Quotes of the Day

“Hmm which to choose?” — ABC’s Martha Raddatz with accompanying photograph.

Reader explains “tricks” scribes use to avoid crediting others

On Friday, WaPo‘s Paul Farhi wrote a story on Politico pulling a video that featured Sen. Min. Leader Mitch McConnell‘s (R-Ky.) COS blowing them love kisses. Turns out may that be against Senate rules, as reported by Roll Call‘s Meredith Shiner. So we wrote about Farhi’s failure to adequately cite Shiner and her story.

An Anonymous reader writes in…“Farhi’s failure to credit Roll Call: He use two of the oldest tricks in the book for skating past the explicit crediting of others: Don’t mention at top, but then mention the name of the news breaking organization without crediting them but attributing some small detail to their reporting. Fig leaf covered! The second dodge is when one your “friends” (your editor) tells you, “Farhi, you got beat on something!) Like the immaculate conception, if you hear it from someone else, then it is no longer breaking news!”

Important Question to Ponder: “Does Gray’s Anatomy have to be so bloody?” — FNC’s Greta Van Susteren.

The Observer

“Well, that was a new one: person in our row at Star Trek got up periodically throughout movie to do lunges in aisle.” — Anna Sproul-Latimer, literary agent.

S.E. Cupp finds perfect hamburger

“Found out the @innoutburger by LAX opens at 10:30 am. Plenty of time to grab a double-double animal style before my flight. #Worththetrip” — MSNBC’s S.E. Cupp.

Journo blows off steam

“Getting some aggression out at the driving range….” — Fox News Senate Producer Kara Rowland.

And another tries to recreate his heart attack

“Where is my ambulance? I think this is the widow maker – jk” — Mediaite White House Correspondent Tommy Christopher.

Producer looks to Trumps for finer things in life

“Got fabulous @IvankaTrump shoes this wk & delicious wine from @trumpwinery last wk. They sure make some good stuff. @realDonaldTrump” — WMAL Executive Producer Heather Smith.

Guiding Sophia’s Light

“New Golden Rule 21st Century style: I will do To you before you can do it to me! I will burn you before you can break me. I ain’t no punk.” — Essence and theGrio‘s Sophia Nelson.

See more Morning Chatter…

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MSNBC “The Cycle” host S.E. Cupp shot down a critique that there’s too many males in Washington and that women can resolve the problems of the world. Her thoughts came on the program today in light of 20 female senators dining with President Obama last night.

“It’s silly and sort of a narrow view of politics to suggest that this dinner with 20 women senators is going to solve all these problems that [Sen. Amy] Klobuchar is lying out, laying out, that the problem with Washington is too much penis, essentially. There’s just too much penis in Washington and not enough uterus. I think that’s really silly. It also neglects the fact that women are just as capable of being ruthless, of making bad decisions. I mean, this is women. I can show you who woman are. We can throw table and lose our stuff and get a little kooky. I’m kind of over this story before it’s begun.”

Many of the high profile hosts and contributors on MSNBC wear glasses. Chances are, they’re prescription, but maybe they’re there to remind the audience that, “Hey! I know what I’m talking about when I recite this piece of stale political wisdom!”

We don’t hate it. But why do they seem to be sharing specs? There was the time that S.E. Cupp and Jonathan Capehart literally swapped eyeglasses on the set of “Morning Joe.” But a closer look at the MSNBC crew and it appears to be more of a prolific phenomenon.

Joe Scarborough and Chris Hayes love tortoiseshell.

Rachel Maddow and Al Sharpton enjoy a black frame no less than 1″ thick.

S.E. Cupp and Jonathan Capehart appear to have taken advantage of a 2-for-1 deal.

This may be the reason Ezra Klein and Martin Bashir are rarely on set at the same time…

Today we have another installment of: “Ask Piranhamous Anything.” And we do mean anything. Send your queries to FishbowlDC@mediabistro.com. This isn’t an advice column — Piranhamous doesn’t know what the hell you should do with your life any more than you do — and worse, he doesn’t care. Try to keep your questions short — we want to keep this fun, simple and insightful. 

1. Do you feel sorry for the Reuters Deputy Social Media dude, Matthew Keys, who could serve up to 25 years in the slammer?

No. Lay down with dogs, get up with fleas…carrying indictments. The First Amendment is a “you can’t be punished for your opinions” card, not a “get out of jail free” card.

2. Which conservative journalist is most impressive right now and why?

Tim Carney at the Washington Examiner. He’s more of a Libertarian, but he calls out everyone for their ties to lobbyists, not just one side or the other. In other words, he’s intellectually honest, which is all too rare in the Fourth Estate these days.

3. With Hasslebeck leaving The View, who ought to replace her? Meghan McCain has been mentioned.

I just threw up in my mouth. I’ve heard MSNBC’s S.E. Cupp and author and columnist Jedidiah Bila had also been suggested and had the same reaction. It won’t happen, but I’d like someone with real experience in politics on there, someone like Fox News’ Dana Perino, whose opinion is informed, not a mile wide and an inch deep. Or maybe, if they want to stick with people from outside politics, like actresses Patricia Heaton or Stacey Dash. But I suspect we’ll get someone like Jane Fonda.

“Who is that guy?” tweeted Business Insider‘s Brett LoGiurato late Monday night. “He’s not an actual human being, is he?” added New York magazine’s Stefan Becket.

Many reporters, editors and producers have had at least one experience with Rudolf, whose bio indicates that he lives in Chicago. He regularly tweets at news figures, typically in the evening and with arbitrary capital letters punctuating his tweets.

Just last night, Rudolf tweeted at:

• The Daily Caller Editor-in-Chief Tucker Carlson (“Do you like Appearing on ‘Red Eye’ with Greg Gutfeld on ‘Fox News Channel’? Is the Story involving NJ Sen Menendez not true?”)
• BuzzFeed‘s Dorsey Shaw (“Your Replying to my tweets, now. Want to Chat about Political TV Cable News & Issues in the Media?”)
• CNN Contributor Ana Navarro (“Do you enjoy being a CNN Political Contributor? Will Rodman be a Special Envoy to N. Korea with his connection to the Leader?”)
• MSNBC’s S.E. Cupp (“What’s it like being the Conservative on MSNBC’s ‘The Cycle’ with Liberals/Progressives Weekday Afternoons discussing Politics/Media”)
• Mediaite‘s Tommy Christopher (“Any Interesting Posts or Stories I should Read at ‘Mediaite.com’ Web Site this Monday?”)
• D.C. Bureau Chief for BuzzFeed John Stanton (“Describe what it’s like being the DC Bureau Chief of Buzzfeed.com?”)
• Piers Morgan Tonight E.P. Jonathan Wald (“You have got me Curious, Jonathan! Very Interesting Forum about HBO’s ‘The Newsroom’ last night with P. Morgan Moderating.”

Rudolf also sends out tweets soliciting potential chat buddies, though to no one in particular. A typical one goes: Read more

Yesterday WaPo published this photograph of MSNBC’s “The Cycle” co-host S.E. Cupp. But lurking in the background is a certain nugget of a reporter, Matthew Boyle, who works for Breitbart.com. So we thought we’d have some fun with some captions in a feature that takes after “Project Runway” with a fishy twist.

Peter Ogburn: 1. “I don’t think anyone has the heart to tell Boyle that it’s S.E. Cupp, not C-Cup.” 2. “Luckily, Cupp didn’t noticed the disheveled homeless man behind her.” 3. “Private Pyle from Full Metal Jacket looks pretty good for his age.”

Betsy Rothstein: 1. “How YOU doin S.E. Cupp?” 2. “Hey S.E. have I told you about all those stories I did on the Dominican prostitutes? Impressive, right?” 3. “Hey S.E., it’s you and me and fast and furious, all night long.”

Care to weigh in? Write us at fishbowldc@mediabistro.com or send to me at Betsy@mediabistro.com.

Quotes of the Day – the Sausage Fest Edition

Question to Ponder: “If President actually creates a Secretary of Business post, will the acronym for it be: “SOB?” Bad jobs #’s? Blame that SOB!” — YG Action Fund’s Brad Dayspring, former flack to House Maj. Leader Eric Cantor.

More Karl Rove election night fallout

“Wow, Rove’s new line is that Obama suppressed the vote. #intervention #sympathy#mentalhealth” — TPM‘s Josh Marshall.

“This is some creative spin : Fox News: Karl Rove Argument Proves His ‘Value’ To Network.” — QGA and former Senate flack Jim Manley.

The scriptwriter

“If this were The West Wing, Obama would right now be arranging the secret meeting where he would offer Romney the Secretary of Business job.” — Logan Dobson, research analyst at The Tarrance Group, a Republican polling firm.

Cheech!

“No joke: I’m at the security line at JFK. Cheech just walked up behind me. I might turn around and say, “Denver?” — MSNBC’s “The Cycle” S.E. Cupp.

WTF: Can’t you people listen?

“People: To reiterate, I CAN’T reset my password for this acct b/c it is linked to an email acct that no longer exists.” — Liz Mair, GOPround advisory board member.

A lunch order to remember

“To the cute gay server at my lunch place: stop complimenting the lady customers on their hair and look at ME!” — The Guardian‘s Matthew Wells.

First World Problems?

“My eye doctor is out-of-network. THANKS OBAMA.” — HuffPost‘s Arthur Delaney.

Two conservative journos discuss getting eaten alive… Read more

Where we watch MSNBC’s The Cycle and Fox News’ The Five so you don’t have to…

As the election neared its conclusion, each host on The Cycle predicted how the electoral map would shape up on election day. They all had their own bets going on whose map would end up closest to the results.

S.E. Cupp‘s map was the least accurate and the apparent consequence of losing was to unbutton her blazer and show what was going on underneath… Read more

1. A chat between Ponnuru and Carlson: National Review senior editor Ramesh Ponnuru and Bloomberg‘s Margaret Carlson discuss what happens when the election is over in a story for Bloomberg View. Ponnuru: “I’m not going to miss this campaign at all.” Carlson: “Sane people will wake up Wednesday morning as if so much is finally settled. I will wake up depressed.” Read here.

2. Post-election bliss: Politico‘s Patrick Gavin takes a look at what political reporters will be doing once the election is over. Slate’s Dave Weigel will be getting the “m” key on his computer fixed. MSNBC’s S.E. Cupp will be hunting deer. Who will head to spa and reduce caffeine intake? Read more.

See our third pick… Read more

Say hello to Richard Prince, a veteran journalist who writes “Richard Prince’s Journal-isms,” a news column on diversity issues in the news media, for the website of
the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. He often, and sometimes harshly, calls journalists and publications out for not covering black journos enough and even once hilariously harped on Washington City Paper and FishbowlDC that there were no blacks among the Washington, D.C.’s “Boybanders.” It’s hard to envision a black Ezzy (WaPo‘s Ezra Klein) or Hazy (MSNBC’s Chris Hayes) but life is full of wonderful surprises. Most recently Prince won the Ida B. Wells award for his diverse reporting. Read on…He may have the best new question for the FishbowlDC Interview that we’ve seen so far.

If you were a carbonated beverage, which would you be?  Dr Pepper.

How often do you Google yourself?  Not as often as I should. Too many
others with the same name.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever said to an editor/boss (or vice
versa)? “Sure, I’ll be happy to take that assignment!”

Who is your favorite working journalist and why? Nicholas Kristof of
the New York Times travels the world reporting on outrages that would otherwise get little attention. And he was among the first to take advantage of video. But to call him my favorite would eliminate too many friends and colleagues.

Do you have a favorite word?  Party.

Who would you rather have dinner with – CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, MSNBC’s
Chris Matthews or Fox News’ Megyn Kelly? Tell us why. Matthews would probably produce the most copy.

The Earth’s human population is dying out and you must save it. You
will spend a romantic evening with either Scandal’s Kerry Washington,
any of the women from FNC’s “The Five” or MSNBC’s S.E. Cupp. Who will
it be? (None is not an option.) Kerry Washington.

What swear word do you use most often? Does “damn” count?

You’ve just been told the big news: You get to have your own Sunday
morning talk show. Who will be on your roundtable? (Pick four
journalists or pundits types.) A multicultural grab bag. It would be
counterprogramming.

On a serious note for a moment, if you could have dinner with a person
who has died, who would it be? Wonder what Martin Luther King would
say about the icon he has become.

Who is your favorite Boybander and why? (Ezzy, Hazy, Weigel,
Attackerman, Beutler) Who? Cultural disconnect.

When you pig out what do you eat? Why pig out?

What is your absolute favorite item of clothing in your closet? We want the fabric, the brand, the store and the price if possible. If it’s a certain kind of underwear we don’t want to know about it. A black cotton T-shirt from Kingston, Jamaica inscribed with a map of the city. Cost $1,100 at a tourist store. In
Jamaican dollars.

Pick one: Mad Men, Scandal or Grey’s Anatomy. Mad Men.

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