Gawker
the rich
Posts Tagged “
Reporting
”
the rich
profnet
Reporter Desperately Seeking Smelly Foot, Genital Information
Ah, Profnet—the easy-peasy electronic service that lets reporters put out requests for even the strangest sources. Then those requests are leaked to us, and we can all have a sympathetic laugh about the endlessly debasing things that freelancers have to go through just to pay the rent. Maybe you can help! Do you know much about smelly feet and/ or vaginas? Please get in touch at once! More »
media
Newsday Reporters Crushed By Weight Of The World
When Cablevision's ruling Dolan family—famous for making reporters' lives hell as they try to cover the Dolan-owned New York Knicks—became the new owners of Newsday , every media reporter in the city simultaneously realized that they could write a funny story about how the asshole Dolans probably won't even speak to their own company's new reporters. And everyone obliged! The Observer wraps the story in a nice little bow, detailing how Newsday editors got "screamed at" for sending a reporter to the Dolans' house. And while the paper's top editors are now obliged to be nice to the Dolans, most of the reporters are pissed off or just sad, as their quotes show pretty plainly: More »
magazines
Purely Random People Coming Together: The National Magazine Awards
When I saw a tall, dark-haired, model-esque woman sliding through the pre-awards crowd at the National Magazine Awards in the Rose Ballroom on 60th St. last night, my canny journalistic sixth sense kicked in. "She sure doesn't look like a magazine writer," I thought. Later, she strode out on stage during the awards ceremony. It was Padma Lakshmi, supermodel. "Fiction. It can...raise fire in the loins," she purred. Half of the audience shifted in their seats. "The sharpest weapon an editor has at her disposal is her pen. (Pause). Or her tongue." It really drove home the primary question in everyone's minds: Isn't this supposed to be, like, a magazine thing? What the fuck are all these famous people doing here? And Julia Allison? An attempted explanation, and some terrible, terrible cell phone pictures to sum up the night, after the jump. More »
scandal
The Decaf Deception: Yalies Rail Against Sleepy Sneak
The Yale Daily News has uncovered a bombshell: The University Dining Services-operated Thain Family Cafe secretly replaced its caffeinated espresso with decaf beans. They've been serving useless, unstimulating brown water to caffeine-fiending students since April 15, with no intention of revealing the ruse. This scrappy student paper got their hands on the documents that prove it: "An unsigned letter received by the News last week included a supposed photocopy of a Thain Café logbook entry from Feb. 29 that reads: 'We will also run out of reg. espresso and French roast most likely—secretly use decaf espresso to substitute the espresso—for the French, I don't know—I think we'll just have to be out.'" Cafe Manager Brian Yezierski denied the charges. But! Journalism! More »
journalismism
Col Allan Has No Time For The Facts
Have you heard any wild rumors about anything in the news from any source at all? Why not call New York Post editor Col Allan so he can put it right in the paper! Last Thursday, Col's wife phoned him and said "Elaine died!"—referring to a family friend in Australia. But Allan, with a newspaperman's instincts, naturally assumed she was talking about famous restaurateur Elaine Kaufman. So he set his city desk to work calling all over town, asking her friends about her death. Finally some qualified reporter who should be fired immediately pointed out that, based on actual facts, Kaufman was not dead. Reminiscent of the Post's glorious, fictional splash about John Kerry choosing Dick Gephardt for his running mate, which likely originated with Rupert Murdoch. Ha, reporting for the Post is just like playing a game of Telephone! In Allan's defense, "Mistakes happen, chicken fish monkey pineapple." [Daily Intel]
journalismism
Reporter Bravely Disregards Own Dignity To Go Undercover At Reality Show Audition
Daily News reporter Shallon Lester wasn't satisfied just secretly yearning to be friends with Paris Hilton, like most entertainment reporters. She wants to actually be her friend! On TV, at least. (Pictured: an actual photo montage of what the two would look like if their heads were in close proximity, via the NYDN). So the intrepid journalist ventured out to the auditions for the upcoming MTV show and small step towards the apocalypse "Paris Hilton Is My New BFF." How could a trained, professional journalist possibly blend in with a crowd of fame whores? It wasn't that hard at all! More »
reporting hell
Knicks May Or May Not Stop Roughing Up Reporters
The new president of the New York Knicks, Donnie Walsh, promised to be more open to journalists, perhaps improving what is widely regarded as one of the more miserable reporting beats in the city. Most recently, a Post reporter was manhandled by Knicks security for daring to try and talk to another reporter. Walsh isn't saying exactly how he'll improve the situation, only that he thinks it is important to provide more access. Everything is very vague. Apparently a policy against physical confrontation with reporters, or ripping off their press passes, is too much to ask at this early stage. It's not like Walsh has much of a mandate from the man who hired him, Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan, who backed many of the Knicks' tight media controls in the first place: More »
journalismism
Newspaper Feature, Like Story Of Jesus, Is Fiction
On March 23, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran an uplifting story about "Virginia Gillis," who had lost her perfect life when her husband started using methamphetamines, burned down their house, and attacked her with a straight razor, cutting her throat "almost all the way through." After a stint of homelessness, she slowly rebuilt her life, and now works as a chef at a homeless program, feeding hundreds of people a week who are stuck in the position that she once was. The paper compares her story to the resurrection of Jesus Christ—this was an Easter-themed feature. But further investigation revealed that, like Jesus, Virginia Gillis' story had a bit of mythology in it. Such as: her name, her age, her location, her outstanding warrants, and everything else about her story! It might have been easier if they just told us what was true in the original, rather than false. The entire, and truly epic, editor's note from page one of yesterday's paper [via Romenesko], after the jump. More »
cbs news
Television Reporting Is Also "Glamorous"
The sad state of bloggers and Long Island reporters is well-documented. But things are hard out there for TV reporters, too. Covering a flood for CBS News, Hari Sreenivasan nearly got hypothermia after his waders sprung a leak. But who wouldn't sacrifice a leg or two for that shot of a guy knee-deep in water? Fortunately, March Madness ramped up, America lost interest in natural disasters in the fly-by states, and Sreenivasan was mercifully allowed to return to dry land. [CBS News]
reporting hell
Madison Square Garden Remains Unsafe for Journalists
Back in November, the unfortunate beat reporters assigned to cover the Knicks poured their hearts out to the Observer about the "gulag" that was life on the "most demoralizing reporting gig in the city." The beat remains miserable. At last night's Knick loss (duh), Post reporter Marc Berman was "restrained" by security and had his press pass ripped off. His crime? Trying to interview ANOTHER guy who was getting kicked out at the same time, for "using the word 'ass'". Of course! This can be a case study for whoever the team decides to hire for the open PR position. Hey, at least Berman didn't get it as bad as this guy: More »
reporting the war
The 'Army Times': Your Home For Long-Form Narrative Journalism
Today the Army Times runs the conclusion of Kelly Kennedy's 4-part, more than 14,000-word story on the 15-month tour of duty of a single Army company. In August, 2006, Task Force 1-26, with 823 soldiers, was deployed to Baghdad. According to the Army, they reduced murders from "ten a day to less than two a day" in Adhamiyah, which is in north-eastern Baghdad. But over those 15 months, 31 of the Task Force would be killed—14 of them from the 190-member Charlie Company alone—and 122 of them would be wounded. More »
evil corporations in action
The Viacom Permalance Slave System
Here's what we hear from what we believe has truly become the Viacom sweatshop. (One Viacom permalancer estimates that almost 50% of the staff are contract workers at this point.) A 50-hour workweek will now be standard, at least at MTV Digital (which means no overtime until after 50 hours, and no overtime at all for higher-level people, like producers and segment producers), and all will go from a day rate to an hourly rate. Healthcare, which was offered to permalancers after a staggering year of service, will now be offered only to employees who have worked 1,280 hours (25 of those 50-hour workweeks) in any one division. And that's the catch: Get transfered, as often happens, from VH1 to MTV or the like, and you start over on that clock. More »
and now you know
How And Where 'Hamptons Style' Editor Deb Schoeneman Lives
How does Deb Schoeneman—editor of Hamptons Style magazine, Portfolio blogger, and one-time long-time New York mag contributor—actually live? Unsurprisingly, in a large-ish Water Mill house that has an indoor squash court. They use it as a guest room. Surprisingly, in a large-ish Water Mill house that has an extensive collection of literature on Judaism and the Holocaust. She also has an albino gay housecleaner named Marcos who only comes on Sundays and a virtual drumkit in one of the three two-car garages.
Reporter Jeff Bercovici, who got his start (as far as we're concerned!) at WWD, is leaving Radar for... wait for it... Portfolio! To BLOG. Enjoy blogging, blogsy! Blog it up! Though he'll stay at Radar as a contributing editor.
real reporting
Merrill Lynch Sick Days Memo: Worse Than We Thought!
When we posted the memo from Merrill Lynch about its cruel new sick days policy, we had a good chuckle at their expense and kind of forgot about it. What do we know from investment banks! Not our beat! Whatever! But it turns out that some actual financial journalists noticed, too. And they explained things to us. More »
media bubble
• Nerve for parents? Jeez, talk about grups. [WWD (second item)]
• Wired gives awards; big winners don't show up. [AP via Yahoo]
• Bob Schieffer thinks CBS foreign correspondent Lara Logan is the next Barbara Walters or Diane Sawyer. But not the next Katie Couric, Bob? [WP]
Media Bubble: Time Inc. Sacks Bigshot Reporters
• Time Inc. budget cuts knock off two of the mag company's best reporters: Prize-winning investigative duo Barlett and Steele. [CJR Daily]• Nerve for parents? Jeez, talk about grups. [WWD (second item)]
• Wired gives awards; big winners don't show up. [AP via Yahoo]
• Bob Schieffer thinks CBS foreign correspondent Lara Logan is the next Barbara Walters or Diane Sawyer. But not the next Katie Couric, Bob? [WP]
