By The Editors 6/12 4:19pm

Race to Gracie Mansion 2013

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55% of New Yorkers Can’t Name a Single Mayoral Candidate

So there’s this thing. It’s called a mayoral’s race. Heard of it? Any idea who’s running? If you can name a single candidate, you’re an outlier—55 percent of the New Yorkers we asked couldn’t. That’s one of the take-home messages from our Race to Gracie Mansion 2013 street polling project: very low awareness of the upcoming election. Only one candidate approaches broad name recognition, and it’s not for his policy smarts. Browse the full results here, and tell us who you plan to support.  Read More

By Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke 5/29 11:50am

Weiner Coverage

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The New York Times Says They Went Hard On Weiner After Alleged Puff Piece

New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan takes on the tricky issue of Anthony Weiner coverage on her blog today. Although the disgraced former congressman’s mayoral campaign kicked off with a soft, April 14 cover story in Times Magazine, Ms. Sullivan, reflecting, found the Times‘ coverage has gotten stiffer as the campaign roll-out progressed.   Read More

By Hugh Bassett 5/23 3:25pm

Gone Weiner Gone

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Photographers Finally Leave Anthony Weiner’s Apartment Alone

The Observer had a disappointment today when heading down to check out the media circus surrounding Anthony Weiner, and found, well, not much going on.

The upmarket building where the new mayoral candidate lives was much more deserted than expected, without a single reporter left from the past few day’s worth of broadcasting madness. Mr. Weiner, of course, suddenly announced his Gracie Mansion ambitions just Wednesday. Read More

By Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke 4/11 4:31pm

tabloid wars

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Shooting Blanks: Daily News Gun Control Cover Can’t Beat Punny Post

This morning, The New York Post gave the news that Anthony Weiner is contemplating a political comeback a pun-filled cover treatment.

Meanwhile, the Daily News devoted its front page to their ongoing coverage (some may call advocacy) of the gun control debate.

On a day when every tabloids’ favorite congressman is back in the spotlight, the Daily News‘s front page seems an odd choice. In a two-tabloid town, how, we wondered, has this impacted sales of the News?

In a highly unscientific survey, we canvassed 15 newsstands in the vicinity of the Observer‘s midtown office. Of the vendors we talked to, eight said that The Post outsells the News, two said that News sells better and the remaining five said that they were neck-and-neck. Read More

By The Editors 4/11 12:18pm

Editorial

The Weiner Factor

Anthony Weiner is signaling that his exile is over, his penance performed. He seems on the verge of entering the Democratic Party’s crowded field of mayoral candidates, a development that would shake up an already unsettled race. If he does, he will bring with him not only the memories of his famous humiliation, but a campaign treasury of more than $4 million. That would make him well-endowed, indeed, but we already knew that. Read More

By Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke 1/10 4:14pm

Factchecks

Photo credit: Pat's Papers.

New York Post Pulls Fake Weiner Story

The New York Post pulled a story offline after New York Mag called them out on the erroneous report that one-time congressman Anthony Weiner got a new job.

“Disgraced ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner has landed a job after being unemployed for 18 months, his first gig since resigning amid a Twitter sexting scandal,” the Post story said, claiming that Mr. Weiner got a part-time gig  consulting for Madison Avenue brokerage firm Concept Capital Markets. Read More

By Dana Vachon 6:24pm

Reminiscences

Illustration by Fred Harper.

Year in Review: Notions Eleven

“You will surely make noise when I take you deep,” texted Representative Anthony Weiner, the great BlackBerry lover, to his virtual inamorata, Lisa Weiss, the famous dissident, aviatrix and Vegas blackjack dealer.

“Yes I will,” she texted back. “I will be sore for days.”

This past year took the world deep, and the world made noise, but unlike Ms. Weiss, it had, in its soreness, no luxury of bed rest. Read More