Open Thread

NB Staff

Jon Meacham Seeks Help

Jon Meacham is frustrated. After taking over Newsweek in 2006 as editor, he hasn't managed to get it out of its long-term rut as the second-best in the newsmagazine business. He also seems to have developed a severe case of Economist envy: After about an hour, there seemed to be no more questions for him, so Newsweek editor Jon Meacham turned to his audience—about 100 graduate students at…
Matthew Sheffield

Frank Rich: Ruthless, Race-Carding Hillary

[A] synthetic product leeched of most human qualities. -- Frank Rich, on how Hillary Clinton is being marketed, Feb. 10, 2008. If Frank Rich is the voice of elite liberal opinion, Hillary Clinton is in deep, deep trouble. How many folks on the Upper West Side and reasonable facsimiles thereof from Boston to Madison to LA will be opening their hearts -- or credit cards -- to Hillary after…
Mark Finkelstein

Was David Shuster Very Close to Getting Fired Over Chelsea

Here's more buzz about how much trouble Newsbusters eagle eye Mark Finkelstein has caused for MSNBC's David Shuster. (He was first on this, people.) Through the Inside Cable News blog, we see the blog Big Head DC reports buzz that bosses at MSNBC threatened to fire David Shuster "on the spot" when he didn't immediately pound his chest and ask for forgiveness for suggesting Chelsea Clinton was…
Tim Graham

Age Card: Obama Hails McCain's 'Half-Century' of Service

Want to know how Barack Obama would intend to run against John McCain? Consider this line from Obama's speech to the Jefferson-Jackson dinner this evening in Virginia:This week, this week, we found out that the presumptive nominee of the Republican party will be Senator John McCain [scattered boos in the audience.] Now, I believe John McCain is a good man and a genuine American hero. And we…
Mark Finkelstein

Should Olbermann Apologize for Accusing Bush of Pimping Petraeus

As NewsBusters readers are fully aware, MSNBC's David Shuster has apologized and been suspended for asking a guest on Thursday's "Tucker," "[D]oesn't it seem like Chelsea [Clinton's] sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?" As if that wasn't enough, on Friday evening's "Countdown," host Keith Olbermann also apologized (video available here): David has been suspended and remains only…
Noel Sheppard

Journalism 101 Continued

Kathleen McKinley

US Has Killed 655,000 Iraqis? Soros Funded Lancet Study Debunked

Warner Todd Huston

David Shuster Apologizes for Angering Clintons

John Stephenson

Tribune Company's Credit Rating Dropping Below Junk Bond

The bad news just keeps coming for the old media, this time for major newspaper publisher the Tribune Company which may see its corporate bonds relegated even lower in the "junk bond" category.Standard & Poor's Corp. put Tribune Co.'s already junk-rated debt under review for possible downgrade Friday, saying the Chicago-based media company's newspaper publishing group is likely to face…
Matthew Sheffield

Toledo Mayor to Marines: Go Away, You 'Frighten People

Is the Glass City becoming the Berkeley of the Midwest? In today's Toledo Blade (HT Maggie Thurber; bolds are mine): VACATE THE PREMISES Mayor to Marines: Leave downtown He says urban exercises scare people A company of Marine Corps Reservists received a cold send-off from downtown Toledo yesterday by order of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner. The 200 members of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines,…
Tom Blumer

Gov's Aide in Sex Assault on Boy... Democrat or Not

Warner Todd Huston

CNN Veteran Andrea Koppel Joins Left-Wing PR Firm

Andrea Koppel, who left CNN last July after 14 years as an on-air correspondent, has joined M+R Strategic Services, a Washington, DC-based public relations firm with a long list of left of center and solidly left-wing clients, as chief of its Communications Division. Amongst the clients listed on the firm's Web site: Environmental Defense, Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council, Union of…
Brent Baker

Katie Couric's Cheesy Attempt at 'Schoolhouse Rock

Tim Graham