“As for who might take over the job if Len does move on, I wouldn’t be nearly as dismissive as Jaffe is about Phil Bennett’s chances. Phil understands these challenges as well as anyone, and has been doing yeoman’s work trying to enact them. Other possibilities are Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, the sports editor, who has been more successful than any other section editor at turning his reporters into multi-media machines. Liz Spayd is a possibility due to her time at, and understanding of, the web. And a dark horse could be David Ignatius, the columnist and former International Herald Tribune editor, for his strong strategic sense. Jaffe’s notion that Dean Baquet might be in the running is baloney. No way the Grahams would go outside the Post.”

“I agree about the lack of potential candidates. Lots of people who could jockey for No. 2 but not a lot for No. 1. Internally, the most likely candidates would be Phil, Emilio and Susan Glasser.”

It’s amazing to us at The Washington Post that Len Downie has not yet sent out an email to the staff addressing not one, but TWO stories discussig whether he will depart, and why he stonewalled the City Paper in an interview.

Of course, we simply noticed that Downie returned Erik Wemple’s call but not Jaffe’s. What up with that?

UPDATE: The same tipster says…

I hear that Emilio is not a contender for executive editor. David Ignatius is definitely on the list. Marilyn Thompson — who used to be the editor of a very good paper in Kentucky — would be a dream.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

]]> Patrick http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/what-do-posties-think-of-the-downie-leaving-rumor_b10970#disqus_thread http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/what-do-posties-think-of-the-downie-leaving-rumor_b10970 http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/what-do-posties-think-of-the-downie-leaving-rumor_b10970 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:58:25 +0000
Good morning Washington.

Quickly navigate Morning Reading List:

REVOLVING DOOR | NEWSPAPERS | TV | ONLINE MEDIA | MAGAZINES | RADIO | JOBS

• Most of you don’t know a journo cheating on his/her spouse, but just barely.

  REVOLVING DOOR

• A reader tells us, “There has been no mention of the fact that Marilyn Thompson left the NYT in protest over them not running the McCain story. She is now back at the Washington Post. Wheels within wheels.”

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  NEWSPAPERS

• Check out CQ’s video “Losing Pretty or Winning Ugly” where Craig Crawford gives his take on what Hillary Clinton’s options are going forward, and some wrestling moves are in the forecast.

• The Pew Weekly News Interest Index shows, “The public remains highly engaged in the presidential campaign, and strong majorities say the campaign is important, easy to follow, interesting and informative. Relatively few Americans (28%) say the campaign has been too negative thus far. Two-thirds (66%) say it has not been too negative. By comparison, nearly half of the public (47%) found the campaign to be too negative at a comparable point in the 2004 election.”

• “Scripps Howard Foundation Names Judges for Annual Journalism Awards”

• A reader asks, “Oh, Posties … did you get your Diaz-Balarts confused? Today’s ‘In the Loop’ Washington Post pg A13 Photo of Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart with caption — ‘Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart still considers Fidel Castro a threat’. Then a quote from Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart — ‘We’ve been waiting, hoping for the moment of Castro’s death …’ So, who was it? Okay, let’s take it from the top: Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R–FL–21st) Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R–FL–25th) Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D–CA–47th) Rep. Linda Sanchez (D–CA–39th).”

• TVNewser has a round-up for FBNY’s reporting on The New York Times story on John McCain’s relationship with Telecom lobbyist Vicki Iseman.

• Romenesko also has a round-up of NYT related chatter from MSNBC’s First Read, WashingtonPost.com and Horse’s Mouth.

• And, Wonkette asks, “Why Did The Times Publish This Funny Story About John McCain’s Sex Affairs?”

• Mark your calendars! Len Downie will be on the Q&A Café April 10.

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  TV

• TVNewser reports, “Fox News Channel finished as the fourth most-watched basic cable news channel in prime time last week, after USA, TNT and TBS. This was the sixth week in a row that FNC has finished in the top 5. CNN finished at #20 while MSNBC was #28. This comes one week after Super Tuesday, when FNC finished at #3, CNN was #8 and MSNBC was #26 in prime time. Only CNN saw a significant drop week-to-week. FNC also ranked in seventh place in the total day, with CNN (#23) and MSNBC (#29) trailing for the week.”

• The Hollywood Reporter reports, “Comcast shares have been on the upswing since last week when the firm unveiled a dividend, but at least one analyst thinks the run-up has gone too far. The dividend and a stock-buyback update ‘were positive developments, but they have little to do with valuation or fundamentals, yet the stock is up 15% since the earnings report,’ Credit Suisse analyst Bryan Kraft said in downgrading the cable giant’s stock from ‘outperform’ to ‘neutral.’”

• TVNewser reports, “PBS viewers have spoken. Thousands of them. It was on February 17 that a story by the The New York Times’ Charles McGrath asked Is PBS Still Necessary?. ‘There are not only countless more channels to chose from now,’ McGrath wrote, ‘but many offer the kind of stuff that in the past you could see only on public TV, and in at least some instances they do it better.’ Public response was fierce, with readers posting hundreds of comments online at the Times. PBS’ Jim Lehrer mentioned the article on The NewsHour, inviting viewers to share their thoughts. A NewsHour spokesperson tells TVNewser that the program has received, to date, almost 5,000 comments via phone, email, and online postings.”

• Howard Kurtz writes, “News Networks Bump Clinton Out of Picture”

• TVNewser warns, “Anderson Cooper Better Watch Out For Mike Gravel”

• New York Post reports, “Daryn Kagan’s ‘Breaking the Curse’ won the 2008 Gracie Award for Outstanding Documentary. It aired on PBS.”

• “O’Reilly Unintentionally Questions Whether FNC is ‘Responsible News Agency,’” reports TVNewser.

• Up next Thursday on WETA’s Author, Author! is Jane Austen panel discussion with Carol Pippen, Professor of English at Goucher College and editor of the Jane Austen Society of North America newsletter. Text interviews with Laurie Viera Rigler (Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict), Margaret Sullivan (The Jane Austen Handbook) and Syrie James (The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen).

• “FCC Relaxes Digital-TV Transition Order”

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  ONLINE MEDIA

• “Due to an overwhelming amount of requests, the final EPpy Awards entries deadline has been extended to Friday, February 29th”

• Adotas reports, “Perhaps the death of newspapers has been greatly exaggerated. It seems website audiences are actually growing, Scarborough Research, a newspaper audience ratings service reports.”

• NMA reports, “Facebook has suffered its first ever drop in unique users after 17 months of growth. The figures from Nielsen Online revealed a 5% drop in UK numbers between December 2007 and January 2008.”

• Wonkette reports, “Helen Thomas Still Hates Bush, Loves (John) Kennedy”

• The New York Observer reports, “In the spring of 2005, when asked about Arianna Huffington’s plan to launch a news-aggregating blog to compete with the Drudge Report, Matthew Drudge did not seem too impressed. … It took a while, and surely the brighter prospects on the left side of the aisle have changed things since Mr. Drudge was acting as the steam vent for a country fed up with the Clinton White House. But, nearly three years into its existence, Huffingtonpost.com is getting there, with unique visitors logging on at three times the rate they did just six months ago.”

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  MAGAZINES

• Time Managing Editor Rick Stengel asks, “Should Newspapers Still Be Taking Sides?”

• Reuters reports, “Reed Elsevier announced the acquisition of U.S. risk-management business ChoicePoint Inc for $4.1 billion, including debt, and said it would intensify a cost-saving drive and sell an advertising-dependent information business.”

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  RADIO

• “Tony Snow accepts job with O’Reilly.”

• Radio Business Report reports, “Fox News Radio fed the press pool this time down in Africa for President Bush’s visit this week. But in Tanzania, there are no ISDN lines. Fox News found a solution and was able to transmit the broadcasts over the Internet and provide that ability to the other networks-ABC, AP, CBS, NPR and VOA. This is the first time that a network news pool had access to an internet transmission.”

• “DOJ Merger Decision Shadows XM, Sirius”

• Huffington Post’s Sam Stein reports, “Air America, one of the country’s more powerful radio networks and a major progressive megaphone, is switching ownership.”

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  JOBS

• Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America is looking for a Business Writer/Editor.

• A DC-based website is looking for an Editor-in-Chief. The site deals with the personalities, business and news of Washington. The Editor-in-Chief will oversee the entire editorial process from story assignment to publication for 7+ electronic newsletters. News experience and a sense of humor are a must and knowledge of one or more of the following local business communities is desirable: commercial real estate, legal, technology/government contracting, trade association, finance, and medical. For more info, contact KDSearch.com

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  Hat Tips: DCRTV, TVNewser, IWantMedia, Romenesko, MediaBistro, JournalismJobs, JournalismNext

  New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

  ]]> Patrick http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/morning-reading-list-02-22-08_b10529#disqus_thread http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/morning-reading-list-02-22-08_b10529 http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/morning-reading-list-02-22-08_b10529 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:23:27 +0000 (alternate headline: “Bill Keller’s day is gonna suck“)

  Yeah, so have you heard about this New York Times McCain story?

  Initial assessments and punditry do not support the New York Times’ decision to run the piece.

  McCain says it’s not true. Bob Bennett says the NYTimes has “lowered its standards” and calls the piece “a hit job.” Pat Buchanan called it a “weasley headline” on “Morning Joe.” Time’s Richard Stengel says he never would have run it. Tim Russert said that the more you read it, the softer the article seems. Rich Lowry says “The Times doesn’t have the goods—at least from what’s in the story–and shouldn’t have run it.” Mike Allen called it a “famously bland headline.” Joe Scarborough says the NYT has “a lot of questions to answer.” El Rushbo chimes in against the “drive-by media.” Ana Marie Cox (who likes paper dolls) gets a reaction from the McCain camp. Sam Stein asks, “Why Did The NYT Hold McCain-Lobbyist Story?” Marc Cooper says, “John McCain Owes The New York Times a Thank You Card.” Drudge had a field day with it. The McCain people clearly don’t like it:

  “It is a shame that the New York Times has lowered its standards to engage in a hit and run smear campaign,” said communications director Jill Hazelbaker, in a prepared statement sent about an hour after the Times posted their story online.

  TNR (which was rumored to have forced the NYT’s hand on the story) thinks that “a lot of stuff was edited out.” The mag is working on its own story:

  The McCain campaign is apparently blaming TNR for forcing the Times’ hand on this story. We can’t yet confirm that. But we can say this: TNR correspondent Gabe Sherman is working on a piece about the Times’ foot-dragging on the McCain story, and the back-and-forth within the paper about whether to publish it. Gabe’s story will be online tomorrow.

  Tucker’s having lunch with Frank Foer today so perhaps he can get the inside scoop.

  Leading the charge against the piece (based on both today’s “Today” show and “Morning Joe”) is NBC/MNSBC. And, wait: Aren’t they also partners with the NYT?

  Anne Applebaum says: “Thanks to lack of evidence, the article reads not like an expose but like an elaborate and extended piece of insinuation.”

  Clark Hoyt! Where are you?!?

  And in case you were wondering…the reporters: Jim Rutenberg, Marilyn Thompson, David Kilpatrick and Stephen Labaton.

  TV coverage notes from TVNewser…

  New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

  ]]> Patrick http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/the-story-with-the-story_b10508#disqus_thread http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/the-story-with-the-story_b10508 http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/the-story-with-the-story_b10508 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:05:14 +0000 Okay, so here’s how it started:

  A tipster heard that the Washington Post’s Susan Glasser, Bill Hamilton and one more big time Postie were spotted having coffee recently with NYTimes investigative reporter Marilyn Thompson.

  Speculation has it that Thompson was upset that the Times didn’t run their story about the relationship between Sen. John McCain and a D.C. lobbyist.

  Oh, and didn’t an investigative gig just open up at the Post recently?

  So it should come as no surprise that…Marilyn Thompson is returning to the Washington Post, where she will be the new “Washington accountability editor” on the National desk. She previously worked at the WaPo from 1990 to 2004 before leaving for the Lexington Herald, then the L.A. Times, then the NYTimes.

  New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

  ]]> Patrick http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/thompson-returns-to-the-post_b10388#disqus_thread http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/thompson-returns-to-the-post_b10388 http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/thompson-returns-to-the-post_b10388 Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:57:01 +0000 Romenesko has the memo from LATimes DC Bureau Chief Doyle McManus, in which he says, “I am sorry to announce that Marilyn Thompson will be leaving us next month to become a reporter in the Washington Bureau of the New York Times.” McManus also makes a plea for any good leads on a replacement reporter.

  New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

  ]]> Patrick http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/thompson-leaves-latimes-for-nyt_b8266#disqus_thread http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/thompson-leaves-latimes-for-nyt_b8266 http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/thompson-leaves-latimes-for-nyt_b8266 Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:07:29 +0000