It's being called "gobblegate," "the interview of death," and "Silence of the Turkeys."

Gov. Sarah Palin granted a Thanksgiving pardon to a turkey at a Mat-Su poultry farm on Thursday, a photo-op associated with presidents but done by governors as well.

But by Friday, video of Palin giving an upbeat interview while other turkeys were being slaughtered behind her had turned into an Internet sensation, with the governor once again at the center of controversy.

The video, shot by KTUU Channel 2, had 1.2 million hits on YouTube. It was prominently featured on the home pages of newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune and Denver Post. MSNBC's "Countdown" paired the video with "breaking news" headlines such as "Gov. Palin picks worst possible backdrop for TV news interview." Countered the conservative site RedState.com: "Media shocked to discover how farming works"

Such footage of any governor would no doubt have drawn interest, but the continuing obsession with the former Republican vice presidential nominee sent this one into the stratosphere.

The governor's office wasn't particularly amused.

"It's unfortunate because it's been a rough fall and this was meant to be a lighthearted event," said Palin spokesman Bill McAllister.

McAllister said Palin wasn't aware that the slaughter was going on behind her in the interview -- during which Palin was asked if she was concerned about "state programs on the chopping block" and why she wanted to pardon a turkey.

"For one, you need a little bit of levity in this job. ... to just participate in something that isn't so heavy handed politics that invites criticism," Palin replied. "Certainly we'll probably invite criticism for even doing this too, but at least this was fun."

'THAT'S JUST LIFE'

Anthony Schmidt, owner of Triple D Farm & Hatchery, where this all took place, said Friday that animal rights activists from around the nation had been calling all day to "say how horrible it was they were killing that turkey and people could see it."

"And I guess, to some degree I understand that. If I had my choice it wouldn't have been aired, that part of it. But, on the other hand, that's just life," he said. "Americans are going to consume 46 million turkeys at Thanksgiving. I'm only doing six or seven hundred. Give somebody else a hard time."

Schmidt said he was busy during the governor's visit and didn't realize turkeys were being killed right behind the governor, or he would have stopped it. He said the publicity is increasing turkey orders but he doesn't like the fallout.

"They're sliming the governor and I think it's wrong, totally, wrong," Schmidt said. "I mean, come on guys, get a life."

McAllister said the slaughter had not started at the time the cameras were set up. He said that, while the cameras were rolling and a worker at the farm began placing turkeys head-down in a big metal cone to cut their necks and drain blood, Kris Perry, the governor's friend and director of her Anchorage office, "was actually physically nudging (the KTUU videographer), saying 'look at this,' and encouraging him not to frame the shot to include that, or to do something about it later, where he wouldn't use it," McAllister said. McAllister said KTUU showed the slaughter in its 5 p.m. broadcast, but not at 6 p.m., and pulled the video from its Web site. "So obviously there was concern about it there too."

BEHIND THE SCENE

KTUU News Director Steve MacDonald said the footage was too graphic, out of context, and should not have made it on the air at all. He said the station wasn't attempting to embarrass Palin and had a breakdown in its vetting system.

"We feel really bad about what happened. We take our reputation very seriously, we take our place in the community very seriously and the last thing we want to do is harm our integrity with our viewers," MacDonald said.

MacDonald said the station's videographer denies Perry was nudging him during the shot. He said the crew thought Palin knew what was going on behind her but believes McAllister was correct that the slaughter didn't start until after the interview began.

Democratic blogger Linda Kellen Biegel was at the turkey pardon and didn't believe Palin was unaware of what was happening. "Give me a break! There is NO WAY she couldn't have known!" Biegel wrote on her blog, Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis.

MSNBC's host David Shuster, substituting for Keith Olbermann on "Countdown," said on his show Thursday night that "governor Palin's office is now telling our NBC news desk that a photographer asked her if she wanted that as a backdrop and she replied 'no worries.' " KTUU's MacDonald said he's not aware of that.

Palin spokesman McAllister said she may have said that before the slaughter started, but not after it began.

Find Sean Cockerham online at adn.com/contact/scockerham or call him at 257-4344.

ADVERTISEMENT