In this edition: BBC looks to expand in US; Christian radio station runs illegal disclaimer; The Daily Show & The Colbert Report get TCA nods; CBS Iraq crew, Katie Couric and Charlie Gibson dominate media personality coverage; Reporters in danger in Iraq and Afghanistan; Journalists killed in Iraq tops total for WWII; Bill O'Reilly (still a joke); local TV on your cell phone; bloggers are journalists, too; Chicago Mayor creates sex symbol; FCC gets more Republican; cartoons, and more...
Thoughts, and Then, the News
Some voters and many in the media tend to look at women in positions of power with sometimes a different set of standards. Female politicians can use their gender to their advantage. When a male makes untoward advances or her husband treats her like crap, a female politician's favorability ratings among women tend to go up. (Think Lazio v. Clinton debate in 2000). There's a "rally around the women who was treated wrongly by a man" effect. But being a female politician can have its disadvantages, too. Too many in the media become obsessed with how a female politician looks, and if she becomes more powerful and becomes busier, the media starts up with crap like this: Is she being a good enough mother? How much time is she spending with her husband? She's nagging the public too much! Look at how awful her makeup is! Can't she get a better suit? In short, the media gets extra catty. Most of the male politicians aren't exactly lookers, and if a male politician's suit is a little wrinkled, it's often shrugged off. How often do male politicians undergo heavy scrutiny of their roles as husbands and fathers? I'm not talking about scrutiny when they get caught cheating on their wives. I'm talking about the type of scrutiny where the media wonders if he's balancing work and home life properly. That type of scrutiny is disproportionately faced by female politicians and many females in positions of power (e.g. president of a college, CEO, etc.) I'm remember a local news clip from the late 90s done about the ex-pres of my alma mater (shown in class to demonstrate the point about women in politics). The news correspondent blamed her high-profile career for the demise of her first marriage and her lack of friends; the segment basically blamed her job as the reason she wasn't a traditional housewife. Take a look at how the media treats First Ladies (and potential First Ladies). If she's a stand by her man at all costs type, she gets far better media coverage than the `independent' wife. (Ahem, think about the treatment Hillary and THK got versus Lynne Cheney and Laura Bush.) The media's treatment of women has gotten better over the years, but there are still instances where women disproportionately face crap like
this:
As the prospect of a Democratic majority gains credibility and Ms. Pelosi is more visible, she is also subjected to the speculation and analysis about her hair, makeup and clothes that any woman positioned for such a big job often must endure.
Now for the news from the past week posted, June 5, 2006:
Note: I'm going to put a %%% next to things that are more interesting or go into things more in-depth.
Good Riddance!
NYT's Elisabeth Bumiller is on book leave. She's writing a book about Condi Rice. She couldn't leave any sooner.
Maher on the media
link
Q: Where do you get your news?
A: I'm not a cable person. I do watch the nightly news, but I switch back and forth 'cause I can't stand commercials for Gas-X.
Q: Will you watch Katie Couric?
A: I think she'll probably read the teleprompter the same way the others did. The evening news really only has one news segment now. I heard Elizabeth Vargas say the other night, 'Is the U.S. planning a nuclear attack on Iran with nuclear weapons? We'll take a closer look.' Usually it's 'Is there a better way to lower your cholesterol?' These people used to complain that they only had 30 minutes. But obviously they don't really want to fill more than seven.
Knight-Ridder sale fallout
* The bids on the rest of the KR orphans are in
* How Tierney and associates won the bidding for Philly papers, and how these new owners might not be so good.
Credit Where It's Due
* CNN report makes Congo President Squirm International reporting is where CNN has an advantage over FNC and MSNBC. They should do more of it.
* CJR praises one reporter's work on Darfur
* Haditha Massacre: KR Reporter, Tom Lasseter, noted worries last August that US Marines might "Crack"
* Nagourney responds to Singer Nagourney's response was level-headed. Not the usual "You suck bloggers!" screed from the MSM.
* LA Times gives space to Jon Wiener, who writes about John Lott's uber-hackitry
Awards, Fellowships and Nominees
* Television Critic Association 2006 Award nominations: Colbert, Stewart, TCR and TDS are nominated in various categories.
* Woodruff's kin to accept 2006 Cranbrook Schools Distinguished Alumni Award on 6/10
* Nieman Foundation announces class of 2006-07 fellows
* Egyptian wins new EU-funded press freedom award
* "Radio Rookies" to get Peabody Award
* Kaiser Media Fellowships in Health winners
Battle of Media Folks
* Charlie Gibson v. New York's Joe Hagan. Charlie Gibson didn't mean to imply that African issues weren't worth covering. Gibson isn't happy with the way he was quoted. Really unhappy. Keith Olbermann says that the reporter really is a snake.
* Broder for highlighting Kevin Drum's foresight
* Syracuse New Times may take legal action against Bush aide Zinsmeister who was caught altering his quotes.
* New Bush chief domestic policy adviser Karl Zinsmeister vs. Journalists in warzones
* Women groups v. ABCNews Re: Elizabeth Vargas's departure.
* Tim Russert v. Deborah Solomon of NYT Mag Russert may have a legit complaint about selective editing, but he's not journalistic saint either when it comes to taking things out of context.
* Stern settles with CBS
Journalists in Dangerous and Difficult Situations
* LA Times columnist Tim Rutten versus right-wing bloggers re: Iraq war coverage
* CBS News Team Hit in Baghdad by IED just one mile from the Green Zone. A cameraman and a soundman were killed (and subsequently mourned by their British colleagues); their families' statements are here. Cameraman Paul Douglas was the first black journalist killed in Iraq. Douglas and Brolan were honored in Britain. Correspondent Kimberly Dozier (who has covered the Iraq war since it began) is seriously injured. Most of her more serious injuries are to her lower body, but doctors did have to remove shrapnel from her head (which is what doctors had to do to ABC's Bob Woodruff). Dozier was eventually moved to the US base in Germany; she has moved her toes and has responded to her boyfriend and family. Dozier had a close call, as her pulse stopped in Baghdad. The doctors have started repairing Dozier's legs. A GI in Germany who had met Dozier in Iraq gave her his Purple Heart. CBSNews president issued this statement, as did many other members of the media, including Bob Woodruff and Brian Williams. CBSNews put a photo essay of the three in Iraq on their website. Flashback: Laura Ingraham's comments about journalists in Iraq (and some want Ingraham to put up or shut up).
* Total of journalists killed in Iraq tops WWII total More on the dangers of reporting from a warzone from CJR, ABC's Jim Sciutto, CBS's Lara Logan and USAToday. Morley Safer says Iraq is riskier to cover than Vietnam.
* Dozier part of new generation of war reporters
* TV Reporters Decry Drop in Iraq Coverage. They also explain why covering Iraq is worth it.
* CBS deaths lead to media reassessment in Iraq
* Networks again rethinking embed policies
* AP Cameraman and Reporter Beaten in Kabul Riots
* Reflections on reporting in war zones: Dan Rather and Allen Pizzey.
* NBC's Richard Engel on blogging from Baghdad
* CBS's Barry Petersen on reporting from Asia
* FNC's Harrigan on reporting from Latin America
* Cops Instigate Crowd to Taunt Press Photog Near Chicago.
Journalists, Leaks & Investigations
* Judge Narrows Focus of Libby Trial
* 5 news organizations agree to pay Wen Ho Lee AP, NYT, LAT, WaPo, and ABC decide to pay up. CNN does not. Pierre Thomas on this "ordeal". NYT has more.
* SF Cronicle moves to quash reporters' subpoenas in BALCO case Related: Ashcroft slams DoJ on journo subpoenas in this case
There's got to be some scripture that makes this not okay
Hotline 6/1:
Memphis Christian radio station WCRV-AM, airing paid ads for ex-Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker's (R) campaign, also has been running "editorials" explaining that federal law requires the station to run the ads and detailing his past statements on abortion. [...] The full transcript of the "disclaimer":
BOTT: "Friends, this is Rich Bott. We are very careful about the programming and the advertising we air on Bott Radio Network. We want you to have confidence in what we broadcast. For that reason I want to explain to you why we are airing commercials for Bob Corker's Senate campaign on WCRV. You see, it's because the FEC requires radio stations to accept political advertising announcements for all bona fide candidates for federal office. However, we are at liberty to tell you the rest of the story. For instance, did you know that Tennessee Right to Life opposes Bob Corker based on his past statements and actions regarding abortion. According to Tennessee Right to Life, as commissioner of finance for the Sundquist administration, Corker vehemently opposed budgetary language that would have strictly limited the use of state tax dollars for abortion. Tragically, he prevailed, and the pro-life budget amendment failed. In 1994 he gave pro-abortion responses to pro-life candidate surveys, and his 2006 candidate survey returned to National Right to Life is not 100% pro-life. Many of Corker's financial supporters are prominent pro-abortion Republicans and Democrats. Even one of the state's most outspoken abortionists hosted a fundraising event for him. It's very important for you to know the facts when you decide who to vote for in this Senate campaign. Tennessee Right to Life suggests that you look at Corker's record before you trust his rhetoric. I like what the Lord said in Matthew 7:20: 'By their fruits, ye shall know them.' For more information, click on the WCRV page at BottRadioNetwork.com" (Hotline sources, 5/31).
In Corker's ad, an anncr states: "He'll vote pro-life, for traditional marriage and for conservative judges" (Davis, AP/Oak Ridger, 6/1). "Corker mentions a church mission trip to Haiti that changed his life and inspired him to start a nonprofit that created affordable housing for families." Corker, in the ad: "I know I'm not perfect, but as a Christian I've tried to live by that verse in James, which says, 'Faith without works is dead.'" [...]
GOP consultant Darren Morris "also said he never had heard of such a disclaimer by a radio station." Morris: "It's not only unusual, it's blatantly illegal, and it jeopardizes their license." He "said the station is, at the very least, required to offer" Corker airtime to respond to the editorial, but also said Corker's placement of ads on Christian radio stations is "a poor strategy" because the listeners have made up their minds.
FCC now more GOP
* FCC in thrall to zealots
* More media consolidation?
RWCM Watch
* Wakeup Call 6/5: ""Fox and Friends" asked this am: "Is Jeb Bush The Best Governor In America?" (FNC)."
* Could Judy Miller's unpublished scoop prevented 9/11? We do know that she left the executive editor in the dark about this.
* Study: Journos Don't Do Enough to Stop Unethical Behavior in Newsrooms But What Would "Enough" Be?
* Sargent: Media fails to consistently point out when Bush isn't telling the truth
* Grading the media on Enron coverage. Key quotes:
Today, there are an increasing number of stories of great consequence -- like Enron -- whose complexity too often simply outstrips the competency many of the reporters assigned to cover them. [...]
By and large, the people now running major news operations don't want to take the time or pay the money that it would take to field suitable reporters.
* WaPo piece talks about Bush White House welcoming diversity of opinions. LMAO.
One of the most baseless articles in WaPo...ever
*
Steve Forbes uses column in his magazine to defend convicted phone jammer James Tobin
*
Olbermann exposes O'Reilly on Malmedy O'Reilly pins crimes of Nazi war criminals on Americans.
*
Zahn, Cooper focus on the messenger, not the message Murtha interviews on Haditha.
*
WSJ's Kim Strassel to start up "Potomac Watch"
*
Conason on the NYT article about the Clintons' marriage, while Broder
is defending his commentary about the Clinton's marriage. A politician's marriage does matter to some extent, but the DC pundits and MSM have gone into National Enquirer territory when it comes to the Clintons.
*
NYT omsbud Calame tries to defend the NYT's tabloid coverage of the Clinton's marriage. I don't object to coverage of the marriage of political figures in general, but the NYT article was tabloid in nature. The article wasn't about how Bill Clinton would affect Hillary's candidacy in 08 or how he'd be as First Gentleman. It was about counting how often they spent time together and rehashing tabloid rumors. More from
Greg Sargent.
* WaPo
couldn't find a better photo of Hillary?
* The NYT will count the number of days the Clintons spent together, but can't
be bothered to find out more about right-wing operative.
*
AP reporter writes biased article; gets basic facts wrong In Colorado.
* Shouldn't CNN.com be paying more attention to more important stories
as opposed to a retrospective on Natalie Holloway? There wasn't any new news in the Holloway case, so it didn't merit such prime positioning in the CNN homepage.
*
Prepare Yourself for Another Round of Beltway Double standards in Covering Democrats Applause for Mr. Soto.
*
Judging Pelosi: Media says the yardstick is pleasing the Beltway pundits (as opposed to running the caucus).
*
The AP's John Solomon continues to write hit pieces on Democrats. His target is (for the second time)
Harry Reid. Um, hello! It's
not quid pro quo or corruption or "the appearance" of impropriety, if the legislator does the
opposite of what the alleged briber wants him/her to do! The AP article doesn't at all say enough about what, if any, influence those boxing tickets had on Reid (and when they do, it's a CYA job and still
misleads readers). If it didn't have any, then, the AP should have included that in its report, otherwise the AP is misleading its readers. Actually by putting this article out there without giving equal weight to the fact that Reid
did the opposite of what the NV Athletic Commission wanted him to do, is misleading. It distracts the electorate from real corruption, not to mention
it would've been illegal for Reid to reimburse the NV Athletic Commission. Oh, and to make matters even more ridiculous, the AP
edited the story and made it even more misleading and follows up
with another misleading article from Solomon. For those of us who are blog readers,
it does make Harry Reid look "incorruptible". Full rebuttal from Reid's office
via MyDD. The AP owes Harry Reid an apology, and the AP should fire John Solomon. The man can't even get basic facts right. The continued
CYA job from the AP is really
embarrassing for that
GOP propaganda news organization. E&P has taken notice
of the "dispute" over these stories. Related:
Columbus Dispatch slimes Reid
*
WaPo's Deborah Howell remains a joke of an ombudsman
* Memo to Daryn Kagan:
All peer-reviewed studies are in agreement: Global warming does exist. There's not "other side" here.
* An AP article that is the equivalent of a GOP press release:
Prospective Democratic Chairs All Liberal If you've got high blood pressure, then, please save yourself the trouble and don't read it.
*
Novak Selectively Edits Report to Defend Big Oil When it comes to GOP hacks (Novak, Podhoretz,
NRO, etc.), I often leave them out of this section, because the analysis and fact-checking of well-known hacks takes place on major blogs. However, I'm making an exception here, because given his involvement in Plame and his continuous bamboozlement of anyone who reads his stuff or catches him on FNC, this man should not be allowed to write a column or appear on any `news' show. He's a joke. I've really had it with GOPers who are allowed back to BS the public.
* The NYT coverage on Enron:
rewriting history
* It took Newsweek 20 years to make a correction.
Well, better really late than never, I guess.
*
Media Matters
Media People
* After Chicago Mayor Richard Daley made fun of ChiTrib reporter Matt Walberg's bald look, he became a sex symbol. He's a decent looking guy.
* Gawker may have sniffed out Anderson Cooper's boyfriend. Search on Gawker for Anderson Cooper if you really want more info on Cooper's personal life.
* Anderson Cooper's book "Dispatches From The Edge" sells well
* Ann Coulter hires law firm to fight vote-fraud allegations
* Valerie Plame in new negotiations for book deal
* Hotline 5/31: "AP chief political reporter Ron Fournier is leaving to help launch and run an Internet company. He writes: "This was not an easy decision; I love the AP, as well as the people I work with and for. But I am excited about tinkering at the cutting edges of the Internet and journalism" (email, 5/30)." The Note tribute to Fournier.
* Did you hear about the latest Bill Moyers' speech?
* Anderson Cooper was on LKL 6/1. Transcript
* Anderson Cooper melds newsman and newsmaker
* Get to know CNN's Zain Verjee.
* Get to know Charlie Gibson: from the St. Petersburg Times
* CNN's John Roberts loves his Harley
* Couric buys posh Hamptons pad
News & Notes on Media orgs, Programming, Specials, etc.
* BBC hopes to compete with cable news in US More here. TVNewser has even more here.
* Michael Ware joins CNN as Baghdad-based correspondent. He's the guy who called out Lieberman for his delusions about the state of Iraq.
* ABC WNT promos featuring Charles Gibson. Speaking of Gibson, here's his Q&A from NY Mag. Gibson is also open to co-anchoring with Woodruff. LA Times critic on Gibson.
* Couric hopes `pretentious' news era over
* Katie Couric's last day on The Today Show was 5/31. If you're a huge Couric fan, TVNewser has a ton of coverage. If you just want some random articles about her goodbye and move to CBS Evening News, then try some of these out: AP, LA Times, USA Today, Newsday, NYDN, WaPo, The Courier Journal, Philly Inq, SP Times, BC Beat, Chi Trib
* CBS will remake Evening News look for Couric
* Tribune charged with falsifying circ figures, settles with SEC
* Murdoch's Times of London looking to increase circ in US
* GMA (in another personnel blow) loses EP
* Reuters is hiring journalists. Most news orgs have been cutting personnel.
* Al-Jazeera International launch delayed (again)
* Fox News business channel isn't happening soon
* WaPo buy-out list. Some other names here. The early retirements will likely mean a decline in quality.
* Wemple to be editor-in-chief at Village Voice
State of the Media, Trends, Research Reports, Innovations
* Newspapers using stats from their websites to see which stories attract the most attention. The article writer asks: "Will those numbers heighten the tabloidization of America's newspapers?" %%%
* Demise of Stock Tables Was Overdue ICAM.
* Newspapers woo bloggers with mixed results
* More print reporters to the radio airwaves?
* Jim Lehrer discusses the state of the media %%%
* Memo to WaPo: Stop Insulting Your Best Customers
* Primer on political blogs and the media: link. HT Dkos.
* Bloggers are journalists, too
* Local TV on your mobile phone
* CNN: Visitors Tolerate Online Video Ads
Ratings, Circulation, & Ad Revenue Strength
* Global newspaper sales rise
* Newsprint consumption down sharply, but one good sign
* Fox News Radio increases presence
* Online Growth Boosts Newspaper Ad Revenue Related: Ad spending in newspapers falls off sharply in Q1
* ABC WNT's podcast (World News Now) downloaded 1.4M times for 5/22-5/28.
* Sunday Talk ratings: "For the week of 5/28, NBC's "Meet the Press" won with a 2.4 rating/8 share and 3.017M viewers. ABC's "This Week" and CBS' "Face the Nation" both came in with a 1.8/6 but "This Week" had 2.427M viewers while "Face" had 2.395M viewers. "Fox News Sunday" had with a 1.0/3 and 1.126M viewers (Hotline sources, 6/2)." ABC spins the numbers here, while NBC spins the numbers here.
* Cable News: May Ratings: 25-54 Demo Program Ranker (the program ranker for total viewers is here); Total Viewers of May 06 vs May 05 for FNC, CNN, MSNBC, HLN, and CNBC; Anderson Cooper is bringing in younger viewers in his time slot; LKL faces lowest-rated month in demo since May 01; FNC ranks in cable primetime's top 10 (and this is among all of cable, not just cable news); Lou Dobbs is up 85% in demo but Paula Zahn is down in demos (who is now losing in demos to Olbermann); CNN Demos at 2002 levels (ouch); FNC has lowest Demo viewership in "Sales Prime" since August 2001
* Evening News ratings for Week of 5/22: ABC spins the numbers.
* NBC Nightly News celebrate a May sweeps ratings win.
* The Today Show wins May sweeps among morning shows
* The Chris Matthews Show no. 2 in households for the week ending May 28. He topped FTN, This Week, and FNS.
* Weekend Today tops Weekend GMA (again)
* Online advertising up 38% in Q1
* Advertisers pay big bucks for Couric's final day on Today Show. The ratings were well above The Today Show's average; Katie Couric's farewell is watched by 8.4M. That's the average. An estimated 19M tuned in at one point or another.
* CNN Broadband Video business rising
* Leno, Conan win May sweeps
Media News Monday is a compilation of media news from the past week posted on Monday. If you have any media news to add, please do so. For more RWCM watch & Media News: Penndit's News, Media News, and RWCM Watch Links. I get the advertising, public relations, targeting voters information, and media research from a variety of sources other than the links above. Cross-posted at Penndit and My Left Wing. For previous editions, search my diaries or Penndit.
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