Fish Poll

Publisher of Hustler Larry Flynt made news yesterday when his nudie mag ran a photo of conservative commentator S.E. Cupp with a photoshopped penis in her mouth.

Scott Baker, editor of The Blaze, which Cupp contributes to, told FBDC “it doesn’t sound like” she plans on suing. Flynt told The Daily Caller‘s Caroline May that he had every right to publish the photo, which came with a disclaimer stating it had been edited, as an expression of satire.

But is there a difference between parodying a public figure and photoshopping a penis in her mouth? Let us know in our Fish Poll. We’ll run the results tomorrow.

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At the start of this week Edward Klein‘s latest tell-all book The Amateur was published. It is a biography on Barack Obama‘s presidency filled with all the dirty details and shocking claims expected from Klein who has written similar books on Hillary Clinton, Katie Couric and Jackie Kennedy.

So far, claims picking up buzz from the book, which is purportedly based on 200 interviews, include an alleged bribe of Obama’s former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright to keep quiet during the 2008 election, a feud between Obama’s wife Michelle and Oprah Winfrey and former president Bill Clinton calling Obama an “amateur.”

Predictably, the White House has pushed back. “Nobody in their right mind would believe the nonsense in this one, especially since both Secretary Clinton and President Clinton have been loyal and supportive of the president at every turn,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz has said of the book.

On FNC Friday conservative columnist Byron York said “[Klein's] last book in 2005 about Hillary Clinton was extremely controversial, claimed that she was a lesbian and all sorts of kind of out-there stuff.” He added, “It was denounced as a whole pack of lies by everybody involved.“

Even so, excerpts from Klein’s book have been picked up by the WaPo, New York Post, Washington Examiner, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller and by the news site I also write for, The Blaze.

Let us know what you think about Klein’s book in our Fish Poll below. We’ll run the results tomorrow.

Yesterday, we reported on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton taking the “au naturale” approach to diplomacy when she dared to venture into public sans makeup. Many media outlets either judged or praised the Secretary for her new look. So, what do you think? Time to vote in today’s Fish Poll.

The results of our Fish Poll from yesterday are pretty decisive. Almost 60 percent of responders said the White House Correspondents’ Dinner should focus on reporters and Lindsay Lohan ought to be left at the pre/post parties.

That should help Fox News’ Chief White House Correspondent and incoming President of the White House Correspondents’ Association Ed Henry as he prepares to lead next year’s clusterf&%k weekend. He tweeted on Monday that he was looking for constructive criticism on how to make the annual event better for everyone.

Here are the rest of the results:

• 22.88 percent said “The scholarships should be played up more; otherwise, it’s perfect.”
• 11.11 percent said “It’s fine the way it is; if I’m drunk, I’m happy.”
• 8.5 percent said “Celebrities are fine, but Kim Kardashian should know the First Amendment by heart.”

Tom Brokaw started a conversation Sunday when he declared that the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner had gone beyond what it needs to be in terms of being a celebrity-driven clubby fiasco. Many journalists agreed.

Fox News’s Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry, the incoming president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, shot off a series of tweets Monday defending the event, noting that it raises thousands of dollars in journalism scholarships. He did say, however, that as president, he welcomes criticism to make improvements.

Unfortunately, he might not have fully meant it. To several criticisms, Henry offered up a defense of the dinner.

“You all look like hypocrites. You’re supposed to be challenging power, not schmoozing with Lindsay Lohan and the 1%,” wrote one tweeter.  Henry replied, “I try to challenge power ev day. How does a dinner erase our work in briefing room etc?”

“Just my opinion the #WHCD takes away from the dignity of the Presidency, its a serious job effecting the lives of real people,” tweeted another follower of Henry’s. To which he responded, “Respectfully disagree. President Bush poked fun at self, President Obama has graciously done same. 1 night doesn’t hurt presidency.”

Even when CBS’s respected White House radio reporter Mark Knoller suggested a vote by the WHCA to either end the dinner or refocus it on journalism rather than celebrities, Henry responded, “Appreciate your views, especially you. but y consider whether to ‘continue’ dinner — how else do we raise $ for scholarships?”

But in the Fishbowl, we’re all about helping people. And we want you to help us help Henry. Vote in our Fish Poll below on the most effective ways to improve next year’s WHCD. We’ll run the results tomorrow.

In our Fish Poll yesterday we asked readers to decide whether NBC Congressional Correspondent Luke Russert breached any journalism ethics when he emceed “Grammys on the Hill” Wednesday night. WaPo‘s Paul Fahri raised the issue in a column Thursday.

An astonishing 67.74 percent of respondents said yes. Here’s how the numbers broke down:

• “Yes, he broke his objectivity; get him into Journalism 101.” — 45.97 percent
• “Yes, this wasn’t a big deal but you can’t be too careful.” — 21.77 percent
• “No, stop with the more-objective-than-thou B.S.” — 17.75 percent
• “No, Fahri read a little too much into this whole thing.” — 14.52 percent

Perhaps most searing was a comment on the Fish Poll from a reader: “Luke is young, inexperienced and not the brightest bulb. But hey, he has the ‘right’ last name and in DC isn’t that enough?”

NBC’s Luke Russert emceed “Grammys on the Hill” Wednesday night. The annual event is co-sponsored by the Recording Academy and the Recording Industry Association of America to honor lawmakers who have pushed for legislation benefiting the music industry.

Was Russert’s involvement a breech of journalism ethics? WaPo‘s Paul Farhi said yes in a column Thursday.

“Russert, the son of the late ‘Meet the Press’ host Tim Russert and magazine journalist Maureen Orth, covers Capitol Hill for NBC and MSNBC, meaning he was involved in celebrating some of the people he’s supposed to cover impartially.”

While it does raise questions, as did PBS’s Gwen Ifill‘s recent mishmash in which she ultimately dropped out of hosting an event that would award a lawmaker, we’re not convinced it rises to the level of a journalistic federal offense. What do you think? Select your answer in our Fish Poll. We’ll run the results in tomorrow’s Morning Chatter.

As we continue our ongoing team coverage of Dana Perino’s sequin-covered backpack, we may have had a shift in how she views her bag. The pack in question, which you can buy for $425  at Nordstrom, has been ridiculed by Fox’s Greg Gutfeld. Perino has worn the pack “with pride” the past few days, but recently, she tweeted, “been having second thoughts about backpack. but then get 5 compliments & change my mind.” A-HA! She admits that there are second thoughts, though. Since we’re here to help, we wanted to get YOUR opinion on the matter. We’ll let Dana know the results to our Fish Poll.

 

 

She moves in waves. At left: the new do; at right, the old.

DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) is easily identified by her Ramen noodle-like hair. It’s yellow (not blond) and usually out of control. But she was seen with a new look over the weekend.

Schultz ditched the curls and straightened her hair. She also dyed it a light brown. She’s actually sported the ‘do before, as far back as 2009 and we’re glad to see it return.

What do you think? Do you like the new look or are you a fan of the crinkle waves and frizzy? Tell us in our Fish Poll below. We’ll run the results in tomorrow morning’s Morning Chatter.

The results of our latest Fish Poll are in and the conclusion is clear: Most everyone (apart from GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich) has a sense of humor.

Yesterday we asked if you thought actor Robert De Niro should have apologized for a joke he made this week at a Democratic fundraiser about the United States not being ready for a “white first lady.”

De Niro did apologize, but 52 percent of respondents said he shouldn’t have, answering, “No, it’s just a joke. Come on, even I laughed.” And 34 percent said, “No, it wasn’t funny but there’s no need to be so uptight.”

Last night Gingrich went on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Live” and maintained that De Niro’s joke was wholeheartedly inappropriate. Piers pressed him on having a sense of humor — Gingrich assured in his usual arrogant tone that of course he does.