Media & Politics

Permanent link to MTA daily media news

Mad Magazine (link is to a pdf, thanks to Uppity Woman)

HALPERIN BLAMES OBAMA…. (by Steve Benen at The Washington Monthly)
President Obama went to great lengths to reach out to House Republicans, trying to get them to support an economic stimulus in the midst of an economic crisis. The president not only offered them more tax cuts than seemed necessary, he also acted swiftly to remove spending provisions — family planning, National Mall renovations — that they mocked. The entire Republican caucus, we now know, balked anyway. Time’s Mark Halperin, naturally, is blaming Obama…

Halperin believes, for reasons that are unclear, that the paramount goal was to win the support of lawmakers who were wrong and who were advocating bad ideas. It’s not about what works, or what would actually improve the economy in the midst of a serious recession. What really matters is “bipartisan solutions.” Why? Because Mark Halperin says so. Merit be damned — if Democrats liked the legislation and Republicans didn’t, it’s necessarily flawed… By his reasoning, the only appropriate thing for Obama to do was let Republicans — who failed at governing, and who’ve been rejected by voters — shape the bill, addressing the crisis they helped create. If the far-right House GOP caucus was unsatisfied, it was Obama’s responsibility to make them happy. Why? Because Mark Halperin says so. This is absurd.

Risks of the Stimulus Package: What Is the NYT Talking About? (by Dean Baker)
The NYT presented a somewhat confused discussion of the stimulus bill passed by the House… [T]the article discusses the prospect that some of the infrastructure will not be well-spent… There is no obvious reason that infrastructure spending should raise this concern more than any other item in this bill.

Confirmed: AP has received GOP talking points (by Eric Boehlert at County Fair, Media Matters for America)
The AP’s Julie Hirschfeld Davis types up a news article about how a single Republican ”official” claims there’s something wrong with one provision within the enormous stimulus package. But the single Republican won’t discuss the issue on the record. (Is he the only Republican in the entire city of Washington, D.C. concerned about the issues?) More importantly, is the Republican claim accurate? The AP doesn’t try to answer that question. Nor does the AP even bother to include a response from a Democrat anywhere in the article.

If only we had kept the extremist right in power… (by Richard H. Serlin, thanks to Economist’s View)
…we might eventually have achieved our goal of becoming a third world country. From the New York Times [Wednesday]: “Frederick Hess, an education policy analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, criticized the bill as failing to include mechanisms to encourage districts to bring school budgets in line with property tax revenues, which have plunged with the bursting of the real estate bubble. ‘It’s like an alcoholic at the end of the night when the bars close, and the solution is to open the bar for another hour,’ Mr. Hess said.” Yes, spending on education is like spending on alcohol. If only we weren’t so addicted to education we might be a dirt poor third world country today.

Carter to Obama: Stick to your guns, don’t back down on your vision for stimulus. (Think Progress)
[Wednesday] on CNN’s Situation Room, host Wolf Blizter interviewed former President Jimmy Carter. During the interview, Carter said that he believed that Obama should “stick to his guns” and not let “the Republicans deter him” as he continues his campaign to pass the economic recovery package.
Click through to watch the video.

Kerry: Ignore Republicans if they’ll vote no anyway (Politico, thanks to Susie at Suburban Guerilla)
Sen. John Kerry says Democrats should ignore Republicans’ demands about the stimulus plan if they’re going to vote against it anyway.  Reacting to Wednesday night’s vote in the House — where not a single GOP member supported the stimulus package — Kerry told Politico that “if Republicans aren’t prepared to vote for it, I don’t think we should be giving up things, where I think the money can be spent more effectively.”  “If they’re not going to vote for it, let’s go with a plan that we think is going to work.” 

The Post’s News Reporters Were Staggered by the Cost of the Stimulus (by Dean Baker)
The Post’s front page news article on the House’s approval of the stimulus package described its cost as “staggering.” Usually such characterizations are reserved for the editorial pages. Perhaps the Post should find reporters with more steady footing. Carrying through with this liberal use of adjectives, the article refers to the TARP as “massive.” It also describes the TARP as an “effort to free up the credit markets.” This is a questionable characterization. To date, the TARP has helped to keep many banks out of bankruptcy. Arguably, this is the main purpose of the fund, since Congress has thus far rejected proposals that would focused the money more on freeing up credit as opposed to paying dividends and executive salaries.

Obama Calls Wall Street Bonuses ‘Shameful’ (New York Times)
President Obama branded Wall Street bankers “shameful” on Thursday for giving themselves nearly $20 billion in bonuses as the economy was deteriorating and the government was spending billions to bail out some of the nation’s most prominent financial institutions. “There will be time for them to make profits, and there will be time for them to get bonuses,” Mr. Obama said during an appearance in the Oval Office with Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner. “Now’s not that time. And that’s a message that I intend to send directly to them, I expect Secretary Geithner to send to them.” It was a pointed — if calculated — flash of anger from the president, who frequently railed against excesses in executive compensation on the campaign trail…

This week alone, American companies reported as many as 65,000 job cuts, and public anger is rising over reports of profligate spending by banks and investment firms that are receiving help from the $700 billion bailout fund. About half of that money is still available, but the new administration has yet to announce how it will use it, and many analysts think it will take far more to stabilize the banking system.

The TARP Could Have Been Used to Restrain Wall Street Executive Pay: Who Would Have Known? (by Dean Baker)
The NYT reports it will be difficult to recover bonuses that Wall Street banks paid to their top executives… It is worth noting that many of the opponents of the TARP as it passed made exactly this point [before its passage]. The leadership in Congress and the White House chose to ignore this concern raised by TARP opponents. The failure to restrict executive compensation on Wall Street through the TARP was a deliberate decision by the Congressional leadership. It was not some sort of oversight, as this discussion implies.

Fannie Mae: President Obama’s Opportunity to Cut Outrageous Pay in the Financial Sector (by Dean Baker)
[I]f President Obama wants to take a stand against outrageous compensation in failed financial companies receiving government money, he has an opportunity right here in Washington. Fannie Mae recently reconstituted its board of directors, announcing that its directors would get $160,000 each, with the chairman getting $290,000. Those sound like pretty good paychecks for jobs that are very part-time, almost certainly involving less than a few hundred hours a year. Furthermore, it is questionable whether these directors are an especially talented group. Three of them are holdovers from the board that watched Fannie slip into bankruptcy.

Obama touts middle-class task force lead by Biden (AP)
Putting another Campaign 2008 stamp on his new administration, President Barack Obama signed executive orders he said should “level the playing field” for labor unions against management. Obama also used the occasion at the White House ceremony Friday to formally announce a new White House task force on the problems of middle-class Americans, and installed Vice President Joe Biden as its chairman… The orders Obama signed will:

_Require federal contractors to offer jobs to current workers when contracts change.
_Reverse a Bush order requiring federal contractors to post notice that workers can limit financial support of unions serving as their exclusive bargaining representatives.
_Prevent federal contractors from being reimbursed for expenses meant to influence workers deciding whether to form a union and engage in collective bargaining.

“We need to level the playing field for workers and the unions that represent their interests,” Obama said before signing the executive orders during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

Tougher battles ahead for labor after early win (AP)
Lilly Ledbetter, a 70-year-old Alabaman with a quick smile and a slow Southern drawl, campaigned for Barack Obama, joined him on the inaugural train trip to Washington and danced with him at an inaugural ball. She was also at the White House when Obama signed the first bill of his presidency, legislation named after Ledbetter that makes it easier for women and others to seek redress when they are victims of wage discrimination. “This is only the beginning,” Obama said at Thursday’s signing ceremony, pledging to fight on for equality in the workplace…

[A] second bill, called the Paycheck Fairness Act, puts gender-based discrimination on an equal footing with other forms of discrimination in seeking compensatory and punitive damages. It also puts the burden on employers to prove that any disparities in wages are job-related and not based on gender… But the sparks generated by that bill are nothing compared to what could be the most spectacular, and most costly, fight of the year, over a bill making it easier for unions to organize workers. The card check bill — hailed by supporters as the “Employee Free Choice Act” — would take away a company’s right to demand a secret ballot election on whether workers want collective bargaining representative by a union

Lilly Ledbetter Kicks Goodyear’s Tires (by Pat Racimora at No Quarter)

Obama hails passage of children’s health insurance (AP)
WASHINGTON – President Barack is hailing Senate passage of legislation providing government-sponsored health care to roughly 4 million uninsured children.

Health Care Now (by Paul Krugman)
The whole world is in recession. But the United States is the only wealthy country in which the economic catastrophe will also be a health care catastrophe — in which millions of people will lose their health insurance along with their jobs, and therefore lose access to essential care. Which raises a question: Why has the Obama administration been silent, at least so far, about one of President Obama’s key promises during last year’s campaign — the promise of guaranteed health care for all Americans?… I agree with administration officials who argue that these financial bailouts are necessary (though I have problems with the specifics). But I also agree with Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, who argues that — as a matter of political necessity as well as social justice — aid to bankers has to be linked to a strengthening of the social safety net, so that Americans can see that the government is ready to help everyone, not just the rich and powerful.

Quietly, Michelle Obama lays the groundwork for policy role (McClatchy)
While her inaugural wear, choice of a decorator and disapproval of unauthorized Sasha and Malia dolls make headlines, first lady Michelle Obama has quietly assembled a staff that’s steeped in women’s and workplace issues to support her role as a policy advocate.

Obama Considers Gregg for Commerce (Political Wire)
Roll Call reports that the Obama administration is floating Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) for Commerce Secretary.  No decisions have been made, but Gregg and Symantec CEO John Thompson are both considered leading candidates. Of course, Republicans will do everything they can to stop him from taking the job since they would be assured of the appointment of a Democrat by New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch (D). If Democrats also prevail in the Minnesota recount, that would give them 60 seats.
60 seats is not a magic number.  There will always be Blue Dog Democrats to deal with, and they might as well be Republicans.

Judicial Watch Has CDS Relapse, Sues Hillary (by campskunk at Alegre’s Corner)
The original “Patient Zero” for CDS, Richard Mellon Scaife, heavily funded Judicial Watch all through the 1990s to create trouble for the Clintons with frivolous lawsuits. And now, Judicial Watch has found some State Department functionary to sue based on the Emoluments Clause, that old canard about how Hillary is ineligible because she voted for a pay raise for the SOS position.

Homeland secretary wants criminal aliens out of US (AP)
If you’re a criminal and you’re not entitled to be in the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wants you out of the country. Napolitano wants what she calls “criminal aliens” off American streets. She is looking at existing immigration enforcement programs to see if taxpayers are getting the most bang for their buck. “That sounds very simple, but it’s historically not been done,” Napolitano said, speaking to reporters and senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials Thursday.

Blagojevich ousted as Ill. gov.; Quinn sworn in (AP)
After weeks of shocking twists and turns, the conclusion of Rod Blagojevich’s tenure as Illinois governor offered no surprises at all. Blagojevich addressed his Senate impeachment trial and offered familiar lines: He was innocent. The trial rules were unfair. His goal always was to help people. Then the Senate did what was expected and voted to throw Blagojevich out of office. And on an identical 59-0 roll call, it barred the two-term Democrat from ever again holding public office in the state.

McConnell: GOP Needs A Better Sales Job (by Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic)
Here is the basic diagnosis of what ails the Republican Party from Dr. Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader.  The internal organs are fine. No problem with the composition of the blood that pumps through the party’s activist veins. The brain is top-notch — Republican ideas are well considered, broadly desired, and politically feasible. The body, however, looks ragged; the accent is too…regional (Southern?). The GOP needs to get some exercise. It needs a jot of cologne here, and maybe a hair transplant there.  McConnell subscribes to what might be called the “sales job” theory of Democratic dominance. That is — the message is fine; the techniques used to communicate it are not. The “sales job” theory is quite attractive to many Republicans because it relieves them of having to question whether Americans, at their corps, are beginning to distrust what the party stands for, what the party does, who the party is. What a relief! All that’s need are some cosmetics.
Lipstick on a pig?

Saltsman out of the running for RNC chair. (Think Progress)
CQ reports that Chip Saltsman — who became notorious for mailing out the “Barack the Magic Negro” CD as a Christmas present to friends — will not be on the ballot for chair of the Republican National Committee because he was “unable to cobble together the six supporters necessary for nomination. 

Grand Old Social Networking Party (by Renee Feltz, Huffington Post)
A quick perusal of GOP party and activist websites suggests Republicans are hard at work building an online organizing machine.

Matthews on Limbaugh: “He’s the boss of the Republican Party right now, based on who’s bowing and scraping when they cross him” (video at County Fair, Media Matters for America)

Simon on Limbaugh: “He has power but no responsibility. Whatever he suggests is pure entertainment” (video at County Fair, Media Matters for America)

Savage on stimulus: “there’s going to be money in the pockets of community organizers. They can buy crack.” (video at County Fair, Media Matters for America)

On Hannity, radio host Sliwa claims Pelosi “is for birth control to eliminate minority populations” (video at County Fair, Media Matters for America)

O’Reilly and Miller announce new ‘business partnership’: ‘Waterboarding World’ (Think Progress)
Last night on Fox News, host Bill O’Reilly and former comedian Dennis Miller announced a new “business partnership.” “We’re opening a theme park: Waterboard World,” O’Reilly said. Funnyman Miller explained how the park would help in efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Click through to watch the video.

Cole/ Marsh Debate on Obama’s Bombing of Pakistan (by Juan Cole at Informed Comment)
The notion that we should not say something critical of the policy of a Democratic president because it might give aid and comfort to the rightwing enemy is completely unacceptable. It is a form of regimentation, and equivalent to making dissent a sort of treason. We had enough of that the last 8 years (it used to be from different quarters that I was accused of traitorously succoring the enemy). I am an analyst, and a truth-teller. I don’t work for anyone except, in a vague way, the people of Michigan, who took it into their heads to hire me to tell them about the Middle East, and their charge to me is to call it as I see it. I serve no interest. I am a member of the Democratic Party, but I don’t accept everything in the party platform, and I am not so partisan that I cannot admire politicians and principles of other parties, whether the Greens or (some) Republicans. I didn’t agree to join the Communist Party, such that no dissent is allowed lest it benefit the reactionaries and revanchists…

I don’t care what people like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh say or think, and I certainly am not going to self-censor so as to avoid giving them ammunition. Hannity was put there by crackpot rightwing billionaire Rupert Murdoch for a purpose, and he will serve that purpose regardless of what we analysts say. In a democratic republic, open dissent is valued.
We must not march in lock-goosestep the way the Bushbots did.  The saddest thing about those who say we shouldn’t be able to criticize Obama or push him to do what he was elected to do is that they’re treating him like an affirmative action hire—as though he’s too fragile to criticize.  Their fear is not a mandate for me.

This is the Way Women Are Graded and Degraded (by Ani at No Quarter)
It is embarrassing and belittling, but even in the year 2009, [Jessica Simpson’s weight gain is] considered newsworthy… [L]ikewise tasteless stories were and are constantly filed by major “reputable” newspapers and network media outlets about Palin’s wardrobe expenditures, Hillary’s pantsuits and Michelle’s dress designers… As far as [Simpson’s sister] Ashlee’s statement about “hope in the air for our country as a result of the inauguration,” I would like to remind her that this “hope” was won by way of women getting kicked in the teeth. Twice. Never mind who “won.” Regardless, the media’s behavior toward women was a disgrace. It is more than disconcerting to find out the truth of how many “progressives” really feel about qualified women ‘progressing.’…

[T]he corporate owned media, pundits and the public at large who buy into their message, constantly remind women everywhere they turn, that acting and looking pleasing is far more important than other attributes they bring to the table – and heaven help them if they have one without the other. The result is a crazy-making balancing act where no woman, politician or otherwise, has yet hit a bulls-eye. This is not about political correctness. It is about showing respect to 52% of our population and sending a signal to our sons and daughters, and to countries around the world that we respect women, and they would do better to respect them, too.

Contemplating Alternatives To Incarceration (American Constitution Society)
In an article for the ABA Journal, Ben Trachtenberg, a visiting law professor at Brooklyn Law School, writes that the nation’s incarceration rate continues [to] “top the world in per capita imprisonment” and that it is long past time for policymakers to revisit the subject. Even if state and federal lawmakers were not grappling with tough economic times, they would do well to use alternatives to incarceration, which Trachtenberg says “drains public treasuries without providing any future benefit.” He adds that California already spends more than $10 billion on incarceration.

Blindly dumping boatloads of money into building more prisons could be countered by turning to “nonincarceration alternatives, such as drug treatment for addicts and community services for small-time thieves,” which “cost less and reduce misery across the board,” Trachtenberg maintains. “A rational criminal justice system,” he continues, “would, while shortening sentences of certain offenders, keep others out of prison altogether. With alternative treatments and punishments, a state shrinks its prison budget, allows convicts to keep their jobs and support their families, and makes recidivism less likely.”

Judge: Names of Prop. 8 donors must be made public (McClatchy)
A federal judge today denied an attempt by Proposition 8 supporters to withhold disclosure of late campaign donors to the state’s same-sex marriage ban. California’s Political Reform Act, approved by voters in 1974, requires disclosure of the name, occupation and employer of anyone contributing $100 or more to campaigns. The suit challenges the constitutionality of the disclosure requirement, claiming donors to Proposition 8 have been ravaged by e-mails, phone calls and postcards — even death threats. Yes on 8 campaign officials said hundreds of people have alleged harassment, intimidation or threats. Attorneys for Proposition 8 assert that First Amendment rights to be free from retaliation outweigh the state’s interest in disclosure.

Won’t [single payer health care] raise my taxes? (Physicians for a National Health Plan, thanks to katiebird at The Confluence)
A universal public system would be financed in the following way: The public funds already funneled to Medicare and Medicaid would be retained. The difference, or the gap between current public funding and what we would need for a universal health care system, would be financed by a payroll tax on employers (about 7%) and an income tax on individuals (about 2%). The payroll tax would replace all other employer expenses for employees’ health care, which would be eliminated. The income tax would take the place of all current insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket payments. For the vast majority of people, a 2% income tax is less than what they now pay for insurance premiums and out-of-pocket payments such as co-pays and deductibles, particularly if a family member has a serious illness. It is also a fair and sustainable contribution.

Web site sows support for White House farmer (AP)
An Illinois family is sowing support for a White House farmer with a Web site allowing people to nominate and vote for their favorite growers. The nominees range from 10 teens in Alameda, Calif., who grow food for more than 500 formerly homeless people to former pro basketball player Will Allen, an urban farmer in Milwaukee. The election ends Saturday, when organizer Terra Brockman plans to forward the names of the top three vote-getters to the White House.

Media Matters for America headlines

• AP cited only single anonymous Republican official in support of stimulus falsehood

• For four hours after AP correction, Drudge flogged false claim about undocumented immigrants

• Beck mocks stimulus bill he doesn’t understand

• MSNBC hosts ask “how do you justify” recovery funds spent after FY 2010 without noting CBO head’s response

• CNBC’s Burnett proclaimed Limbaugh’s stimulus proposals “serious,” didn’t mention economists who disagree

• Fox & Friends’ Doocy repeated false claim that stimulus package includes $4 billion for ACORN

• Limbaugh op-ed misrepresents reason for stimulus

• Fox’s Carlson baselessly suggested Obama is more “concerned” with Limbaugh than “economy” and “Al Qaeda”

• Fox News’ Hemmer, Gallagher, Wilson baselessly suggest short-term weather impacts global warming debate

• Rove latest Fox News figure to promote false calculation of stimulus’ job-creation costs

• WSJ article reported that stimulus money spent in “2011 or later” would be ineffective — but CBO head disagrees

• WSJ prints op-ed with false claim that Army Field Manual prohibits “good-cop bad-cop”

• O’Reilly claimed that “enhanced food stamps … will not help the economy one bit” — but economists disagree

• Politico advanced GOP claim about stimulus plan’s effect on job growth

• Suggesting Obama is being hypocritical on “fiscal responsibility and bipartisanship,” USA Today ignored $70B AMT amendment added by GOP Senator

• Drudge headline falsely suggests Obama would address letter to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

• On O’Reilly Factor, Morris falsely claimed aid to states in recovery plan “doesn’t stimulate anything”

Iraqi shoe hurler inspires art in Saddam hometown (AP)
When an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at George W. Bush last month at a Baghdad press conference, the attack spawned a flood of Web quips, political satire and street rallies across the Arab world. Now it’s inspired a work of art. A sofa-sized sculpture — a single copper-coated shoe on a stand carved to resemble flowing cloth — was formally unveiled to the public Thursday in the hometown of the late Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein… The Baghdad-based artist, Laith al-Amari, said the work honors al-Zeidi and “is a source of pride for all Iraqis.” He added: “It’s not a political work,”

Reuters

Even in exile, Somali journalists face death
Since 2007, at least 13 journalists have been killed while working on stories and more than 50 have been forced to leave the country, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists and the National Union of Somali Journalists.

Ireland Gets France’s Three Strikes; Eircom Will Boot Persistent File-Sharers (Paid Content)
After spending eight days fighting the major record labels in court, Ireland’s largest ISP, Eircom has now agreed to start warning customers who download music illegally, and will disconnect them after three search notices – a so-called “graduated response”. The big four, marshalled by the Irish Recorded Music Association, took Eircom to court to force it to block illegal files by adding monitoring software like Audible Magic. Eircom resisted but has now reached a settlement, agreeing to send letters to freeloaders identified by the labels’ own monitoring efforts.

Think Again: Spying on Journalists? Why the Silence? (Center for American Progress)
It now appears that the Bush administration was spying on American journalists; so Eric Alterman and George Zornick ask, why’s the media keeping quiet?

Science foundation’s funding eyed amid porn claims
The ranking GOP member of the Senate Finance Committee wants Congress to reconsider new funding to the National Science Foundation amid allegations that top staffers spent long stretches of their day surfing the Internet for pornography.

AP, news groups urge court webcast in music case
Fourteen news organizations, including The Associated Press and The New York Times Co., are urging a federal appeals court to allow online streaming of a hearing in a music downloading lawsuit the recording industry filed against a Boston University graduate student.

Davos09: What’s missing in journalism? (by Jeff Jarvis)
The media machers at Davos got together yesterday with three economists to ask what went wrong in financial coverage that did not warn of the crisis… A well-respected journalist told the group that in economics, there is no objective truth. It’s too complex. So it shouldn’t be declarations of doom that should dominate front pages. It should be questions: How can these companies be this profitable? What is the impact of this much leverage? How can people without income get loans? It the constant poking and prodding we need. That requires the willingness to be a pain in the ass. We journalists used to pride ourselves on being pains in the asses — or just asses. But now they like to be liked — they think they need to be. They believe that maintaining their connections is their key value. But that compromises their ability to dog.

Ex-public radio exec tries to save journalism in Chicago
Former WBEZ newsman Ken Davis has lined up journalists from Chicago newspapers, radio stations, blogs and colleges for a save-journalism conference. Michael Miner writes: “The panel, for all its old-school experience, strikes me as short on the next generation of news producers and consumers-i.e., the people most likely to brim with original ideas about how to get from here to there, and about what there looks like.”

NAA: Unique Visitors at Newspaper Sites up 12.1% in 2008
The average number of unique visitors to newspaper Web sites increased 12.1% to 67.3 million per month in 2008 compared with 2007, according to new data released by the Newspaper Association of America. Average time spent also went up.

The All-Digital Newsroom of the Not-So-Distant Future (by Steve Outing, Editor & Publisher)
It now seems likely that some newspapers will abandon print, or be forced to. But what might a digital local news operation look like, and what tools and skills will be required?

Web-Only Newsrooms Entering Pulitzer Contest for First Time
If a St. Louis news outlet wins a Pulitzer Prize in April, it just might be the online-only St. Louis Beacon. “We are submitting what we think is our best work, one entry in two categories,” said Beacon Editor Margaret Freivogel. Her site is one of at least five Web-only newsrooms entering work this year

‘E&P’ Plans Second ‘Virtual Expo’ After Positive Reviews
As hundreds of attendees and visitors continue to rate their experiences during the first-ever Newspaper Industry Virtual Expo last week, Editor & Publisher is looking to hold a second version of the online trade show and Webinar later this year.

Baltimore Examiner folds after buyer fails to surface
The Examiner, owned by billionaire Philip Anschutz’s Clarity Media, expected “strong revenue synergies” when it launched in 2006 because of its market proximity to the Washington Examiner. “Unfortunately, those additional revenues did not materialize to the levels we had projected,” says the company.

Amazon Earnings Call: Bezos: Kindle Users Buy More Books Than Print-Only Buyers (Paid Content)
Kindle users buy more books total than print-only buyers, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos told investors and analysts following the release of the company’s healthy Q4… Asked if he was surprised by anything about Kindle sales in Q4, Bezos insisted that the e-book reader hasn’t cannibalized physical book sales and claimed that the device is additive.

Libraries say new safety law could mean no more books for kids
Toys with dangerous levels of lead, toxic chemicals in clothing, hazardous baby cribs — the soon-to-be-enforced Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act aims to protect children from all of them. But library books?

BBC to cut salaries of stars
The BBC is to cut the amount it pays leading stars including Jonathan Ross, Jeremy Clarkson and Chris Moyles as part of its latest cost-cutting drive. A BBC spokesman confirmed that because of the economic downturn the money the corporation paid to talent would be reduced when their contracts came up for renewal and that “those on the highest fees will be most affected by market conditions”.

Disney Cuts 200 Positions At ABC; 200 Open Posts To Remain Vacant; 200 More At ESPN (Paid Content)
Disney is handing out 200 pink slips ABC and will not fill 200 other open positions at the network, Reuters reported. Last week, the company said it was merging ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios into one unit. An ABC rep at the time told me that digital would not be affected by the combo. It’s not clear where the job cuts would come from and if it would touch the digital operations. The reason for the cuts, of course, is due to the down ad market. The layoffs represent about 5 percent of Disney’s 6,500 to 7,000 total employees. Separately, another Disney subsidiary, ESPN, said that it will shed 200 jobs from its 5,700-member global workforce.

Police Google farmers, find marijuana field
Swiss police said Thursday they stumbled across a large marijuana plantation while using Google Earth, the search engine company’s satellite mapping software.

Web 3.0: Apture (by Rory O’Connor)
The future is now, thanks to a trio of recent Stanford graduates who created Apture, a new communication platform that literally adds fresh dimensions and a web of information to previously two-dimensional posts.

BBC Stops Trying To Be Google, Abandons Web Search (Paid Content)
After being ordered by its BBC Trust to reconsider whether it really wants to do a poor imitation of Google, the BBC has decided to drop its external web search tool, which was tucked away in some dark corners of its sprawling website. BBC online controller Seetha Kumar: “You cannot help but come to the conclusion that BBC web search was not sufficiently different in quality or character from others like Google or MSN to justify the time and money spent maintaining it. Users have easy access, usually in their browser, to a very similar service. Usage is not high, accounting, on average, for between 10 -15 percent of the total amount of searches made on BBC Online.”

From business to fun: What generations do online
Teens and young adults seem to live online, but a new report by the Pew Research Center finds that other generations are catching up: Generation X primarily uses the Internet for shopping and banking; Baby Boomers for travel reservations; and the 70-plus crowd for e-mail.

Upbeat but Sympathetic: A Fine Line for Super Bowl Ads
Advertisers for the Super Bowl are walking a tightrope this year, trying to entertain and sell products, while not appearing insensitive to the economic environment.