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Minnesota Disaster One of the Top Stories of Year: July 29 - August 3, 2007
The deadly collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis last week quickly became one of the most heavily covered events of the year so far. And while it was the top story in every medium, coverage was particularly intense on cable TV, where officials, rescuers and even some victims told their stories.

Phoney [sic] fears grip America
Over three decades, America’s conservative movement has so deftly shifted the boundaries of debate to the right that even modest adjustments to the market system can be cast as the second coming of Marx without anyone blushing. Today’s phony populist fears also remind us that the real problem with the media is not ideology but stenography. If official sources call something “populist” often enough, it is. More depressing is that many Democrats fall into the same trap.

Analysis: Who should control how we get political news?
CHICAGO — One of the biggest political battles this summer isn’t over the message. It’s over the messenger… [I]n the world of new media, there are multiple outlets where political content can be found, and as those outlets become identifiably liberal or conservative, politicians and voters can pick friendly forums while damning the other side’s outlets as illegitimate. Whether this is healthy for our nation’s political life is a question worth pondering.

O’Hanlon And Pollack Call For Another ‘Six Months Or So’ In Iraq
Last week, in their now infamous New York Times op-ed, Brookings Institution analysts Michael O’Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack declared “there is enough good happening on the battlefields of Iraq today that Congress should plan on sustaining the effort at least into 2008.” On Fox News Sunday yesterday, O’Hanlon and Pollack put a timeframe on their call for stay the course: six months.
It’s a Friedman Unit!  The magical six months that will always be decisive in Iraq.  The six months that ALWAYS stretches in front of us.

A Reporter Speaks Out About the Iraq War and News Coverage
Sig Christenson of the San Antonio Express-News ridicules comments by politicians, laments the lack of reporters covering the war, and cites ground rules that are crippling for photojournalists. He says the media aren’t pressing for answers to vital and obvious questions, such as what plans the Pentagon has for an exit strategy.

Growing Number Of Newspapers Call For Troop Withdrawal From Iraq
A growing number of newspapers across the country are calling for the Bush Administration to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. Among them are newspapers from red states, including several (such as the Roanoke Times in Virginia and The Olympian in Washington state) that circulate in areas with large concentrations of military families. Perhaps the most surprising paper to join the chorus calling for a troop withdrawal is the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, owned by conservative billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife.

Once again, Fineman looks at Republican failures and sees problems for … Democrats
Newsweek chief political correspondent Howard Fineman stated that the political environment for the 2008 election favors Democrats, but said that the Democratic Party faces disaster if it cannot come up with a long-term plan for fighting terrorism… Fineman did not explain why, given the Bush administration’s record on foreign policy, it is the Democrats who face extinction over national security concerns.

Is the New York Times the Next NSA Leak Target?
Writing in Commentary, editor Gabriel Schoenfeld is renewing his call for the indictment of the New York Times for its December 16, 2005 publication of the NSA story. Perhaps sensing a momentum shift with the Tamm raid and the Democrats’ capitulation on the draconian new FISA law, Schoenfeld reasserted his 2006 claim that the New York Times violated federal criminal statutes, if not the Espionage Act of 1917.

USA Today editorial failed to identify jailed members of Congress as Republicans
The editorial said …: “Never mind that two high-profile House members went to jail in the past 17 months in scandals that never even piqued the interest of the current House ethics committee.” But the paper failed to identify the “two high-profile House members” as Republicans — former Reps. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (CA) and Bob Ney (OH).

Matthews Sez It’s “Not Fair” For Public To Trust Democrats Over Republicans On Balancing Budget
On “Hardball” [Monday], Chris Matthews spoke with CNBC’s Jim Cramer about a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll which showed a majority of Americans trust the Democrats over Republicans on economic issues such as balancing the budget, taxes and government spending. Tweety claims the only reason for this is because they’re mad at Republicans about the situation in Iraq — and it’s just so unfair to the poor Republicans.

MSNBC asks the tough questions.
Fresh off the “cleavage controversy” surrounding Sen. Hillary Clinton, MSNBC found a new angle this afternoon to discuss sexuality in the presidential campaign. The network ran a segment asking “How hot is too hot for a candidates spouse?” while discussing a recent pictorial of Rudy Giuliani and his wife, Judith, that appeared in Harper’s Bazaar.
Click through to watch the video.

Can One Reporter Take Down a Presidential Candidate? John Solomon Is Trying to Find Out
Noting that “mini-scandals about politicians’ haircuts are more like Chia pets than human heads of hair. They don’t grow on their own. They require reporters to pursue and water them with investigations into the practices and prices of high-end barbers.” [Alexander ] Zaitchik goes over the history of Washington Post reporter John Solomon’s “well-known obsessions with…the personal finances of prominent Democrats and, apparently, their boyish bangs”—and explains the important consequences of such petty journalism.

Novak: ‘I Don’t Support This Administration,’ Bush Has ‘Cut Me Off’
In a radio interview with Diane Rehm this morning, right-wing columnist Robert Novak tried to assert his conservative credentials by distancing himself from the Bush White House. “I don’t support this administration,” he said. “The president’s cut me off the list of conservative columnists that are invited there.” He added, “They consider me a lot of trouble.”
Click through to listen to the audio.

Today, A Smaller ‘NYT’: Tomorrow, None at All? by Joe Strupp
The truth is, a smaller print paper does not have the stark impact on coverage that it would have 10 or 15 years ago, and it makes sense, with the growing emphasis on the Web. But I don’t have to like it.

Rupert the Great
Even if Murdoch didn’t have a history of corrupting journalism to power his own media empire, the sheer vastness of his corporate media holdings should worry anyone concerned about the dangers of consolidation—lack of perspective, conflict of interest, crowding out local markets.

Forward Into Battle
[T]he war for the future of journalism is just beginning. When combined with News Corp. properties like Fox News and the soon-to-be-launched Fox Business Network, Murdoch’s purchase of the Journal will create a juggernaut whose influence ranges far beyond the world of financial news and information. With plans to expand the Journal’s political and international coverage, Murdoch is itching for a fight with the nation’s presumed newspaper of record, The New York Times, as well as the Financial Times of London.

Guardian eyes US in bid to become global liberal voice
It may appear ironic that a media group with liberal values is making cold, hard marketing decisions with its very liberalness. But the Guardian Media Group, whose publications are frequently critical in their coverage of the US administration, is doing just that as it attempts to position itself in the US through its website.

HBO Airs A-Bomb Footage Kept from Media for Decades
On the 62nd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima — widely ignored elsewhere in the media today — HBO aired Monday night a documentary titled “White Light/Black Rain.” Here is the full story on how the shocking footage of the aftermath of the bombing came to be — and then was suppressed for decades.

Anti-Spitzer Site Linked to Bruno Operative
The back and forth between New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) and State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R) came online today, when The New York Observer uncovered that Spitzer File — a site consisting of a single anti-Spitzer opposition research file of unknown provenance — is linked to Bruno and Senate Republicans.

What News Sites Do to Get “Drudged”
The Los Angeles Times’ Joel Sappell recently took a look at “news” blogger Matt Drudge. His Aug. 4 article tells a lot about how newspapers once actively sought to get the Drudge Report to link to articles on their sites. In some cases they still do that — or at least admit to seeing the value of a link from Drudge.

Bloggers consider forming labor union
A loosely formed coalition of bloggers are trying to band together to form a labor union they hope will help them receive health insurance, conduct collective bargaining or even set professional standards.

Publishers join case against YouTube
NEW YORK - A group of music publishing companies said Monday it is joining a copyright infringement lawsuit against Google Inc.’s video-sharing site YouTube.

Judge blocks California’s violent video game law
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A federal judge ruled on Monday a California law to label violent video games and bar their sale to minors was unconstitutional, prompting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to say he would appeal the ruling.

Google Will Pay You to Add Business Info to Maps
Google is looking to provide even more useful information when it comes to business information on Google Maps, like hours of operation, types of payment accepted, photos of the location, etc. It’s offering the job to you, making you an independent contractor of Google. And you’ll get paid! Each approved and verified approval can earn you up to $10. Verification happens when a business referral is approved by Google (that will get you $2) or by the business itself ($8 for this one).

AdPerk Signs on Popular Science for Free Subscription Rewards Program
AdPerk is a new advertising network that offers direct rewards to consumers for watching commercials online. Popular Science has signed on for AdPerk’s service, and Dwell magazine debuted along with AdPerk’s launch last month… Popular Science in turn gets a new customer, as well as future marketing data for targeted campaigns.