Quotes of the Day

A TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL HASTINGS: “Michael Hastings was really only interested in writing stories someone didn’t want him to write — often his subjects; occasionally his editor. While there is no template for a great reporter, he was one for reasons that were intrinsic to who he was: ambitious, skeptical of power and conventional wisdom, and incredibly brave. And he was warm and honest in a way that left him many unlikely friends among people you’d expect to hate him.” — BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith. More… “We fought, first, over the adjectives in his stories — ‘discredited’ was a favorite — and then over his theories, which were typically the opposite of whatever I was hearing from my Washington sources. In the meantime I marveled at his talent and at the thing I hadn’t particularly expected: his generosity.” Read the full story here.

“I am no Michael Hastings and I probably never will be. My temperament and orientation is different. I approach my subjects from a different angle and I ask different questions. I do pretty well for myself. But when I’m in the arena with people like Hastings, I’m always forced to check myself.” — The Week’s Marc Ambinder. Read his full post here.

Confessional.

“I got the IRS chiefs mixed up. So audit me! Sorry about that. They’re all blending together.” — FNC’s Dana Perino.

In a twist on the usual 9-month pregnancy, NBC Luke Russert’s 20-month gaffe

“House now voting on bill by Rep Trent Franks’s (R-AZ) restricting abortions after 20-months.” — NBC Luke Russert on the bill that passed the House Tuesday. About a minute later, after some razzing, he wrote, “Correction to my last tweet. Bills would restrict abortion after 20 WEEKS not months.” Phew!

Hello Buttercup! Martin smooches NYT colleague

“Do yourself a favor: pre-order @peterbakernyt book DAYS OF FIRE now. A history of Bush-Cheney admin > http://www.amazon.com/Days-Fire-Cheney-White-House/dp/0385525184/ref=pd_sim_b_3/184-3921963-1609821″ — NYT‘s Jonathan Martin regarding Peter Baker‘s upcoming book.

NBC’s Chuck Todd from Berlin: “Btw, TOBBS (twitter on black berry sucks)”

Anonymous email to FishbowlDC: “My brother works for a local NPR station and he says the amount of money the big wigs at NPR lavish upon themselves is sickening. It makes him wonder what would happen if donors saw the gluttony. But, he needs the job so he keeps his mouth shut.”

Weighty reaction to Mika Brzezinksi

“Dear Mika, Arsenic is a poison. Soda is not. Bleach is a poison. Sugar is not. You are a ridiculous lunatic.” — Rare‘s Content Editor Mike Cover to the MSNBC “Morning Joe” host who wrote Obsessed, a confessional book about food addiction, her own and others. He added, “There are few things that make my skin crawl more than the nanny-state busybodies lecturing other folks about what to eat or how to live.”

Code and Theory is an interactive agency behind websites like “The Verge,” and “Interview” magazine. They also have an odd fondness for the Dewey Decimal System.

Managing partners Steve Baer and Mike Treff took the mediabistroTV crew on an Olde Timey New York meets modern design tour of their fifth floor offices. The guys showed how they added wide open spaces, planned randomness and hip wood floors to the windows, the wood and the brick that originally came with the building built by the Astor family in 1886. Then there were the books, the many, many, many books.

You can view our other MediabistroTV productions on our YouTube Channel.

Here’s a bit of a shocker.

This morning we learn that Linda Douglass, Atlantic Media‘s head of communications, is leaving at the end at the month. She will stay on board in an advisory role. “I will miss her very much,” said spokeswoman Natalie Raabe in an email. “But a terrific person will be taking her place: Emily Lenzner.”

Emily Lenzer had her own consulting firm, before that she was managing director at SKDKnickerbocker. And before that she handled publicity for ABC News.

Here in the Fishbowl, this is rough news. We’ve had spirited discussions with Douglass over the past three and a half years and despite the occasional friction that occurs between publicists and journalists (let’s put it this way: if you haven’t been on the receiving end of a stinging Douglass email you haven’t lived) we have enjoyed working with Douglass a great deal and admire her humor, smarts and toughness.

See the glowing and touching internal memo from Atlantic‘s President Justin Smith… Read more

TWT

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NPR recently moved from Chinatown into its new 400,000 square-foot home on North Capitol, and they’re excited about it. Eager to show off the new facility, the organization offered a tour to members of the media Tuesday morning, starting with breakfast from their in-house chefs, along with some talking points from CEO Gary Knell, who outlined some impressive features of the space.

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Tim Mak, a reporter for Politico Pro Defense and coauthor of Politico’s Morning Defense blog, is leaving for a new job at the Washington Examiner.

Mak tells FishbowlDC he’ll cover breaking news in Congress and national security.

The news broke today when Byron Tau, Politico’s lobbying and influence reporter, sent an email inviting colleagues to a soirée in Mak’s honor, with a promise to “celebrate the man, the myth, the legend,” this Friday night.

Mak started at Politico on the breaking news desk. Congrats to Mak, and best of luck with the new job.

Not just one of you, but two (two!) of you have so little to do with your time that you made it a point to get in touch and express disapproval of yesterday’s spotted feature, wherein Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, paid a visit to The City Church.

Dynamite post of the week (then again, it’s onlybMonday): Spotted: Sen. Harry Reid at City Church. With a great back of the head photo that could have been a zillion other people. Needless to say, I was riveted

As were we. We would’ve said enthralled, though, but riveted works, too.

Re: Reid photo choice: You’d be a great selection to head the photo staff at the Chicago Sun-Times

Ha. Good one. But seriously? How is it that you don’t recognize the back of Reid’s head? Are you really Washington journalists? We don’t think you’re really Washington journalists.

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Earlier today, DC police evacuated CBS News‘ Washington bureau and shut down a section of M Street over a suspicious package that turned out to be just a harmless suitcase.

Those on site reported that police brought in a robot an an x-ray machine before giving everyone the all-clear to go back inside.

Tweets and pictures from the scene, after the jump…

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Defense One, a new site from Atlantic Media, announced that Politico’s Stephanie Gaskell will join the site as a senior reporter and associate editor.

“Stephanie is a true pro, well-known across the military beat for her no-nonsense style and fair voice,” Kevin Baron, Defense One’s executive editor, said in a news release. “Having covered New York City, two wars, and now Washington, D.C., from the Pentagon to Congress and industry, Stephanie was an obvious fit for Defense One, which will benefit tremendously from her respected track record of unabashed journalism and eye for the stories that matter to readers.”

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Politico’s Editor-in-Chief John Harris and Executive Editor Jim VandeHei recently sat down with The New Republic’s senior editor Isaac Chotiner for a two-hour interview. They talked about Politico’s role as an insidery conversation driver, about market corrections in politics (as in the flame outs of Sarah Palin, Herman Cain) and who on Capitol Hill is savvy when it comes to the media (not many, says VandeHei).

It seemed like a pretty ho-hum if not overly positive interview, at least until Chotiner brought up the charge that some women find Politico a difficult place to work. Harris responds rather matter of factly and tosses in a little deflection. He tells TNR that in the beginning, Politico was a startup and it was a difficult place for everyone to work, not just women. If that sounds like a PR-crafted soundbite, it just might be because VandeHei says sort of the same thing, just not so tactfully and with an obvious air of being on the defense. “Wait a second,” he says to Chotiner. “I want to add to what John said. I find this critique both offensive and wrong.”

From there, things went downhill. What was that about who has media savvy and who doesn’t?

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