Observer » Zachary Roth

Obama, McCain: Media Darlings

Zachary Roth — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:24:20 -0400

It's true that, as Howard Kurtz notes today in The Washington Post, Barack Obama is getting some pretty adulatory press coverage lately. Still, Sen. Obama did win the first nominating contest, against what looked at one time to be pretty long odds, so a certain amount of the praise is
only to be expected.

John McCain, on the other hand, finished fourth in Iowa (though he looks likely to win in New Hampshire tonight). And yet, in recent weeks, I'd argue, he's received equally glowing coverage, just as he did in 2000.

Here's one explanation for why -- and not one which reflects well on campaign reporters.

Golden Globes Scaled Back, Thanks to Strike

Zachary Roth — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:51:50 -0400

Observer Media Mensch of the Year Nikki Finke is reporting that, thanks to the writers strike, NBC will not broadcast a traditional Golden Globe awards ceremony this year.

Instead, she writes, "a stripped down announcements telecast will be aired by NBC News. It will consist of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association handing out Golden Globes to the winners, who will then pick up the awards and pass through a press room for photos and interviews."

The Oscars, by the way, are in 48 days.

Dobbs on Prez Bid: 'I Cannot Say Never'

Zachary Roth — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:56:41 -0400

A story in today's Wall Street Journal has kicked off the latest round of fevered Lou-Dobbs-for-President speculation. Perhaps with one eye on his ratings, CNN's Mr. Dobbs is still playing coy about a possible independent bid, telling the paper: ""I haven't got the personality or nature to be a politician," but adding, "I cannot say never."

Say what you will about Mr. Dobbs' populism and his obsession with illegal immigration, but at least there's evidence of significant public support for his platform -- which is more than you can say about that other independent who's flirting with a presidential run.

Kelly Kreth Fired By New York Press

Zachary Roth — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:47:30 -0400

Real-estate-publicist-turned-sex-columnist Kelly Kreth has been fired from her job at the New York Press after only four months, The Observer's Real Estate blog reports.

An Obama-Krugman Détente?

Zachary Roth — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 17:23:13 -0400

One of the strange subplots to the Democratic primary race has been the ongoing feud between the Obama campaign and liberal New York Times columnist Paul Krugman. Mr. Krugman has argued that Sen. Obama's healthcare plan is too incremental, and more generally, that the senator's intention of working with Republicans and their allies, rather than taking them on, is naive and doomed to failure.

But could there be a thaw in the relationship? A few days ago, Sen. Obama told Tim Russert that his healthcare plan might involve a penalty for those who didn't get insurance, in order to deter the problem of free-riders and get closer to universality -- something Mr. Krugman had been calling for. In response, the Times-man sounded optimistic.

That's good news for Sen. Obama. It's not that Mr. Krugman, or any other opinion columnist, has the power to deliver many votes. But he is an important opinion-shaper for the liberal wing of the Democratic party, and ongoing beef would not have been in the senator's interest.

New Gawker Reporter Quits, Rips Site

Zachary Roth — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:36:55 -0400

One day after being announced as a "media reporter" for Gawker, Richard Morgan has quit—and dished to New York magazine's Daily Intel about the experience. Choice quote: "Jesus spent three days in Hell. I could only handle one."

And of course, Nick Denton has responded, in similarly unconciliatory terms.

Savaging Salon

Zachary Roth — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:49:10 -0400

Gawker catches Salon in an embarrassing (and pretty funny) gaffe: The online mag recently got in touch with "some of their favorite experts and opinion-makers" and asked for their thoughts on the presidential race. But in trying to contact Savage Love writer and all-around alt-weekly bigshot Dan Savage, they accidentally contacted this Dan Savage.

Salon didn't realize its mistake even when they got back a barely readable response (Gawker has the screengrab) which included the observation that Hilary Clinton "has no penis ... as far as we know" -- which they briefly posted.

David Simon on The Wire

Zachary Roth — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:01:28 -0400

This is a bit off the beaten track, but we couldn't help noticing that an ongoing inter-blog discussion about the socio-political implications of the official "Greatest TV Show Ever", The Wire (whose upcoming season, by the way, takes viewers inside the newsroom of The Baltimore Sun), has been joined by none other than Wire-creator (and former Sun reporter) David Simon himself.

The conversation was sparked by this rare Wire critique by Mark Bowden in The Atlantic.

And, of course, The Observer also weighed in on the show this week.

CBS Ends Public Eye Blog

Zachary Roth — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:35:52 -0400

TV Newser confirms that CBS News' PublicEye blog, once described as the "de facto ombudsman of CBS News," has been shuttered.

The former editor of the site, Matthew Felling, had been laid off last month as part of a round of job cuts at CBS Interactive -- though CBS had at the time insisted that the site would continue.

MSNBC Exec: Olbermann’s Shift Left ‘Isn’t a Strategy’

Zachary Roth — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:01:57 -0400

The Houston Chronicle reports that, in an interview, Phil Griffin, who oversees MSNBC's primetime lineup, "reject[ed] the notion that MSNBC has used [Keith Olbermann's] show and others as part of a deliberately more contrarian tone toward the Bush administration as an alternative to Fox News Channel."

Mr. Griffin told the paper: "Keith was doing this show before it was popular to beat up on this president or to beat up on this war ... Because of his point of view and the 'Special Comments,' people think this is our strategy. This isn't a strategy. This is Keith."

But two months ago, The Times reported:

Riding a ratings wave from "Countdown With Keith Olbermann," a program that takes strong issue with the Bush administration, MSNBC is increasingly seeking to showcase its nighttime lineup as a welcome haven for viewers of a similar mind.

The story went on to detail the network's (ultimately unsuccessful) efforts to sign Rosie O'Donnell, and characterized the rest of the primetime lineup, featuring Chris Matthews and Dan Abrams, as one in which "the White House takes a regular beating."

Mr. Olbermann may indeed be the person driving the anti-Bush direction of his show, as Mr. Griffin argues. But MSNBC's broader shift would appear to go beyond its most popular anchor.