Geraldo Puts On A Show
Who are the troops ("good guys") serving as Geraldo's backdrop for his rah-rah reports from the Iraqi desert ("wild west")? I'd rather see them at work, going about their normal routines -- I don't need a row of military faces behind the anchor. Rivera offered a "good news" package from Rick Leventhal, who told viewers about "a story you don't often hear" -- shops are opening, education is improving, cell phone use is expanding. Why did most of the show consist of Geraldo interviewing guests back in stateside studios? If you're in Iraq, show the viewers around... 11:12:19 PM

Campbell and Candy Among Top Poli-journos
Harry Jaffe offers buzz on what campaign journos are on the top of the heap in the Washingtonian: "NBC’s Campbell Brown has had her share of smart dispatches...Candy Crowley of CNN remains 'reliably good,' in the words of a competing producer. [Dotty] Lynch of CBS says of CNN’s Jeff Greenfield: 'He’s consistently smart, someone I have pay attention to.'" 8:48:38 PM

Media Notes: Banfield, Rivera, Miller...
Ashleigh Banfield is still hanging around NBC -- anchored 'The News' on CNBC Friday night // Geraldo is live from Iraq again this weekend, using words like 'we,' 'us,' and 'the enemy' too often // Dennis Miller "announced Thursday that a studio audience will be brought in in early March," an e-mailer says. "Tonight's inclusion of Dana Carvey on the Varsity panel was a masterstroke." Is Friedman already making a difference?... 8:48:23 PM

Haiti Increasingly Dangerous for Journalists
"Government supporters in Haiti are increasingly harassing and attacking journalists, underlining growing anger and desperation as they confront a bloody rebellion." Interesting AP piece... 8:40:04 PM

"Leaving the objectivity God behind:" "Me, me" instead of "Who, what..."
GoodKingRichard with his thoughts: "I realize "subjective" journalism is de rigueur these days, and many of the critics of objective journalism raise some valid points about an elitist bias in the media. But here's the problem with subjective journalism: It makes the reporter's opinions take a central role in the reporting of the story, even if the reporter doesn't intend it. And no reporter's opinions are EVER more important than the story they're reporting. In this celebrity media culture, we seem to have lost track of "who, what, where, when, why, and how" - and "me, me, me, me, me" is now the overarching philosophy. Frankly, I don't care what the reporter or anchor reporting the story thinks. I want the news, straight up. Is that too much to ask?" 8:38:15 PM

Quote of the day
In the Cleveland Plain Dealer: "Perhaps Shakespeare, writing 400 years ago, somehow envisioned the era of 24-hour news channels when he coined that line about "sound and fury, signifying nothing." It could be the motto for what passes for discussion and commentary on the crowded television landscape these days." 1:42:00 AM