Talk:Sam Donaldson

Untitled
You f-ing propagandists even deleted the edit summary wouldn't want people to get the facts would you you disgusting Orwellian scum.

The link at the Notable Names Database is openly satirical, and I'm not sure it should be included, especially if it is to be included as a citable source about who Sam Donaldson really is. --Pathogen 23:37, 17 August 2005 (UTC)

why does the president (small p) of the United States refer to Sam as a has been —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.226.149.131 (talk) 20:02, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

legal case against George Bush
I believe that Mr. Donaldson may have a legal case against George Bush for publicly addressing him as a "has been". Webster's defines Slander as " Spoken falsehood harmful to another." I am aware that they were in Washington D.C. but, California law states: Slander is a false and unprivileged publication, orally uttered, and also communications by radio or any mechanical or other means which:

1.Charges any person with crime, or with having been indicted, convicted, or punished for crime;

2.Imputes in him the present existence of an infectious, contagious, or loathsome disease;

3.Tends directly to injure him in respect to his office, profession, trade or business, either by imputing to him general disqualification in those respects which the office or other occupation peculiarly requires, or by imputing something with reference to his office, profession, trade, or business that has a natural tendency to lessen its profits;

4.Imputes to him impotence or a want of chasity; or

5.Which, by natural consequence, causes actual damage.

Mr. Donaldson could argue that his professional career was damaged by the inconsiderate remarks made by George Bush. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.103.145.27 (talk) 21:51, 2 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Truth is an absolute defense against an allegation of slander or libel, however. 174.71.85.240 (talk) 07:48, 15 December 2009 (UTC)

Ronald Reagan
What about anything about Donaldson's outspoken reporting and press coverage during the tenure of President Ronald Reagan? After all, that's what made him famous! The article mentiones nothing...Happyme22 04:32, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

If you can find anything as a source, by all means add it. WAVY 10 15:42, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I agree with all respect. The article mentions little about what might be considered the heart of Sam Donaldson's career: his White House press coverage of the Reagan Presidency. (John G. Lewis (talk) 06:37, 16 December 2014 (UTC))

Horrid toupee?
I am removing this reference. If someone can find a source for it and provide a good reason for its inclusion, feel free. But the simple fact that he wears a hairpiece hardly qualifies for inclusion in an entry such as this, IMO.VanPelt101 16:19, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

connection to dc hookers
November 27, 2007

In response to a story by online news source Big Head DC that a phone number belonging to ABC newsman Sam Donaldson appears in the phone records of former D.C. Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey, Larry Flynt confirms that his researchers discovered the number months ago but chose not to reveal it.

"We did not release the information because Donaldson did not meet our criteria for being a hypocrite," Flynt said. "Donaldson is not a politician and does not make the kind of daily decisions that affect our lives." Larry Flynt informed ABC so they would be prepared if the story came out elsewhere. Flynt assured the network that he had no plans to release the information. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.194.243.180 (talk) 12:13, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

Has-been / never-was exchange with the President
I'm the one who first added this to Donaldson's biography. As others have noted, the official white house transcript does not include Mr. Donaldson's: "Better to have been a has-been than a never-was,". I contacted Mr. Donaldson by email on 5 Aug 2006, and he confirmed that he did say it- or rather shouted it. I don't know why it isn't in the White House transcript, but it's probably beacuse of the crosstalk and guffaws after President Bush made the initial "has been" comment.

I put the comment back since I have the Washington Post citation. I also added a MLA styled citation to my email exchange with Mr. Donaldson. Citing an unpublished work is unusual (at least on Wikipedia anyway), but in this case I believe it is appropriate.

Mtp318 (talk) 10:11, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Has-been / never-was exchange with the President
Here's an interview with Donaldson where he says he did reply with the "better a has-been than a never was" comment:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fUb-jzk3ldk&feature=related

If we can find the transcript for this interview we can probably cite that.

Mattjm (talk) 06:51, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Can we get a better picture?
This looks like he is flipping out or something. Jokem (talk) 13:53, 27 March 2012 (UTC)


 * (Though I'll probably get in trouble for this) I'll second that. It looks to me like some amateur photo-shop job trying to put Donaldson in the worst possible light (probably someone who hates him).  But no doubt, they will argue that using a better photo will violate fair use policies and will insist on keeping this horrible portrayal of him on here forever. Shanoman (talk) 22:01, 3 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I was here specifically to say that someone needs to find a better pic. Thanks to the insanity of intellectual monopoly grants, I don't feel like going through the trouble of finding one that qualifies, and then having to worry that it'll get deleted anyway...but I'm hoping someone who's more skilled with Wikipedia IP red tape can do it. Nobody should have a pic that crazed-looking at the head of their article. — Kaz (talk) 17:11, 9 December 2012 (UTC)


 * This is so seconded. carturo222 (talk) 18:53, 26 December 2012 (UTC)


 * This kind of issue was also on the Jerry Pournelle page. It looked like he was drunk holding an invisible shot glass.  It got changed (but not by me).

I sent a message out to ABC News about this, here is the response.

"Thank you for your inquiry. The volume of requests such as yours makes it impossible for us to respond on an individual basis. You may not need our permission for non- commercial use if the nature of your use falls within "fair use" under copyright or trademark law. While we cannot give advice as to whether the particular use you contemplate would be "fair use", we urge you to consult your own legal advisor if you have any questions.

Note: The Company’s long-established policy does not allow us to accept for review or consideration any ideas, suggestions, or creative materials not solicited by us or our subsidiaries. Therefore, in the event that you have submitted such content, please be advised that the submission has been forwarded to the Company’s legal department for handling.

This email has been sent to you from an outbound email account that will not accept inbound mail. Therefore, please do not respond to this email."

OK, so I need to pay a lawyer $150/hr to find out what picture of Sam Donaldson is OK to post here, so he doesn't look like a lunatic? If ABC News wants this kind of impression of one of their news staff to be presented publicly, I think it is their business? What about the rest of you? Jokem (talk) 19:23, 22 January 2013 (UTC)

Are we allowed to use this photo? Looks much better to me. Jokem (talk) 17:50, 23 October 2013 (UTC)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/spring07/articles/spring07pg7.html


 * Since it's produced by the US government, it should be in the public domain and thus acceptable. Also, apparently the picture currently on the page is a cropped version of a photo that looks a lot less crazy. Blaylockjam10 (talk) 12:02, 11 December 2013 (UTC)

I tried to change the picture, but I just don't know how. The edit instructions were kind of generic and did not get into specific 'how to'. Jokem (talk) 12:04, 30 January 2015 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080112044505/http://www.ktep.org/history.sstg to http://www.ktep.org/history.sstg
 * Added archive https://archive.is/20130129123201/http://www.mulchblog.com/2007/01/what-will-sam-donaldson-tell-the-farm-bureau-about-farm-subsidies.html to http://www.mulchblog.com/2007/01/what-will-sam-donaldson-tell-the-farm-bureau-about-farm-subsidies.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130602083747/http://www.creators.com/opinion/john-stossel/will-the-republicans-really-cut-this-time.html to http://www.creators.com/opinion/john-stossel/will-the-republicans-really-cut-this-time.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20150427223222/http://www.jimhightower.com/node/2748 to http://www.jimhightower.com/node/2748
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20081123054356/http://www.abcmedianet.com/web/bios/display_bios.aspx?bio_type=news_correspondents&bio_id=89 to http://www.abcmedianet.com/web/bios/display_bios.aspx?bio_type=news_correspondents&bio_id=89
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20081201173823/http://www.courttv.com/trials/posey/022306_sentencing_ctv.html to http://www.courttv.com/trials/posey/022306_sentencing_ctv.html
 * Added tag to http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Latest-News-Wires/2013/1109/Sam-Donaldson-DUI-charge-dismissedref

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Sam Donaldson and my dad
My Father F. Adrian attended Texas Western with San Donaldson and worked with him on the KELP Radio Station 2600:1700:69F0:4FC0:3027:690:D472:2399 (talk) 01:00, 31 July 2022 (UTC)