In this edition: Doonesbury cartoonist honored by veterans groups; Help make PBS's Now 60 minutes long; Lewis Black to get TDS spin off?; Rob Corddry leaving TDS?; E-newspapers; Lou Dobbs trusted more on immigration than Bush; Anderson Cooper and Ann Coulter's respective press tours continue; changes at MSNBC; Wen Ho Lee post-mortems; more Thomas Friedman critics; Mary Cheney's book isn't selling; TV newsers and maternity leave; cartoons, and more...
Thoughts, and Then, the News
Memo to the FCC: If you get 4,211 indecency complaints about a program but only two were from people who actually saw it,
then, it might not qualify as `indecent'.
Memo to the Media: This "Ruse" won't be the first or the last. Call BushCo on it. Remember that Rove got away with misleading the media.
Memo to the Media: Brush up on polling, please. MSNBC.com contradicts itself. Gets story about Bush's poll numbers right in one part of a story, but wrong in another part.
Memo to the Media: Stop acting like you're really excited about a Bush comeback, even when the polling numbers don't really support the narrative. Save it for when those numbers actually bounce back up in a significant way. Bush isn't surging ahead or anything. I think the numbers indicate that the bleeding has stopped; then again, when you've hit 29%-34% in polls for months, is there anywhere to go but up?
Memo to David Brooks: Don't be a condescending jerk to a majority of American voters.
Now for the news from the past week posted, June 19, 2006:
Note: I'm going to put a %%% next to things that are more interesting or go into things more in-depth.
Have you bought your copy today?
Have you requested it at your library, yet? Eric Boehlert's Lapdogs
Stores For Media To Cover and PUT ON A1!!!
* Hey, Mr. 6-Months... need an idea for a column? I think the American people deserve to know more about Muhammed Shahwani. (Kudos to Knight Ridder and Reuters for doing some work on this, but I think the cable and broadcast news outlets should be taking a hard look at this, too.)
* New Pentagon Emails on KBR contracts contradict Cheney Non-involvement claims KBR has been essentially stealing money from American taxpayers by doing such terrible jobs in Iraq and elsewhere. Remember the dirty water provided for our troops? When the administration helps its friends get hundreds of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts, it's worth the blanket coverage that Clinton's Lewinsky affair got.
That Liar, Jason Leopold
* Reporter outs Leopold instead
* Salon has another reason to distrust Leopold
* In related news, the media should recognize that lefties helped expose Leopold.
Fire Jonathan Klein
I don't know why CNN doesn't get rid of the guy. Link. Dude, people sample CNN programs and are totally board. That's when they change the channel.
Hmm... he didn't just insult FNC's viewers, did he?
Cal Thomas referring to Fox News Channel: "There's only so much of that trailer trash pie to go around"
Thomas: "All of them are trying to copy FOX News now to be honest. Many of them are doing tabloid, more big lipped blonde's and all this kind of stuff. There's only so much of that trailer trash pie to go around."
Has he really read Deborah Howell?
ex-ombud Mark jurkowitz praises ombuds(wo)men
Make "Now" 60 Minutes Long
Viewers, producer and ombudsman speak up for 60-minute Now Contact PBS here in support of expanding Now to 60 minutes. You can also make a phone call to the PBS ombudsman (Michael Getler) at 703-739-5290.
Pentagon Making It Look Like They've Got Something to Hide (Even if they don't)
The Pentagon orders US reporters to exit Guantanamo. Some editors aren't happy about it; one expelled Guantanamo reporter calls the move "a pity". Charlotte Observer editor Rick Thames doesn't mince words, nor does the LA Times' Carol Williams.
OH Media Not Happy With RFK, Jr. and Rolling Stone
They've criticized story on alleged vote fraud
Did Garance Franke-Ruta get something wrong in YKos story?
Consensus is yes.
Thing That Made Me Go Hmm...
Iran sends overture to US through FNC Senior VP... or not? Is Iran using FNC's well-known right-wing slant to its advantage? Just a thought...
Public's Trust in Media: What They Say & What They Do
Here's one view: link
Also, if it appears in print, people believe it. Even people who say they don't trust the press, trust the press. They particularly trust the press if the press is saying something that aligns with their view of the world.
Yay for Experience!
Prestige news jobs in morning and evening news go to older folks
Credit Where It's Due
* Props to NBC News for stationing a full-time correspondent in China. I'll give news orgs props almost anytime they expand their international reach.
* KR consistently does the type of tough reporting on areas of the world we don't normally talk about. Here's an example: Somalis welcome the quiet brought by Islamist takeover
* CNN.com for publishing transcripts faster than its news competitors. ABC's are available by subscription service only (as far as I know.) NBC's are available, but often a day late (or sometimes several days late.)
* AP Tells A Story Needed to Be Told
* CBS's Lara Logan for spotlighting what's going on in Darfur
* Chris Matthews asking some good questions about Iraq and what BushCo is telling us
* Props to Maureen Dowd for taking the time to talk to everyone at YearlyKos. Link. I thought her article on YKos showed she didn't totally get it, but maybe after awhile she will.
* WaPo credits The Horse's Mouth with scoop on Karl Zinsmeister
Awards, Fellowships and Nominees
* Chi Trib's "50 Best Magazines" list
* Doonesbury cartoonist honored by veterans groups
* Casey Medal winners for Meritorious Journalism HT Romenesko.
* Society of Professional Journalists Dateline award winners
* Library of American Broadcasting's Giants of Broadcasting award winners: Bob Schieffer, Barbara Walters, Peter Jennings
* Recap of the Webby Awards Hosted by Rob Corddry. More here and here.
* National Press Club Awards announced. CNN's Reliable Sources, Chicago Tribune, MSNBC.com, and others won awards. Knight Ridder was also a winner for its reporting on treatment of veterans. Congrats to the winners.
Battle of Media Folks
* Ann Coulter (Howie Kurtz, Jake Tapper, David Horowitz, and Michelle Malkin) vs. Everybody Sane (Art Buchwald, and anyone she may have plagiarized off of). (More Ann Coulter plagiarism accusations here.) Coverage: Q&A in Time, Analysis in NYT, WaPo, Digby's "Ann Gets Voted Off the Island"
* Seth Mnookin v. Howell Raines
* GM and Detroit vs. Thomas Friedman
Journalists in Dangerous and Difficult Situations
* Time's Tim McGirk on working in Iraq and breaking the Haditha story
* Bob Woodruff's Memory & Speech: "Still Shaky". Woodruff did return to the newsroom on 6/13. Photo and recap here. I caught it on ABC WNT, and it was quite touching.
* NBC news boss fears pushing the odds in Iraq
* In Haiti, "Killers of Journalists Enjoy 100% Immunity"
* NYT Reporter Filkins Snags Book Deal He's an Iraq correspondent. His book will be about covering terrorism in the Middle East.
* Pakistani Journalist Found Shot to Death
* Eason Jordan still concerned about plight of journos in Iraq
* DC probe finds `multiple failures' in death of NYT reporter
Journalists, Leaks & Investigations
* Military Probe: Were Secrets Disclosed to Expelled Reporters at Gitmo?
* WaPo's Robert Kaiser on publishing government's secrets
* Boston Globe editorial: Remembering Wen Ho Lee
* Columnist on Wen Ho Lee coverage: When accountability is compromised %%%
* CSM editorial: Protecting the Public's Need to Know
TV Guests Watch
* Nice and balanced. Hotline 6/15: ""Washington Journal" hosted Reps. James Clyburn (D-SC), Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Deborah Pryce (R-OH), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Henry Hyde (R-IL), and Ike Skelton (D-MO)."
* Right Wing Hacks on Newshour with Jim Lehrer
* Fox News Sunday 6/18: WH press secretary Tony Snow. Is Snow really a "guest"? Isn't it more like the college student returning home on the weekend so mom can do his dirty laundry?
* PBS ombud says Mary Matalin shouldn't have been a guest host for Charlie Rose's show
RWCM Watch
* So the Bush administration really screwed up in its dealings with Iran, and WaPo thinks it belongs on A16 instead of A1? WTF?
* Newspaper Clients and Syndicate Stick With Coulter
* Would it kill WaPo to correct Republican lies? The Washington Post: Leave All GOP Lies Unchallenged.
* The Note... Bush-bots at heart
* Reporter essentially reprints press release; has to um, make some changes to the story
* Normally, I don't link to Rush Limbaugh criticism (I'd have no room for anybody else on RWCM Watch) but this was just too disgusting to not include: Rush calls aged, working families "Life's Losers".
* Subtle but outrageous attack on DKos by MSNBC's Tom Curry More from Peter Daou.
* Claire Shipman's stupidity and unfairness on display on GMA.
* Hey Wolf! How hard is it for you to have a date next to the quotes you quiz your guests about? I saw this and was really ticked off about it. Props to Pelosi for calling Wolf on it.
* FNC's Fred Barnes. I'll explain it to you like you're a five year old, Fred. The media asks about how long troops are going to be in Iraq, because Americans want to know the answer to that question.
* Tim Russert and Sean Hannity sittin' in a tree...
* Questions remain unanswered above Rove: link. Who will dare to ask? Not WaPo.
* NYT's Public Editor Byron Calame: Blog Readers Need Not Apply Sargent could have also titled his post, "How Calame takes the Public Out of Public Editor"
* Thomas Friedman defends his Six Months proclamations When you go with the 6-months thing as often as he did, you're going to catch some flack for it. The story is evolving in some ways, but is the Bush policy evolving? No. Also: Thomas Friedman: Just Can't Admit When He Was Wrong; Thomas Friedman: Partisans Can't Evaluate Facts
* PA newspaper not happy enough for right wing, by Delaware Dem Meet Michael Smerconish.
* Why does Olbermann have to apologize, but Coulter doesn't?
* WaPo editorial on Net Neutrality is Totally Wrong Another thumbs down to Fred Hiatt.
* Guantanamo: The Elephant in the Newsroom
* ABC News story on YearlyKos, by SheriffBart This was a pretty lazy story from ABC News, and thin on the facts. Also: Ana Marie Cox, Bryan Preston, and Hot Air
* Wankette on YearlyKos
* How NPR Covered Yearly Kos this Morning, by Steven D
* Media Matters
* Eat the Press
Media People
* Rob Corddry leaving TDS? Maybe
* Want a Bob Schieffer bobble-head doll? Search EBay for this
* Jim Lehrer talks to the Boston Herald
* Three year-old birthday party has `NewsHour with Jim Lehrer' theme. Cute.
* WaPo's Edsall moving to TNR and National Journal
* Dan Rather leaving CBS News. He's considering an offer from Mark Cuban. More here, here, here, here and here.
* Photos of book party for Peter Beinart's "The Good Fight"
* Lewis Black. His rants on TDS are awesome. So awesome that CC is considering a spin-off called Red State Diaries. Black also stars in a pilot for FX that sounds really interesting. The Onion A.V. Club interview with Lewis Black.
* Apparently, Lou Dobbs focus on immigration has paid off. More Americans trust Lou Dobbs than George W. Bush on immigration. No joke. Dobbs also debates immigration at convention of Hispanic journos.
* WaPo interviews George Stephanopolous
* Paula Zahn is on the cover of the June issue of "Every Woman" magazine. I'm not a fan of Zahn and didn't look at what was inside, but if you're a fan, you could try finding it in Barnes & Nobles (which is where I saw it).
* TIME's 10 Questions for Anderson Cooper Cooper also gave an interview to Knight Ridder here.
* New Woody Allen film stars Scarlett Johansson as student journalist
* Thomas Friedman on why he hates TimesSelect
* In case you hadn't heard, LA Times reporter Peter Wallsten is legally blind.
* Ted Turner is writing his memoirs It'll be out in 2008.
* Tucker Carlson buying $4M home in DC area
* (More here) Now, Keith, Be Nice (He's apologized for the spate of ugly emails.)
Olbermann, whose "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" airs weeknights at 8, apparently has precious little respect for Cosby, whose "Rita Cosby: Live & Direct" airs at 10 p.m.
"Rita's nice," Olbermann wrote to a fan from his MSNBC E-mail account, "but dumber than a suitcase of rocks." Yesterday Cosby retorted: "Keith got it wrong. I'm not that nice." [...]
An MSNBC spokesman didn't dispute the authenticity of the months-old E-mail, which came to light this week after the recipient shared it with this column on condition of anonymity.
In his E-mail, Olbermann was also dismissive of then-MSNBC President Rick Kaplan, who left the network last week with six months to go on his three-year contract.
"And Kaplan?" Olbermann wrote to his fan. "He was the producer of that special last night -- now known as the Kanye West Show." It was a reference to an embarrassing incident during NBC's Hurricane Katrina telethon on which the popular rapper departed from his script to claim President Bush "doesn't care about black people."
Olbermann, who didn't comment yesterday, was said to be on vacation -- though he managed to turn up Monday night at a book party for Al Gore at the American Museum of Natural History.
There, the media blog Jossip.com asked Olbermann -- who was accompanied by "his self-described 'friend' Katie" -- if he'll now be answering to Abrams.
"I don't answer to anybody," Olbermann insisted.
News & Notes on Media orgs, Programming, Specials, etc.
* CBSNews' Armen Keteyian on investigative journalism
* Chernin says News Corp building FNC and sports sectors
* For some reason, Monica Crowley is back on MSNBC soon.
* Well, one critic praises Matt Lauer's interviewing skills. Link.
* PBS gets chief content officer %%%
* The State of MSNBC: Does the US need a third cable news channel? In any case, anchor Dan Abrams and NBC News senior VP Phil Griffin are taking over Rick Kaplan's duties. Abrams will have to stop doing his nightly show, but he will continue to do legal analysis for various NBC News programs. Abrams' vision for MSNBC. More on the MSNBC personnel shuffle: B&C, KC blog, TV Week, TV Newser (who was first with the news), Philly Inq, WaPo, USAToday
* Ed Bradley is staying with 60 Minutes
* Has the Iraq war disappeared from the front page?
* TV anchors Need to Earn Our Trust Well, duh.
* Six Months Since the New Nightline Began... 3% More Viewers and Definitely Controversy
* Charlie Gibson would have quit if not named anchor More: Gibson still adjusting to being in charge
* Knight Ridder prepares for end Related: Here's what ex-KR orphans cost; Feds to take more time reviewing sale of four KR orphans
* Katie Couric's impending arrival has already brought in big ad dollars for CBS Evening News.
* Morning Shows Mixing It Up In Anticipation of Fall Shuffle
* Atlanta Radio Airwaves loses Air Atlanta, by notasleep
* Who will be GMA's new EP? Rick Kaplan? Tammy Haddad?
* BBC looks to create a single news brand Related: BBC faces a slog to gain US viewers; its World News debuts with 2M households
* CNN International is top international news brand
* Al-Jazeera International TV misses launch
* Tribune Co. to break up? More here.
* Wemple says nevermind to taking over Village Voice.
State of the Media, Trends, Research Reports, Innovations
* Nielsen's big bold plan to measure TV
* The Nation has mapped out big media.
* How concentrated is the media?
* News Networks' Top Story: Facing the Future
* Publishers using web to strengthen print brands
* Using blogs to make reporters more relevant %%%
* Sameness makes three network evening newscasts boring. One person's take on how to make things different %%%
* JWT puts a "Roadblock" on HuffPo
* Spokesman-Review begins webcasting editorial meetings
* Yahoo taking over local news? Maybe just adding to it.
* Newscasters loath to take too long a maternity leave
* Report: News Orgs. Hiring Younger, Cheaper Journalists
* Time, Inc. shells out a reported $4M for Brangelina's baby pics, but lets go some top notch reporters %%%
* E-newspapers just around the corner %%%
* Bush sings broadcast indecency law
* Family Friendly Forum Programs New Team
* Hot Deals for Budding Internet Stars
* GenTech: The Wiring of Teen America
* Private may be the way forward for US newspapers
Ratings, Circulation, & Ad Revenue Strength
* CNBC's ratings are on the upswing. CNBC has politicians on regularly. Kudlow & Company sometimes have Dems on (incl. Robert Reich), but it's still way skewed to the right (given its host). Jim Cramer is a Dem (and pal of Eliot Spitzer), but his show focuses less on policy and politics and more on stocks.
* Morning show ratings week of 6/5: Today wins again. It's doing just fine without Katie Couric.
* Ratings for CNN's Week at War
* Late Night Ratings (Tonight, Late Show, Nightline, Kimmell, Late Night, Late Late Show, Last Call, TCR, TDS, etc.): link
* Sunday Talk Ratings via Hotline 6/15: "For the week of 6/11, Nielsen did not count NBC's "Meet the Press" and ABC's "This Week" due to low clearances because of sports schedules. But CBS' "Face the Nation" had a 2.6 rating/8 share and 3.591M viewers while "Fox News Sunday" had a 1.2/4 and 1.589M viewers"
* Evening News Ratings: NBC wins again, while Charlie Gibson's stint as anchor on ABC WNT hasn't brought in the ratings.
* Imus says he's competitive with CNN. News here.
* Mary Cheney's book is selling poorly
* Cooper's sub (John Roberts) gets higher ratings than he does
* More book sales: Bill Carter's "Desperate Networks" has sold just 6,000, while Anderson Cooper's "Dispatches from the Edge" is #1 on the NYT bestseller list
* Web Traffic for NYMag.com up; online staff to expand
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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