Media People

Today, 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 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."

We 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...

Emily 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."

Over 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...

Our 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...

The 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.

Tomorrow 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."

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...

After 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.