On the "Insights and Analysis: Leading National Political Reporters Discuss the Campaign" panel at what we're calling EOVMWHAWCNCon, LAT's Mark Barabak and Time Magazine's Mark Halperin got into a disagreement.

Halperin believes that there was media bias for Barack Obama. "It's the most disgusting failure of people in our business since the Iraq war." He declared.

Then Barabak said,"Look at it in it's totality, at the end of the day did the media serve its function, to inform people about who these two men are? Yes they did."

And he got an applause break from the audience.

We didn't know members of the media could not bash it. Is that even legal?!

You can watch the whole panel here.

This is our own LAT political writer Mark Barabak a panelist at what we're calling EOVMWHAWCNCon, we gave him FBLA's first and last 'best dressed journalist' contest. Hands down.

We told Barabak that he was the winner and he said to us,"Doesn't take much huh?"

Nope.

The final event of the first day was "Insights and Analysis: Leading National Political Reporters Discuss the Campaign" panel. And yes, all panel's names were also long descriptions. It was, after all "ELECTION 2008: Obama vs. McCain: What Happened and What Comes Next?" conference that we will call EOVMWHAWCNCon for short.

You can watch all the panels here.

The final panel had Mark Halperin of Time, John Heilemann of New York Magazine, Mark Barabak or LAT, Mike Allen, John F. Harris and Jim VandeHei all of Politico.

During the Q&A the question was floated who would be the next Tim Russert. Who will be the next television journalist to vet future candidates?

Mike Allen said the names John King of CNN, Gwen Ifill and Chuck Todd. John Harris offered up Chris Matthews. Then Mike Allen noted that NY Observer had also mentioned John Harris as a possible replacement.

We just got asked by a Politico (ahem) reporter, "So you're the Patrick Gavin of LA?"

Yes. Yes. We are.

We cornered Editor-in-Chief and founder of Politico John F. Harris (pictured on the right, reporter Ben Smith on the left) in the green room between panels and between Blackberry texts to his wife. (She had a Bob Barker sighting at LAX). We asked Harris if Politico was still hiring reporters. He said that they were. They are currently hiring a reporter to cover the House.

We wanted to know why Politico has been so successful while other publications have been forced to layoff journalists. Harris said that he thinks it's because Politico is geared toward a specific audience. He said that it's the general interest publications that are struggling and that Politico is for a specific audience. And that the future of media is in niche markets.

Which is exactly what Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of Wired, said at the Mediabistro Circus last spring.

The future is so niche that we can't even have just one way of pronouncing 'niche'.

Roger Ailes, whom Rupert Murdoch brought in to weave his Republican-istic web around Fox News, has signed on for a five-year extension to his contract, the Los Angeles Times reported.

That means we're in for five more years of such pleasant closeted lefties as Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Great Van Sustern and the entire Fox news team

Ailes' new contract extends the key role he plays in News Corp. as chief executive of Fox News and chairman of Fox Television Stations Group.

"Roger has done a remarkable job building Fox News into a force in journalism and built a great asset for News Corp.," Chief Executive Murdoch said in a statement today announcing the deal. "I have complete confidence in his talent and his editorial judgment."

Along with his oversight of Fox News and the local stations, Ailes is in charge of the Fox Business Network, MyNetwork TV and Twentieth Television.

"I'm pleased to continue to work for News Corp.," Ailes said in a statement. "It is a strong and extremely well positioned company. I look forward to carrying out Mr. Murdoch's legendary vision in the future."

General Electric, which owns NBC Universal among other media entities, wants to find more media buys, GE chief executive Jeff Immelt told the Financial Times via Hollywood Wiretap.

Immelt said the company had the resources to capitalize on bargains as it wades through the current economic downturn.

The comments are a sign that the economic crisis has not shaken General Electric's confidence in NBC Universal, opines the FT.

"There are going to be some opportunities in media consolidation, in infrastructure, oil and gas, aviation," Immelt said. "And my hope is that we can play in some of those as time goes on."

Ryan Chalk staff writer at Vacaville Reporter, asked Rev. Sebastian Meyer about a parishioner being expelled from Mass for having an Barack Obama painting on their car.

From insidethebayarea.com:

Chalk said Meyer then threatened to file a lawsuit if any story were written and told him it was "illegal because it's none of your business."

"At that point, I took my notepad out and asked what was illegal," Chalk said.

Meyer became more agitated and lunged at him, Chalk said, clawing at his arm and reaching for his notepad.

continued...

After "Farenheit 911," Michael Moore was hoping and praying for a natural disaster, or something similarly catastrophic, to give him fodder for his next documentary, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Then came the economic disaster that is plagueing Wall Street as we speak (or you read). Moore had been planning something on the foreign policy, but now he's thinking global financial crisis. Our guess is he might have a hard time taking a boat and a megaphone to Wall Street. But if anyone can do it, leave it to Moore.

Our thanks to our sister blog FishbowlDC for this. Helen Thomas has sat in the White House Press Corp for seven presidents. President Elect Barack Obama will be her eighth.

Quick name eight presidents!

CORRECTION: As our reader SFWill pointed out - there have been nine presidents since JFK. Obama will be her tenth.

I guess we were shaving off presidents because we don't want to make her sound old.