Morning Reading List, 05.01.07

Good morning Washington. Most of you think The New York Times' decision to pull out of WHCA weekend was smart. "The Great Newspaper Fuzz-Out" Washingtonpost.com launched the Presidential Campaign Tracker, using "information from campaigns, media reports and other sources to compile a listing of events involving presidential candidates and their spouses. (Hat Tip: Wonkette) "Archivists To Search Burned Georgetown Library" TheStreet.com gives a peak at the "Future of Media" from the NAB show, "nominally a trade-only event for the broadcast TV and radio industry." Check out Christopher Hitchens on the Daily Show last night. "Is Politics The New Sports?" From DCRTV: DCRTV hears that Washington radio and TV legend Milt Grant (right) died of cancer on 4/28 at his home in Fort Lauderdale. "Circulation Falls at Many Papers" "Why David Broder Doesn't Deserve His Position at the Top of the Media Food Chain" AFP reports, "America Online, the Internet arm of media giant Time Warner, said it will expand "aggressively" worldwide after stepping into Asia for the first time with the launch of an India portal." A NARA release announced, "On Tuesday, April 24, Dr. Robert M. Warner, sixth Archivist of the United States, died after a long battle with cancer." PRWeb announced, "Tiempos del Mundo ... was awarded two Gold Honor distinctions -- one for the Best Business section and the other for the Best Technology section. The publication also received Bronze Honor distinctions for outstanding Special Section and for the Most Improved Publication of the Year." Joseph Farah calls Matt Drudge "the guy who got one president impeached and played a significant role in the election of another. The impact of this man can hardly be overstated." Today, NPR and the National Geographic Society launch a yearlong news series, "Climate Connections," focusing on climate-related issues. According to the release, the "initiative will launch with coverage from radio, television, magazine and online elements and will incorporate diverse, shared resources of National Geographic and NPR. It also marks the expansion of a 15-year content relationship between the two organizations." Bloomberg reports, "Comcast plans to buy Cablevision's stakes in two sports networks for $570 million in cash." YouTube cofounder and CEO Chad Hurley writes in Forbes, "The relationship between online video and the big media companies has been in the news a lot these days. Many people reporting on this seem to feel that there is a dividing line between old media and new media. We don't see the world in those terms." "Cable network MSNBC has aroused the wrath of Jeff Jarvis, Lawrence Lessig, Michelle Malkin, and many more after attempting to stop all Internet redistribution of the recent Democratic presidential debate." Micro Persuasion reports, "ABCNews.com is marking its tenth anniversary with a bold new redesign that features increased use of video. Beyond the new skin there's not a lot that's new with one key exception -- ABC is opening up to contributions from citizen journalists." The AP reports, "Newspaper editors Joann Byrd and Mike Pride have been appointed co-chairs of the Pulitzer Prize Board." DCRTV reports, "wtntam570.com officially lists Dennis Miller in the 3 PM to 6 PM slot on the Clear Channel talker. His late morning show will be tape-delayed for the afternoon drive slot." The Boston Globe caught up Chris Wallace last week, "to talk about his father, his career, and the future of the news business." On Sunday, Fox News Sunday kicked off a new series "Choosing the President." Sen. John McCain appeared in an exclusive Chris Wallace. During the interview, McCain defended his conservative credentials: "And the fact is -- and I'm pleased with the support that I have, all over the country, from rank-and-file Republicans who are supporting me, who believe in me, who believe the security of this nation is one of our highest priorities and think I'm best equipped to handle it. And I'm proud of that." Peter Lauria reports, "As if the pending merger between satellite radio operators Sirius and XM didn't face enough hurdles, news of Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin's $31 million pay package has provided even more ammunition for the combination's critics." E&P reports, "The Audit Bureau of Circulations released the spring numbers" yesterday, "revealing more plunges in daily and Sunday circulation." Bloomberg reports, "Google has passed Microsoft and Yahoo to become the owner of the world's most-visited group of Web sites for the first time, according to ComScore." Also from Bloomberg, "Comcast is posting an 80% jump in first-quarter profit as demand surged for packages of television, telephone and Internet services." Reuters reports, "The argument that a law banning some broadcast commercials before an election violates U.S. free-speech rights is winning over some backing from conservatives on the Supreme Court while liberals say it limits the influence of money in politics. A decision is expected by the end of June." Susan Keating starts her own blog. From a reader: "I don't like The Note's new site on ABC -- they have been slipping lately in not being scrutinizing enough on 'must-reads' and now there is too much going on with the site. One of the reasons I like Hotline better is that its design is so simple." After a Hooters experience went very awry, Mike Grass got an apology from an ex-Hooters Girl apologized in the comments. Reporters Without Borders will auction off 15 official gift bags from the Golden Globe Awards Ceremony on eBay. According to the release, the bags were donated by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and have a retail value of $599 each. The auction will begin on May 3, World Press Freedom Day, and last a week. Amy Doolittle has left the Politico and is now covering Congress for the Federal Times. The Extremeness points out that Dana Perino does know the name of the Daily Show host, but Don Stewart, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's spokesman, is also funny. Tons more below... Circulation Management reports, "MPA member blogs now stand at 400. Not to be outdone, 75 percent of the nation's largest newspapers currently blog on business related topics." Info World reports, "A Japanese Web portal operator has repackaged the content of Wikipedia so it can be searched and viewed on cell phones." Interesting piece here, including this nugget: DISTANCE may be the reason that Mr. Attah did not scrutinize the backgrounds of Mr. Hines and his team; some 5,500 miles separate Uyo and Washington, and Internet access barely exists here. And Mr. Attah was initially delighted with one step that Mr. Hines did take: arranging a series of promotional articles prepared by The Washington Timesâ€™s advertising department that described Akwa Ibom and Mr. Attah as Nigerian success stories. The AP reports, "Weekday circulation at U.S. daily newspapers fell 2.1 percent in the latest six-month reporting period, according to figures released Monday, in the latest sign that people are turning to the Internet and other media for news." Today, the blues-flavored rock band Foghat will perform in the Cohen building auditorium at Voice of America from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. along with DC Go-Go pioneer Chuck Brown. The performance will be taped for television. Paul Begala writes, "One of the few regrets I have in life is that I allowed Ann Devroy of the Washington Post to talk me into apologizing for calling David Broder 'a gasbag' in 1995." The AP reports, "Sree Sreenivasan, director of the New Media program at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, said the benefits of reader participation outweigh the negatives." One reader offers this on the WHCA dinner: "The WHCA dinner is toast. Outside of a bubbled elite, it has no connection whatsoever to reality. None. MOST JOURNALISTS WORKING IN THE BALTIMORE AND D.C. REGION, AS WELL AS many covering federal government agencies throughout D.C., do not go. They do...not...go. Many of the "celebrities" are literally flown in just for that weekend. Who are they? Who cares? Many of the people there have zero connection to daily working journalism. The dinner's been criticized for the outrageous chummy vibe between bubbled journalists and politicians. For several years, the main 'speaker' or 'entertaiment' bombed. This year two attendees stupidly and childishly got into a political argument with an embattled White House staffer -- no matter what your politics are, you do not do that at a black-tie dinner. It's wrong, and it's childish. Most local journalists in the metropolitan area don't go to any of the parties, before, or after or on Friday or Sunday. Many journalists don't want to go. Outside the bubble, everyone rolls their eyes at this dinner and says it's ridiculous, and criticizes the chumminess between reporters and politicians. And during a politically inept, corrupt, stupidly-operated administration such as this one, the dinner just looks terrible on every level --social, political, cultural, public relations-wise. The dinner is conducted wrong, It's highly phony with the bussed-in fake celebs, it's too chummy, it's hokey, many journalists don't go, many don't want to go -- and it's past its prime. Kudos to the Times for bowing out of this mess. The dinner needs to be changed, drastically, before no one cares at all. That's the lowdown outside the bubble, and it's only going to grow." Jobs: The Wall Street Journal Online is looking for a Reporter/Blogger. National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association is looking for a Executive Director. The Associated Press is looking News Production Specialist. MacNeil/Lehrer Productions is looking for an Online International Editor. Atlantic Media Company is looking a Fall Intern. The United Methodist Church is seeking a Communications Director for General Agency of The United Methodist Church. The Associated Press is looking for a News Production Specialist. A reader asks, "Why, if Bush 41 has spent so much time giving speeches for Moon in South America and Japan, are there no pictures of the two of them together. An extensive search on google images turns up nothing." GMMB is looking for a Senior Public Relations/Communications Professional. Kiplinger's Personal is looking for a Finance Senior Associate Editor. AARP is looking for a Photo Editor and an Assistant Photo Editor. Hat Tips: DCRTV, TVNewser, IWantMedia, Romenesko, MediaBistro, JournalismJobs, JournalismNext

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Morning Reading List, 05.01.07

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