FishbowlNY
 
Receive mediabistro.com's Daily FishbowlNY Feed via email


Daily Media Newsfeed Click here to receive mediabistro.com's Daily Media Newsfeed via email.

Media People

Thursday Jul 02, 2009

A Good Pre-Weekend Read: WWD's Michael Wolff Profile

newser.pngToday, WWD takes a look at author, Vanity Fair columnist, media critic and all around character Michael Wolff, his Newser.com aggregator that houses his blog and his recent affair that was splashed all over Page Six.

Journalists typically don't like to talk about themselves, so when a good profile of a media celebrity comes around, they're always a fun and interesting read. Our favorite quote comes near the end, and surprisingly it's not from Wolff himself but from profiler Irin Carmon. As the writer explains that Wolff's blog post about rival media critic David Carr has only racked up 1,000 pageviews while a post about President Barack Obama has racked up more than 80,000, the following observation is made:

"That few care as much about the media as it cares about itself is now measurable."

Read more: Michael Wolff, One His (But Not Really) via WWD

Kidnapped NYT Reporter Returns To Newsroom

rohde.pngKidnapped New York Times reporter David Rohde returned to the paper's newsroom yesterday where he, his wife Kristen Mulvihill and Afghan reporter Tahir Ludin were met with a standing ovation, applause and tears from the Times staff.

Although Rohde didn't give any details about his captivity, he did tell his fellow Times staffers that Ludin "had told the hostage takers that if they wanted to chop off Mr. Rohde's head, they would have to chop off his own first," the paper reported.

We think Rohde's "hokey" closing words to his colleagues are a good way to kick off the long holiday weekend, which will hopefully be spent with friends and family:

"Over the next day, hug your spouse, kiss your child, call your relatives, watch the sunset, watch the sunrise, thank your God and relish your life."
Friday Jun 26, 2009

Former MTV Newser Gideon Yago on Michael Jackson: 'The Things That Bring You Out of Retirement'

MichaelLiz.jpgWe bumped into sometime-cohort Gideon Yago of The IFC Media Project this morning on the 6, where talk quickly turned to yesterday's tragic passing of Michael Jackson. Amid the Jackson-fueled media barrage, we were struck by the sight of former MTV Newsman Yago back on screen discussing pop stars. Evidently, he was too: "The things that'll bring you back out of retirement," he cracked, adding that he was en route to Times Square to do additional spots discussing the Jackson story, following his CNN appearance yesterday with Anderson Cooper in which he recalled interviewing the pop legend who may or may not have been sober at the time ("my initial impression was... this guy is on something") and pointed out Jackson's tangled finances ("he was $400 million in debt as of last year" and "five months ago he was uninsurable"). Yago's got a piece over at the Daily Beast about the cognitive dissonance that arises when celebrity news butts up against international conflict (Iran what?): He regales his account of interviewing Jackson four days prior to 9/11, at an event that had the then-junior reporter grateful he'd "experimented with acid in high school.") More on that, the identity issues surrounding Jackson that may never be understood (but were notably absent from early posthumous coverage of the star), Jackson's money men and the video Yago "can't believe no one's posted yet," that somehow ties it all together. Suffice it to say, a lot got covered in four stops...

continued...

Wednesday Jun 24, 2009

Slate's Emily Bazelon Confronts Twitter Impersonator -- And Now They're Facebook Friends

fail_whale.jpgEmily Bazelon, Slate.com editor and founder of recently launched Double X, has an interesting way of dealing with people who impersonate you on Twitter: make them your Facebook friend.

Bazelon tells the story of how she dealt with her Twitter alter ego -- discovered a few months ago by colleage and Twitter phenom John Dickerson. First she attempted to go about it the "right" way, contacting the Twitter people and using the Washington Post's legal power. But what finally pushed her doppelganger to stop tweeting was a simple strategy: Bazelon started using her own Twitter account. First tweet: "Well turns out the way to make me twitter is to get an impersonator to prod me."

In the weeks that followed, Bazelon received an email from her Twitter impersonator, who turned out to be a male grad student in Ireland. They spoke on the phone. Then she made him her Facebook friend. It's not a typical ending to a stalker story, nor is it recommended for everyone, but in the new world of social media -- where impersonation can be mere flattery more than attack -- maybe we'll see more of this sort of thing happening.

As Bazelon sums up: "This is what social networking is supposed to be but rarely is, right? A haltingly warm one-on-one encounter between two people who would never have otherwise met. Twitter is the land of a million two-way streets. Now I follow my impersonator on it. And that, too, is a function of the new media map we’re just beginning to navigate."

Monday Jun 22, 2009

Kidnapped NYT Reporter's Escape Brings Press Blackout To Light

rohde.pngOver the weekend, news broke that Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter David Rohde had escaped from captivity in Afghanistan, where he had been held for the past seven months.

The news brought relief to a community overwhelmed by stories of violence against and arrests of journalists in Iran and the recent conviction of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee in North Korea.

But after the relief subsided, other questions arose. Why had no one reported Rohde's kidnapping? According to Editor & Publisher editor Greg Mitchell, at least 40 news outlets knew about Rohde's captivity, but they decided not to broadcast the news at the request of the Times. Mitchell said he worried that keeping the kidnapping a secret would jeopardize other reporters heading to the region, but ultimately decided it was the best cause of action in this case.

"I wonder now if a great debate will break out over media ethics in not reporting a story involving one of their own when they so eagerly rush out piece about nearly everything else," Mitchell said in a post on The Huffington Post. "I imagine some may claim that the blackout would not have held if a smaller paper, not the mighty New York Times, had been involved. Or is saving this life (actually two, there was a local reporter also snatched) self-evidently justification enough?"

continued...

Friday Jun 19, 2009

Sad News: Legendary Broadcaster Walter Cronkite Ill

cronkite.pngOur sister blog TVNewser has some sad news about 92-year-old former broadcaster Walter Cronkite. According to an unnamed source at Cronkite's longtime network CBS, Cronkite is "gravely ill" and "the network began updating his obituary more than a week ago."

Cronkite anchored "CBS Evening News" for 19 years. In 1981 he was forced to retire and Dan Rather was named his successor. Yet Cronkite remained a special correspondent and kept an office at the network.

Cronkite is perhaps most well-known for his sign-off -- "And that's the way it is..."

Update: Boston.com has talked to Cronkite's assistant Cynthia Dicrocco who said TVNewser's report is "grossly exaggerated."

continued...

Tuesday Jun 16, 2009

What's New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller Up To In Iran?

29keller.jpgThe developing story in Iran (and how the media has been covering it) has been a popular topic of conversation around here over the last few days. And one thing has not gone unnoticed: New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller's presence on the front lines and the front page of his own paper -- as a reporter.

At first, we thought Keller's trip overseas was pretty well-timed, corresponding as it did to his appearance on the "Daily Show" and his digs on the Huffington Post and Drudge Report for not having Baghdad bureaus. But Keller has been doing some intense work over there, writing a "Memo From Tehran" about reactions in the streets after the election and co-bylining a story about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It's not often that a top editor from a huge paper like the Times can get out from behind his desk and get his hands dirty reporting from the trenches and the Times has said that Keller didn't go to Iran expecting to write stories.

Today, Keller sent Editor & Publisher two hurried emails explaining his trip and why he "plunged in."

"Briefly, I came to watch our reporters in action and to get a (first) taste of a big subject," he said. "I try to get out in the field as often as I can, because nothing else gives you as good a sense of the complexities and texture of a story. I usually don't write on these trips, but this story got so big, and the correspondents were so welcoming of an extra pair of hands, that I plunged in. It reminds me why I got into this business. (Also, no one here wants to talk about the future of the newspaper business.)"

So did Keller go to Iran with the intention of talking to someone about the future of the newspaper business? Perhaps that's all anyone wants to talk to him about these days.

Sadly, Keller told E&P that his visa is up tomorrow so he's heading home. "Some reporters have contemplated overstaying their visas, trying to work under the radar. Even if you manage to elude the authorities, though, you create real dangers for all the Iranians you would need to hide you, translate for you, get you around and help you get the story out," he said.

Friday Jun 12, 2009

Honoring Tim Russert, One Year Later

russert.pngTomorrow marks the one year anniversary of the death of Tim Russert, beloved NBC Washington bureau chief and host of "Meet The Press." The past year has been filled with events that Tim no doubt would have taken great joy in covering -- the down-to-the-wire fight for the Democratic nomination between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton (although he had already declared her out of the running), the whole Sarah Palin thing, the historic election and the recession -- just to name a few. Tim's insight into the inner workings of Washington politics were always delivered with fervor and you could tell he just loved his job.

Last year, we watched with sadness as news flooded the Internet about Tim's collapse at work and his death from a heart attack. He was young and it was unexpected, but at least he died doing what he loved. Days later, when all the cable news networks aired a tribute to Tim, we couldn't help but tune in, and cry. That ukulele version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" that they played at the end (from Tim's iPod!) still gets us any time we hear it.

Today, our sister blog TVNewser has some great tributes and memories from Tim's colleagues including Tom Brokaw, who moderated Tim's televised memorial and took over for him on "Meet The Press" through the election cycle. We like PBS's Gwen Ifill's heartfelt thoughts the best:

"A funny thing happened to me during the election year. I kept hearing Tim's voice. Wherever I travel, viewers tell me this too. I have no doubt he would have been spinning like a top to be covering such a historic and consequential election year. And he would have been the first one out of the box holding the Obama administration's feet to the fire. SO much going on, and all without Tim. No wonder I still hear his voice."
Tuesday Jun 09, 2009

Murdoch: Newspapers Will Be Digital Within 10 Years

News Corp. CEO and chairman Rupert Murdoch stopped by his Fox Business channel yesterday and sat down with Neil Cavuto to discuss the future of the various Fox channels and its interactive business, new News Corp. deputy chair Chase Carey and the state of the world. Murdoch even touched on his feelings about the future of newspapers.

As one of the most powerful media owners in the world, when Rupert talks the future of newspapers, we listen. Some highlights are below.

Murdoch talked about his vision of a digital future for newspapers:

"We think of newspapers in the old fashioned way, printed on crushed wood so to speak. It's going to be digital. Within 10 years I believe nearly all newspapers will be delivered to you digitally...But if you've got a newspaper with a great name and a great reputation and you're trusted, the people in that community are going to need access to your source of news. What we call newspapers today, I call 'news organizations' and 'journalistic enterprises,' if you will. They are the source of news. And people will reach it, if its done well, whether they do it on a Blackberry or a Kindle or a PC."

continued...

Monday Jun 08, 2009

North Korea Sentences Detained Journalists To 12 Years Hard Labor

lee ling.pngAfter a closed trial, North Korea's highest court today convicted two detained Current TV journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, of "committing hostilities against the Korean nation and illegal entry," The New York Times reported.

Following their conviction, Lee and Ling were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, although there is already talk that North Korea might attempt to trade their release for money or a diplomatic visit.

The two women were detained by North Korean officials on March 17 along the border of China while doing research on defectors for Current TV. Since their arrest, the U.S. government has asked for their release, but North Korea is either turning a deaf ear to the U.S.'s pleas, or our government is not trying very hard to get them released. Maybe now the thought that these American citizens will be subjected to over a decade of torturous "hard labor" will spur diplomats into action.

We hope for a speedy release for Euna and Laura, but we can't help but think that -- if they do get out -- they're going to have a horrifying, intense and fascinating story to tell. We can't wait to hear their side of this terrifying story.


Previously

Andy Rooney Becomes A Great Grandfather

Help Get WebNewser's Steve Krakauer Out Of Here

Page Six's Paula Froelich On Her Novel's Inspiration: "All Three Main Characters Are A Part Of Me"

Bob And Lee Woodruff Kick Off Holiday Weekend Twitter Fundraiser

FremantleMedia Names Americas CEO

NBC Exec Joins Talent Agency CAA

WSJ Implements New Conduct Rules For Twitter

AP Rejects Edwards' Interview Concessions

A Page Sixer's Blind Item Challenge

Roxana Saberi Freed, Other Journos Remain Imprisoned

American Journalist Saberi Jailed for Eight Years

John Madden Retires, Honored With Listicle

Sam Zell Admits to Buyer's Remorse

Journalists Say Internet Hurts

AP CEO and Arianna Huffington on Charlie Rose

Meshing With Time 100 Nominees

NPR CEO Vivian Schiller: 'Local is the Big Play'

Pat Kiernan to Read Newspapers to the Whole World

Michael Wolff: 'What Do Men in Their Fifties and Sixties Know About Girls in Their Twenties?

Bill Keller Responds to Vanity Fair's 'Bombast'

David Carr is on Twitter

Demi! Ashton! Is that Really You?

David Letterman Marries Longtime Girlfriend

Whitaker on Matthews: Expect Layoffs at the NYT

Arianna Huffington: 'The Most Upwardly Mobile Greek Since Icarus'

Talk to Your Momma Lately?

WSJ.com: 'Inside the Madoff Scandal'

@themediaisdying Revealed!

Opie and Anthony Out at K-Rock

The New Yorker on Bill Cunningham

Chernin, Murdoch, and News Corp.: The Son Also Rises?

One Year Ago, Conrad Black Went to Jail

Tina Brown Discusses The Beast With David Carr

Liz Smith's Long Goodbye: 'I Will Go Bravely On!'

Sally Singer on the Relevance of Vogue

Carlos Slim: The NYT's Sugar Daddy Not So Sweet on the Press

What's In a Name! NPR Wants Off O'Reilly Factor

Did the NYT Get Punk'd by the DABA Girls?

Christiane Amanpour at the duPont Awards: 'The World is a Serious Place'

Alterman Moves to TheNation.com, Still Awaiting Times' Kristol Apology

Today in Celebrity Media Ventures

Time Inc. Hits Top 20 Online, CEO Doesn't Foresee Further Layoffs

'This is William Kristol's Last Column'

Forbes.com Ranks the Liberal Media Elite

Inaug Eve Party-Hopping: MoDo's 'Timeless' Quality, Traveling With the Jonas Bros.

Tribune Bankruptcy Can't Stop Reporter From Covering Election

TPM Launches New Blog, Hires Matt Cooper

Did Helen Gurley Brown's Mouth Do Her In?

Jake Tapper on 'Force of Nature' David Carr

Cathie Black to Stay On at Hearst

Rachel Maddow: 'I'm Much More Mr. Cunningham'

Sumner Redstone: More King Lear, Less Benjamin Button

Nat Hentoff Bids Adieu and Rages On!

Michael Wolff on The Daily Show: Rupe is 'Very Nixonian'

Gawker's Sheila McClear Respectfully Says Goodbye

Gazing Into the Kristol Ball

David Carr Reviews Michael Wolff's Rupert Murdoch Bio

Camelot, You Know, Meets the Media 2.0

AP Votes Tina Fey 'Entertainer of the Year'

Will Obama be Our First Tabloid President?

Jeff Jarvis on the Relationship Between Google and Authors and Publishers

Conrad Black on Wolff's Murdoch

Time Names Barack Obama 'Person of the Year'

Targeted Tribune Writer Talks Blago on CNN

Jay Carney Departs Time for Biden Post

Everybody Wants to be a Blogger!

Arianna Huffington is Media Person of the Year

Christie Hefner Out As Playboy Enterprises CEO

Rupert Murdoch Named Co-Chair of the Partnership for New York City

Hendrik Hertzberg: 'A Far Left Zealot!'

Frank Rich on His 'Extracurricular Activity'

Michael Wolff on MySpace and Why Rupert Murdoch Loves 'Cretins'

Sam Zell Continues to Kill the Newspaper Business

Jeff Jarvis Thinks 'Community Organizers' are the Future of Journalism

Craig Newmark Subscribes to The New York Times for the First Time

Tribune Co.'s Chief Innovation Officer Gets Extra Innovative

Zell: Newspaper Customers 'Have Almost No Interest on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday'

Conrad Black's Letter From Prison: 'It is Far From a Country Club or Even a Regimental Health Spa'

Tina Brown on The Daily Beast: 'I Spend a Hell of a Lot of Time in My Pajamas'

'Arianna Huffington' Makes Her Debut on SNL

Ex-Gawker Editor Speculates on Why Denton Shuttered Valleywag

Letterman Talks to Katie Couric About the Palin Interviews: 'The Newspaper Question Was an Easy Question'

Dan Abrams Launches Consulting Recruitment Firm

The New Yorker's Malcolm Gladwell on Stephen Colbert: 1835 Was a Very Lucky Year

Yahoo's Jerry Yang Steps Down as CEO

Rupert Murdoch on the Future of Print: 'It's the Editors Who Might Become Obsolete'

Does Rupert Murdoch Have an Obama-Shaped Hole in his Heart?

Four Questions With Beyond Race Founder and Editor Dave Terra

Real New York Times Exposes Fake McCain Adviser

Maureen Dowd's Take on Post-Election Black and White Intermingling

Palin on Fox: I Know Africa is a Continent

Kate Beckinsale as Judith Miller in Nothing But the Truth

How The New York Times Edits Blog Posts

Studs Terkel Dies at 96

Michael Wolff on Rupert Murdoch's Family Ties

Luke Russert on Life as a NBC News Correspondent

In Memoriam: TONY's Andrew Johnston, 1968-2008

Arianna Huffington and Tina Brown: The 2.0 Version

Four Questions With Newser.com's Caroline Miller

Elizabeth Spiers' New (ish) Project: An Online Maxim for Women

Read more on FishbowlNY >

Turning the Page For
New York Media

Our Blog Network

BayNewser

WebNewser

TVNewser

PRNewser

MediaJobsDaily

GalleyCat

UnBeige

MobileContentToday

AgencySpy

FishbowlDC

FishbowlLA

FishbowlNY

FishbowlNY Staff

Editor:
Amanda Ernst

Contributing Editor:
Diane Clehane

Email
About
RSS

Anonymous Tips

Topics

About

About Us - Modules

Acquisitions

Advertising

Alternative Weeklies

AMC 2006

AMC 2007

AMC 2008

Awards

Beijing Olympics

Books

Bottom Feeding

Breaking News

Circulation

Daily Angle

Dissecting NPR

DNC '08

Election '08

Ellies '08

Fashion Week

Fishbowl Initiatives

FishbowlNY Poll

Inauguration '08

International

Keith Kelly Distilled

Lunch

Magazines

Markets & Media

Media Companies

Media Events

Media Lookbook

Media Minutiae

Media People

Mediabistro Circus

Memopad Distilled

Menu

Movies

New Media

News

Newspapers

NYT in 90 Seconds

Obituaries

Parties

Pop Culture

Radio

RNC '08

Scandals

Scholarly Pursuits

Strike Watch

SXSWi '08

The Crystal Ball

The Internet Presidency

The Revolving Door

The State of Journalism

Time 100

Trends

TV

Video

Archives

July 2009

June 2009

May 2009

April 2009

more...


Recent

Politico's Michael Calderone Is On The Menu Talking About WaPo Salons And Palin

Sarah Palin's Resignation Catches Media Off Guard

The FishbowlNY Newsstand: Your Morning Glance

Links

AdAge

Beet.tv

BusinessWeek | Fine on Media

Buzz Machine/Jarvis

The Colbert Report

The Corsair

Daily Show

Editor & Publisher

Ed2010

Folio:

Gawker

Gothamist

Guardian America | Media

HuffPo

IWantMedia

Jossip

Marketwatch | Friedman

Mediapost

Media Wire Daily

NY Daily News | Gatecrasher

NY Mag | Daily Intelligencer

NY Observer | The Media Mob

NY Post | Keith Kelly

NYT | Business

The Onion

Paid Content

Poynter | Romenesko

Radosh

Rex Hammock

Silicon Alley Insider

Slate | Jack Shafer

Wall Street Journal

WaPo | Media Notes

James Wolcott

WWD

Subscribe

Click here to receive the Daily Media News Feed by email.

Job Listings

Featured Listings

Technology AE-SAE
Feintuch Communications
New York, NY

Account Executive, Retouching
Digital Imaging Studio
New York, NY

Advertising Coordinator
Regent Media (Out, The Advocate)
New York, NY

Account Executive
Boutique Hospitality Industry PR Company
New York, NY

Upcoming


Memoir Writing Essentials
Make a living telling your life story.
July 1

Breaking Into TV Comedy Writing
With writer Alan Cross (SNL, VH1).
July 8

Intro to Travel Writing
With the editor of Frommers.com.
July 9


ADVERTISEMENT


mediabistro.com l Member Benefits l Jobs l Freelance Marketplace l Courses l Events l Forums l Content
mediabistro Blogs: Media News l TVNewser l GalleyCat l UnBeige l FishbowlNY l FishbowlLA l FishbowlDC l PRNewser l AgencySpy
MobileContentToday l WebNewser l BayNewser l MediaJobsDaily l mbToolbox
Site Map l Advertising/Sponsorships l Partners l About Us l Contact Us/Help

internet.commediabistro.comJusttechjobs.comGraphics.com

Search:

WebMediaBrands Corporate Info

Legal Notices, Licensing, Reprints, Permissions, Privacy Policy.
Advertise | Newsletters | Shopping | E-mail Offers