And now the National Enquirer is up for a Pulitzer. How do you feel about that? To me it shows, as a society, how cut off from the truth we are, that a magazine that pays their sources and every once in a while gets something factually correct is now eligible for a Pulitzer. Wow, we're all going to hell. Read more...
Read more...
That is cryptic. You can't be me, I'm taken
It's no secret that members of Congress broker deals on the treadmill or in the weight room of the House and Senate gyms. But former congressman Eric Massa's accusation that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel once berated him in the gym's shower over his vote against President Obama's budget left Washington watchers wondering how much business politicians conduct while naked. Read more...
But Americans are not Finnish. They are the world. They are the children. They are the ones who make a brighter day. Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
The annual State of the Media report by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism was released this morning. The report looks back on how every part of the media fared in 2009, including newspapers, magazines, network news, cable television, and online sites. It's not the most uplifting bit of news about the news--but in a year that saw the most massive financial crisis since the Great Depression (on top of that whole broken business-model stuff), you already knew that. Here are some of the report's more eye-popping numbers: 1) To put all those tiny little papercuts into perspective; each round of newspaper layoffs, here and there, equals one big gushing head wound: We estimate that the newspaper industry has lost $1.6 billion in annual reporting and editing capacity since 2000, or roughly 30 percent, which leaves an extra $4.4 billion remaining. Even if the economy improves, we predict more cuts in 2010.
The annual State of the Media report by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism was released this morning. The report looks back on how every part of the media fared in 2009, including newspapers, magazines, network news, cable television, and online sites.
It's not the most uplifting bit of news about the news--but in a year that saw the most massive financial crisis since the Great Depression (on top of that whole broken business-model stuff), you already knew that.
Here are some of the report's more eye-popping numbers:
1) To put all those tiny little papercuts into perspective; each round of newspaper layoffs, here and there, equals one big gushing head wound:
We estimate that the newspaper industry has lost $1.6 billion in annual reporting and editing capacity since 2000, or roughly 30 percent, which leaves an extra $4.4 billion remaining. Even if the economy improves, we predict more cuts in 2010.
If you're going to go around reading stuff ...
In a dark room, on a rainy night, alone with a bear skin, Hunter or Roberts? Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
I don't really know from Hunters. All I ever seem to catch is Snark. The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman
Breaking the story on the affair shouldn't be worth a Pulitzer. The affair isn't anybody's business, and the only people who care about politicians screwing around on their spouses are the high-schoolers who pass for reporters in this God-forsaken country (I remind you of Clinton's sky-high approvals during the Lewinsky saga).
If they were the ones who broke the story on Edwards using campaign contributions to try to buy Hunter off (an actual criminal offense), and if that's what the Pulitzer is for, then maybe there's an argument. That's a real story. But I think that has to be balanced against Edwards's irrelevance. It isn't like he got anywhere near the nomination anyway.
Then again, at least the NE made some effort at getting something approaching a story during the election season. So maybe throwing them a bone wouldn't be the worst idea ever.
I seem to recall them breaking several stories on Palin's ethics and corruption issues in Alaska, too. So...why not? They did more actual reporting than any of the "respectable" news organizations.
As for the Edwardses and Garth -- who cares? These people are all seriously fucked up, and the day the lot of them go away forever will be a good day. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin
