Geraldo, Iraq, Maps, and Death Wishes
Missed this yesterday: Geraldo is heading back to Iraq for FOX. He'll be traveling across the country, from Kuwait to Turkey. "He brought a map up on the screen and showed the cities that he would visit, the highways he would use, and the times he would be there," a FReeper said. One response: "Isn't he the one who drew a map in the sand for the world to see putting our guys in harm's way? He must have a thing about maps and death wishes"... 10:11:06 PM

Quote of the day
A chatter in Howie's WashPost asks why the cablers replay the same clip over and over and over again: "Cable producers are convinced that video grabs viewers. That's why even during routine interviews there will be a second box on the screen with footage of candidates or Iraq or Janet Jackson or whatever's being discussed. Sometimes there's a limited amount of video available, like Saddam getting his hair and teeth checked, so everyone uses that a million times. But more often it's that cable is addicted to arresting images--the Dean scream, Janet popping out--and just overdoses until everyone's sick of it." 6:31:37 PM

"Why is the Scott Peterson trial the lead story on Headline News?"
From Democratic Underground: "...Why is the "Scott Peterson" trial the lead "news" story on Headline News? In my opinion, this matter (and you can go ahead and lump the Kobe Bryant story and every other salacious murder/sex crime with it, including the recent crap with the SuperBowl) is simply not newsworthy...Sorry for the negativity, but the kind of the kind of press that "story" and others similar to it are getting are just distractions in the scheme of things. Being a Democrat, the poster asks why the media isn't spending more time critiquing Bush... 4:02:40 PM

A Preview of Keith's 'Countdown' Grammy Joking
From the Countdown newsletter: "A Grateful Nation watched as the Grammy Awards came and went without a single boob-flash, crotch-grab or f-word (not even as an adjective). And even better, plenty of dead people were honored! (It's very difficult to flash your breast from six feet under). But seriously folks, the Grammy Awards were nice, real nice." 4:01:58 PM

IHT: "Law of the jungle" rules political balance in US media
The International Herald Tribune analyzes media bias. Excerpt: "If the audience tires of the Fox News agenda then other stations will move in to fill the vacuum. If there is ever to be political balance in American news coverage it will happen by the law of the jungle, not the law of the land. It is disconcerting to think that American opinion is being informed by such unpredictable forces"... 12:45:59 PM

Shake It, Shake .. Uh, Shake...
Note to Soledad O'Brien: I've been a fan of yours ever since The Site. But please don't try to sing Outkast's "Hey Ya" during a Grammy awards wrap-up. (Plus, is it really fair to call Janet and Justin "partners in crime?") 9:47:28 AM

O'Reilly Concedes In the Hillary Book Battle
Bill O'Reilly has finally admitted that he has not sold more books than Hillary Clinton. "It was just for sport," O'Reilly says. "We wanted to see if we could beat her. Everyone loves a horse race." Says a DNC spokesman: "It was a silly attack that he tried to get some juice from. On this one he was wrong -- the numbers indicated which book people liked best." More from Howard Kurtz... 9:16:43 AM

New Analyst for Dennis Miller, & Other Hiring News
Personnel moves listed in Shoptalk toay: "Mike Murphy, prominent political consultant, joins CNBC's Dennis [Miller] show as a political consultant...Jim Goldman moves from Tech TV correspondent to CNBC Silicon Valley Bureau Chief...Michelle Bonner has joined CNN Headline News as a Sports Anchor"... 9:16:14 AM

Reliable Sources Transcript: Blaming Journo-DNA
Howard Kurtz questions Jeff Greenfield: "What about this apparent rush in my view, Jeff, to -- for journalists to say, "Well, the race is over. These other guys might as well drop out." Why do journalists do that?" Greenfield's response: "Well, first of all because sharks got to swim and bats got to fly. It's in the DNA, and it's a besetting sin." Here's the transcript. 12:02:58 AM