the truth".
    "They seem to sympathize with Hamas as opposed to the real victims (Referring to Israel)," he told reporters before he was ushered to a shelter nearby after sirens warned of a rocket attack.
    The rocket was one of a dozen launched at Sderot on Sunday which caused some damage but no injuries.
    Holding a reporter's notepad in one hand and a microphone in the other, Wurzelbacher, along with a camera crew, visited homes damaged by rockets fired from neighbouring Gaza.
    "It's good to hear that there are journalists that care, that come, look and let us say what we feel, it makes me happy," said one woman whose house was damaged.
    He ended his tour, which drew attention from media crews from all over, at a damaged house where he did a short piece to camera summing up his tour.
    More than 800 Palestinians and 11 Israelis, mostly soldiers, have been killed in the fighting, including an Israeli aerial and ground offensive, and Hamas rocket fire at Israel, since Dec. 27.
    Wurzelbacher was dubbed "Joe the Plumber" as a hero of Republic candidate John McCain's presidential campaign in October, when he publicly challenged current president-elect, Barack Obama, for planning to raise taxes for wealthy Americans.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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