Morgan Stanley CEO asks for off-the-record discussion with biz journalist

Dylan Stableford of Yahoo News writes that Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman has asked for an off-the-record meeting with Fox Business Network reporter Charles Gasparino after the business journalist called him out on the air for not talking.

Stableford writes, “‘Gorman, you know, is a good guy, but he won’t go before the cameras,’ Gasparino said. ‘Jamie did. He went before the cameras. We didn’t have to submit questions beforehand. There was no time limit. We spent 25 minutes with him and he answered all sorts of questions.’

“The banking industry, of course, is a staple for the finance news networks in these times of economic distress. And Morgan Stanley, which was recently forced to cut pay for senior executives, has been one of Gasparino’s favorite subjects. (Last fall, after Fox Business published an unflattering story about the firm, Gasparino said a Morgan Stanley publicist accidentally left him a voicemail saying she was “going to kill him one of these days.”)

“Jeanmarie McFadden, Morgan Stanley’s global head of communications, would not confirm or deny the story to Yahoo News, saying she would never comment on conversations the CEO ‘may or may not have had.’ But McFadden pointed out that Gorman ‘very often has meals with reporters who cover him,’ including–at least once–Gasparino. (It may be worth noting that both Dimon and Gorman were spotted Thursday at a CNBC and Financial Times-hosted party in Davos.)”

Read more here.