Taegan Goddard - FishbowlDC

Political Blog Goes With ‘Vagina’ Headline

Betsy Rothstein — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:45:51 +0000

Political Wire’s Taegan Goddard, also a contributing writer for The Week, went with the eye-popping “vagina” headline this morning.

The headline: “Lawmaker Uses Vagina as Synonym for Woman.”

The brief post concerns a state lawmaker who used the word interchangeably for “woman” in an email to colleagues.

Asked if he had any hesitation about using the word “vagina” in a headline, Goddard told FishbowlDC…nothing! He never replied to the question. However, a Washington editor, when told he or she was being asked a serious question about vagina headlines, replied, “There are no serious questions about vaginas! Unless it’s ‘Do you have cancer in the vagina?’ The editor added, “I would try to avoid it in headline.”

Longtime producer to radio host Bill Press and FBDC Contributor Peter Ogburn remarked, “How do I feel about vagina headlines? I like to feel them as often as I can.”

The issue can be discussed in a mature manner. Brad Phillips, who writes the Mr. Media Training blog, says journalists shouldn’t shy away from using the v-word. “’Vagina’ describes a body part that roughly half of the world’s population has,” he wrote to FBDC. “Journalists shouldn’t stay away from using it just because some people (let’s face it, men) grew up snickering at the word in their seventh-grade locker rooms. But like almost everything else, context matters.”

He continued, “If the word is used as an accurate descriptor, it’s fine. If it’s used as a pejorative or as gratuitous linkbait, it’s probably not. Taegan’s headline strikes me as an accurate description of the story that followed—and I would have used the same one.”

He said words are just that – words. “We have to get past this juvenile idea that medically accepted words are somehow verboten. ‘Vagina,’ ‘penis,’ and ‘scrotum,’ for example, should be used when appropriate, reader reaction be damned,” he wrote.

BuzzFeed‘s Washington Bureau Chief John Stanton also did not bristle at the word as a headline choice. continued…

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In Wake of Tragedy, Journalists Bicker

Betsy Rothstein — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:00:09 +0000

No judgment here.

But last night Twitter was a curious place to be as we watched clusters of journalists needle one another and, in some cases, go for the throat without real just cause. Sharpened nerves. An inability to piece together what happened. Heightened tensions in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.

They were primed to fight. For example, since when do retweets really mean endorsements? Really never, except for last night when anything could spark a feud.

So much for the wise and largely unheeded advice from Ruth Graham, contributing writer to The Boston Globe‘s ideas section; freelancer for Slate and The Atlantic: “Guys, if you see a tweet that pisses you off today because it’s rude or dumb or political, maybe consider just ignoring it?”

What, and ignore the chance to take your frayed nerves out on someone else like a rabid dog? We’re vaguely reminded of Glenn Close in the bloody bathtub scene of “Fatal Attraction” and her chilling remark, “I mean, I’m not going to be ignored, Dan.”

Among the two big clusters of brawls was another “Glenn.” This one, Politico‘s Glenn Thrush, who attempted to school CNN’s Chris Cuomo on proper bomb coverage. Cuomo wrote, 1. “#Boston – latest. Two bombs exploded. A 3rd pkg was blown up by auth’s. As many as 3 other possible devices being investigated.” 2. “#Boston authorities still searching. Two crude bombs with ball bearings or shrapnel went off. Other pkgs found may have been non-explosive.” 3. “Being told at this point not ruling out one actor theory.”

Thrush lashed out. “Wait–so how did one guy plant the 8 bombs u told us about earlier? …Not being a wise ass — asking u to think before u press send,” Thrush wrote to Cuomo. The Atlantic‘s Jeffrey Goldberg promptly backed Thrush: “Now on Twitter, Glenn Thrush is teaching Chris Cuomo about journalism. …Just to be clear, I was complimenting Glenn Thrush for teaching Chris Cuomo about the dangers of spreading unconfirmed information.” Cuomo ignored his critics and didn’t respond to any of them.

The other snarl was Politico‘s Dylan Byers versus ClearChannel‘s Colby Hall and BuzzFeed‘s Andrew Kaczynski. Byers, who’s usually pretty mild-mannered on Twitter, and Kaczynski, who occasionally enjoys subtle antagonizing, eventually seemed to warm back up to each other, but not without a few blistering moments when BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief and Twitter father figure Ben Smith, who at different points hired them both, dove in to effectively say, ‘You’re both right.’ Come on Ben, in a good Twitter fight, opposing sides are never both right! But this morning he declared to some involved parties: “No haters.” But life on Twitter is not always so civilized.

Some more spiritual healing ignored by all: “A crisis depletes your emotions,” wrote megachurch pastor Rick Warren, whose popularly isn’t exactly soaring in the gay community. “You must intentionally replenish them. Make a list of what restores you and do those things.”

Restore? How about a brawl on what the real meaning of “retweet” is. Is it a ringing endorsement or sharing facts or innocently presenting a contrasting viewpoint? If you’re Politico‘s Byers, it’s the latter as he shared a diary piece from the conservative RedState; if you’re ClearChannel‘s Hall it’s the former and it appeared to seriously piss him off. And then Byers used profanity and the whole thing got U.G.L.Y.

Colby Hall: “Why promote some random wacko consipiracy [sic] theory?”

Dylan Byers: “Because it’s indicative of what some on far-right are thinking. will matter later.”

Colby Hall: “Or you are just promoting the acceptance of a half-baked theory that is better left ignored.”

Dylan Byers: “Or you are full of shit.”

Colby Hall: “Whoa!”

Dylan Byers: “I’m not promoting anything. I’m showing parameters of conversation.”

Colby Hall: “Now who’s full of shit?”

Dylan Byers: “You think I’m endorsing fringe speculation because I take note of it? I doubt that.”

Colby Hall: But you didn’t just “take note of it”…you brought attention to it by linking to it. so yeah, you promoted it.

Dylan Byers: “Providing link to an article you don’t necessarily agree with is not promoting it. It’s referencing it.”

Colby Hall: “But editorial judgment isn’t just what you link — it’s what you chose not to link to.”

This is about when Andrew Kaczynski jumped into the fray: continued…

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Editor Gets Panties in Twist Over Period Style

Betsy Rothstein — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:55:49 +0000

Last month TPM Editor Josh Marshall broke out into a cold sweat late one night over the issue of apostrophes on Twitter. He wants them gone. He was cranky about it and the issue kept him up ridiculously late and tweeting well into the wee hours of the morning.

Now he’s moved on to the number of spaces after periods.

Who’s with me?One Million Strong for 2 Spaces after a Period!

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) April 10, 2013

He continued, “What the fuck is this movement to have only one space after a period? Gay marriage I can handle. This I cannot,” Marshall piped up on Twitter Wednesday afternoon.

Bloomberg Businessweek‘s Joshua Green had a terse response. “Hey freak, if God wanted two spaces he’d have told Moses.” He added, “BTW, there’s a special conversion therapy for guys like you.”

Some 160 retweets later, the jury was out: continued…

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Legalities Behind ‘Cloakroom’

Eddie Scarry — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:09:49 +0000

Since Taegan Goddard started his “Cloakroom” blog at The Week, it has come to our attention that there are now at least three “Cloakroom” politics blogs.

The first was apparently started by writers at the conservative Family Research Council. The second is more of an online and print column by Human Events‘ Neil W. McCabe, whose came before Goddard’s but, contrary to McCabe’s original belief, was not the first “Cloakroom.”

Not one of the three is legally trademarked. But Erik Pelton, an intellectual property rights attorney in Virginia, told FishbowlDC that doesn’t mean one of the blogs couldn’t lay more claim to “Cloakroom” than the others… continued…

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Three ‘Cloakroom’s: Is it Thievery?

Eddie Scarry — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 15:40:14 +0000

After news broke last week that Taegan Goddard of CQ Roll Call would be starting a new “Cloakroom” politics blog at The Week, the name ruffled some feathers.

“Some guy at CQ Roll Call took the name of my ‘The Cloakroom’ column? Bullshit, right?” wrote Human Events‘ Neil W. McCabe.

Anyone who knows McCabe knows that he’s a goofy fellow with a taste for theatrics, as far as the news media world is concerned. But indeed, McCabe has been writing a column he titled “The Cloakroom” that appears in the print and online edition of Human Events. He started the column in November 2012 and not unlike Goddard’s blog, it deals with political news figures.

“Hey, I understand there are lapses in research, but come on,” McCabe said. “Why can’t he call it ‘The Coatroom’ or ‘The Room Name Not Taken Yet.’”

Unfortunately for McCabe, he is not the first to have a politics-oriented “Cloakroom” column or blog… continued…

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Goddard Repackages Himself in ‘The Cloakroom’

Betsy Rothstein — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:40:52 +0000

With his contractual relationship with CQ Roll Call now behind him, Taegan Goddard, who previously ran everything he produced on Political Wire, is now calling his blog operation The Cloakroom. His new contract is with The Week, where he is now editor-at-large, the new catch phrase for mostly, sort of still being a part of something without the full marriage.

In an introductory post, he explained what the real cloakroom is, saying, “The cloakroom is where lawmakers in the House and Senate can privately mingle with members of their own parties, jockey for position within their own caucuses, and discuss their agendas. Free from the media glare, it’s often where the big deals are cut and where alliances are formed.”

Political Wire won’t be entirely abandoned and @politicalwire will still be Goddard’s Twitter handle… continued…

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A Little Birdy Tells Us…

Betsy Rothstein — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 16:07:00 +0000

That Taegan Goddard, a blogger who writes Political Wire, has an announcement coming in the new year as his four-year contract with CQ Roll Call expires. Sources tells us that Goddard and CQ Roll Call are in the process of breaking up. When asked about it, Goddard replied, “My four year agreement with CQ Roll Call expires early next year. I’ll have something to announce soon and will be sure you’ll be among the first to know.” When pressed, he added, “It’s been a pleasure to work with them [CQ Roll Call]. I have some exciting ventures planned for next year but nothing I’m able to announce yet.” Earlier in the year, we reported that Goddard was hoping to secure a new deal with either Politico or National Journal. At the moment, there are no signs that he’s headed for Politico.

We’ve requested a comment from CQ Roll Call. UPDATE: Sujata Mitra, Spokesperson for CQ Roll Call, wrote back to say, “No comment at this time.”

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A Little Birdy Tell Us…

Betsy Rothstein — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 13:00:29 +0000

It may not be too much longer that Political Wire‘s Taegan Goddard, who has a sweet ad partnership with CQ Roll Call, will be with the media outlet. We hear Goddard is being courted by a number of new suitors as of late, such as NJ and Politico , and may split off and go with one of them. Where will he land? He says nothing has been finalized.

“My contract with CQ Roll Call expires early next year and I’ve been fortunate to have interest from several different media companies in partnering with them,” he told FishbowlDC. “Political Wire’s core audience of D.C. influentials and national reach is attractive and I’m gratified that others see the potential. However, I don’t have anything to announce right now.”

CQ Roll Call declined to comment on the matter.

UPDATE: A comment after all: “We’ve had a great relationship with Taegan for nearly four years, and cannot comment further until anything is finalized.”

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Sen. Lieberman’s Sexy Sabbath

Betsy Rothstein — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:10:09 +0000

We now unfortunately know that Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) is bringing sexy back. And how we wish we could go back in time, cover our ears, shield our eyes and douse ourselves in holy water to spiritually protect ourselves from the scarring news.

Not all reporters treated the news equally.

Late last week Political Wire‘s Taegan Goddard spiced things up on his blog on Friday by reporting that Sen. Joe Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew, uses the Sabbath, in part, to make whoopee with Hadassa. Eeks. Did we have to have that visual? Politico CLICK’s Karin Tanabe, meanwhile, apparently had a spice allergy. She wrote a lengthy post on Lieberman’s new tome, The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath, and reported at the odd hour of 4 a.m. Thursday that Lieberman sees the logistical value of being able to have sex with your spouse during the Sabbath. She holds out on the topic until paragraph 14.

WaPo‘s piece by Justin Moyer on Friday, meanwhile, sexes up the review by mentioning getting busy in the first graph, the second graph and the third graph. Total number of graphs in the story: 3.

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AnonymASS Tipster of the Week

Betsy Rothstein — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:22:42 +0000

A reader writes in to say that Political Wire Editor Taegan Goddard is a dead ringer for actor John Cusack. We looked at them side by side for a good while, meditating on their various features. The conclusion? They both have skin, faces, and eyes.

But no, they don’t look alike.

Note to Tipster: We love you though for trying and don’t really think you’re a donkey.

Note to Readers: CQ Roll Call sells ads on Political Wire. Goddard does not work for the publication.

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The FishbowlDC Interview With Political Wire’s Taegan Goddard

Betsy Rothstein — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:47:43 +0000

Say hello to Taegan Goddard, founder of publisher of Political Wire. He owns and operates the site, while advertising is sold by CQ Roll Call. He grew up in Hartford, Conn. and graduated from Vassar with a major in economics followed by a public policy degree from Harvard. “I’m not even sure I’m a journalist now,” Goddard says with a brief chuckle. “I’m not even sure what journalist is. If it’s that I try to figure out what’s going and tell people, then I guess I am.” People tend to get confused by Goddard’s politics in that he has worked for a Democrat, a Republican and an Independent. He likes that he gets accused of being a Republican and a Communist. Goddard’s job doesn’t feel like work. “It’s almost what I’d do anyway,” he said. “I thoroughly love it.” Where does he work? “Absolutely everywhere,” he said. “One of the worst things is that it’s 24/7, but one of the best is you can be anywhere.” Most of the time he’s in his study.

If you were a carbonated beverage which would you be? No doubt about it: Coca Cola.

How often do you Google yourself? Constantly, thanks to Google Alerts.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever said to an editor (or vice versa)? I got in a heated argument with a New York Times editor over online journalism, which ended with me saying I looked forward to reading your newspaper on the bottom of a pet cage.

What’s the best advice you ever received in the course of your career? An old boss once told me to always remember that a monkey can do 95 percent of any job.

Who is your favorite working journalist? Frank Rich is brilliant.

Do you have a favorite word? Absolutely

Who would you rather have dinner with – First Lady Michelle Obama or Bestselling Author and former V.P. candidate Sarah Palin? Sarah Palin, even though she called me an idiot a few months ago. (Read here.)

What’s the name of your cell phone ring? Old-fashioned telephone.

What word do you routinely misspell? Reince Priebus

What swear word do you use most often? Fuck, as a noun, verb and adjective.

What word or phrase do you overuse? Fuck

What TV show do you have to watch? With the exception of Red Sox games and C-SPAN, I rarely watch television.

Where do you shop most often for your clothes? There is nothing I enjoy less than shopping for clothes. I try to make them last as long as possible.

Whom do you prefer for daytime talk, Dr. Phil, Ellen, Oprah, Tyra or the women of The View? None of the above.

Find out who Goddard wants to play him in a movie….(Hint: Saturday Night Fever)

continued…

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Feud Between Politico and NJ Festers

Alec Jacobs — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:59:50 +0000

The dog fight between Politico and NJ continues.

Matthew Cooper of NJ seemed to have written the definitive story on Sarah Palin‘s use of the term “blood libel” in defending against critics that blame her for the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Some charged that she didn’t understand the history of the blood libel when she made her remarks. But Cooper had a different take: In his late Wednesday afternoon piece he said he thought “blood libel” was chosen purposely to appeal to Palin’s pro-Israel evangelical base.

Taegan Goddard at the Political Wire had first briefly raised the possibility that Palin’s statement was a “dog whistle…to speak to her religious base.” It was four sentences on Wednesday before Cooper’s piece ran. Goddard later linked to Cooper’s 13-paragraph story.

Politico, however, chose to refer to Goddard’s one sentence about “dog whistle politics” while completely ignoring NJ‘s lengthy piece. Politico also mentioned MSNBC’s Ed Schultz and Politics Daily columnist Matt Lewis, all without, hmmm, a single mention of Cooper or NJ.

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Middle of the Night Banter

Betsy Rothstein — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 14:16:04 +0000

What are journalists like in the wee hours of Election Night? Some attended parties, others did TV hits and still others were holed up in bed with a dangerous combination of champagne and computers (thank you FamousDC for that excellent imagery). To give you a sense, we’ve rounded up the best of the best (or something like that).

NJ‘s Marc Ambinder: “Can I go to sleep yet?” (At approximately 1:43 a.m.)

Politics Daily‘s Matt Lewis‘s bragging rights: “So I’ll actually be on from like 2:35-3:35 a.m. ET.”

C-SPAN’s Jeremy Art safe and sound: “Made it home. Very few cars on the road at 2:30 a.m.”

Politico‘s Kasie Hunt: “Aaand at 2:43a, my BlackBerry has finally gone to sleep. Not me, though.”

Politico‘s Ben Smith leans on Slate‘s Dave Weigel: “I need a Twitter editor at this hour.”

NJ‘s Editor-in-Chief Ron Fournier marveling at the new NJ: New and old friends just toasted the first election day in the united NJ newsroom. God Bless Crown Royal (It’s close to 3 a.m.)

ABC News’s Jake Tapper sees a possible political career for a certain situation from MTV’s “Jersey Shore”: “Say hello to Rep.-elect Ben Quayle & former Real World star Rep.-elect Sean Duffy [Door open for Rep. Situation]”

HuffPost‘s Ryan Grim anticipating unoriginal headlines: “How many headline writers will think “up in smoke” is the cleverest way to describe the pot initiative losing?”

National Review Online‘s Kathryn Lopez: “MSNBC is the seat of cockiness right now.”

Bloomberg TV‘s Lizzie O’Leary: “Okay, now for a two-hour nap. See you guys on #insidetrack.” Before that she remarked, “Official: I have been awake 24 hours. #startingtoloseit”

The Nation‘s Editor/Publisher Katrina vanden Heuval: “Like Lawrence O’Donnell on elections. Serious, intense in semi-wonky + saavy way.

The Daily Caller‘s Chris Moody: “Long night. Just downed one of those 5-hour energy shot things. Haven’t eaten. Getting the shakes. #journalism”

Politics Daily‘s White House correspondent Alex Wagner: “For those interested in #Boehner crying jags: they come often.” Wagner suggests this WaPo story.

Politico‘s White House scribe Glenn Thrush: “If Christine O’Donnell doesn’t get a reality show I’m canceling basic cable.”

WaPo‘s Jonathan Capehart remarks on his facial hair after a follower scolds him, saying, “OMG, @CapehartJ, you’ve got scruff! #MSNBCafterdark. ” He replies. “LOL. Not my shaving day.”

Donald Edmond, attorney, who wants to take over Politico by starting a publication called Common Sense 2012: “@FishbowlDC You realize you’d overtake Politico in this town if I wrote for you FT right? Black Republican in DC w/humor and insight.” (Note to readers: Edmond is an anti-trust lawyer we were Twitter “arguing/discussing” with well into the morning.)

ABC’s Rick Klein: “@karentravers I will sleep only when @berman14‘s hair gets out of place.” (Travers is an ABC White House reporter; Berman is an ABC News correspondent.)

Mother Jones D.C. Bureau Chief David Corn: “The up side: at least now I can get back to worrying about Charlie Sheen.”

SKDKnickerbocker’s Hanna Rosin: “Man up John Boehner. Stop crying.”

Political Wire‘s Taegan Goddard: “Two things I’ll forever miss on Election Day: Mechanical voting machines and Tim Russert.”

CBS News White House Radio correspondent Mark Knoller: “Haven’t seen anyone smiling at the WH this morning. With good reason.”

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NYT’s Jeremy Peters Stays Vague in Media Story

Betsy Rothstein — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:10:14 +0000

If you want to know specific names of reporters in question in NYT’s Jeremy Peters ‘s media story published over the weekend, you’d better start Googling. It’s an intriguing read about politicians versus the media. But strangely, the reporter (whatshisname) doesn’t name the reporters in question throughout his piece, even though their identifications are well known in New York and Washington media circles and in published accounts of the events described in the story.

Examples of D.C. media (in the story but not in the story):

1. NBC’s Luke Russert is the reporter whom Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) snapped at when Russert asked a question on Capitol Hill about his ethics charges.

2. CQ’s Political Wire written by blogger Taegan Goddard was the reporter that former V.P. hopeful Sarah Palin called, “You idiot” reporter.

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Senator Showers Journo With High Praise

Betsy Rothstein — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 11:45:44 +0000

Taegan Goddard, founder of Political Wire, got a pretty impressive plug from West Virginia Democratic Sen. Carte Goodwin, the 36-year-old former lawyer who replaced the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.). In an interview with Time Magazine for its “40 Under 40″ feature, Goodwin answered five questions.

A sampling:

Goodwin’s political inspiration: Lyndon B. Johnson.

Goodwin’s go-to political blog: Political Wire. (“Although it barely edges out SportsGuy,” the senator admitted.)

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