Convention Circus: Mo Rocca!; "CNN Guerillas"

> A CableNewser contributor notices CNN's John King milling about in Boston today. "Interesting he's not covering Bush," the person says. I feel bad for the reporters stuck in Crawford this week!

> As Chris Matthews talked to the Faneuil Hall crowd on MSNBC, a few "CNN guerillas" popped up, maneuvering red CNN signs within camera range.

> Chris Matthews aired an almost hour-long taped interview with Teresa Heinz Kerry during MSNBC's 7pm hour

> On CNN, Larry King sat on the convention floor with George Mitchell, David Gergen, Bob Dole [by satellite], and ... Comedy Central's Mo Rocca.

> FOX's Brit Hume special was live tonight, but without the live bug. "I miss the flag," one e-mailer says...

Has TV News Become "Snippets?"

CNN's Reliable Sources aired live from Boston this morning. Howie Kurtz noted that speeches by Ron Reagan and others will not air on the networks, and asked Gloria Borger if that was a loss:

BORGER: But I guarantee you that what you'll see on the networks is a snippet of Ron Reagan's speech that occurred earlier. I'm sure they'll show it to you. KURTZ: So is that what television news has become, a snippet of what's actually going on? A snippet? BORGER: Well, in the sense that they have an hour, don't forget, what are they supposed to do, cover this thing for 24 hours a day? Because it does go on for 24 hours a day. I doubt they'd do that.

...And here is the full transcript.

Convention Circus: A Fantastic Faneuil Hall Crowd

The crowd outside Faneuil Hall is the best element of MSNBC's pre-convention coverage this evening. The Today Show-style audience cheered into and out of segments, and held "Kerry Edwards" placards. The two Chris's were barely audible at some points. "Instead of trying to plow through, they stopped talking, and the director took a crowd shot -- GREAT energy," an MSN user says. In the first segment, Chris Matthews tore apart Terry McAuliffe and asked him why the Democratic Party doesn't define itself as anti-war. Matthews guessed that 90% of the crowd was anti-war, then turned around and asked them: "How many people here support the war in Iraq?" "Nooo," the crowd cried...

What To Watch: Docs., Specials In Prime

A summary of tonight's convention previews, in order of most to least coverage:
> MSNBC: At 7pm, a Sunday edition of Hardball; at 8, Matthews and Brokaw host "Picking Our Presidents; "John Kerry: Bringing The War Home," hosted by B.W., follows at 9; and Chris Jansing compiles her "Battleground America" reports at 10.
> CNN: At 7pm, People in the News profiles Teresa; at 8, CNN Presents features "John Kerry: Born To Run;" at 9, a special edition of Larry King Live from Boston; and at 10, a live report about "America Votes 2004."
> FNC: At 9pm, Team Washington is live in Boston for a "You Decide 2004" special

Chris Matthews: "Inside-Baseball-Loving Info Machine"

This is the LA Times' description of Chris Matthews: "A fast-talking, inside-baseball-loving information machine, a guy who thinks it's interesting to compare the policy involvement of Nancy Reagan, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Laura Bush on a scale of 1 through 10, who spits questions like darts, who does not hesitate to badger or cut off guests in his quest for a plain-spoken answer." The best line in the story:

Ask him why he talks so fast and he'll tell you you're asking the wrong question. To Matthews, everybody else in TV is talking too slow — and he's convinced the audience agrees."

Check out the full story.

"The Press and the Election" Panel

Harvard sponsored a panel discussion on "The Press and the Election" this afternoon. Brokaw, Jennings, Rather, Lehrer, and Woodruff participated. (Alex Jones moderated; Brit Hume declined an invite.) "The event had the air of a valedictory -- a Sunday morning secular service in the dwindling church of network news," Howard Fineman reports (via Bberry!). "The Big Three had to face the fact that their nets are broadcasting only three hours of convention coverage here. They half-heartedly blamed the political parties for draining the events of drama. But as Lehrer and Woodruff point out, the parade of speeches may be worth listening to in wartime, which is what we are in right now."

Convention Circus: The Media Party, & Other Press-ing Items

> It was the media's turn to party Saturday night, and the four open bars certainly helped. "Shepard Smith was enjoying getting his picture taking with female fans," one attendee reports back. But more importantly, "the chocolate fondue fountains were to die for."
> "The party also had an operating Ferris wheel inside the building, with guests lining up for rides," MSNBC.com says. "Talk about trying to spin the press."
> AP photographs: Ron Reagan and MSNBC's Tammy Haddad tour the Fleet Center; another shot of Ron; CBS 'Face the Nation' guests
> Jay Rosen, en route to Boston: "What do the bloggers bring to this? My short answer to the press is: everything you have removed."
> And what's this about a "lack of adequate bathroom facilities for the media at the FleetCenter?" (ABC's Note)

"Missing Jogger:" At Least It Wasn't "Explorer" Or LKL Reruns

Joann writes in with a rebuttal to my earlier post about FOX's obession with Lori Hacking: "I can't believe you're criticizing Fox...You're kidding, right? I just checked the TV Guide online, and MSNBC was showing "Ultimate Explorer" for two hours, while CNN showed "CNN Presents" followed by a [taped] Larry King (probably an old interview with Rosemary Clooney or something!). At least Fox was live, and covering something current... I feel you owe Fox an apology. Again, at least they were live and showing something currently in the news, and not old reruns of anacondas or aging movie stars (as MSNBC and CNN do every weekend)."

"Outfoxed:" Roger Ailes Criticizes "Hatchet Job"

Roger Ailes granted Broadcasting & Cable a rare interview to discuss 'Outfoxed,' MoveOn, and Dennis Miller. Highlights:

"Any news organization that doesn't support our position on copyright is crazy. Next week, we could take a month's worth of video from CNN International and do a documentary "Why does CNN hate America?" You wouldn't even have to do the hatchet job Outfoxed was. You damn well could run it without editing. CNN International, Al-Jazeera and BBC are the same in how they report—mostly that America is wrong and bad."

Read the rest. (Here's a press rel. about it.)

"Outfoxed:" NYPost Calls Film A "Dangerous Precedent"

Murdoch's New York Post editorializes today: "Liberals sure don't like losing their longtime monopoly on delivering the news." On the subject of 'Outfoxed:' "It's a dangerous precedent. Not just because it so badly twists the truth. Or violates copyright laws. But also because it sets up every news outlet for the same low blow. If The New York Times or CNN approve of this tack, then just wait until someone lifts an early draft of some Times piece or CNN's out-takes." The editorial tries to link the film to George Soros, again...
> ALSO: Clarence Page: "When first I heard that filmmaker Robert Greenwald had made a documentary exposing Fox News Channel's conservative bias, two words came to my mind: Why bother?"

Media Notes: World Stupidity Awards; Greta "Felt Like Drinking Draino"

> The World Stupidity Awards were held on Friday. The awards named "Fox's The O'Reilly Factor the Stupidest TV Show and gave Fox News the nod for Media Outlet Which Has Made the Greatest Contribution to Furthering Ignorance Worldwide." (Toronto Star)
> "As for me, I felt like drinking Draino when I got home," Greta blogs on Friday. "Yes, I still think I have the best job there is — but there are shows when it seems nothing is going right. Last night was one of those nights."
> As the JibJab film continues to get more press, the brothers attribute it all to FOX: "Ever since Brian Wilson put us on FOX News, our server has been buckling under pressure, serving millions and millions of movies around the world," they blog.

"Online Media Drop Gimmicks For Conventions"

A must-read piece on the AP wire: "Online Media Drop Gimmicks For Conventions." "The focus will be on complementing other media, not duplicating or replacing them," the story says. CNN.com's Mitch Gelman puts it this way: "If you're in front of the TV, that's where you should watch it. What you want to come to online for is for in-depth analysis and complementary elements like quizzes and quick votes."

"Missing Jogger:" The Blood, The Brothers, & FOX's Obsession

Election? Iraq? Terrorism? Nah, Saturday's FOX primetime decided to obsess over Lori Hacking's disappearance. On 'Heartland,' John Kasich interviewed Lori's brother and Mark's brother. Carol McKinley reported that bloodstains had been found in the apartment, and suggested it was a match. FOXNews.com put it this way: "Police say they believe the blood is Lori's." Half an hour later, a police spokesperson "requested time" on the network to say that "[we] don't have those results back from the testing." Kasich blew it off and said FOX had obtained the info through "sources in the department."
Rita Cosby was live in Salt Lake City during the 9pm hour. Before interviewing a plethora of family members, she sat with McKinley, who clarified that "I stand behind the information, however we dont know whose blood it is." She said she held the info for two days before confirming it through other sources. Carol should be applauded for this response to Rita's question:

COSBY: "Do you believe she went jogging?" MCKINLEY: "That's my opinion, and I don't believe my opinion matters."

Apparently Rita needs a refresher course in Journalism 101. Geraldo also spent too much time harping about the "missing jogger..."
> Also: A TVSpyer sarcastically calls it a "fascinating and important spousal murder story."