REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS 2008 PRESS FREEDOM INDEX: It is not economic prosperity but peace that guarantees press freedom. That is the main lesson to be drawn from the world press freedom index that Reporters Without Borders compiles every year and from the 2008 edition, released today. Another conclusion from the index — in which the bottom three rungs are again occupied by the “infernal trio” of Turkmenistan (171st), North Korea (172nd) and Eritrea (173rd) — is that the international community’s conduct towards authoritarian regimes such as Cuba (169th) and China (167th) is not effective enough to yield results. “The post-9/11 […]
NYT Nails Backstory On Inky Endorsementgate
NEW YORK TIMES: On the same page that the newspaper published a 901-word editorial supporting Mr. Obama, it ran just beneath it a 391-word dissent in support of Mr. McCain. […] So what happened? Brian Tierney, chief executive of the company that owns The Inquirer, Philadelphia Media Holdings, and who sits on the newspaper’s editorial board, would not say. In an interview on Tuesday, Mr. Tierney would only say, “We don’t talk about what goes on on the editorial page.” Harold Jackson, the editor of the editorial page, also would not discuss the deliberations or vote total, but did say […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR Nobel laureate Paul Krugman believes that increased public spending — akin to the efforts of the New Deal during the Great Depression — is the best way to escape the financial crisis and regain American global leadership. In his Oct. 16 column in The New York Times, Krugman writes, “It’s politically fashionable to rant against government spending and demand fiscal responsibility. But right now, increased government spending is just what the doctor ordered, and concerns about the budget deficit should be put on hold.” Paul Krugman is a professor of economics and international affairs at Princeton University, and the […]
Inquirer Editorial Page Editor Responds To Our Questions About The Paper’s Split Endorsement
HAROLD JACKSON: To answer your questions: Like most, if not all, editorial boards, we do not divulge our votes. Besides, in most cases, as it was in this one, we reach consensus rather than taking a formal vote. Secondly, like most editorial boards, we do not identify the writers of editorials, because the editorials represent a consensus opinion and not necessarily the opinion of any specific writer. Thirdly, almost every decision the board reaches on any topic is a split decision in that different points of view are expressed before consensus is reached. The Obama endorsement was no different. The […]
THE DUPLICITY OF NOPE: Vetting The Inquirer’s Cruel And Unusual McCain Sub-Endorsement
Today the Inquirer editorial board endorsed Senator Barack Obama, sort of. For reasons that remain unclear, the editorial board saw fit to issue a dissenting opinion, as if it were the Supreme Court. What the Inquirer editorial board is supposed to be is the conscience of a newspaper — in this case, a newspaper that is struggling to maintain relevance in a city that is overwhelmingly pro-Obama. On the day that lifelong Republican Colin Powell put country over party, reached across the aisle and endorsed the Democratic candidate for president, the Inquirer couldn’t even throw a bone to the dogs […]
THE BIG LIE: Obama Campaign Demands Special Prosecutor To Look Into ACORN Persecution
NEW YORK TIMES: Seeking law enforcement investigations into reports of fraudulent voter registrations in several states as an extension of the controversial firings of United States attorneys, the Obama campaign on Friday called for a review by a special prosecutor. Bob Bauer, general counsel for the Obama campaign, sent a letter to Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey and Special Prosecutor Nora R. Dannehy, who is investigating the attorney firings, requesting that Ms. Dannehy also look into the whether F.B.I. investigations of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or Acorn, were politically motivated. In a conference call with reporters […]
EXHUMING McCARTHY: Assclown Congresswoman Calls The Obamas ‘Anti-American’, Demands All Of Congress Be Investigated For Anti-Americanism
HUFFINGTON POST: In a television appearance that outraged Democrats are already describing as Joseph McCarthy politics, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann claimed on Friday that Barack Obama and his wife Michelle held anti-American views and couldn’t be trusted in the White House. She even called for the major newspapers of the country to investigate other members of Congress to “find out if they are pro-America or anti-America.” MORE [The Young Turks: Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN) on MSNBC’s Hardball, October 17, 2008] HUFFPO: What makes the incident even more bizarre is that Bachmann is in a close congressional race and just this […]
NOT READY FOR PRIMETIME: Palin To Guest On SNL
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is set to appear on this week’s broadcast of “Saturday Night Live,” the entertainment show that has featured a popular parody of the Alaska governor by former cast member Tina Fey. Palin will appear Saturday on the show hosted by actor Josh Brolin, who plays President Bush in director Oliver Stone’s new movie, “W.” A John McCain campaign spokeswoman, Jill Hazelbaker, on Friday confirmed Palin’s appearance but offered no details about what the Alaska governor will say or do. MORE WASHINGTON POST: GREENSBORO, N.C. — No wonder GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah […]
PAPERBOY: Special ‘Fuck Joe The Plumber’ Edition
BY DAVE ALLEN Like time, news waits for no man. Keeping up with the funny papers has always been an all-day job, even in the pre-Internets era. These days, however, it’s a two-man job. That’s right, these days you need someone to do your reading for you, or risk falling hopelessly behind and, as a result, increasing your chances of dying lonely and somewhat bitter. That’s why every week, PAPERBOY does your alt-weekly reading for you. We pore over those time-consuming cover stories and give you the takeaway, suss out the cover art, warn you off the ink-wasters and steer […]
TONITE: The Old Man’s Last Stand
[Illustration by JAY BEVENOUR] Tune in tonight for the snarkiest, most unabashedly liberally-biased debate coverage on the Internet! You may not learn anything, but it will make you feel better. Tonight’s analysts will be JONATHAN VALANIA and CITIZEN MOM. Starts around 9 PM. You betcha 8:50 PM me: yo Citizen: Where ya been, slacka? 8:51 PM me: saving up my superpowers of snark CNN? Citizen: Yeah, I can’t live without the neon noodles anymore meaning, the squiggley lines me: I like following Gergen’s combover it’s like a soap opera and a whodunnit 8:52 PM all at once Citizen: Soledad O’Brien’s hair is getting […]
CELEBS: Madonna Back On The Market, Silverman Off
CNN: Pop star Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie are to divorce, Madonna’s UK spokeswoman, Moira Bellas, confirmed to CNN. A statement e-mailed to The Associated Press from Madonna spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg says the couple has agreed to divorce, and asks the media to respect their privacy. The statement, co-signed by Ritchie’s representative, says the couple had not agreed to a settlement. Ritchie, 40, and Madonna married seven years ago at a lavish ceremony in Scotland, but rumors have been circulating in the press recently that their relationship was increasingly under strain. Earlier this year, the singer denied […]
MUST SEE: Species, Asshole Americana
[Al Jazeera English: Misconceptions of Obama fuel Republican campaign] Astonishing how little progress has been made since the Salem Witch Trials. [Hat tip to WOOKIFIED]
MESSAGE TO INQUIRER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR: Even A Broken Watch Is Right Twice A Day
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Convicted felon Tony Rezko. Unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers. And the race-baiting Rev. Jeremiah Wright. It is hard to think of any presidential candidate before Barack Obama sporting associations with three more execrable characters. Yet, let the McCain campaign raise the issue, and the mainstream media begin fulminating about dirty campaigning tinged with racism and McCarthyite guilt by association. But associations are important. They provide a significant insight into character. They are particularly relevant in relation to a potential president as new, unknown, opaque and self-contained as Obama. With the economy overshadowing everything, it may be too late politically […]