Permanent link to MTA daily media news
In Thanksgiving Tradition, Bush Pardons Scooter Libby In Giant Turkey Costume (The Onion)
The pardon assures that Libby will not face any more repercussions for his role in the Valerie Plame scandal or be eaten on Thanksgiving.
A little Thanksgiving Fool humor.
Wednesday: Whoa! I didn’t see *that* coming. (by riverdaughter at The Confluence)
William Greider opens his column in The Nation entitled Past and Future with this realization: “A year ago, when Barack Obama said it was time to turn the page, his campaign declaration seemed to promise a fresh start for Washington. I, for one, failed to foresee Obama would turn the page backward. The president-elect’s lineup for key governing positions has opted for continuity, not change… Those of us who expected more were duped, not so much by Obama but by our own wishful thinking.”… Mr. Greider should remember how the Bush era began. It was by outright thievery. The election was stolen from Al Gore by the brotherly love of the Governor of Florida, Brooks Brothers Riot and the media Haka that prepared the public for Gore’s eventual defeat at the hands of a politicized Supreme Court. It should come as no surprise that the Bush era is ending with thievery on a scale that Atilla the Hun would envy…
Expect Obama’s style of governing to be remarkably similar. When the recession finally hits and tough choices have to be made, do not expect that you will be spared, Mr. Greider. Obama knows what’s best for you, even if you have to suffer. It will build your character. It has been decided for you. Your vote and opinion will not be needed now, just like it wasn’t needed in the primary. And it is all entirely predictable. Nothing good ever comes of a bad seed.
Obama in Bedlam (by John Ross at Counterpunch)
I don’t buy Barack Obama as the Messiah. I didn’t vote for him (I voted for another Afro-American) and I haven’t filed an application to join his regime. He ran a duplicitous, multi-million dollar campaign that masqueraded as a social movement and because it was a gimmick and a shuck, will thwart and demoralize the re-creation of real social movement for years to come… False Messiahs are made to be unmasked. Anyone who aspires to be the maximum capo of the world’s most homicidal on-going criminal conspiracy is just that, a criminal. Barack Obama is a war criminal-in-waiting masquerading as a peace candidate on the pretext that he will move the Yanqui troops two wars to the east to massacre civilians who did not vote for him. I am not fooled.
The Two “Realities” of Obamanation (by myiq2xu at The Confluence)
With a few rare exceptions, the only people claiming during the primaries that Obama wasn’t a progressive were Hillary Clinton supporters (GOPers claimed he was a socialist but nobody believed them.) Hillary was vilified by Obamanation for being a DLC centrist and was even accused of being a Republican by no less than the head Cheeto himself. [Markos Moulitsas] We also heard how she planned to be John McCain’s running mate and how her supporters were just Republican ratfuckers. So when these same people that viciously attacked Hillary as a centrist and/or praised Obama as a progressive now claim they knew all along that he was a center-right politician it begs the question: Were they lying then or are they lying now?
Throw momma under the bus (by vastleft at Corrente)
During the campaign, my mother simply wouldn’t hear any of my criticism or concerns about Barack Obama’s lack of loyalty to progressive causes. Now, she’s crushingly disappointed by the various appointment and policy signals from the president-elect, even as I’ve adopted the required position of hopeful. She watches a lot of TV news and tells me that Rachel Maddow and others are likewise crestfallen. I asked my mom why she didn’t listen to any of the points I’d made throughout the campaign. Her answer: “I thought Obama was perfect.” So, there you have it.
Hopedance… What a Feeling (by vastleft at Corrente)
Currently on the “greatest page” of highest-rated posts on Democratic Underground: “We need to be hopeful and trust Obama. Think about this: the guy changed how political campaigning done in this country and defeated the old politics of fear and division of the GOP. The guy has proven already he’s about reform. Is he appointing people that you think are not progressive enough? Well, let’s wait. How can’t I give the man the benefit of the doubt and let him work? We don’t know exactly what his agenda is going to be, but I have the feeling he’ll bring progressive changes to America in such a gradual manner that America will be changed from within without noticing it.”
Carolyn and The Great Depression (by J -SOM at Liberal Rapture)
A site I’ve been meaning to highlight for a while is Make Them Accountable. She does the news and views better than the rest of the all headline sites. I got over Raw Story a while ago. Buzz Flash is silly. Huff is obviously pandering and pathetic – and Drudge -hmmm – I just don’t get him right now – and therefore I don’t trust him… Make Them Accountable is well worth a daily click.
Wow, thanks for the good words, John! You can tell from my posts that I like Liberal Rapture, too.
The Ideology Of No Ideology (by Norman Solomon)
The ideology of no ideology is nifty. No matter how tilted in favor of powerful interests, it can be a deft way to keep touting policy agendas as common-sense pragmatism — virtuous enough to draw opposition only from ideologues.
Deep Thought (by Susie at Suburban Guerrilla)
Give me universal healthcare and my constitutional rights back, and I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. I’m a cheap political date!
Obama’s Transition Team Includes Contributors, Bundlers and Lobbyists (Capital Eye)
Members of Barack Obama’s transition team weren’t necessarily selected solely on their résumés and expertise–some may have scored positions over similarly qualified individuals because they supported the president-elect by bundling money for his presidential campaign or opening their own wallets to him. And although Obama prohibits registered lobbyists from making financial contributions to his transition, influence peddlers past and present are showing up on the team that’s building the foundation for the next administration… Check out the full list of names, along with tallies of their campaign contributions and links to their profiles in our Lobbying, Revolving Door and Bundler databases here.
Click through for a summary of what Capital Eye has found.
Gates Will Stay as Defense Secretary (Political Wire)
Sources tell ABC News that Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be staying on in the top Pentagon job, for at least the first year of the Obama administration. Said one source: “It is a done deal.”
Robert Gates is a bad man (by DCblogger at Corrente)
He is a advocate of homophobia, is stalling on closing Guantanamo and giving excuses in place of results. Gates blames everyone but himself. Gates fires reality-oriented officers. Gates is a warmonger, that is how he got his present job.
Brennan withdraws his name from consideration for CIA. (Think Progress)
In a letter to President-elect Obama, John Brennan has asked that his name be withdrawn from consideration as CIA director. A number of bloggers had raised concerns that Brennan, who has supported Bush’s interrogation and detention policies in the past, was being considered for the position. Glenn Greenwald wrote that Brennan “was an ardent supporter of torture and one of the most emphatic advocates of FISA expansions and telecom immunity.” In his letter Tuesday, Brennan informed Obama that he did not want to be a distraction.
Bye Bye Brennan (by Deacon Blues at The Left Coaster)
Brennan blamed liberal blogs and their truthful linking of him to Bush’s secret detention, rendition, and illegal surveillance policies… Make no mistake: Brennan supports telecom amnesty, rendition, and the black sites used by the Agency in violation of the Geneva Convention protocols… We know that Obama isn’t a progressive, but is it that hard to find a tough intelligence professional who isn’t stained with Cheney residue? And can someone tell me what exactly Gates has done to warrant being kept around for 6-12 months as a reminder of Bush’s Iraq and Afghanistan disasters?
My comment: Those of us who tried to warn about Obama’s rightward tendencies were shouted down, marginalized, and verbally beaten up. Don’t look for sympathy from us.
Obama names budget director, promises ‘line by line’ effort to cut waste (On Politics, USA Today)
President-elect Barack Obama just opened a news conference in Chicago with the announcement that he has chosen Peter Orszag to be the budget director in his administration and a pledge to go through the federal budget “line by line” to eliminate “programs we don’t need.” Orszag is now director of the Congressional Budget Office.
Volcker Will Head Emergency Board (Political Wire)
President-elect Obama “will appoint former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker on Wednesday to be the chairman of a new White House advisory board tasked with helping to lift the nation from recession and stabilize financial markets,” according to the Wall Street Journal… In addition, Austan Goolsbee, one of Obama’s longest-serving policy advisers, “will serve as the board’s staff director, along with his duties as a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.”
You just knew that Goolsbee, who warned the Canadians that Obama was just fooling the voters when he talked against NAFTA, would get his reward. Just how the hell many economic advisers are there, anyway? And if Bush had this many advisers… Oh, well, never mind.
Larry Summers as Fearless Truth Teller? (by Dean Baker)
Larry Summers is a very good economist who has written many important articles, but a fearless truth teller? That’s what David Leonhardt calls him in the NYT… I have yet to hear Summers advocate any policies that would cause serious pain to Wall Street. There are few more blatant problems in the U.S. economy than its bloated financial sector. Taking on the financial industry is something that would take real courage, given the industry’s influence in the Democratic party.
Schumer To Step Down from DSCC; Menendez To Take Over
New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer, the architect of consecutive Democratic election gains in the Senate, will step down as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and hand the reins to New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez.
Key day ahead in Minn. Senate recount; Coleman now 238 votes in front (On Politics, USA Today)
The recounting of votes in Minnesota’s Senate race continues. And with about 80% of the job done, Republican Sen. Norm Coleman is unofficially 238 votes ahead of Democrat Al Franken, the Pioneer Press reports.
Senate recount: Lost, found, challenged (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race took a dramatic turn Tuesday with a pair of developments involving absentee ballots: One county acted on its own initiative to count several ballots that it said were wrongly excluded, and two prominent county attorneys proposed a statewide process to reexamine rejected ballots.
Dick Morris Fundraises For Republican PAC On Same Day Reports Show His Conflict Of Interest (Think Progress)
Media Matters published a report showing that conservative pundit Dick Morris has “repeatedly used his columns and Fox News appearances to promote and raise money for the National Republican Trust PAC without disclosing that the organization has paid $24,000 to a company” connected to him. Since October, Morris has made 13 appearances on Fox News during which he “repeatedly promoted, praised, and fundraised for GOPTrust.com — all while appearing as a Fox News ‘political analyst.’” Now, make that 14 times. On the same day that Media Matters published its report, Morris appeared on Hannity and Colmes and again pushed people to donate to the National Republican Trust PAC — GOPTrust.com — in order to help Saxby Chambliss win the U.S. Senate run-off race in Georgia:
Richard Cohen reinvents the recent past (County Fair, Media Matters for America)
Looking back on the Democratic primary, the WaPo columnist is suddenly amazed at all the negative things that were said about Hillary Clinton in the press. Just amazed: “Remember when Clinton had no integrity, no character, when she lied about almost everything and could be trusted about almost nothing? …That was a calumny, a libel and a ferocious mugging of memory itself. But it was believed.” But we’re puzzled. Why is it hard to believe it, when back during the primaries Cohen himself was writing it.
Hitchens walks among us still. What stake will slay this vampire? (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
I won’t link directly to Chris Hitchens’ latest attack on those awful, awful Clintons… But I do want to repeat one of Hitchens’ most obnoxious attacks: “In matters of foreign policy, it has been proved time and again, the Clintons are devoted to no interest other than their own…” The Clinton Foundation is here. Spend a few minutes there, then tell me how “self-interested” the Clintons are. When Ford left the presidency, he played golf. By the way — just what has Chris Hitchens ever done for humanity?
In 1998, he befriended Ahmed Chalabi.
In 2002, he praised George W. Bush’s ”strong leadership.”
In 2003, he argued for the Iraq war tirelessly…
In 2004, he argued that Plame and Wilson were wrong – Saddam really did go shopping for plutonium in Niger.
Later, he argued in The Nation that progressives should vote for Bush…
Secret Hillary Plot to Blackmail Obama Revealed! (by campskunk at Alegre’s Corner)
Someone please send Elizabeth Drew some cards and flowers, and wish her a speedy recovery. She’s in intensive care at the Scaife Memorial Institute for Treatment of Clinton Derangement Syndrome after the latest outbreak. Ms. Drew is positing the theory that Barack Obama was cleverly manipulated into offering the Secretary of State position to Hillary against his will by a devilish PR campaign initiated by Hillary’s minions… Elizabeth Drew is a chronic CDS sufferer; she’s been writing crazy stuff about the Clintons for decades. Sadly, there’s always a market for more of it.
Elizabeth Drew (by herb the verb at Corrente)
Elizabeth Drew does her own ”angling”: for fluffer in chief. “But Washington has been taking in Obama’s victory in its own idiosyncratic way. Hostesses are angling to be the first to entertain the Obamas at their first private dinner in Washington.
Sad but true: (by Bob Somerby at the Daily Howler
Keith Olbermann returned to the wars last night… “OK, I was off for a week. Anybody make a joke yet about ‘a big stimulus package?’” No—just you. Sad but true, we thought (some) parts of last evening’s show went downhill even from there.
We think there’s a punch line in there somewhere (County Fair, Media Matters for America)
Huffington Post headline: Alan Colmes’ Replacement: No One, Sean Hannity To Go It Alone
Guess we’re not the only ones picking on Politico these days (County Fair, Media Matters for America)
Sure, we tweaked them here and here in the last 24 hours. But we were being chummy compared to HuffPo’s David Roberts who positively lowers the boom: “Politico Reporter Erika Lovely Embarrasses Politico, Self, Profession of Journalism, Humanity.”
Obama Off to Fast Start With Press Conferences
At his second news conference in as many days, Barack Obama claimed a “mandate to move the country in a new direction,” but promised to consult with Republicans as he goes about it.
Top News Outlets Assemble New Teams In Washington — Barack Biting to Begin Soon?
So what can we expect from the White House press corps in the era of Obama? Most news outlets are staffing the beat with fresh troops, and in some cases, more of them. But will reporters be reluctant to grill him as harshly as some of the previous 43 for fear of being labeled racist? Or, to fight charges of “liberal bias,” will many scrutinize his policies even more?
Rev. Wright says election night was bittersweet after being made a ‘whipping boy’ (On Politics, USA Today)
On Deadline posts about the after-election thoughts of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the Chicago pastor who was the center of controversy during the presidential campaign because of things he said about America over the years. President-elect Barack Obama was a member of Wright’s church. On election night, Wright told Sirius XM radio host Mark Thompson yesterday, “it was like a mixed bag of being proud of him (Obama) and being blessed to have lived to see something my parents would never have believed, was going to happen while at the same time having been put up as the whipping boy by the media to be the weapon of mass destruction to destroy his candidacy.”
Obama ran nearly 420,000 TV ads to McCain’s 270,000 (On Politics, USA Today)
Putting numbers to a trend that became very apparent as the 2008 presidential race played out, Nielsen says President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign ran far more TV ads than that of his Republican opponent, John McCain. Obama’s total: Nearly 420,000 airings from June through Election Day. McCain put ads on the air nearly 270,000 times. Nielsen adds that “Obama’s ads were on the airwaves over twice as much as McCain’s in the final month before the election (210,245 vs. 97,023 ad buys).”
So, why didn’t Obama win by a much larger margin?
Ads We Never Saw (Political Wire)
In an interview with Time, Sen. John McCain’s advertising guru, Fred Davis, “detailed what might have been in the campaign ad war — and what self-censorship the McCain staff imposed on themselves regarding the issue of race.” Said Davis: “‘I made a list once, which no one will ever see, of all the reasons that my hands were tied on this campaign. And I’ve never had a list this long.’… Even with the limitations on his ads, Davis says he holds no ill feelings toward Obama. He says the McCain campaign’s plan, which was largely dependent on tactical attacks on Obama, was working well until the financial meltdown, which began to accelerate in mid-September.”
There’s no reason why the panic and subsequent meltdown couldn’t have been postponed until after November 4—unless Bush wanted Obama to win the election.
AP: More voters wavered between McCain & Obama than thought (On Politics, USA Today)
The Associated Press bucks conventional wisdom this morning with one of the findings from the latest AP/Yahoo News Poll. The bottom line: More people changed their minds than previously thought about whether to vote for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama or Republican John McCain. The poll tracked the opinions of about 2,000 people over the course of a year and “just 28% of those saying they voted for Democrat Obama, and 27% saying they backed Republican McCain on Election Day, said they would vote for that party’s candidate in all 10 AP-Yahoo News polls.”
Fewer Reporters Went on the Campaign Trail — Is That a Bad Thing?
Paul Farhi: During the 2008 campaign, “the trail” never seemed less important — or perhaps it was just less populated. Although a headcount is hard to come by, the number of reporters traveling with the candidates appeared to be down considerably. The cost of riding the bus certainly is a key reason, but the falloff may also be saying something about the influence of the mainstream media.
NYT’s Bai: “I really couldn’t take the crossfire on the campaign bus”
“It gets pretty tiresome to hear reporters pontificating to each other about what the candidates are doing wrong,” says Matt Bai, who covers national politics for the New York Times Magazine. “It’s mostly people who haven’t [covered] a campaign before saying, ‘They’re spending their money wrong, the speech is wrong, he’s doing everything wrong.’… It’s like watching cable all day. It’s just noise.”
White House not likely to pardon torture officials, claims torture memos make pardons ‘unnecessary.’ (Think Progress)
The Wall Street Journal reports … that the White House “isn’t inclined to grant sweeping pardons for former administration officials involved in harsh interrogations and detentions of terror suspects.” White House officials believe that the Justice Department’s torture memos make such pardons “unnecessary”… President-elect Barack Obama is reportedly unlikely to pursue criminal cases against officials responsible for authorizing and executing the Bush administration’s torture policies, but some Obama advisers are said to be in favor of “setting up a 9/11-style commission that would investigate counterterrorism policies and make public as many details as possible.”
Rove: ‘Policy Won Out’ Over Politics In The Bush White House (Think Progress)
[Monday] night on Hannity and Colmes, Karl Rove vigorously defended his role in the White House as the Bush administration’s political guru. “The politics and policy are constantly banging into each other in decisions that are made inside the White House. That’s just the way it is,” he said. When Colmes asked him if that presented a “conflict of interest,” Rove insisted that, under Bush, “policy won out” over politics.
Click through to watch the video. If you thought the right will roll over and die, you have not been paying attention for the last 15 years.
See?
Norquist: ‘The Economy’s In The Present State’ Because Democrats Took Control Of Congress In 2006 (Think Progress)
On CNBC [Tuesday], Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist claimed that the current financial crisis facing America is rooted in the fact that Democrats took control of the House and Senate in 2006. “The economy’s in the present state because when the Democrats took the House and Senate in 2006, you knew that those tax increases were going to come in 2010,” said Norquist. According to Norquist, the stock market collapsed because “we’re in the middle of responding” to tax increases that haven’t actually happened yet.
Click through to watch the video.
Laura Bush Confirms She’s Shopping a Book Proposal
First lady Laura Bush confirmed to The Associated Press that she is planning a memoir and has met with publishers. “I’ve been talking to some publishers, but nothing has happened yet — just a few visits,” she said in a telephone interview Tuesday to discuss her upcoming special about the White House on cable’s History channel.
No word yet on any offers for W to write a book.
Palin’s fans and foes keep her in the spotlight (McClatchy)
A California-based conservative group that hammered Democratic Sen. Barack Obama during the presidential election is launching a string of commercials this week praising Gov. Sarah Palin.
Palin Heads Back to Campaign Trail (Political Wire)
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin “will come to Georgia next week to campaign for incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss on the eve of the runoff election,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. She is scheduled to appear at four Chambliss rallies.
Roundup (by Susie at Suburban Guerrilla)
Airfares down; every shopping day a Black Friday; food banks can’t keep up with demand and record numbers of people are using food stamps.
Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman cancels holiday party because of ‘trying financial times.’ (Think Progress)
U.S. News reports that Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Michael Mullen and his wife are known “for welcoming friends and associates during back-to-back parties at their decked-out Foggy Bottom digs.” For example, last year featured musician Kid Rock “enjoying heavy hors d’oeuvres” and expensive beverages. This year, however, the Mullens are canceling their party. According to the invite, “in these trying financial times they have decided to forego their their holiday reception“.
Excellent idea, Joint Chiefs. Now, let’s hope that Democrats are smart enough to tone down the inauguration festivities.
Oops!
American Airlines will hold Inaugural reception in DC (McClatchy)
American Airlines drops $40,000 for inauguration reception
A Modest Proposal (by Larry Johnson at No Quarter)
Rather than give the 7.7 trillion dollars to a select group of companies, let’s give it to all Americans. Divide this sum by the total population of the United States (i.e., 300 million). This means every man, woman, and child would get approximately $26,000. Let’s put a cap on it. Limit the total grant per family to $104,000. Also, anyone who made more than $1 million dollars in 2007 does not get the grant. At the end of the day, people will take this money and pay off some debts. Some will buy things (maybe a new home). I am willing to bet that GM and Ford might sell some cars. I believe more in the power of people to make sensible, individual decisions about their financial welfare than I do in pouring trillions of dollars into financial markets. Where is that money going? Until we get those answers not another damn cent.
But Larry, bless your little socialist heart, if we bailed out only ordinary people, the Masters of the Universe might have to give up one or two of their ten homes, a Picasso, and maybe the yacht. It just won’t do!
Hillary would (by J –SOM at Liberal Rapture)
If we are headed into a new Depression then the end of a 50 year era is upon us. I’m glad. A society solely based on “consumption” is no society at all. The pursuit of happiness does not begin and end with a Big Screen TV. If the era of oversized SUVs to drive to the 7-11 is over – I say good riddance. We should not sustain a society of acquisition for acquisitions sake. Slapping together hope and delusion and more debt so that we can continue to live 80 miles from work and eat tomatoes from Argentina year round for one more generation is cold blooded… My prayer now for Obama is this: I pray he’s willing to be unpopular. He WILL be unpopular, anyway. He’s going to be holding the bag. After a year of asinine chanting he must now leave it behind and tell the damn truth. We are in a real fix. He’s made some good hires. Now he needs to tell us what we don’t want to hear. Hillary would.
Can government keep spending? Most economists say yes (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — Since the U.S. economy went into freefall in September, the federal government has announced hundreds of billions of dollars in bailouts and economic stimulus packages in attempts to shore up banks and reignite the economy.
This article is written in a question and answer format. The questioner is, presumably, the author of the article, Jack Chang, but the answerer is not identified. Nor are “most economists” identified. So believe this statement at your own risk.
The Fed is confusing me (by Paul Krugman)
OK, so the Fed is planning to buy obligations of the GSEs (Government Sponsored Enterprises) — as well as securities guaranteed by the GSEs. This is in an effort to lower spreads. The Fed will in effect pay for these purchases by having the Treasury issue U.S. government debt. But the GSEs have been nationalized. Their obligations are already U.S. government debt. What’s going on here?
The Post Still Misses the Housing Bubble (by Dean Baker)
The Post told readers that “this downturn is the result of a profound financial crisis that has caused lending to dry up.” This is really incredible. The country has lost more than $5 trillion in housing wealth because of the collapse of a housing bubble and the Post still isn’t talking about the bubble.
Bush Labor Department misled Congress in effort to privatize jobs (by John Byrne at The Raw Story)
President George W. Bush’s Labor Department misled Congress in an effort to prove outsourcing jobs to private companies was more efficient than assigning the jobs to government employees, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Monday. The report found that the Department used fictional projected numbers to improve “savings reports” — even when real numbers were already available. And when the government did find private firms to take a government job, that employee generally was either reassigned to another task with the same title or promoted.
Susie says, “It was never about saving money. It was about breaking unions and giving political plums to contributors.”
Government by Contractor Is a Disgrace (by Thomas Frank, Wall Street Journal)
Some federal contracting, surely, is unobjectionable stuff. But over the past few years it has become almost impossible to open a newspaper and not read of some well-connected and obscenely compensated contractor foisting a colossal botch on the taxpayer. Contractors bungling the occupation of Iraq; contractors spinning the revolving door at the Department of Homeland Security; contractors reveling publicly in their good fortune after Hurricane Katrina… Government by contractor also makes government less accountable to the public… Mr. Obama must give us … a massive investigation of the entire history of government by contractor. It is time for accountability on a grand scale, and only government has the power to deliver it. This is one job that cannot be contracted out.
Arthur Bryant Sets Access to Justice Agenda (American Constitution Society)
Arthur H. Bryant, executive director of Public Justice, details the numerous tools being used by American companies to shutter the nation’s courthouse doors to challenges against their products and treatment of consumers and workers. In a column for The Times, Bryant maintains that the legal doctrine of preemption, which “wipes out state law,” mandatory arbitration, which forces consumers or employees into arbitration, and bans on class action lawsuits are all ways to shield companies from being held accountable in court. All three actions to shut off access to justice must be thwarted, Bryant asserts.
Media Matters for America
• Larson rewrote history to dispute Media Matters item documenting his falsehood on autoworker pay
• Saying Media Matters ”accurately quoted” O’Reilly “lying” about MN Senate race, Olbermann names him “Worst Person” runner-up
• Hannity baselessly blamed Democrats, CRA for financial crisis
• Citigroup bailout blackout: Network news programs featured no one asserting deal is bad for taxpayers
• Savage on America: “We’re probably 50 leagues below the degeneracy that brought about Hitler”
• Misinformation about autoworkers’ hourly compensation resurfaces on Hardball
• Politico ignored Martin’s response to NRSC allegation that he is “soft on crime”
• Ignoring Coleman’s ballot challenges, Hannity claimed Franken is challenging ballots in MN to “litigate his way into the Senate seat”
• Responding to Media Matters, Morris acknowledged “pushing very, very hard” for GOP group that pays him to run ads
Violence Against Journalists Grows in Mexico’s Drug War
The attacks against journalists, which run from threats hissed on their cellphones to grenades lobbed into their newsrooms, form a new front in the larger war the drug cartels are waging against Mexico’s social and government institutions. The resulting damage is undermining Mexican civil society as the rich, powerful cartels compete for control of smuggling routes into the United States, which is consuming all the cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana the cartels can deliver.
Russian politician was behind Anna Politkovskaya murder, lawyer claims (The Guardian)
A defence lawyer involved in the trial of three men accused in the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya has today claimed court documents suggest a Russian politician was behind the assassination.
Judge Rules CNN Engaged in ‘Egregious Misconduct’ — Orders Reinstatement of 110 Workers
A judge with the National Labor Relations Board has ruled against CNN in a dispute filed by the National Association of Broadcast Employees & Technicians. Judge Arthur J. Amchan ruled CNN must reinstate 110 workers with full back pay; retraining, if necessary; and it must recognize the union. The workers were employed by a former CNN subcontractor Team Video Services.
Developing A Neighborhood Watch For The Internet
ScienceDaily (Nov. 25, 2008) — Internet network performance problems are not only annoying to users — they are costly to businesses and network operators. But since the Internet has no built-in monitoring system, network problems often go unnoticed. To help fix this problem, researchers at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University have developed a new way to detect and report such problems in real time through their Network Early Warning System.
Television: Not The Only Channel To Early Sex
ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2008) — Watching plenty of television combined with low self-esteem, poor relationships with parents, and low academic achievement are some of the factors that may add up to young people having sex before the age of 15. Alternatively, a parent’s positive influence may go a long way to reduce risky sexual behavior during adolescence, according to researchers.
Newmark: I’m willing to pay for trustworthy news
“I would pay for subscription services, which would give me good, trustworthy news that I trust has been fact-checked and all that,” Craigslist founder Craig Newmark (left) tells Los Angeles Times staffers. “So I do think subscription services will work, but that’s for upper-middle class and above. …I do think we will see the public service model and philanthropy model like ProPublica. So I think we’re going to see some hybrid on that.”
Primedia Faces Stock Delisting
Primedia Inc. said Monday it was notified by the New York Stock Exchange that its average total market capitalization was less than $75 million over a 30-day trading period and is “below criteria” for its continued listing standards. Primedia has notified the NYSE of its intent to submit a plan for the next 18 months, the publisher said.
Zell Talks Newspapers
“I think the newspaper industry truly still doesn’t understand that it is in a business with customers, and the business must reflect the needs and demands of the customer,” says Tribune owner Sam Zell in conversation with Joanne Lipman. “And to the extent that we don’t do that, we will disappear.”
Connecticut officials don’t want to see Journal Register papers close
Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal say they’d be interested in taking part in a bipartisan effort to save the New Britain Herald, Bristol Post and 11 Journal Register-owned weeklies. “That’s something that we’d be more than willing to explore,” says Rell, a Republican. “I’d be happy to take part,” says Blumenthal, a Democrat.
Martha Stewart, Ann Moore to Receive Lifetime Achievement Awards
Magazine Industry Bestows Honors for Editorial, Publishing Achievements
Do Magazine Publishers Still Believe in Publishing? (by Simon Dumenco at Advertising Age)
Retrenching during an economic contraction is one thing. But starving and killing off your brands one by one — and refusing to invest adequately in the transition from print to web — suggests that you’re simply abdicating. You’ve lost faith in what you do. You’ve lost faith in publishing.
Vanity Fair Scales Back Oscars Party
After canceling this year’s Oscar party due to the writers’ strike that gridlocked Hollywood,Vanity Fair has decided to party again. But this time around, it’ll be a less glitzy affair, in light of the economy. To be held Feb. 22 at the Sunset Tower Hotel, “the party will be a much more intimate affair than in years past; we’re going to scale back the guest list considerably,” said Graydon Carter.
Publishing Bigshots Told to Open Canned Tuna, Eat at Desk
Though many agents say they’re still being wined and dined several times a week, a number of the publishers who are paying for it agree that it should no longer be part of an editor’s job description to regularly eat in fancy restaurants on the company tab. “All over town, people are saying, ‘Cut back,’ and that’s certainly what we’re saying,” said HarperCollins publisher Jonathan Burnham.
Forbes ’Absolutely Denies’ Russian Buyout Rumor
No, Forbes is not for sale to a Russian private equity group, as the Russian press had reportedly rumored. Forbes ”absolutely denies” this rumor, and “has no knowledge of the source,” a company rep says. Russian private equity firm Onexim — founded by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov — had been rumored to be buying Forbes, according to Russian news reports.
It’s looking a lot like Christmas.
The number of holiday-formatted [radio] stations will explode this Thanksgiving weekend. Experts say all-Christmas music typically produces one big winner and it’s all about timing.
Radio’s Revenue Falls Even as Audience Grows
Radio advertising was down 10 percent last month from October 2007, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau, the 18th consecutive month of declines.
Digital Sales Surpass CDs at Atlantic
Atlantic is the first major label to report getting a majority of its revenue from digital sales, not CDs.
U.S. Households Watch More Than 8 Hours Of TV A Day
The U.S. is a nation of even bigger couch potatoes than previously realized. Nielsen Co. left little doubt when it reported that television use is at an all-time high in the U.S., with home TVs turned on for an average of 8 hours, 18 minutes a day.
CBS Wins Sweeps for Eighth Straight Year
Thanks to another dominating week in the television ratings, CBS will win the November “sweeps” period for the eighth straight year. At the beginning of CBS’s current streak, “sweeps” months were much more important in the TV industry. Now, though, as more local markets have their viewership measured electronically all year long by Nielsen Media Research, the need for sweeps as receded.
TV Audiences Turn to Lighter Fare
After a marathon political season that saw cable-news networks’ viewership nearly double from four years ago, many TV viewers appear to be turning back to crime dramas, sitcoms, and other less weighty fare. The shift could turn what some feared would be a catastrophic broadcast TV season into a merely poor one.
TMZ Show Gets Two More Years
The tabloid show TMZ has been renewed for two more years. Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution has cleared TMZ on the Fox Television Stations group through the 2010-11 season, keeping the show on the air in top markets including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Why CNN Struggles to Cover The Economic Panic
Dale Dougherty: The current economic collapse is a difficult story for TV. It’s a peculiar period in between an election and an inauguration. This most important story, this great-or-not-so great depression, is also the hardest for CNN to tell. I have more than enough reasons why.
Reality Craze Is Over for Broadcast TV
People started wondering when reality shows would begin to fade almost immediately after CBS’s Survivor launched the genre in summer 2000. Eight years on, we may have an answer. Reality shows on broadcast networks are in a serious slump, with virtually every returning show down from last season, and none of the new reality shows has become a hit.
Ted Koppel and Discovery ‘Dissolve Relationship’
Former ABC News man Ted Koppel and Discovery Communications “have reached an amicable agreement to dissolve their relationship.” The move comes six months before the three-year contract was set to expire. Koppel joined Discovery Channel in January, 2006 as Managing Editor. He brought with him long-time Nightline EP Tom Bettag, as well as eight other producers and staffers.
Social Networking Traffic Up as Advertising Falls Flat
More than half the country actively uses social networking sites, but so far advertising on these properties is nothing short of anemic, says a new report issued by market research firm IDC. In fact, IDC calls advertisers’ attempts to tap into these sites’ unique social nature “stillborn.”
Tata Plans to Commercialize Healthcare Portal
Indian IT services company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), plans to commercialize its WebHealthCentre, an online portal for medical consultations, healthcare information, and telemedicine.
Yahoo Sells off Comparison Shopping Arm Kelkoo
Yahoo has sold Kelkoo, the European comparison shopping service it bought in 2004 — at a time when Microsoft is busy adding such features to its own search offering. The sale, to U.K. company Jamplant, is the first sign since CEO Jerry Yang stepped down last Monday that Yahoo is refocusing.
Google Seduces With Utility
Some call it Big Brother, but who can resist? It’s just so darn useful.
NYT Sees Success in Facebook Push
The Times took out a roadblock, or exclusive, ad on the front page of Facebook with a brief video of Obama and an invitation to submit comments. Times President Scott Heekin-Canedy said the ad was seen by 68.3 million people, and 34,000 comments were shared. And in the process, the Times nearly quadrupled the number of fans on its Facebook page — a figure the Grey Lady takes quite seriously.
Nintendo, Scion Join ‘ThanxGiveAway’
Two-Minute Shorts Use Satire to Promote Products on Comedy Central
TiVo Swings to a Profit
TiVo, the maker of digital video recorders, posted a profit in the third quarter, helped by a payment it received in a patent suit even as revenue declined.
