Martha Stewart, our nemesis, had known Crip "Snoop Dogg" on her daytime television program, during which time the two discussed drug paraphenalia, in front of children. "Snoop Dogg" advocated adding illegal drugs to brownies, prompting Stewart to laugh and respond, "I like what you say." She then sternly ordered "Snoop Dogg," an African-American, to "keep rapping," which he did, out of fear. How long until the authorities put a stop to Martha Stewart's dirty schemes? [Oh and she ripped off the weed brownie bit from George Lopez! How low can you go, Martha?]


Mayor Bloomberg's city-sponsored plan to save the decrepit New York media is finally springing into action! There's a free new program called JumpStart New Media, which teaches you—the laid off "old media" person—how to navigate the wild world of "new media." It includes:

* A 5-day intensive boot camp (1-5 February 2010) to re-orient talent from traditional media firms to succeed in new media companies. Participants will learn through presentations, simulations, and dialog about New York's new media economy and the expectations of its firms. They will assess personal working styles, strengths, and weaknesses, aiming to deliver value in a new context.
* An 8-10 week action-learning project in a new media firm. Some projects may turn into continuing assignments. * Regular mentoring, coaching, and networking to support participants during the project period.
* 2-day wrap-up session on completing a successful transition.

Not included: a job.


One hundred and fifteen media types have made predictions for the coming year, 2010, regarding the media! Here is one from the famed "Mr. Magazine," Samir Husni: "And one final note, Bob Sacks will continue to tell us that e-paper is here. Thank you Bob!" Haha. We don't get it.


Newsweek is selling off Budget Travel magazine to an investment firm, because it's hard enough making money one one magazine, much less two magazines. Happily the lying capitalist owners say they will keep "essentially all" of Budget Travel's employees.

Here is this man, Mark Penn, who hath reaped hardily of all the bounty bestowed upon him by the USA, by the grace of immortal GOD, and his only begotten son. And now he comes with his manmade polls and data and Microtrends, shouting from the virtual rooftops that America is losing its fundamentalist Christianity in favor of fake hippie religions, but that is okay:

The data suggest, though, that modern secularization will not lead us back to Sodom and Gomorrah, where lack of religion caused unrestrained amoral and reckless behavior. Religious Independents have a high belief in values like doing good, giving back to the community, and taking responsibility for our planet.

All Jesus-loving Americans, make your opinions known to Mark Penn at once!

Conde's 2005 staff present: a nice glass bowl.

Conde's 2006 staff present: a Lambertson Truex bag.

Conde's 2007 staff present: an umbrella.

Conde's 2008 staff present: a lovely Lutz & Patmos scarf, available in grey, beige or navy.


But uh, you couldn't eat any of those, without extensive boiling at least, so...Happy Holidays, Nasties. Your company is well aware that those food stamps don't go as far as they used to.

[Brian Moylan pointed out just this week that gift cards are the lamest office gift ever. Read more closely, Conde.]

Woods really cannot catch a break. His wife is divorcing him, his doctor is unlicensed in the US and Accenture are brutally purging his presence from all of their offices and commercials. It's not that much more fun if you're Intel — they're tussling with the government for allegedly stifling competition. And insurgents are using some cheap Russian software to derail US drone attacks.

If you can read, you might also enjoy these stories. (If not, we suggest you watch television.)

• The New York Times follow a Chinese delegation around the Met as they try and take back antiquities we stole.
• The Washington Post say there may be a serial masked rapist on the east coast.
• And the Wall Street Journal points out that Silicon Valley millionaires are still nerds at heart.

Disclosure: I freelance write and report for newspapers that are included in this roundup. Where there is a direct conflict of interest I will make it clear.

The New York Times: has a nice outline the MTA service cuts that essentially mean most New Yorkers will be walking everywhere on evenings and at weekends. Further afield there was a potential conspiracy to replace Karzai in Afghanistan and the difficulties US diplomats face in Islamabad. China want their antiques back, Accenture are doing the ex-boyfriend purge on Tiger Woods and the latest in the paper's series on water in the US reveals more unsavory facts. Enjoy!

The Washington Post: says it sucks to live in Ohio (or former steel towns there anyway) because of the recession. But that the Fed is scaling back crisis measures. Obama is taking on Intel for stifling competition and there may be a serial masked rapist on the east coast. But, heartwarmingly, a woman who was abandoned as a baby was reunited with her rescuers.

The LA Times: examines the balancing act between economic growth and environmental aims Obama must strike in Copenhagen. Earthquake detection systems in California have been improved though, so if the planet collapses seismologists will know about it sooner. The news that regulators are going after Intel is here too, as is an obituary for Roy Disney of... Disney. The feature is about mud flows after a forest fire. It never rains, but it pours.

The Wall Street Journal: leads with an exclusive — insurgents are using $26 software to hack predator drones. No word on whether there's an iPhone app for that yet. The treasury has decided not to sell the Citi stock it holds yet, as they'd have made a loss, and consumers no longer spend in the same way they used to. Also: people in Silicon Valley are nerds.

The New York Post: leads with the news that the AP voted Tiger Woods athlete of the decade. Because he just can't catch a break in terms of his story going away.

The Daily News: reports that Woods' doctor is unlicensed in the US, and that his wife is leaving him. Merry Christmas/Happy Hannukah/Joyful Kwanza Tiger!

Washington Express: has the best picture of a crazed climate protester ever.

El Punt: sounds like a Spanish swearword.

Says our tipster:

A Steve Forbes memo at the start of the latest layoffs said the hardships would be "company-wide" but as soon as the last worker was cut, the survivors were told they were getting a paid holiday the last week of December. Interesting, huh.

Yes: Allen Salkin, writer of innumerable rage-inducing (but often entertaining!) Styles features is reportedly among the layoffs. Assuming this is accurate, we are now in mourning. Daily Intel's full list:

Eric Konigsberg - Culture
Sara Rimer - National
Christine Hauser - Metro
Josh Barbanel - Real Estate
Mitch Blumenthal - Continuous News
Kate Galbraith - Business
Allen Salkin - Styles
Monica Evanchik - Web

And one more: C. Spencer Beggs, Multimedia producer for the New York Times News Service/Syndicate, tells us: "I'm out Dec. 31. Been there a year and a half. Got 4 weeks salary. I was full-time, non-union."

On a separate front: We've heard of two NYT blogs which are being shut down: Economix and Green Inc.. The reason given for both was they were not bringing in enough revenue. The people working on them (we think) are not losing their jobs.

UPDATE: We received the following email from NYT spokesperson Diane McNulty:

Hamilton,
As you know, The Times does not and will not discuss personnel matters, nor reveal any names or numbers relating to the current staff reduction. As a result, The Times cannot and will not comment on the list of specific names you picked up from NY Magazine, except to say the list is in error, as is the information you posted about our blogs. There have been no decisions about shutting down either of those blogs.
Thanks,
Diane

UPDATE 2: Tipsters have sent us the following additional names (unconfirmed):

—Ross M. Schneiderman - web producer (worked on Economix blog)
—Jim Nelson Norman - biz copy desk
—Three news assistants from the Editorial dept.

Styles editor Jennifer Kingson was also named by Daily Intel as a layoff victim, but she emails us: "I haven't been laid off, and I'm not getting laid off. The condolence calls from friends are touching, but misplaced. Can you please take me off your list?" Sure!

UPDATE 3: Via email: "My name is Michele Monteleone and I am an Emmy Nominated Video Journalist at The New York Times....or was. I was laid off too."

[If you know more, email us. Pics via NYT and January]

A couple of years ago, Caitlin Kelly made a third of her income freelancing for the New York Times; now, she says, the competition and the long wait times make it hardly worth the bother. Also, "the line-up for the Times' remaining assignments already stretches, for one section editor I know, into April." Crikey! So that's why the Style section is always five months late on trends.


A tipster full of holiday cheer tells us there is free food in the News Corp. lobby today. "Yeah, we ain't got no holiday party. BUT WE GOT MUFFINS!" Rejoice!


It is kind of sad (although not surprising, or even a bad idea!) that the Miami Herald is now just stone cold soliciting donations on its website, to try to not go broke, but it is even sadder that this debasement won't work out for them.


Regret The Error gives the already famous WaPo "911/ 9-11" correction its correction of the year, so let's look at one of the many fine runners-up:

News Tribune (Washington State):

A photo caption on Tuesday's Page A8 said a student was performing the Heimlich maneuver on a dummy. The student was actually playing around and pretending to choke the dummy

The New Republic is laying off six editorial staffers, including senior editor Chris Orr.

Keller's letter, from March 2008, is here; below, the response at the time from Marcus Brauchli, who was then managing editor of the WSJ. Spat!

Dr. Robert D. Spector, Chairman
The George Polk Award
Long Island University
1 University Plaza
Brooklyn, New York, 11201-5372

Dear Dr. Spector:

Rebecca Blumenstein has sent me word of a complaint by Bill Keller about the languange in a press release about the Polk awarded to Shai Oster.

Mr. Keller's claim is a surprise to us, and we believe it is without merit. He bases his assertion on a government news-agency report that conflicts with other government news-agency reports he could as easily have cited. Our articles, which your press release describes, rest on our reporting.

In his letter, Mr. Keller challenges the accuracy of your press release and, by implication, our reporting. He asserts that the relocation of four million people has "only an indirect relationship to the dam itself." He goes on to say that "any claim that China plans to move so many people as a result of the problems, much less as the result of any newspaper story, is false."

We have never claimed that China announced the relocations as the result of our articles. But China is planning relocations and they are connected to the environmental situation surrounding the Three Gorges. "Some local officials say the new relocation is purely about spurring economic growth," Shai Oster's article of Nov. 6 says, "but the government's own researchers recommended millions of relocations to respond to the environmental hazard."

Mr. Keller should know this: his newspaper followed the Journal's lead in writing about relocations connected to the troubles at the dam. "The Chinese government has announced that it will relocate an additional three million to four million people from the banks of the Yangtze River because of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam," Howard French wrote in the Times. The New York Times hasn't published a correction, as far as we know.

Mr. Keller also suggests that he is unable to determine "the pedigree" of the claim that China hopes to relocate more people as a result of problems surrounding the building of the dam. Our sourcing is crystal clear in the article. We relied on interviews with government officials, China's official Xinhua News Agency-the same agency Mr. Keller cites in his letter-scholars and members of government-backed think tanks who provided the research for resettlement plans.

On Nov. 27, several weeks after our story ran, Chinese cabinet officials held a press conference in which they defended the dam, even as they acknowledged rising costs to address its environmental impact. The Wall Street Journal and the Times both filed pieces on the government response. The Journal included the official's assertion that the additional relocations were not related to the dam. The Times chose not to include that denial in its story, or to address the issue of the resettlements at all.

In our articles last year, we acknowledged that there are several factors at play behind the relocations, which we cited in our coverage. But there is no question that the paramount reason for the pending relocation lies in the environmental problems triggered by the dam, which were known to government officials long before we first reported them.

For years, the subject of the Three Gorges Dam was so sensitive that discussion of it was virtually banned in China, despite growing evidence of problems as the water level rose. Journal reporter Shai Oster's story on the unforeseen environmental problems at the dam on Aug. 29, along with his subsequent coverage, finally broke that silence and spurred vital reporting and questioning of the project that continues today.

We take great pride that your committee found our coverage worthy of a Polk, and we stand by our reporting.

Sincerely,

Marcus W. Brauchli
Managing Editor
The Wall Street Journal.

STAGE ONE: Remember way back, when the story first broke? A mysterious car accident; an angry wife; unclear circumstances. At that time, the big question was what the legal fallout would be. Will Tiger go to jail, OMG? No. He got a ticket.

STAGE TWO: Oh, he was cheating! All those girls! First the first girl, then another, and another and another and another and then some more after that. The big question: Hey, are there any sexxxy photos of these ladies? There were some! This stage went on so long that everyone actually got tired and stopped paying attention. New women may still be coming forward, who even knows?

STAGE THREE: Well, we knew all the bad stuff he did. What about his career? What about his sponsors? What about golf? What will happen? Here's what happened: The skittish sponsors left him, and he gave up golf, at least until all this shit blows over (somewhat). Exactly what you would have expected, in other words.

STAGE FOUR: Here's where we are now. The last real remaining question: Can Tiger save his marriage? Answer, apparently: No. Duh. The new drama is how much money Elin will get (our guess: a lot). If he gets divorced he'll be free to go back to womanizing, unrestrained by a wife and picky sponsors and golf tournaments to wake up for. La dee da.

The one thing missing in all this, of course, is drama. Once the divorce goes through, there's little meat left on this story. It's all bone and tabloid grease drippings. Tiger was just voted Athlete of the Decade by the AP. Perfect timing. He can take the next decade off, go spend a few hundred million dollars, assemble a worldwide harem, then come back to golf when this story is long gone. And still dominate, probably. It's what he does.

But find another story to get entertain you. This one's almost done.

The death of televangelist Oral Roberts also makes the front page pretty much everywhere. In fact, on the cover of the Washington Post, he's under news that gay marriage has been approved by the council there. Which shows how much things have changed since he was born in the early 1900s.

Other stories that are interesting to read and process, and contain nice information include:

• The New York Times say Lloyd Blankfein likes quick profits. Who knew?
• The Washington Post gives us the good news about gay marriage.
• And the Wall Street Journal shows the hypocrisy of 'fiscal conservative' members of congress who are happy to rack up government spending on their own junkets.

Disclosure: I freelance write and report for newspapers that are included in this roundup. Where there is a direct conflict of interest I will make it clear.

Here's the announcement, and some of Stengel's rationale. The magazine, essentially, feels that he stopped a recession becoming a depression. It comes the day before a Senate committee vote on whether Bernanke deserves a second term. The article itself is here.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Big Ski is muzzling the frozen press! David Carr takes a deeper look at the case of a Colorado newspaperman who got fired after upsetting a ski resort company with a story, and concludes that, yes, he was probably fired for that reason, after the company pulled its ads from the paper. He also finds another case of self-censorship induced by pressure from the same ski company, leading us to the unavoidable conclusion that skiers are total pussies, dude.


Oh, last night was the annual White House Press Corps Shit-eating Kowtowing Fake Smile Holiday Party, where reporters who pretend to be impartial to the president get to finally go to the White House and take pictures with the president, which can really help you get laid, if you're a White House reporter. Check out how the "veteran journalist" attendee in this story refuses to be quoted by name! Because deep down, the journalists are ashamed. Very deep down.
Any journalist who steals something from the White House gets a pass, though.


The New Yorker is dropping its Winter Fiction Issue this year in favor of a special issue on "world changers," who are not fictional. The winners: Ad sales, world changers. The losers: Fictional things.


Folio magazine (still living!) reports that 428 magazines died in 2009, which is actually fewer than in the past two years! Of course, all the weakest are long dead already, so. Everything is still terrible.

From: Corporate Affairs
Date: December 15, 2009
To: Corporate Affairs
Subject: A note to all staff: Mr. Murdoch's Holiday Greetings 2009

Dear Colleagues,

This has been one of the most challenging periods in our history, but,
as I wrote to you in February, the steps we are taking today will
define the character of our company for many years to come.

As I have travelled around the world, I have been struck by your
resilience and creativity, even in the face of the sharpest
advertising downturn ever. In tough times, our company is leading the
industry in expanding and adjusting our business models to reflect the
huge changes that are underway across the media landscape.

You've made difficult decisions and instituted unique solutions to
ensure our businesses continue to perform at the highest levels.
Thanks to your hard work, I am confident that we enter the new decade
strongly positioned, renewed in spirit and determination, and prepared
for more progress and success.

Together we informed and entertained, but more importantly, enriched
the lives of hundreds of millions of people across the globe. We
continued to pursue our goal of being the world's best producer of
media content, spreading the message of freedom we all believe in.
Across all our businesses we advanced our digital initiatives, while
holding true to our values and commitment to change for the better,
including our support for clean energy and the environment.

In news, we asserted the value of quality journalism in society. Many
of our newspapers are among the world's best performing. In
publishing, we produced stories that captured readers' interests and
aspirations and made impressive strides towards books' digital future.
In movies, we are providing the most compelling and advanced filmed
entertainment in the industry. Blockbusters like Ice Age 3 and Avatar
may well change forever the way movies are made. Our international TV
assets expanded in many countries and languages, including the number
one network group in the world's largest democracy, India. We extended
pay-TV in Western Europe. FOX News in the U.S. remains the undisputed
cable news leader. FOX Business Network is growing its viewership and
Fox Broadcasting Company had its best fall season ever.

Alone, each of these accomplishments is impressive. Together, they are
a record of achievement few, if any, companies can match. Above all,
they reflect the immense talent and leadership that you and your
colleagues around the world bring to News Corporation every day. We
are stronger because of your dedication. I am very grateful for your
efforts and very proud of your performance.

My sincere best wishes to you and your families for the holidays.

Rupert Murdoch

E&P is going to publish its January issue and keep its website running through the first of the year. But there's more than that: We hear E&P editor Greg Mitchell has received multiple calls from parties interested in possibly buying the magazine, and that he's working furiously to make some kind of deal happen. Mitchell declined to comment to us, though the magazine said today "a number of outside companies and individuals have expressed interest in possibly keeping E&P going, so stay tuned for updates."

We don't know what exactly a buyer would want to keep from the totality of E&P. The print magazine? Seems doubtful. But the archives and the brand name certainly have some value, and it could *potentially* remain in existence as a website, with a smaller staff. Somebody must stand up to Romenesko's sinister newspaper meta-news monopoly!

[Just kidding Romenesko! We sacrificed a goat to you just this morning!]

December 14, 2009

Guild upheld on seniority rights in ruling on Newsroom layoffs

An arbitrator on Monday upheld Times' Newroom employees' seniority rights, added an annual week of severance pay for employees properly laid off in inverse order of seniority and sped up the challenge process for those laid off out of seniority in a ruling that resolved in the Guild's favor most aspects of a multi-faceted dispute over job security.

The binding decision by Arbitrator Martin Scheinman, issued a day before Times management targets approximately 26 Newsroom employees for layoff, provides fresh clarity to a process that had been clouded by disputes since last year's Newsroom layoffs.

After accepting the buyout applications of 74 News-side employees (60 Guild and 14 non-Guild) last week, Times management is expected on Tuesday to target additional Newsroom employees for involuntary layoffs to reach its goal of 100 job cuts. The numbers might change if people change their minds and revoke their buyout application.

The arbitrator's ruling sustained the Guild's view that seniority used to determine Newsroom employees' vulnerability to layoffs must be measured by their service in the entire News Department. In last year's round of job cuts, management had taken the position that seniority gets reset to zero each time an employee moves to a new desk.

Under the ruling, employees laid off in inverse order of seniority will receive three weeks per year of severance pay, instead of two weeks, the same rate as employees who are involuntarily laid off out of order, and will have to sign a release, as they currently do. Employees with the least amount of seniority are generally most vulnerable to layoffs, but management can pass over more senior employees if it determines that a less senior employee's qualifications are "superior."

Employees laid off out of seniority order who do not challenge their dismissals may receive their severance payments in a lump sum or in monthly installments, in exchange for signing a separation agreement and general release, Scheinman ruled.

Those who challenge their out-of-seniority layoffs will have their cases decided by Scheinman within 30 days of the Guild's demand for a hearing, during which time they will receive no severance pay. If they prevail, they will be reinstated. If not, they may receive their severance pay only in monthly installments, in exchange for signing a separation agreement and general release.

The issue of whether the release negated rehire rights had been in dispute, and has now been resolved by the arbitrator in the following manner.

If The Times hires more than two employees in a classification from which Newsroom employees were laid off within the past 12 months, the Guild may challenge the layoff "as having been not in good faith, not bona fide, or a subterfuge," Scheinman said.

"In the arbitration, the Guild would have to demonstrate hiring individuals rather than rehiring employees involuntarily terminated within the preceding 12 months was unreasonable," he said. "The Times would have the responsibility to explain why it did not instead rehire employees involuntarily terminated within the preceding 12 months."

If the Guild prevails in such a challenge, Scheinman said The Times would have to offer to rehire involuntarily a laid-off employee, even if they signed a general release.

"We are pleased that the arbitrator has upheld the most important aspects of our position," said New York Guild president Bill O'Meara. "We also now have clarity on how layoffs are to be conducted and will have a swifter way of resolving future layoff disputes, which is of great benefit to Guild members," he added.

Guild offers plan to avert loss of News Service jobs

Responding to a management proposal to subcontract the News Service, the Guild last week offered a comprehensive package of cost savings aimed at keeping the operation and its 28 Guild-represented jobs in New York. Talks are continuing.

As reported, Times management notified the Guild a few weeks ago that it intends to subcontract the News Service to a Times Company-owned entity in Gainesville, Florida.

Workers there would be hired at about half the current rate of pay in effect here. That notification triggered a 60-day period during which the Guild can attempt to convince management not to go forward with its plans. The Guild proposal would cut costs by about 31 percent, saving the company nearly $900,000 a year.

It's a sad day if you were hoping that the combined might of President Obama and Democratic majorities in both houses might sneak some form of accountability for the insurance industry into the healthcare reform bill. The incompetents, charlatans and shills in American politics have won the day, and it's looking increasingly likely there will be no medicare expansion or public option. Which makes us feel like this. Meanwhile Tiger Woods is watching his life fall apart — even his doctor is under investigation. And the President is trying to get big banks to look away from the gleaming piles of bonus that will completely preoccupy them until next spring and start lending again.

Other stories that are interesting to read and process, and contain nice information include:

• The New York Times say it's not just you who hates Joe Lieberman. Everyone does.
• The Los Angeles Times reports, as do others, that Guantanamo prisoners will be moved to a jail in Illinois.
• And the Wall Street Journal says that China is a leader in the field of green technology. A day after the New Yorker said exactly the same thing.

Disclosure: I freelance write and report for newspapers that are included in this roundup. Where there is a direct conflict of interest I will make it clear.

The New York Times: leads with a poll on the trauma of joblessness. Obama features in three of the above-the-fold stories; he's pressing big banks to lend more, is being defied by Pakistan and has reached a "strident impasse" (which makes no sense as a phrase — can an impasse be strident?) on climate talks with China. Below the fold it looks momentarily like sci-fi character Dr. Who treated top athletes, but in fact it's a story about a doping enquiry for a Canadian medic who treated Tiger Woods among others. And finally, a great piece on how infuriating Joe Lieberman is.

The Washington Post: leads with two wars of attrition — between the two halves of Palestine and between the two halves of congress over healthcare reform. Obama's call to banks to stop worrying about their bonuses and start lending is here, next to piece on mounting evidence that Iran has nuclear arms expertise. And there's a local feature about the holidays and a picture of a little person in a big coat.

The LA Times: leads with news that Guantanamo detainees will be moved to a prison in Illinois, and the sad tale of the death of meaningful healthcare reform. Obama's call to banks to get off their fat-cat asses and lend some money is reported, next to a local story about the unexpected death of a teenager at a party. The paper also says that Libyan militants are turning their backs on Al Qaeda, and that the founder of Guess Jeans may go bankrupt.

The Wall Street Journal: says that Citigroup and Wells Fargo paying back their bailout money is a milestone in the rescue of the financial sector. The paper has almost precisely the same China-is-green story as written by Evan Osnos in this week's New Yorker, which must have caused some consternation when they saw the magazine yesterday. A report that the public option is dead appears above news of a more civilised-sounding battle to clear pigs from the streets of Corsica.

The New York Post: outlines precisely the ways in which Tiger Woods is in the doghouse, and says he's on the edge after his career and life came crashing down. Hell hath no fury, etc. At least nothing else could go wrong...

The Examiner: has many interesting stories in it. But is here because it is printed using "soy inks," and is thus a delicious San Francisco cliche come true. And also a creepy example of the freakish versatility of soy. What's next, soy cars? Soy televisions? (UPDATE: a tipster says most papers are printed with soy ink these days. It's a conspiracy!)

Winnipeg Sun (Canada): reports that a lady, who did not know she was pregnant, gave birth accidentally into her toilet.

New York Times environmental reporter Andrew Revkin tells CJR he will be taking a buyout (though he hopes to continue writing his NYT blog), confirming earlier rumors. Probably because we now know global warming is a hoax.


At a time when America has lost nearly 90,000 print media jobs in the last year, NPR goes and hires a Canadian as head of its new investigative unit. One, do they even have radio technology in Canada, yet? Two, NPR has always hated America. So.


Chinese propaganda people have demoted a newspaper editor there who did an unauthorized and subsequently censored interview with Obama during his visit there. Kudos to the Chinese for demonstrating how to keep the liberal media under control. (Can you do anything about NPR?)


Here is a story about the promotion of Vanessa Holden to editor of Martha Stewart Living magazine. Conspicuously absent from the story: Any response from Martha Stewart, our archenemy, to our most recent charges against her, namely that she is unpatriotic and "sleeping with the enemy," as it were. Why do you continue to stonewall us, Martha? The American people deserve an answer.

Carr's non-shocking thesis today: Since Rupert Murdoch bought the WSJ, he's turned it into more of a general interest paper, and its Washington coverage leans right, as evidenced by Robert Thomson's hiring of a right-wing deputy managing editor, and also evidenced by the fact that that's what several WSJ staffers tell Carr, and also evidenced by reading the paper. Robert Thomson will not let this observation stand!

From: Thomson, Robert
Sent: Monday, December 14, 2009 11:06 AM
To: Christie, Robert
Subject: Statement by Robert Thomson on The New York Times

The news column by a Mr David Carr today is yet more evidence that The New York Times is uncomfortable about the rise of an increasingly successful rival while its own circulation and credibility are in retreat. The usual practice of quoting ex-employees was supplemented by a succession of anonymous quotes and unsubstantiated assertions. The attack follows the extraordinary actions of Mr Bill Keller, the Executive Editor, who, among other things, last year wrote personally and at length to a prize committee casting aspersions on Journal journalists and journalism. Whether it be in the quest for prizes or in the disparagement of competitors, principle is but a bystander at The New York Times.

Robert Thomson,

Editor-in-Chief, Dow Jones.

Rather feisty, no? We've emailed both papers to try to get more info and responses to the allegations against Bill Keller. In the meantime, our diagnosis: Rupert Murdoch and his peons are essentially drunk barroom fighters. They love this shit. Keep it coming, plz.
UPDATE: John Koblin gets a strong I-stand-by-the-column from Bill Keller.
UPDATE 2: NYT PR sends us the same statement the NYO got, namely:

Here's a response from Bill Keller:

While David's column clearly got under Mr. Thomson's skin, I don't see anything in this response that casts doubt upon it. The column was scrupulously fair and, if anything, understated, and I have no inclination to help Mr. Thomson change the subject.

But probably not as he's still worth millions (or even a billion). Financial news dominates — and it is apparently OK to run standard recession stories again. They've formed a bell curve that is inversely proportional to the path of the crisis itself. As the recession began we had thousands of 'the downturn will affect (insert topic here)' stories. During the long, dull grind of penury everyone was too busy being poor to read about it, so we had a small respite. Now, as a recovery is tentatively whispered about, we get stories like these:

• The Los Angeles Times has two pieces that feel like they're rehashed from a year ago — graduate jobs are down, movie attendances are up.
• The New York Times says that Citigroup will pay back its bailout money.
• And the Wall Street Journal reports on the soul-destroying impact the recession has had on kids sitting on Santa's knee — they now ask for essentials their families can't afford, instead of toys.

Disclosure: I freelance write and report for newspapers that are included in this roundup. Where there is a direct conflict of interest I will make it clear.

The New York Times: reports that Citigroup is preparing to pay back the bailout money it received. It's amazing what a motivator bonuses are. In the story on one side, in what can only be described a socialist story placement, the paper says people in Bolivia are struggling to find water. On the other is a report that Governor Paterson has withheld about $250m from schools and local government as an emergency measure. Youth prison in New York is appalling, Facebook viruses are annoying (though arguably not really news) and Paul A. Samuelson, Nobel Prize-winning economist is dead at 94.

The Washington Post: looks a bit silly because Abu Dhabi bailed Dubai out after they went to press. So they've got a whole, mostly obsolete, big story on the meaning of a missed bond payment that wasn't missed. Reporting that still stands includes stories on efforts to turn insurgents in Afghanistan, the senate spending bill, more political ridiculousness in California and a Virginia vigilante lady who takes down illegal roadside signs.

The LA Times: have two recession stories that feel well-worn — graduates are struggling to find jobs, but movie attendance is up. There are very interesting pieces on efforts to curb 'stealth' greenhouse gases, that are not as well-publicized as carbon dioxide, and the fact that drone attacks are to spread to Pakistani cities. Teachers sometimes struggle to control kids (hold the front... oh) and there's a look at what it's like to live near the US/Mexican drug wars in Baja, California.

The Wall Street Journal: proves once more it is significantly the most fun broadsheet by running a huge picture of Berlusconi after he was hit yesterday. They cover the big business story — Bank of America's CEO search continues — but fun it up further with an interesting look at the Google phone, the fact the government is now in the venture capital business and a heartbreaking tale of lowered expectations when kids go to see santa.

The New York Post: it's a rare day that the Post and the New Yorker share a story — but Tiger Woods seems to unite the lowbrow and highbrow media. Especially when it comes to his losing corporate sponsorship. Both this piece and James Surowiecki's New Yorker column cover the topic.

The Daily News: covers the same story, but adds news that Woods was with a mistress when his dad died. Which, by the law of averages, is not that surprising.

Sun-Sentinel: ever wondered how big a manatee is in relation to a submarine. This diagram means you need wonder no more!

Herald-Sun (Australia): and here's a new phrase for you: king-hit.

The Harvard Business Review is ready to motherfucking party! Lock up your whore daughters and hide your prescription drugs, Harvard Business Review readers, because the newly redesigned Harvard Business Review is running up in your house next year wearing nothing but a shotgun and a big dick! "That cover list of articles is gone; instead, the cover shows a photograph of a sculpture made from office chairs and a redesigned logo. Inside, the Review breaks up stories with sidebars and graphics, and is adding columnists and some lighter features." Bow down, cocksuckers!


Kyle Pope, the new editor of the New York Observer, has picked Christopher Stewart—who Pope worked with at Portfolio—as his deputy editor. Let's hope the Observer is not the new Portfolio!


Everybody in the media world is sad about the death of Editor & Publisher. As are we! But whereas journoblogger James Kristie is convinced that this marks "a bottom in the death plunge of the print media industry," we're afraid that death plunge will not stop until the print media industry is, you see, dead.


Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck are now going to war against their liberal archenemy, Law & Order. This is too stupid to summarize further.

Ikimilusa Livingston—a black woman who is still a working General Assignment Post reporter (and has been for 13 years), who used to cover courts—has joined the suit filed last month by Austin Fenner, a veteran black Post reporter who was fired in November (after editor Sandra Guzman, who filed her own similar lawsuit). In his original suit, Fenner alleged "pervasive discrimination and harassment" at the Post, based on race.

The suit has now been updated to include Livingston's own complaints, which echo Fenner's. She says she was effectively banned from the newsroom (indeed, when we called her today the City Desk transferred us to her cell phone, apparently because she has no office phone):

Livingston says in her complaint that she was paid less than white colleagues with less experience, and denied stories she wanted to write. Like the others, she says that after she complained about the infamous Dead Chimpanzee cartoon, the company put her on its shit list and gave her poor performance reviews. Perhaps her juiciest allegation:Steve Dunleavy, recently retired legendary drunk Post columnist, was a huge racist:

She also says in her complaint that her white editors shot down her story ideas and passed off her work to white reporters. For example:

When we contacted Livingston today she referred us to Ken Thompson, her lawyer. "Not one white reporter has been banned from the newsroom," Thompson told us, pointing out that both Fenner and Livingston say they have—since December of 2008, in Livingston's case. "You have to conclude it was based on her race."

Thompson said it was rare for someone to file a suit like Livingston's while still employed at the place she's suing, but that she was seeking to improve working conditions for reporters of the future. Fenner and Livingston are seeking economic damages related to lower wages due to discrimination (and, for Fenner, unemployment); compensatory damages for their emotional distress; and punitive damages, to punish News Corp and the Post.

The company is due to file its own response to Guzman's lawsuit this month, and to Fenner and Livingston's suit in January, according to Thompson.

There are a few downer stories — there was a gun battle in Times Square, the former chairman of the Met died and life in Iran is not so fun. It's also a bummer to be Tiger Woods these days. And a New York Times exclusive reveals that Blackwater are still the scum of the earth. But apart from that it's all sunshine and light. Christmas has come early!

Other rainbows and unicorns stories:

• The New York Times reports that unfair libel laws in England will be changed, and that TV networks are to stop glorifying the violence in football.
• The Los Angeles Times says that reality TV producers, chastened by the Salahis and Richard Heene, will start selecting their mildly-unhinged stars more carefully.
• And the Wall Street Journal finds that even Bernie Madoff can be happy in jail.

Disclosure: I freelance write and report for newspapers that are included in this roundup. Where there is a direct conflict of interest I will make it clear.

The New York Times: does not like big, evil companies — they report that Goldman Sachs will change bonuses to try and stop everyone hating them, and has an exclusive; The Worst People In The World™ Blackwater have participated in CIA raids. The shootout in Times Square is here too, as is the death of former Met director Thomas Hoving. There's intriguing news for anyone in the media — England, which has wildly unfair libel laws slanted in the direction of celebs who feel they've been wronged, is considering changing them. And TV networks have toned down the cartoon sound effects whenever football players collide, in an attempt to stop glorifying brain-damage-causing injuries.

The Washington Post: analyzes President Obama's Nobel acceptance speech, and reveals a new plan by his administration to target bailout money at small businesses. The five Virginia men arrested in Pakistan were allegedly wannabe-jihadists who were rejected and, in local news, the Washington Nationals Vice President will run a marathon in Antarctica and there's a shakeup in the management of the DC Metro.

The LA Times: also reports Obama's speech and the changes in Goldman Sachs' bonuses. They also interview the lesbian priest who's causing scandal in the Anglican church (you go girl). The feature is about a dog sanctuary that takes in the worst-of-the-worst, and next to it is a story about how reality TV producers choose people for their shows (and how that might change post-Salahi and Balloon Boy.) Coincidental page placement?

The Wall Street Journal: has the Goldman Sachs/Nobel Peace Prize combo too (it's pretty rarely you see that set of words in one sentence). Bernie Madoff is making friends in jail — we just hope he's not investing their cigarettes and sexual favors for them — and thousands are fleeing Iran as the government there cracks down.

The New York Post: gets some mileage out of the application of the word 'ho', but leads with the gun battle in Times Square.

The Daily News: has the same two stories, in the opposite order of prominence.

Philadelphia Daily News: smiling faces! Optimism! God bless America! (This is non-sarcastic.)

The Guardian (UK): reveal more ridiculously archaic MPs expenses — the latest come after the paper crowdsourced the politicians' receipts. Over $30,000 for repairs to a bell tower!

Except that we don't understand what he's saying really. First he told Kelly the carbon-copy cover only made it onto newsstands, and that subscribers got a different one. Which makes it sound like a mistake. But then he added:

...it was not inadvertent, and it was part of overall branding strategies that we wouldn't share for magazines, books, international editions, mobile applications or anything else.

Which sounds a bit like something Sarah Palin would say — it has lots of plausible-sounding words in it, and sort-of scans if you read it casually, but actually makes no sense whatsoever. Is he saying this was a deliberate attempt to brand books, international editions etc like a 2007 cover? Or that they have some secret reason that they "wouldn't share"? Get in touch Dave! We'll run a whole new story, with a different headline and everything, featuring your explanation.

"Management informed the Guild that it has accepted a total of 74 News-side employees (60 Guild and 14 non-Guild) for the buyout. That leaves the possibility of as many as 26 involuntary reductions in staff, given that The Times announced its intention to eliminate 100 Newsroom positions by the end of December. On the business side, 61 people submitted buyout applications and the company accepted 42 of the applicants. "

Our customer service is closed due to an emergency situation. A
response to your email could be delayed. Thank you for your patience
during this situation.

That response was sent barely an hour ago! What is the emergency, Vanity Fair? Please fill us in at once!

UPDATE: Probably the weather in the Midwest, sounds like!

Big editorial shake up at Ad Age: Top editor Jonah Bloom is leaving to become CEO and editor in chief of Breaking Media, the blog network that publishes Above The Law, DealBreaker, and others. Ad Age senior editor Matt Creamer is going with him, to become a top editor at Breaking Media. Ad Age's new executive editor is Abby Klaassen, who was digital editor.


Mediaititititie had a party. A fancy party! At The Plaza! Look at all these pictures of the party. There are many famous people there. The less famous people there are attractive! It sure ain't our party. But as we always tell ourselves, "Unattractive people make up for it by being smarter, that's what my mom said."


Nieman Journalism Lab writes an entire article about what journalists will be "fighting about in 2010" and leaves off the most obvious thing: scraps of bread.


Amazon has dropped the price of Sarah Palin's book to a mere $7.99. The liberal media is trying to spin this as another battle in the "Book Price Wars," but plainly Sarah Palin wants to be able to tell her readers that her book is now only half the cost of Lowrey's Bacon Curls Microwave Pork Rinds. (Their favorite food because they're so dumb). (Not classist).

The New York Times needed to cut its staff. Its newsroom staff is too big for the paper to survive for the long term. And with a newsroom that large, there is inevitably dead weight. Still, every person that leaves is something lost for the paper.

Metro Section: It was bloated, with 50 reporters but no standalone section in the paper. Buyout takers from the section were Ralph Blumenthal, Nicole Collins, Paul Nielsen, Tina Kelley and Jenny 8. Lee, who was the biggest individual brand name to take the (meager) money and run. With such a relatively modest news hole, it's doubtful that the departures will be very visible in the print product; the question is whether the NYT can keep its City Room blog (which Lee had a hand in) as excellent as it's been. It could soon become more important than the print Metro section, in terms of influence. Other, smaller blogs by Metro staffers could well get cut in the NYT blog purge, so they're not as much of a worry.(The same goes for every other section, of course).

Business: It was also big, with 85 staffers, but more justifiably so. But they lost some serious quality reporters. Buyout takers include Louis Uchitelle, Alex Berenson, Jonathan Glater, Leslie Wayne, Edmund Andrews, and Geraldine Fabrikant. Andrews and Fabrikant would probably be considered the two biggest names leaving.

Sports: They lost Jack Curry, a big name, and Giants reporter Joe Lapointe. The sports section is expected to get hit hard in the round of layoffs, mostly because the connection between the NYT and the very concept of "sports" has always been tenuous. Although it's a very good section! It will survive.

DC: Stephen Labaton, Neil Lewis, David Johnston, and David Stout are all leaving. Also, the Business desk in DC has been rather decimated, we hear. The paper will have to staff back up. Between pressure from the WSJ on a national scale, and the increased DC focus of the weakened Washington Post, and Politico, the Times can't afford to lose any ground in its DC coverage.

More broadly, these buyouts signal the end of the classic New York Times culture. The paper used to be a job for life, with tenure as strong as the most bureaucratic college and a bureaucracy as entrenched as The Pentagon's. Those days, by necessity, are ending for good. Slowly, NYT employees are being forced to show and prove to justify their own paychecks. Just like employees of normal media outlets!

A year from now, many more newsroom employees will be gone. And things will be tighter at the NYT. For better or worse, they're going to lose some flab. And a fair amount of mystique.

[Special shout out to the many departing members of the NYT copy desk. Copy editors will soon be a luxury remembered wistfully.]

UPDATE: Editor & Publisher, the venerable trade magazine covering the newspaper business also owned by Nielsen, is being shuttered as part of the deal, according to a memo from Nielsen Business Media president Greg Farrar posted by Jim Romenesko (and pasted below). Which means that one of the premiere chroniclers of the long, slow, death of the newspaper business is now dead. E&P dates back to 1884 or 1901, depending on how you look at it, and has employed some extremely smart, and talented media reporters. Kirkus Reviews is also being shut down, leaving the business of anodyne early book reviews to Publishers Weekly. Very sad.

Message from Greg Farrar

Dear Colleagues,

Today, we announced that Nielsen Business Media has reached an agreement with e5 Global Media Holdings, LLC, a new company formed jointly by Pluribus Capital Management and Guggenheim Partners, for the sale of eight brands in the Media and Entertainment Group, including Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek, The Clio Awards, Backstage, Billboard, Film Journal International and The Hollywood Reporter. e5 Global Media Holdings has also agreed to acquire our Film Expo business, which includes the ShoWest, ShowEast, Cinema Expo International and CineAsia trade shows.

In addition, we've made the decision to cease operations for Editor & Publisher and Kirkus Reviews.

This move will allow us to strengthen investment in our core businesses – those parts of our portfolio that have the greatest potential for growth – and ensure our long-term success. We remain committed to building our trade show group and affiliated brands. These assets continue to be a key part of The Nielsen Company's overall portfolio and we strongly believe they are positioned to grow as the economy recovers. In addition, we'll continue to assess the strategic fit of our remaining portfolio of publications.

As a result of these decisions, many of our friends and colleagues within these businesses will be leaving the company or will begin to transition to the new ownership immediately. These venerable brands have long been an important part of our Business Media family, and we are pleased that e5 will continue to capitalize on the brands' potential. The transition is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

Pluribus Capital was founded in 2009 by James Finkelstein, George Green and Matthew Doull to focus on acquiring and managing industry leading media properties with high growth potential, particularly those with strong brand recognition across multiple platforms including digital, print and events. Guggenheim Partners is a privately held, diversified financial services firm. Both Pluribus and Guggenheim have strong track records of successfully managing investments in a variety of companies.

I want to take this opportunity to offer heartfelt thanks to our colleagues who will be leaving the company for their dedication and commitment to Nielsen over the years. Please join me in wishing them well in their future endeavors.

Regards,

Greg Farrar
President
Nielsen Business Media

The other big story is the arrest of five American men linked to militants in Pakistan. It's the third or fourth similar tale this year, so expect to see some serious features on the topic in the near future. The tabloids keep pulling nuggets from the rich Tiger Woods seam — today one of his mistresses (number eight? maybe number nine?) spills even more beans and there are some juicy new text messages flying around.

If that is not enough diversion for you:

• The New York Times reports on the misery of old people in rural areas. It's a hoot. Perhaps put on Barber's Adagio for Strings before reading.
• The Washington Post finds out those crackpot right-wing teabaggers' plans for the 2010 elections. Expect a lot of borderline mentally-ill people to appear in your neighborhood to campaign soon.
• And the Wall Street Journal finds that Apple is about to take over the world by launching a web version of iTunes.

Disclosure: I freelance write and report for newspapers that are included in this roundup. Where there is a direct conflict of interest I will make it clear.

The New York Times: points out that getting old in the middle of nowhere is hard. Cheery stuff. If said old people fall and break their hips though, Democrats in the senate are hopeful healthcare reform will pass in decent shape. Pakistan has detained five Americans tied to militants (figuratively) and in Britain they're levying a one-time 50 per cent tax on banker bonuses — which should be known as the 'try and save Gordon Brown tax'. The Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland is firing on all cylinders, or whatever it does, and China's neighbors are jealous of its success.

The Washington Post: finds more mortgage shenanigans, and a surge in the ranks of extreme Republicans. It's like being in the early 2000s again. Except that Democrats in the Senate are pleased with the deal that's emerging on healthcare reform. The paper also reports the five men arrested in Pakistan and highlights the plight of people with tattoos who have to cover them up at work.

The LA Times: has the healthcare story too but doesn't feel the Pakistan arrests worthy of the front page. There's a piece on rising costs at the University of California, a look at the battle for Swedish novelist Stieg Larsson's fortune and the news that a new telescope will see in infrared light. The founder of Broadcom is cleared of lying to investigators and yet another Iran internet story.

The Wall Street Journal: reports the backlash on banker pay, and its flipside — the Americans who default on their mortgages and then rent luxury homes at knockdown rates. Apple is planning a web version of iTunes and a look at the power immigration officials have to decide who is culturally relevant.

The New York Post: Tiger Woods really must wish he'd slept with classier women.

The Daily News: he must also wish he'd just called members of his harem instead of texting the whole time.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune: a year after Bernie Madoff's fraud was revealed, a fairly large Ponzi schemer is not even the top story in Minneapolis today.

Aftenposten (Norway): this is probably what Obama read before accepting the Nobel Peace Prize today.

December 9, 2009
The Last Metro

More than 80 years of experience is leaving when we say goodbye to
Ralph Blumenthal, Nicole Collins, Paul Nielsen, Tina Kelley and Jenny
8. Lee. Join us in a toast at 6 p.m. in the Page One conference room.

Ralph Blumenthal, who had not come close to exhausting his appetite
for reporting in all corners of this city, and Nicole Collins, who had
barely begun to taste the huge success she was so clearly destined
for, have opted to take the buyout. So, too, has Paul Nielsen, the
tough minded and deeply smart stalwart of Metro's copy desk. Tina
Kelley, Metro's poet laureate and one of The Local's brave pioneers,
will also be leaving us. She has a great next gig in hand, and so
while her decision filled me with a mix of respect and regret, that
bit of news allows me to be thrilled for her, too. Then there's Jenny
8. Lee, who has spent the last two years as one of the creative and
daring and agile brains behind City Room, and her instincts and
inventiveness have helped make it the second most popular blog in our
empire.

In some ways, of course, it breaks your heart. But I also believe, for
all of them, the decision in many ways must make real sense.

Anyway, amid all the ambivalence - in their souls, in our hearts -
there is certainty: all of them are treasures, and they deserve a real
tribute. Please, then, join us at 6 p.m. Wednesday to give praise,
have a pop, and hear a tale or two - about their time here, or their
adventures ahead.

It'll be in the Page One conference room.

Joe [Sexton, Metro Editor]

Nepotism-enhanced sweat-prone young journalist Luke Russert reportedly went around handing out candy canes to fellow reporters to try to drum up support for his election to some board, but—whoa now!—he targeted the wrong reporters with his sugary bribes, laying low his political efforts. You have much to learn, Luke.


Apparently the NYT's holiday gift guide featured a page called "Of Color/ Stylish Gifts," just for the black people? Ah yes! Here it is, full of all types of black people, and things they might like to buy, who knows? One suggestion: Baby Jamz, "an interactive hip-hop and rhythm-based toy line [that] includes a Mix Master Music Chair that allows children to be their own D.J.'s, a Move 'n Groove dance mat, a Jammin' Microphone and other items." Hip to the hop, black Santa Claus baby!


Lachlan Murdoch is selling off News Corp. stock just as fast as he can , apparently in order to raise cash for all those trade magazines he just bought. We don't know about "business" matters but somehow this seems dumb.


Time Magazine has a listicle of the year issue, featuring the "10 Best Magazine Covers," among many other listicles, and here is the NY Mag cover they say is best. Since these things are intended to start arguments, we'll refrain from arguing. But we will point out that this is one of the Top Ten Reasons Time Magazine Is Perilously Close to Turning Into US News & World Report.



The new Gatecrasher gossip columnist at the NY Daily News: Carson Griffith, a contributing reporter at hellblog Guest of a Guest. She replaces the departed Laura Schreffler. Have fun doing that job, etc., Carson.

2009 will probably end up being the worst ad spending year "in decades," Stuart Elliott reports. But hope is on the horizon! Experts see a positive 2010! How positive?

Oh they really have no idea. The following forecasts were offered by various experts at the UBS Media conference:

Ad increase, 2010: 0.8%, 0.9%, 3.9%, 5.9% . (A 700% range in forecasts!)
How 2009 will compare with 2008: -6.6%, -9.6%, -10.2%, -15%.

So within a staggeringly broad, unscientific range, you can all feel confident.
[Pic via]