TABLOID JOURNALISM 101

sorkinlady

What Constitutes a ‘Takedown Piece’ at the The New York Post?

So: a New York Post escapee/former columnist and reporter named Mandy Stadtmiller—who, according to her Wikipedia pagequit The New York Post and announced her upcoming ebook in the style of The Devil Wears Prada (novel) about her time working for News Corp. — including her time appearing on the front page of the newspaper with a gigolo — called “News Whore.’“—is back in the regular editorial hustle.

She’s now a deputy editor at xoJane. Even more, her big debut for the site is about how she supposedly inspired a character on Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom. But less exciting than the fact that she inspired a character on The Newsroom—which, really, what can be less exciting? A character on Studio 60?—is the way she characterized the Post to Aaron Sorkin on a date, and now, blogged about it. Read More

off the record

cat-marnell-left

Cat Marnell at Vice: Only ‘Logical’

Ousted xoJane beauty editor Cat Marnell—whose relentless documentation of her PCP and pill habits alternately captivated and enraged the women’s blogosphere—has landed a column at (where else?) Vice. It’s called Amphetamine Logic and its first installment, “The Aftermath,” went online Thursday.

The title refers to Ms. Marnell’s public falling out with xoJane editor-in-chief Jane Pratt and parent company SAY Media, who asked Ms. Marnell to go to rehab a month before she left. She announced her departure (a mutual decision with Ms. Pratt) in a Page Six item, saying that she couldn’t spend another summer meeting deadlines when she could be on the roof of the Standard Hotel “looking for shooting stars and smoking angel dust with my friends and writing a book.”

Talk about red flags. Though hardly known for its strict decorum, Vice does have more suits walking around since partnering with big shot TV executives and expanding internationally. Off the Record asked editor-in-chief Rocco Castoro if he had any concerns about the new hire. Read More

beer and loafing

JETER B_sketch

Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Schlub

On July 5, the New York Yankees were up 6-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning in an away game against the Cleveland Indians. Orlando Cabrera snapped the quiet with a sharp grounder between second and third that looked to be an easy base hit for the home team. The 37-year-old Derek Jeter, in his second game back after more than two weeks on the D.L., grabbed the ball as he spun in one fluid motion, like shine off a diamond, thunder-bolting a cross-field throw to Jorge Posada at first.

Mr. Cabrera was out by an inch. Read More