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 Meanwhile, over at McPaper:
12/17/05 16:58:50
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USA TODAY President and Publisher Craig Moon and USATODAY.com Senior Vice President and Publisher Jeff Webber announced today that the website newsroom will be combined with the newspaper newsroom to create a single USA TODAY news operation.
Moon and Webber said the move to combine the newsrooms is a response to the growing importance of the Internet as a vehicle for news delivery. The new structure will allow both operations to begin working together to make the transition from a world of stand-alone news products to one in which news is available where, when and how consumers desire.
"The goal in combining the two newsrooms is to create a single 24-hour news organization that will inform and engage readers on multiple platforms," said Paulson. "That means going beyond arm’s-length collaboration. Starting today our goal is to begin conceiving and planning our coverage as one unit, thinking more strategically about the deployment of our newsgathering resources in a world in which news has become an on-demand commodity."
In plain English: Dot-com employees should expect layoffs. Reporters (i.e., "newsgathering resources") at the paper will be expected to file as often as required to satisfy the appetite for their "on-demand commodity". The people who do all the heavy lifting will work twice as hard for the same amount of money. The managers will be congratulated for their vision, even if combining the two operations proves to be a disaster. Enjoy!
Dc Media Girl Permalink
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From the Armstrong Williams school of "journalism"
12/17/05 16:48:40
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Another columnist on the take:
A senior fellow at the Cato Institute resigned from the libertarian think tank on Dec. 15 after admitting that he had accepted payments from indicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff for writing op-ed articles favorable to the positions of some of Abramoff’s clients. Doug Bandow, who writes a syndicated column for Copley News Service, told BusinessWeek Online that he had accepted money from Abramoff for writing between 12 and 24 articles over a period of years, beginning in the mid ’90s.
Dc Media Girl Permalink
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More on the WaPo drama
12/17/05 16:46:21
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By now most of you have probably heard about the confrontation between the Washington Post’s John Harris and washingtonpost.com’s Dan Froomkin. If you need a quickie update, click here and here.
So here’s my take.
The relationship between the Washington Post and washingtonpost.com has always been uneasy. The paper considers the Web site to be its handmaiden, a vehicle to provide the paper’s content and AP updates to the public 24 hours a day. What little original content is available on washingtonpost.com (chats, blogs, etc.) is heavily scrutinized by the paper and subject to the sort of withering and patronizing cricitism and second-guessing we’ve seen directed at Froomkin this week. Truth be told, the paper would dearly love to pull the plug on all the Web site’s original content, but unfortunately some elements available only on the Web have become quite popular, so eliminating these features would be a trifle awkward.
The other truth is that the editors and reporters at the paper have always had a sniffy, "not in our class, dear" attitude towards their Web counterparts, whom they see as a bunch of ruffians. How dare these young whippersnappers think they have a right to dream up original content, or conduct interviews on their own without approval from the mothership, or post columns that haven’t been vetted by Len Downie, who on an average day can’t even account for Bob Woodward’s whereabouts? To be honest, it’s a miracle the paper hasn’t pulled the plug on Froomkin’s blog or Live Online earlier, much as they’d dearly love to, and leave the column writing to seasoned professionals like Robert Novak and Charles Krauthammer.
Maybe Gilliard is right. Maybe the great day of reckoning has arrived at the Post. We’ll see.
Dc Media Girl Permalink
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A new home
12/17/05 16:29:04
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It’s about time:
Robert Novak, the gruff-voiced political pundit and occasional loose cannon in a three-piece suit, is leaving CNN and going to work for Fox News.
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From the People mail bag, 12/16/2006
12/17/05 16:26:23
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I loved the way People presented such a positive light on Britney Spears and Kevin Federline and their baby. It was wonderful to see her happy with family.
-- Patrick Dalton, Rockdale, Ill.
I was ecstatic to see Britney with her baby on your cover. I love her so much, and her baby Sean Preston is so adorable.
-- Raymond Welsh, Plainfield, Ill.
Meanwhile, there are reports that Britney has had her husband’s Ferrari towed back to the dealership, and has instituted a "no pot or cigarettes" rule, which has annoyed him to no end. Other than that, Mr. and Mrs. Federline are doing just fine.
Dc Media Girl Permalink
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What would Mike Wallace do?
12/10/05 10:26:40
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From the Boston Globe:
Q. President George W. Bush has declined to be interviewed by you. What would you ask him if you had the chance?
A. What in the world prepared you to be the commander in chief of the largest superpower in the world? In your background, Mr. President, you apparently were incurious. You didn’t want to travel. You knew very little about the military. . . . The governor of Texas doesn’t have the kind of power that some governors have. . . . Why do you think they nominated you? . . . Do you think that has anything to do with the fact that the country is so [expletive] up?
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Sell out
12/10/05 10:23:01
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This peculiar piece in The New Republic comparing singer-songwriter Conor Oberst’s protest music to Bob Dylan’s got me thinking.
First off, I’m agnostic on the subject of Conor Oberst. What little I’ve heard of his music reminds me of Nick Drake’s sad, introspective ouevre, and his sad-eyed demeanor is of the type that draws in the girls eager to get all maternal with the earnest troubador. It was ever thus in the music business.
But what really got me going was the writer’s insistence on comparing Oberst to the master Dylan. Oberst is weedy, a protest balladeer in search of a movement. Dylan, on the other hand, is a genius, a man who was steeped in the vibrant New Left of the 1960s and whose music resonated so strongly with the anti-war crowd, earning Dylan a place in the pantheon of great American voices. Nowadays, laments the writer, there is no organized anti-war crowd to speak of, unless you count A.N.S.W.E.R., which no sane person does.
So what’s the point? Good question.
It’s human nature to look back with nostalgia at how wonderful things were when you were younger, and while I would never think of arguing with the premise that Oberst is no Dylan, I’d also say that Dylan is no Dylan either.
I could feel the ill wind of sell out blowing not long ago, when whatever is left of the Jefferson Airplane sold their fantastic rallying cry "Volunteers" to E*Trade. It was something of a shock to hear this song used in this way, but then again, the decision to sell the song for this purpose was made by what remains of the Jefferson Airplane/Starship, which also gave us "We Built This City on Rock and Roll". Enough said on that subject.
As for Dylan, much was made of his appearance in a Victoria’s Secret commercial in 2004, but his decision to sell "The Times They Are A’ Changin’" to Kaiser Permanente, of all things, has been met with silent shock. I guess that if you’re going to whore yourself out you might as well go whole hog, but even given the standards of the seeming bottomlessness of the greed of aging hippies this business decision reeks of cynicism. Honestly, was Dylan so strapped for cash that he needed the extra bucks?
So while it’s all well and good for journos to slam weedy, sad-eyed modern singers, it’s useful to remember that from now on, when some of us hear the line "come gather round people"....we’ll think of a chubby white guy who’s contemplating his midlife crisis.
Thanks Bob.
Dc Media Girl Permalink
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Another fine graduate of the Bob Packwood school of seduction
12/10/05 09:26:03
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Duke Cunningham...the gift that keeps on giving:
In the buttoned-up, fundamentally cautious capital, Cunningham stood out as a gossip columnist’s dream. Two women quoted by the Copley News Service depicted Cunningham, a self-described family man, as offering them champagne after changing into pajama bottoms and a turtleneck sweater "to entertain them by the light of his favorite lava lamp."
Pajama bottoms and turtleneck sweater? Lava lamp?
Dc Media Girl Permalink
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Go David Wade
12/7/05 12:20:00
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It looks as though a Democratic press secretary is finally utilizing plays from Fox "News" Channel’s PR playbook:
Statement by Kerry spokesman David Wade: ’Ken Mehlman’s filthy and shameful lie about a decorated combat veteran is disgraceful. Political hack Ken Mehlman and draft dodging, donut eating Rush Limbaugh have something in common. Neither of them know anything about how to make American troops safe. John Kerry will continue to speak out about how to succeed in Iraq and protect brave American troops."
Dc Media Girl Permalink
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Pop notes
12/3/05 21:36:22
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Random thoughts on the pop scene:
-- I find it deeply distressing that I not only know who Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey are, but that I’ve been suckered into speculating whether her revolting, creepy manager/father, former "minister" Joe Simpson, somehow caused the breakup. I wish there were someone I could sue to recover my poor expended brain cells.
-- No more Angelina, Brad, and/or St. Jennifer, whether alone or in any combination. I continue to marvel, however, at the way that Angelina has changed her image from self-mutilating, quasi-psychotic, sexually ravenous, maneating homewrecker to Mother Theresa. Give that publicist a raise.
-- Kelly Clarkson appears to have stepped into the void created when the hideous Celine Dion moved her histrionic caterwauling act to Vegas. And is it me, or does this song "Because of You" have a "Total Eclipse of the Heart" feel to it?
-- Please go to Netflix right now and rent Boomtown. Just do it. This show is so excellent it’s easy to see why there was no way its complex, Rashomon-like construct, with each episode a mini-masterpiece, could survive on commercial TV. So go now. Rent it. Watch it. You’re welcome.
-- When you’re done with Boomtown, grab copy of P.D. James’s new Dalgliesh thriller The Lighthouse. Unlike Ruth Rendell’s latest, this book doesn’t disappoint.
Dc Media Girl Permalink
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People mailbag 12/2/05
12/3/05 21:20:07
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People’s "readers" have a lot to say about the other week’s "expose" on Kenny Chesney’s now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t marriage to Renee Zellweger, an article in which he revealed exactly nothing:
Wow. After reading Kenny Chesney’s story, I admire him even more. Through heartbreak, touring and recording a new album, he still acknowledges the money his fans pay to hear him play and doesn’t take it for granted. Good luck finding the right woman for you, Kenny. Whoever she might be, you deserve all good things.
-- Katie Holley, Denton, Texas
I love Kenny’s new album. It’s just the right mix of sorrow, hope, regret, and "drink till you forget". Unfortunately, I can relate to an impetuous decision to rush a new relationship to the altar and suffer the consequences. People aren’t always what they seem, and it takes time to develop a relationship that will stand the test of time. Luckily, Kenny should have no lack of volunteers to help him mend his broken heart.
-- Georgia Seleen, Machesney Park, Ill.
Dc Media Girl Permalink
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More on Miller
12/3/05 21:13:28
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A great piece on the Rendon Group in the new Rolling Stone confirms what we already knew about Judy Miller being the New York Times’s useful idiot:
The INC’s choice for the worldwide print exclusive was equally easy: Chalabi contacted Judith Miller of The New York Times. Miller, who was close to I. Lewis Libby and other neoconservatives in the Bush administration, had been a trusted outlet for the INC’s anti-Saddam propaganda for years. Not long after the CIA polygraph expert slipped the straps and electrodes off al-Haideri and declared him a liar, Miller flew to Bangkok to interview him under the watchful supervision of his INC handlers. Miller later made perfunctory calls to the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency, but despite her vaunted intelligence sources, she claimed not to know about the results of al-Haideri’s lie-detector test. Instead, she reported that unnamed "government experts" called his information "reliable and significant" -- thus adding a veneer of truth to the lies.
Her front-page story, which hit the stands on December 20th, 2001, was exactly the kind of exposure Rendon had been hired to provide. AN IRAQI DEFECTOR TELLS OF WORK ON AT LEAST 20 HIDDEN WEAPONS SITES, declared the headline. "An Iraqi defector who described himself as a civil engineer," Miller wrote, "said he personally worked on renovations of secret facilities for biological, chemical and nuclear weapons in underground wells, private villas and under the Saddam Hussein Hospital in Baghdad as recently as a year ago." If verified, she noted, "his allegations would provide ammunition to officials within the Bush administration who have been arguing that Mr. Hussein should be driven from power partly because of his unwillingness to stop making weapons of mass destruction, despite his pledges to do so."
For months, hawks inside and outside the administration had been pressing for a pre-emptive attack on Iraq. Now, thanks to Miller’s story, they could point to "proof" of Saddam’s "nuclear threat." The story, reinforced by Moran’s on-camera interview with al-Haideri on the giant Australian Broadcasting Corp., was soon being trumpeted by the White House and repeated by newspapers and television networks around the world. It was the first in a long line of hyped and fraudulent stories that would eventually propel the U.S. into a war with Iraq -- the first war based almost entirely on a covert propaganda campaign targeting the media.
Dc Media Girl Permalink
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Clooney - O’Reilly redux
12/2/05 16:28:05
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As amusing as this Clooney-O’Reilly grudge match is, it’s getting ridiculous. But count on Murdoch’s tip sheet The New York Post to come to a their man’s defense:
GEORGE Clooney seems to be using Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly to promote his movies. In a taping of CNBC’s "The Abrams Report" airing today, Clooney brought up his contretemps with O’Reilly over 9/11 charity money and challenged him to have it out on Dan Abrams’ show. "I’ll debate him right here, right now," railed Clooney. O’Reilly, who criticizes stars for lending their names to charity events just for the publicity, told PAGE SIX yesterday, "After my dust-up with Clooney over 9/11, we had invited him on the show and he wouldn’t accept or debate me anywhere else." But the issue comes up every time Clooney is on a promo tour. O’Reilly said, "I saw him in the lobby after ’Good Night, and Good Luck’ and told him I liked the movie. We had a nice conversation and shook hands, but the next day he was trashing me in order to get press. Now he’s got a new movie and he’s doing it again. He brings it up all the time. A source close to his p.r. told me this is his strategy. Clooney is not a quality guy." But Clooney’s rep, Stan Rosenfield, says it’s the other way around: "O’Reilly is the one who brings it up. He says George’s career is in trouble because of his politics. We don’t need any more press."
Honestly, the notion that a huge star like Clooney, who owns a villa on Lake Como and is in negotiations to open a casino in Vegas, would need to invoke Bill O’Reilly’s name to get publicity for his movie is a fantasy believed only by folks on Murdoch’s payroll (and I don’t even think they believe it). Grown up people know exactly why Clooney keeps bringing O’Reilly up: Because it drives Mr. No Spin absolutely batshit insane. Hilarity ensues. Fantastic.
Speaking of Clooney’s latest movie, if anyone’s seen Syriana please post in the comments section. This film is based on the life of former CIA operative Bob Baer, whom I happen to know, so I’m curious to know how it turned out.
Dc Media Girl Permalink
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Law ’n’ order
12/2/05 16:14:33
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Yet again, someone in Washington is hoist by their own petard:
Back on Jan. 24, 1995, days after Republicans reclaimed control of the House after 40 years, one of the first bills introduced was H.R.663: "To amend the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to prevent luxurious conditions in prisons."
And the next day, longtime Loop Favorite and Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) jumped on board as an early co-sponsor.
The bill, called the "No Frills Prison Act," would ensure that federal money would go only to state correctional systems that didn’t coddle criminals by giving them "luxurious" digs, or let them work less than 40 hours week.
Also, prisoners would not be allowed "unmonitored phone calls . . . in-cell television viewing, possession of pornographic materials, instruction or training equipment for any martial art or bodybuilding or weightlifting equipment or dress or hygiene other than as is uniform or standard in the prison. . . ."
While the measure applied mostly to state prisons, it also "directs the Attorney General to establish conditions in the Federal prison system that are, as nearly as possible," like those in the state slammers.
Fortunately for Cunningham, who copped a plea Monday to tax evasion and conspiring to pocket $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors and other co-conspirators, the bill appears not to have gone anywhere.
So if Cunningham, who’s looking at as much as 10 years in prison, ends up doing time, he should at least have some phone and television privileges -- though maybe not "in-cell." It’s doubtful he’ll be allowed to play with his gifts -- the two Laser Shot shooting simulators, valued at more than $9,000. And then there’s that Louis Philippe period commode (a chest of drawers, not a chamber pot).
May prove a bit too big even in the finest prison accommodations.
Dc Media Girl Permalink
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