Former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, known as “The Iron Lady,” has passed away at the age of 87. Her death, in the middle of the network morning shows, immediately became big news.

ABC, CBS and NBC all reported on Thatcher’s death right at 8 AM, with CBS and NBC throwing to pre-taped memorial segments not long thereafter. CBS also secured former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who called in to the program at 8:32. NBC asked Abby Huntsman of The Huffington Post (and the son of Jon Huntsman) about her family’s relationship with Thatcher.

On cable news, Fox News reported Thatcher’s death at 7:53 AM, CNN reported Thatcher’s death at 7:54 AM, and MSNBC at 7:55 AM:
Read more

The news that Jon Huntsman would be dropping out of the GOP race for president came just as Huntsman was about to take the stage in a GOP forum in South Carolina, which was taped Saturday. Fox News added a lower third graphic with the news at 9:32pm — as Rick Perry was taking part in the Mike Huckabee-hosted forum — and it remained up through Huntsman’s portion a few minutes later.

Huntsman’s withdrawal, to be announced at 11am in Myrtle Beach, means there will be one less participant in FNC’s GOP debate tonight also in Myrtle Beach.

MSNBC reported the withdrawal at 9:32pmET and CNN at 9:34pm Sunday night, with the news having originated on Twitter 20 minutes earlier.

This should mean more time for the remaining five qualifying candidate during the 2-hour Fox News debate. On Friday the network announced it was also increasing candidate speaking time by 30 seconds. Fox News will also be using Twitter to measure viewer reaction to each of the candidates’ answers.

It might look like the three other debates held on CNN this primary season, but the photo above is the stage for tonight’s GOP debate — the 11th of the primary season. CNN is teaming up with The Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute for the debate at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington. Wolf Blitzer moderates and at the podiums above, from left to right, will stand Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, and Jon Huntsman.

In the past few debates — as he’s climbed in the polls — Gingrich has made a point of calling out the style and moderating of the TV debates. Baltimore Sun‘s David Zurawik has some advice for Blitzer in this regard:

There’s a civil but firm way to deal with bullies like Gingrich in follow-up questions and remarks, and I hope Blitzer will use his stature and intelligence to do that tonight. I’ll put Blitzer’s professional experience and John Hopkins University graduate education in international politics up against Gingrich’s education and intellectual track record any day.

Erin Burnett flanked by her CNN bosses, EVP and managing editor Mark Whitaker, left, and EVP in charge of CNN Ken Jautz, right.

We’re thinking CNN’s Erin Burnett is eying a large Margarita when she gets of the air at 8pm tonight. Maybe during the show. Maybe right now.

Her premiere week — at least from where the critics stand — was not good. As for the ratings, more on that in a minute.

It was about :30 seconds, of a three minute story, in her (so far) four hours of programs on CNN. But if you printed out the criticism of Burnett’s coverage Monday from Occupy Wall Street, it could stretch from one end of Zuccotti Park to the other.

“Erin Burnett was way too dismissive and condescending of these protesters,” wrote Forbes’ Eric Jackson, who, 24 hours after posting his story, Tweeted that his take on Burnett was his 8th most popular story ever on Forbes.com.

The pile-on was swift.

• From the Baltimore Sun‘s David Zurawik: “Burnett’s problem runs much deeper from what I have seen — it runs straight through to the persona, if not the person herself.”

• Variety‘s Brian Lowery writes: “Burnett does appear to have been a terrible choice for her new role, on a program oddly titled ‘Erin Burnett OutFront.’ Out front of what, exactly?”

• Salon’s Glenn Greenwald called Burnett, a “spokesperson for Wall Street; it’s basically what her ‘journalistic’ career is.”

• Huffington Post’s Jason Linkins calls the coverage, “A Primer In Media Failure.”

After all the criticism Atlantic Wire‘s Adam Clarke Estes got this statement from CNN: “We support Erin and the OutFront team and we respect that there will be a range of opinions on any given story.”

Burnett and crew couldn’t even catch a break on the title of segment they like to call “Seriously!” Watch this NYMag.com clip for more on that. MediaMatters thinks Burnett should apologize.

Don’t count on it. We hear the plan is full-steam ahead; taking pride in what else happened during her debut week: interviews with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner; talking politics with GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman and women’s health issues with model Christy Turlington.

As for those ratings…

Read more