On May 18, CNN.com published a pro-Hillary Clinton op-ed by Maria Cardona, a CNN political commentator. Titled “Why Sanders must take the high road,” the piece was published in the aftermath of an out-of-control Nevada Democratic state party convention. Convention ended w/security shutting it down, Bernie folks rushed stage, yelling obscenities, throwing chairs. Unity Now! On […]
In just two tweets, Fox News’s Sean Hannity explains corruption of Roger Ailes era
On Tuesday, this blog criticized Fox News host Sean Hannity for another act of pro-Donald Trump broadcasting. This particular offense occurred after Melania Trump’s plagiarism-marred Monday night speech at the Republican National Convention. While Hannity’s competitors — CNN and MSNBC — were racing ahead with the story, he was busy defending Trump and attacking his […]
Who’d hire Bill O’Reilly, anyway?
Among media reporters, there’s been a great deal of chatter this week about whether the departure of Roger Ailes from Fox News would occasion a walkout of top talent from the cable news-dominating network. Anchors such as Bret Baier and Bill O’Reilly, according to reports, have so-called “key-man clauses” in their contracts enabling them to bolt if […]
Lesson from Ailes’s downfall: Don’t hire a sexist paranoiac to run your news operation
Roger Ailes is gone, resigned from his position at Fox News, the network that he birthed and guided to cable-news ratings dominance; that he turned into a force in Republican Party politics; that he ruled with supreme control-freakishness, under the approving wink of mogul Rupert Murdoch. Ailes will leave his billion-dollar creation just shy of its […]
Report: Powerful Fox News PR boss Irena Briganti has been muzzled
CLEVELAND — Fox News’s feared spokeswoman is no longer spokeswoman-ing, according to New York magazine’s Gabriel Sherman. Irena Briganti, the career Fox News spinmeister who has run Roger Ailes’s PR department for the past few years, has been silenced by the corporate overlords at 21st Century Fox. Not only is Briganti not allowed to communicate with […]
Seven things that failed to take down Fox News chief Roger Ailes
A month ago, Gretchen Carlson was doing her routine at Fox News, banging out an afternoon show that seldom drew much outside attention. Then Roger Ailes, the boss at Fox News, declined to renew her contract. She turned around and sued him on July 6 for sexual harassment and retaliation. In doing so, she may […]
Will Fox News’s vaunted PR machine outlive Roger Ailes?
After Roger Ailes’ career as chief of Fox News came under siege in a sexual harassment/retaliation suit by former host Gretchen Carlson, the supporters emerged. Bill O’Reilly spoke up for the boss, as did Kimberly Guilfoyle, Sean Hannity, Neil Cavuto, Sandra Smith, Harris Faulkner, among others. They all said various things of little bearing on […]
The Atlantic’s first second printing, by the numbers
The Atlantic just sent a second print run of its July/August edition to the newsstands. The last time it did such a thing was “Never,” in the words of Atlantic President Bob Cohn. “How American Politics Went Insane,” is the cover story for the issue, a story by Jonathan Rauch that argues for the restoration […]
Trump keeps Melania-plagiarism story alive
Good news is Melania’s speech got more publicity than any in the history of politics especially if you believe that all press is good press! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 20, 2016 The media is spending more time doing a forensic analysis of Melania’s speech than the FBI spent on Hillary’s emails. — Donald […]
Report: Fox News, Roger Ailes drowning in cesspool of sexual harassment allegations, backbiting
New York Magazine’s Gabriel Sherman has another scoop on goings-on at Fox News: Megyn Kelly, the star anchor at the network, has told investigators with an outside law firm that Fox News chief Roger Ailes sexually harassed her a decade ago, before her impressive rise to a key prime-time slot. The account that Kelly has […]
Lawyers in Ailes-Carlson proceeding blast each other over email
The hypocrisies continue flowing. Roger Ailes is chief of Fox News, a media outlet. It publishes things, preferably things that expose wrongdoing and deception. And so there was irony that Ailes responded to a July 8 harassment suit from former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson by attempting to steer it into secretive arbitration, per a […]
Here’s why Sean Hannity shouldn’t be anchoring convention coverage
About 20 minutes after midnight, MSNBC anchors Brian Williams and Rachel Maddow announced a wee-hours breaking story. “We’ve had a remarkable turn of events,” said Maddow. “This started on social media. People on Twitter first started circulating some eyebrow-raising claims about Melania Trump’s speech this evening. That led us . . . to go dig […]
Two decades late, accountability visits Fox News
Fox News loves anniversaries, and this fall marks a big one. In October, it’ll be 20 years since boss Roger Ailes and visionary media mogul Rupert Murdoch launched their stab at giving the rest of America a voice on the cable airwaves. Occasions such as this one are generally marked by splashy feature stories in various […]
Top Beltway journalists cling to heinous assertion of Trump-Clinton false equivalence
When top Beltway journalists Carol Lee of the Wall Street Journal and Jeff Mason of Reuters made the case in a USA Today op-ed that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump posed similar threats to a free and independent press, they weren’t suffering a momentary lapse of judgment. Or writing imprecisely in a rush to meet […]
Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly redeems the phoner TV interview
Not too long ago, Donald Trump mocked those broadcast outlets that deigned to do phoner interviews with him. “It’s always good when they take you by phone, that means you’re hot! You know, if you can do it by phone, when you start getting asked — I say, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t be able to do […]
Anonymous sources find their heyday in Trump VP drama
Soon enough the U.S. public will get an official first look at Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. He’ll be formally introduced at a news conference on Saturday, as Trump just tweeted: I am pleased to announce that I have chosen Governor Mike Pence as my Vice Presidential running mate. News conference tomorrow […]
Sean Hannity’s activism frames Fox News as wing of the Republican Party
Here come CNN’s Dana Bash and Dylan Byers with an authentic media-oriented exclusive: Newt Gingrich, a vice-presidential short-lister for Donald Trump’s campaign, flew out to Indianapolis on a private jet furnished by Fox News host Sean Hannity, the CNNers report. The purpose of the trip, which took place on Wednesday morning, was a meeting with […]
Top Beltway reporters promulgate absurd false equivalence on Clinton, Trump
The campaign of Donald Trump has offended the notion of a free press in some of the following ways: • Bashing outlet after outlet after outlet in his speeches, often using descriptors like “disgusting” and even calling one reporter a “sleaze” on national television; • Singling out camera operators at his rallies for failing […]
The mutual protection racket of Bill O’Reilly and Roger Ailes
A week ago, former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson filed a civil action against Fox News chief Roger Ailes, claiming that she lost all manner of opportunities and pay after she complained about sexual harassment at the network. The 11-year Fox News veteran, whose run ended in late June, claimed that Ailes objectified her, propositioned her […]
Lawyer: Gretchen Carlson sued Roger Ailes because she wanted him to take ‘personal responsibility’ for his actions
Lawyers for former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson and her ex-boss, Fox News chief Roger Ailes, are fighting a battle of legal filings: First came Carlson’s stunning complaint last week in a New Jersey state court, alleging lewd and wildly inappropriate behavior by Ailes in his supervision of Carlson over an 11-year career at the […]
Armstrong Williams named in sexual harassment suit
Armstrong Williams, a media entrepreneur and central figure in the failed presidential campaign of Ben Carson, stands accused of sexual harassment and retaliation from a former sales associate at a local Jos. A. Bank store. Charlton Woodyard, in a complaint lodged in D.C. federal court, seeks unspecified damages from Williams for seeking to “control Mr. […]
Just why did CNN stop inviting this Trump critic on air?
Corey Lewandowski is thriving. After his June firing from Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, he caught on almost immediately as a political commentator with CNN. Such a sinecure can easily pay in the six figures, a pay day supplemented by Lewandowski’s ongoing severance payments from the Trump campaign. Cheri Jacobus doesn’t have those kinds of luxuries. […]
Luke Russert leaving NBC News, political reporting
Bit of personal news—- pic.twitter.com/eWcT3lM1I1 — Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) July 13, 2016 It was almost exactly eight years ago that NBC News published a story titled, “Russert’s son joins NBC News as correspondent.” At the time, Luke Russert was 22 years old and fresh out of Boston College — just the level of experience […]
Stop asking for Megyn Kelly to comment on the Ailes case
People in commentariatville want to know what Megyn Kelly has to say about the sexual harassment/retaliation lawsuit filed by Gretchen Carlson against Fox News chief Roger Ailes. On his CNN program “Reliable Sources,” media correspondent Brian Stelter remarked, “We’ve not heard from Megyn Kelly, the highest-profile host of Fox News.” The Hollywood Reporter notes, “Megyn Kelly, the […]
New ‘Playbook’ co-author: ‘There’s no one else in the space’
In addition to a fast publishing cadence, Politico has brought a measure of bravado to Beltway journalism. “I think we’ll show that we’re better than The New York Times or The Washington Post,” former Politico executive editor Jim VandeHei said just before the publication’s 2007 launch. VandeHei is no longer promoting workaholism in the publications Rosslyn corridors, […]
Essay contest to win small Vermont newspaper not overwhelmed with applicants
The barriers to entry are minimal. All you need to do to have a shot at acquiring the Hardwick Gazette is write an essay of 400 words or less and submit a fee of $175. The winner of the essay contest will receive a 127-year-old newspaper that covers the beautiful Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, a deal […]
Can anyone characterize ‘media coverage’ of a presidential race?
The title of Thomas Patterson’s new study suggests ambition: “News Coverage of the 2016 Presidential Primaries: Horse Race Reporting Has Consequences.” It’s a delightful read steeped in history and full of excellent observations about the interplay of U.S. presidential primaries and the media entrusted with abridging them for the public. Patterson writes, “The press’s version […]
Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly: ‘I don’t hang with Donald Trump’
Ever since Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign, Bill O’Reilly has disclosed that the two are friends. Here’s what he told viewers in June 2015: “Now, I’ve known the man for almost 30 years, have done some business with his jet fleet and occasionally we go to sporting events together. So he wanted his first […]
Dallas police chief suggests cable-news gabfests don’t change the world
In a news conference Monday, Dallas Police Chief David Brown was asked about broader solutions to the scourge of deadly violence. The chief, who has presided over the response to last week’s ambush that claimed the lives of five police officers, had some thoughts on the topic. So, just going back to my government class in […]
Hillary Clinton to Vox: ‘Media environment … drives negativity’
Hillary Clinton in April vented her displeasure with modern media in a podcast anchored by Politico’s Glenn Thrush. Political leaders in the pre-Internet era, she argued, had luxuries denied to her by the velocity of news: “They had a period of time and space to actually think, to be private . . . and you read […]
Politico pulls from its own ranks in replacing Editor Susan Glasser
Politico has undergone some tumult of late. In January, a group of the brand’s key leaders — Chief Executive Jim VandeHei, “Playbook” writer Mike Allen , Chief Operating Officer Kim Kingsley, among others — announced that they would be leaving the organization. That came after announcement that Editor Susan Glasser would eventually leave Politico to join her […]
Roger Ailes opts for secrecy, cowardice in face of Gretchen Carlson suit
After Gretchen Carlson filed her stunning sexual harassment/retaliation lawsuit against Fox News chief Roger Ailes, the cable-news giant responded, in part, by affirming that the complaint was “wholly without merit and will be defended vigorously.” An outside observer might just have concluded that Ailes was girding for a showdown in which his side of the […]
In miracle, CNN’s Jeffrey Lord disagrees with Donald Trump
With extraordinary bluster and skill, CNN political commentator Jeffrey Lord has defended the guy he was hired to defend. When Donald Trump proposed a ban on Muslims, there was Lord, citing FDR as historical precedent. When Trump attacked a “Mexican judge” presiding over lawsuits relating to Trump University, there was Lord bootstrapping some twisted defense […]
Fox News in Dallas: When images get ahead of confirmations
Cable television networks last night had a choice to make: Which city’s protests shall we cover? In New York, in Washington, D.C., in St. Paul and elsewhere, people were taking to the streets over the shootings of Philando Castile, a 32-year-old black man, near St. Paul, and of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man in […]
Lesson from Gretchen Carlson’s sexual harassment suit: Roger Ailes is very, very powerful
In a stunning lawsuit filed on Wednesday, former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson accused her ex-boss, inimitable Fox News chief Roger Ailes, of the vilest things. Like hitting on her in the office; asking her to turn around, the better to check out her “posterior”; and retaliating against her for refusing to play along. Carlson was […]
Gretchen Carlson gets real
Sometimes loyalty to Roger Ailes is inspired. Take the example of Gregg Jarrett, the network anchor who checked into rehab with the full support of Ailes. “I don’t think I’d be here today if not for Roger,” Jarrett told TVNewser after emerging from his ordeal in 2015. Sometimes loyalty to Ailes is enforced. “Loyalty is […]
Don’t settle, Gretchen Carlson!
In her stunning lawsuit against former boss Roger Ailes, former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson asks for all manner of damages — compensatory damages; damages for “mental anguish”; punitive damages; and attorney’s fees. No dollar amount is specified, though she’s after due compensation for what she and her lawyer, Nancy Erika Smith, present as an […]
Lawyer: Gretchen Carlson’s complaints about Roger Ailes went nowhere
The sexual harassment/retaliation lawsuit filed by former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson against her former boss, Roger Ailes, features a great deal of demeaning dialogue. “I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago and then you’d be good and better and I’d be good and better,” Ailes allegedly […]
Former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson: Roger Ailes objectified me
It was a significant cultural moment at Fox News. In September 2013, Gretchen Carlson was moving from her morning roost, the awful program “Fox & Friends,” to her own afternoon show, “The Real Story.” When she was interviewed on a colleague’s radio show during the transition, she said, ““Wait a minute. Nobody’s going to recognize […]
Fox News’s Megyn Kelly destroys Hillary Clinton over email statements
FBI Director James B. Comey yesterday handed the media a grave responsibility — that of comparing what Hillary Clinton has said over and over in defending her email setup as secretary of state vs. what the FBI discovered in its lengthy investigation of the scandal. Fox News host Megyn Kelly accepted the assignment with considerable […]
CNN management is determined to torture its anchors
CNN last month created a ruckus when it hired fired Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to do paid commentary regarding the presumptive Republican nominee. Heck, the network already had two others on the payroll to do just this sort of thing — Jeffrey Lord, a former White House political director, and Kayleigh McEnany, a […]
Why the mainstream media must now slam Hillary Clinton over emails
Last September, Andrea Mitchell of NBC News scored a sit-down interview with Hillary Clinton, a discussion that spanned many topics, though most pointedly the former secretary of state’s email scandal. When Mitchell asked whether Clinton’s private email server was designed to keep correspondence away from reporters and investigating committees, Clinton let loose with an extensive […]
CNN commentators divided over whether a sheriff’s star has points on it
CNN’s valiant effort to ensure that supporters of Donald Trump are heard in each and every controversy fetched another laughable moment this morning. The topic was the news boomlet of the weekend — Donald Trump’s tweet that used the shape of a Star of David overlaid on a pile of cash in a meme to […]
Why is Gay Talese bailing on motel pervert now?
So the guy who made elaborate amendments to his Colorado motel in order to spy on the sexual activities of his paid guests turns out to be very, very unreliable. As The Washington Post’s Paul Farhi reports, Gay Talese, author of the book “The Voyeur’s Motel,” has disavowed the work after learning that property records […]
The FEC has no business judging Fox News’s debate
Viewers of the Rachel Maddow Show will have a jump start on one of the summer’s more exotic media stories. Last year, the voluble MSNBC host criticized Fox News for how it orchestrated entry to its Aug. 6 GOP debate, and then did the same to CNN over its Sept. 16 GOP debate. “I find it […]
Bloomberg, Politico are ‘worlds apart’ on Journey, Republican convention
Politico had a good lead: Rock band Journey was due to make an appearance in Cleveland in the time frame of the Republican convention next month. But who would pay for it? The May 26 article by Politico’s Anna Palmer and Kyle Cheney had this to say about the finances: “The Republican National Committee has […]
2016 is the cable-news election
You’ve heard this media-critic claptrap before: 2004 was the blog election; 2008, the Facebook election; and 2012, the Twitter election. And 2016? New York Times media columnist Jim Rutenberg wondered whether it would be the Snapchat election. How about a little throwback action here: 2016 is the cable-news election, a decades-old medium nudging aside higher […]
Embargoed ‘exclusives’ drive initial media surge on Benghazi report
Media organizations want stuff first, especially when that stuff concerns Benghazi and Hillary Clinton. In his “Playbook” newsletter this morning, Politico’s Mike Allen alerted readers to a crop of pieces on the much-anticipated report of the House Select Committee on Benghazi: –LOOK FOR embargoed scoops from Politico’s Rachael Bade, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, CNN’s Jake Tapper […]
Lawyer in anti-Trump suit: He ‘cowers’ behind First Amendment
As noted in this space yesterday, Donald Trump responded to a defamation suit from Republican strategist-cum-pundit Cheri Jacobus by saying that his Twitter-borne insults against her were protected assertions of opinion. “[C]alling a person ‘a real dummy’ or a ‘major loser,’ or saying that a person has ‘zero credibility,’ may be subjectively offensive to that […]
In major oops, Fredericksburg paper headlines: ‘McAuliffe’s Bribery Convictions Tossed’
This has absolutely made my day. pic.twitter.com/CNjjGdBqe6 — David Freddoso (@freddoso) June 28, 2016 Terry McAuliffe is the sitting governor of Virginia. Though he is under a federal investigation relating to donations to his gubernatorial campaign, he was not at the center of a major Supreme Court ruling handed down yesterday. That was former Virginia […]
AP correction: We mistook pope adviser Cardinal Reinhard Marx for, uh, Karl Marx
Karl Marx once proclaimed: “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.” And so some readers of the Associated Press may have been surprised to find this fellow advising Pope Francis: I interrupt my Twitter fast […]
The Daily Show tweets incredibly stupid joke about Supreme Court ruling on abortion
Celebrate the #SCOTUS ruling! Go knock someone up in Texas! — The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 27, 2016 Read the Supreme Court’s ruling Monday striking down a Texas law imposing strict conditions on abortion providers. The majority opinion in the case, written by Justice Stephen G. Breyer, examines two provisions of the 2013 law — one […]
In court filing, Trump leans on legal protections he’s vowed to undo
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