Ashleigh Banfield's Wedding Registry: $2,500 Ice Bucket
Ashleigh Banfield's wedding registry is online, and New Yorkish has the scoop: At Tiffany & Co., "you'll find a lovely little silver tray for $10,500 or, if you're not feeling quite that generous, there's a $4,000 pitcher and $2,500 ice bucket still available. Thinking about spending three digits instead of four or five? Consider picking up the ice cream scooper for $145...She also decided to register at Williams-Sonoma, too. A set of four blue kitchen towels is still up for grabs. The price? Just $16.00." Someone already bought the $80 toaster... 7:50:19 PM

Goodbye, 'News'
The News ended last night. CNBC aired the program for the last time. An e-mailer said he thought the show's conclusion was "pretty classy." "What the hell are they thinking?," another person asks in an e-mail. "They 'gave' us that horrible piece of crap 'Cover to Cover' with teleprompter reader extroardinaire Liz Claman and they take away the excellent news show with John Sigenthaler." 7:42:36 PM

CNN's New NYC Home: More Than Double The Amount of Space
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a great story about CNN's brand spanking new Columbus Circle headquarters. Quoting an excerpt: "In a city infamous for tight living conditions, the new CNN facilities span 250,000 square feet on five floors, with more than double the former studio space. For the staff of about 600, it means room to breathe. There's a quote from bureau chief Karen Curry: "Real estate was one of the biggest headaches we had, just finding desks for people. The staff had expanded a lot with the addition of programming, and they were sort of sitting on top of each other." 7:40:12 PM

CNN's New NYC Home: Is "Really Going To Improve Things Tremendously"
Some good quotes from the AJC story:
Bureau chief Karen Curry: "[Being together means a better] exchange of information when stories are breaking. It's really going to improve things tremendously."
CNN business news E.P. Ken Jautz: "This is the first facility that CNN has had that was specifically built for television studios. It is a difference of night and day for us."
Jautz: "People feel better working in a good place. The whole facility here allows us to get information, gather it and get it on air more quickly and allows for a better-looking product." 7:21:07 PM

CNN's New NYC Home: Tours Begin Sept. 1
Tours of CNN's new NYC headquarters will begin on September 1. It will be called "Inside CNN," and will stress newsgathering and journalism, AJC says. "A test run begins a week earlier to work out any kinks, and to host tours for CNN guests and delegates in town for the Republican National Convention," the paper says. "The new facility was planned with the tour in mind and includes large windows allowing the public to peek in at CNN staffers working in newsrooms and studios." 7:16:19 PM

MSNBC "can't manage to get the simplest facts...correct"
This message board poster notices multiple mistakes on MSNBC's chyrons, and says it is unacceptable: "If a news agency can't manage to get the simplest facts -- such as spelling and usage -- correct, then how can it be trusted to provide any credible content in its stories? This was clearly a package -- not a "live and on-the-scene" circumstance -- so EVERY graphic had to be [or, at the very least, SHOULD have been] proofed by the producer or reporter. So the Chyron doesn't have Spell-Check...but are you telling me that no one at MSNBC had an AP Stylebook lying around?...or a dictionary? Any way you slice it, sloppy journalism is unreliable journalism." 1:34:41 PM

Technical Snafus At CNN's New NYC Home
On Thursday, I questioned why Wolf Blitzer had to fill in for Lou Dobbs at the top of the 6pm hour. Now, an answer via an e-mailer who writes: "I work directly with Mr. Blitzer and it was in fact a HUGE technical problem in the new Time Warner building that happened at the last minute, thus Wolf carried the first 10 minutes of the Thursday show." NewsNight had some tech trouble on Thursday, too. Quoting Aaron's Friday newsletter: "We intended to run Nissen's piece...last night, but the new building bugs ate it up." 1:33:47 PM

Quote of the day
An excerpt from Judy Woodruff's speech at American University's commencement last week: "I want to note - and in the context of some parochial pride about the international resources of my present home, CNN -- that in a more globally interdependent world, foreign correspondents, once the signature of the great network news divisions, have been shamefully curtailed. On September 11, 2001, there was not a single CBS, ABC or NBC correspondent based in a predominately Islamic country. And then afterwards we wonder why our two cultures so misunderstand one another. Lest I let cable news off the hook, one only has to consider the obsessive coverage of O.J. Simpson or Gary Condit, or the Laci Petersen murder case - or in some instances even multi-vehicle traffic accidents." (Thanks Ed). 1:33:04 PM

Bird Chirping Replaced By News Truck Generators
Greta asked one of her staffers to write a note about the media stakeout near Nick Berg's home, and quotes it on her blog:

"This quiet neighborhood suddenly was not only struck with sadness, but they were also bombarded with numerous news trucks and reporters. Instead of birds chirping, the sounds of the street echoed news truck generators. Views that once showed the house across the street now were blocked by big white trucks with news logos. The once quiet road became filled with reporters, truck ops, camera men, audio guys and producers hanging around waiting for some sort of action to come from the Berg home."

It's a must-read dispatch... 3:15:04 PM

Zahn: Polls Show Intrigue Surrounding "Disgusting" Pics
Paula Zahn's speech at the Jewish Federation of Hartford is written up in the West Hartford News: "[Zahn] spoke of how "news (reportage) has become the news" recently, with debates raging as to whether or not to air certain photos and reports that some deem excessively graphic or politically sensitive. She noted the controversy of the broadcast of photographs from Fallujah and those of Princess Diana at the fatal accident site, as well as the storm swirling around Ted Koppel's decision to read the several hundred names of American dead in Iraq. She reported that polling shows that although the vast majority of people find these graphic images to be "disgusting," they also want to see them and are uncomfortable with censorship." 2:19:57 PM

FOX: 500 Phone Calls About Berg Footage Wed.
A notable quote from this Star-Ledger story about the media's coverage of the beheading: "Kevin Magee, vice president of programming for Fox News Channel, said the news channel got 500 calls on Wednesday asking "why we didn't show more." The reaction surprised him, because when Fox decided to present the Berg footage in much the same way as its competitors, "I thought maybe we had gone too far. Obviously, a large piece of the audience feels otherwise," Magee said." In the story, Kevin adds: "I doubt there was anybody who watched our coverage of Berg's murder and said afterward, 'Well, that wasn't so bad.'" 11:49:23 AM

"You Can't Suppress" Powerful Photos
MSNBC.com offers an edited transcript from a discussion of photo-power on Deborah Norville Tonight Tuesday:

Throughout history, moments of war that have been captured deeply affected millions of people— from the American flag being raised on Iwo Jima, to a little girl fleeing to safety in Vietnam. For these journalists, suppression is never the answer. "I think if you‘re telling news in pictures, you have to show the pictures,” says [former Life magazine editor Ralph] Graves. "You can't suppress them." "Pictures carry an emotional truth to it that words alone can't carry, and it resonates far beyond the written article," added [former Time magazine war correspondent William] Stewart.

11:20:36 PM

Money Isn't Everything, Cavuto Says -- In A Book He Will Profit From
Neil Cavuto has a new book coming out. "More than Money: True Stories of People Who Learned Life's Ultimate Lesson" will be released June 1. To receive a "FREE autographed bookplate!," log onto http://www.mycavuto.com/ and order by then. Cavuto now "spends several minutes on each show shilling his new book," DCRTV Dave says... 11:18:07 PM

Where Was Lou Dobbs?
"Anybody know where Lou Dobbs was the first few minutes of his Thursday show?," an e-mailer asks today. "Was it the confusing hallways at the new building, or was there something more important than showing up on time?" // "Hello. I'm Wolf Blitzer, filling in for Lou Dobbs right now," Wolf said at the top of the hour. After several minutes and a live report from the Pentagon, Lou stepped in...
Update: An e-mail: "As most (ex) Cnn-er's know..Lou likes to wait untill the last minute to go to the studio..there was always some underling whose job it was to stand and hold the elevator untill Lou deemed to come and actually make it to the set. Interestingly...at one time...one of those underlings forced to do it was Maria Bartiromo." 11:17:46 PM

Searchers Scour 'Net For Beheading Imagery
These are the top search phrases that brought visitors to CableNewser today, and the # of searches:
beheading video | 397
berg beheading video | 234
berg beheading | 153
beheading berg | 44
There were more than 1,200 search engine hits today based on the combination of berg/beheading/video keywords. 10:50:09 PM

CNN Dumps Google, Hooks Up With Yahoo
CNN.com has switched search providers. Google has been replaced by Yahoo. Quoting CNET News.com: "The switchover, which went live on Wednesday, means that Yahoo will provide algorithmic and paid results whenever CNN users conduct a search query on the site. Yahoo search results contain commercial links from its Overture Services subsidiary..." 10:23:47 PM

Crossfire Becomes Interactive Today: Compete on CNN.com
CNN unveils the "first truly interactive political program" this afternoon when Crossfire airs the first of six Interactive Thursdays. People can "compete against other viewers by answering trivia questions and voting in political polls, while watching the live show," the web site says. There's a related "Caught in the Crossfire" sweepstakes offering prizes.
> The press release describes the partnership with Xerox
> CNN ITV: Click here to play along as you watch the show
> E-mail me your thoughts about the ITV effort. 3:39:03 PM

FLASH: MARK NELSON ANNOUNCED AS E.P. OF PAULA ZAHN NOW
Veteran broadcast producer Mark Nelson will take command of CNN's Paula Zahn Now beginning Monday, May 24, the network announced today. "Although Mark is new to CNN and to cable news broadcasting, his experiences at National Geographic Channel and ABC News, most notably 11 years with Nightline, melds perfectly with the needs and styles of Paula Zahn Now," Princell Hair said in a press release. "Mark has a distinctive understanding of the level of analysis and insight needed for such a news program." 3:15:18 PM

MSNBC: "America's [Not] Watching"
MSNBC has started running a new ad of all its anchors under the banner "America's Watching." It appeared in some newsmagazines this week. But a revised version of the ad has been making the rounds via e-mail:

Update: ndhapple writes in: "It would be nice if they could get the ratings right... Matthews is averaging between .4-.5... Scarborough had a Q1 average of .4... Keith hovers between .3-.4 (which is a shame because his show is so damn good)... and Norville typically pulls a .3." 2:54:52 PM

"320 Calls:" Some Are News, Some Are Not
Greta describes "320 calls" on her blog today. "Every day we get information that we need to decide if it is news or not," she writes. "The reporters call in -- called a "320 call" -- with anything they learn. Some turns out to be news and some, of course, does not. The "320 call" allows the fastest dissemination of information to the news bureau from the reporters in the field. The news desk in the bureau wants to hear all information immediately to decide what we should do: Report it? Send a crew with cameras? Ignore it?" She describes two "320 calls" about a suspicious package at the Pentagon... 1:30:50 PM

Ted Koppel Really Hates Us
Ted Koppel never passes up a chance to diss cable news. Check out this Q&A; with UC Berkeley Media Relations: "I think when we arrive at a point that you can sometimes watch a cable television network and get the impression that the three most important things going on in the world are Michael Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Scott Peterson, there is something wrong with that perception of what television news should be about."
UPDATE: 1:06pm: A cable news source writes in to say: "Ever realize that the reason Ted bashes cable news is because his show is bordering on irrelevancy and he has 2 1/2 hours worth of airtime every week at 11:30pm, when the country has already been through 20 news cycles?"
11:19:38 AM

O'Reilly/Olbermann, Day Three: "Soul-less clowns at FOX"
The O'Reilly/Olbermann feud continues. The WashPost has a response from Keith: "My soul stopped being tortured the day I stopped working for those soul-less clowns at Fox."
Update: 11:10am: An e-mailer says "maybe Keith Olbermann can profit from the feud with O'Reilly & Fox the way Al Franken did--Lord knows Keith needs--and richly deserves a boost in ratings!" 9:41:30 AM

Aaron Brown: "To show a tape of the beheading is pornographic"
On NewsNight Wednesday, Aaron Brown explained why the media isn't airing the full beheading tape:

"Many of you write and say if you show the prison abuse you should show this horror too and I would say the difference is this. As Secretary Rumsfeld said the other day you can't really grasp the prison abuse story until you see the pictures. I do think you get the horror inflicted on Mr. Berg without actually seeing it. To show a tape of the beheading is pornographic while not advancing the story at all but we also get there is a risk that we are sanitizing too much sometimes that taste can interfere with understanding and, in that regard, we have no quarrel with what they are doing in Dallas tonight even as we will not show it."

Aaron interviewed an editor of the Dallas Morning News. The paper printed an edited photo of a terrorist holding Berg's head this morning. Cori Dauber asks: "Why is CNN unwilling even to hold up a mock up of the page? It's nice to see that CNN is willing to celebrate the bravery of other journalists." 9:39:22 AM

CNN.com Wins Two EPpy Awards
The EPpy award winners were announced today. CNN.com won for the "Best Overall Network TV/Cable-affiliated Internet Service" and their War in Iraq coverage won "Best Special Feature in an Internet Service." MSNBC.com was a finalist in three categories, but didn't win any awards. Here's the full list.
UPDATE: Earlier I wrote that FOXNews.com didn't place in any categories. As explained on the site during a previous awards story, they don't participate in awards events. 11:41:22 PM

"I'm still a little teary-eyed," Bartiromo Says
The AP has a report on Maria's move, and a quote about her emotions: "I'm still a little teary-eyed over it," she said. "I really don't want to leave, but I want to put more energy into doing some of these other things." Alexis Glick will replace her... 11:40:16 PM

Murdoch: Journalists' Patriotism Is Okay
FOX's 'War Stories' profiles the correspondents on the front lines, and talks to Rupert Murdoch about patriotism on camera:

NORTH: Should a greater effort be made to report about the other side? MURDOCH: I don't think so. I think this is a new school of journalism, which says you must be totally objective and dispassionate about everything, including your own country's interests. And I think that's taking it too far. NORTH: Is it wrong for a reporter to feel an affection for the troops? MURDOCH: Of course it's not wrong. I mean, if you're an American covering a war, and America's fighting and America's future is at stake, of course you're on that side. Now, you've got to tell the truth...

The new episode will air this weekend. 3:45:16 PM

Lots of Construction in FOX's DC Bureau, Greta Says
Greta offers some photos of Studio 4 in FOX's North Capitol Street building. She calls it "the most hated [studio] among those of us who work there." She says it will soon undergo renovations. "I am not sure exactly what is being done but there is a great deal of construction that is going on in our D.C. bureau." I wonder what else is changing?... 3:44:07 PM

As Bush Speaks, MSNBC Airs Interview With Its Own Boss
Several site visitors noticed MSNBC's decision to talk about company politics rather than air a presidential statement this afternoon. One person writes that "while FOX and CNN took the Presdient live with his comments about Nick Berg at 1:05pm, MSNBC was with Bob Wright tallking about the NBC and Universal deal." "Way to go, Rick Kaplan!," a second e-mailer says... 3:05:05 PM

Beheading: "Something we should not sanitize when we describe it"
MSNBC VP Phil Griffin describes talking to his talent about the beheading video: "I talked to every one of my anchors. "I said, 'You're going to have to describe it in a way that captures just how horrible it is. Look at it, or have somebody on the staff look at it. It doesn't do it justice to just say 'decapitated.' This is something we should not sanitize when we describe it.'" Griffin's summary of the video: "Horrific. Barbarian. Unbelievable." The Miami Herald has more... 3:04:14 PM

FOX: Olbermann A "Tortured Soul;" Career Is A "Train Wreck"
FOX's response to Keith Olbermann's comments about Bill O'Reilly are classic: "Since he stopped reading sports scores, Keith has attracted fewer viewers than a test pattern and his career has been nothing short of a train wreck. We pity his tortured soul and wish him all the best," a spokesman tells the WP... 9:30:44 AM

Maria Bartiromo: Goodbye NYSE, Hello 'Today'?
Maria Bartiromo will report from the floor of the NYSE for the last time on Friday, the NY Daily News reports. She is moving on: "I want to try my hand in other areas," she says. "I'll have a broader platform on NBC." Quoting Phyllis Furman: "Expect to see the CNBC anchor more frequently on NBC News programs where she appeared Saturday anchoring the "Today" newsdesk. NBC also has agreed to fund a production company led by Bartiromo that will create programing on business and other topics." 9:26:50 AM

Self-Censorship May Be A Mistake, FOX News VP Says
FOX News Senior VP suggests sometimes viewers should see the whole truth: "Many TV networks, including Fox News, deemed the [Fallujah] pictures too shocking to air. Fox also heavily censored a videotape of torture sessions carried out by Saddam's regime. In retrospect, that may have been a mistake. Without showing the charred bodies of Americans dangling in ignominy, or the lopped off-arms of justice Saddam-style, how can we judge the pictures we are now clucking over?" Here's his full editorial... 5:24:40 PM

Beheading: What If...
Allow me to just float an idea here. What would be the reaction if one of the cable news web sites streamed the beheading video? No unsuspecting viewer would be caught off-guard. I've watched the clip several times now, and the parts you don't see on TV are the parts that are truly impactful. In this Internet age, at what point do media organizations stop playing gatekeeper, and start providing raw content for consumers who want it? 5:06:54 PM

Karl Penhaul Reflects on Pool Assignment
Karl Penhaul offers a dispatch from Fallujah on CNN.com. He says he "scrambled in the dirt in a flak jacket and helmet jerry-rigging cables and wires to send images of the fight for Fallujah to the world," but notes that his actions don't compare to the Marines who died there. He describes limitations on live broadcasts: "We couldn't show the victims giving their blood on TV because their families were still unwittingly sleeping 6,000 miles away in the United States." 4:23:58 PM

Beheading: CNN Takes "Special Care Checking And Vetting" Tape
Kyra Phillips said CNN "took special care checking and vetting before we went to air with it." As of 2:34pm, CNN was still playing the tape. Their reporting showed the strengths of its international desk: They said their analysts report it "doesn't seem like the voice of Zarqawi." 2:36:49 PM

Beheading: FOX Continues To Play Video Intermittently
As the news broke, FOX replayed video of Berg sitting in front of five men several times. The video was pulled directly off the web site. At 2:30pm, FOX decided to stop showing the video. Quoting Laurie Dhue: "We have decided not to show the video we showed you earlier, of Mr. Berg in front of those five hooded men," she said. Gregg Jarrett said he had seen the video, and called it "barbaric and horrific."
Also: Earlier this afternoon, FOX's left hand didn't know what the right was doing: Kelly Wright, reporting from Baghdad, mentioned that a body of an American had been recovered in the city. "We don't know his name yet," Wright said, but the lower-third listed Berg as the victim.
UPDATE: 5:31PM: Dhue meant that FOX would not go past that point in the video. "We have been showing the video intermittently since that time and plan to do so throughout remainder of the day/night," a FOX News spokesperson says. 2:35:05 PM

Olbermann Takes O'Reilly-Bashing Bait: Factor is "neither news nor truth"

FHM: Countdown airs against Fox News's The O'Reilly Factor. Commence shit talking about your competition now. OLBERMANN: Bill O'Reilly is not of this earth. He has an exceptionally well-designed television show, but it is neither of news nor truth. The number of factual errors on that show on a given night exceeds our audience. And what I love is the positioning of themselves as the counterculture, when in fact they are the editors. That is fascinating to me. These things and people like him always tend to meet very unhappy ends. FHM: You and Bill are both tall and have both worked in Boston. Shouldn't there be some camaraderie there? The key thing that's left out of Bill O'Reilly's career is that he got to where he is by being an adject failure at every step. He was kind of the buffoon of local news in New York and in Boston.

Here's a PDF scan of the interview. 8:50:59 AM

CNN's Pakistan Office Sealed By Police; Staffers Detained
Updating this story from Monday night: CNN's Lahore, Pakistan office is apparently still sealed off by police. A local newspaper "quoted police sources as saying that about 36 policemen raided the office-cum-residence after receiving information about a bomb being planted on the premises. Sources alleged the move was made to restrain the CNN from covering Shahbaz Sharif's arrival." CNN staffers have apparently been detained for questioning... 8:46:39 AM

Jim Miller Arrested; Abuse Alleged; Claims Innocence
Former 360/Zahn Now executive producer Jim Miller has been arrested for allegedly hitting his wife. The NYPost picks it up: "Friends of Miller say his wife had been trying to get him to move out for seven weeks and filed the assault charge as a cheap, legal ploy to seize possession of the house." "I'm completely innocent," he told Page Six. "I would never hurt her." CNN suspended Miller in March... 8:44:15 AM

Prisoner Photos: The Media Decision To Run Them, Or Not
Here comes the first in what promises to be a long line of stories about the media's decision to run the prisoner photos: The New York Times says that "news organizations increasingly find themselves part of the debate" about the images and their impact on public opinion. 8:30:34 AM

Prisoner Photos: FOX Using Images "Less And Less"
According to the NYT story, FOX News "not giving [the prisoner photos much] prominence to the latest picture because the public already understood what had happened." They quote E.P. Bill Shine: "Day by day, we are dialing back on their use and attempting to put them in context," he says. 8:30:25 AM

Prisoner Photos: "The power of the image over the word"
Jeff Greenfield offered an analysis of why the images are so powerful on NewsNight Monday: "...It is once again pictures that compel us to stop and look and ask whether a handful of these images can overwhelm the fundamental premise of the conflict. Ever since Mathew Brady took his camera on to the battlefields of the Civil War, the power of the image over the word has been clear. The image can sometimes invoke a sense of triumph and purpose that 1,000 words cannot." NewsNight realized the power of still photos many, many news cycles ago. Read the rest. 8:28:41 AM

Prisoner Photos: Aaron Brown on the Deeper Meaning
Aaron Brown's show open Monday night was perfect. Read it:

On Friday on this page we talked about whether the pictures of the Iraqi prisoners should have been released at all. Tonight, the issue has moved beyond that to whether all those other pictures, perhaps even more sadistic and sad, should be released at all. The discussion itself is somewhat academic, we think. Eventually they will be released. If we don't do it here, the Internet will have them. They will be everywhere. Everything is these days. And when they are released there will be more damage, though it's hard to imagine the damage could be worse than it already is. The question of last Friday hasn't changed simply because there are more questions. The pictures and how the government decides to handle them will be part of how we are seen as a free and open society. It is always easy to be good in the easy times with pleasant news. The better test is the harder one and that is where we are again tonight.

Here is the full transcript. 8:24:48 AM

The earlier story, "Rumor Mill: Amanpour Ready To Go?," has been retracted. 12:36:32 AM

CNN Pakistani Producer Detained; Bomb Threat?
Quoting a report from Pakistan: "CNN regional producer Syed Mohsin Naqvi was detained at his residence here on Monday evening. The police personnel managed their entry into the house of Syed Mohsin Naqvi while giving a pretext that somebody had planted a bomb somewhere inside the premises." He is a producer in the Islamabad bureau... 12:06:12 AM

Quote of the day
Jay Rosen has a must-read post at PressThink: "How often has it been asked: Should television news give people what they want or what they need? Murrow Nation got itself lost somewhere in the territory around that question. Bettag points forward. Television news is good business when it puts the interests of a viewing public first. A public has wants, and a public has needs. The point is: who shall interpret them? 12:02:54 AM

"I'm not a right-wing ideologue," trial MSNBC anchor says
Media Matters for America follows up on their report about trial MSNBC anchor Bud Hedinger. Bud told the Orlando Sentinel that he was "flabbergasted" by the original report. "Do I often see things from the conservative side of the ledger? Yes. But I welcome, even beg, for the opposing viewpoint. I'm not a right-wing ideologue." Bud appeared all over MSNBC's Newsforce programming last week... 10:49:58 PM

Aaron Brown: "It feels like the first day of school"
"It feels like the first day of school," Aaron Brown said in his NewsNight newsletter tonight. "We are in our new offices and we're still feeling out where everything is and how to do the simple every day tasks. Soon enough we'll get into our routine." The Whip had a bit of audio trouble. His intro was top-notch, and I will reprint it in full tomorrow morning. Paraphrasing the beginning: "We are in a new home tonight, and for a few weeks, on a new set. The news tonight, sadly, remains the same." 10:18:40 PM

Another Reason Why Anchors Should Blog
Greta uses her FOXNews.com journal to point out an interesting apparent mistake in an Electronic Media story that mentioned her show... 10:17:38 PM

CNN: Please Do Not Abuse The 9/11 Music
Rant: Larry King offered a short tribute to comedian Alan King at the end of his broadcast. It was nice until Larry tossed until a commercial break. That's when the tech folks started playing the September 11 music atop a photo of Alan. What were you thinking? If there was ever a music clip not to be abused, it's that one. (Listen to it here [the first 27 seconds of it] courtesy of CNNfan.com.) It still gives me chills. No individual death deserves that audio clip... 10:17:18 PM

The Transcript of FOX News Sunday's 'Accomplishments' Report
Mark says that Dave's summary of the FOX News Sunday 'What We've Accomplished' segment was terribly unfair, and suggests we all read the full transcript to make up our own minds. FOX also posted its research in PDF form. But it bothers me: All the statements are attributed to the DOD, CPA, USAID, or other military sources. Shouldn't the media be independently confirming all this stuff?... 10:16:57 PM

Ratings in Context: Spongebob!
"Fox News took out newspaper ads today claiming that its cable TV ratings topped CNN and MSNBC - combined," Dave writes on DCRTV.com. "Yeah, but Nickelodeon's "Spongebob Squarepants" beat Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC - combined..." 8:50:01 PM

ABC Vet Mark Nelson For Top 'Zahn Now' Spot?
The TVWeek Insider has an update on the search for a 'Paula Zahn Now' E.P.: It "appears to have zeroed in on Mark Nelson, who spent 17 years at ABC News (with a long stint at "Nightline") before becoming VP and executive producer of news for the National Geographic Channel when it launched in 2001." 1:22:16 PM

Mailbag: What Should Rupert's New Channel Be?
Some very fun responses to my solicitation for suggestions now that Rupert Murdoch has announced he will establish a FOX spinoff by the end of the year. My favorite?: "A home shopping network. To sell ALL THE BOOKS HIS FOLKS WRITE."
Other suggestions: Entertainment channel, headline news-type service, international channel, Spanish-language channel, and a nude news...
> Mailbag: Your suggestions for Murdoch's new FOX channel 10:47:15 AM

Note to CNN: Let's Hire Staff Who Know History
An anonymous e-mailer expresses frustration at CNN: "At 6pm Sunday on CNN Carol Lin did a segement on the "whistleblowers" of the 1968 My Lai Massacre. While the segment experienced audio IFB/and audio problems, the most glaring mistake was the incorrect pronunciation of My Lai (ME LIE). In both the tease and set-up spot Lin pronounced the Vietnamese village as it is spelled, which is totally wrong. You would think the Anchor, Producers, or Editors would have caught this error before air. My Lai became one of the turning points in the Vietnam war and one would hope everyone in the media would know how to pronounce it. To be fair, someone must have caught the mistake because Carol did pronounced the village correctly in the live interview portion. Having spent a lifetime helping build CNN from the early days, this was just another painful moment to watch what our "legacy" has become." 10:45:03 AM

Impressions of Chris Wallace's 'Improvements'
DCRTV Dave takes aim at Chris Wallace's Nightline 'corrective:' "I caught Fox Newser Chris Wallace's response to Ted Koppel's reading of the names of Iraq war dead. On Sunday's "Fox News Sunday," Chris vowed to put those deaths into "context." According to Chris, among the many ideals our young men and women have shed blood for are new school textbooks that do not feature Saddam, more homes and businesses sprouting TV satellite dishes, and
improved cell phone reception throughout Baghdad. All improvements, to be sure, but are they worth their cost in American (and Iraqi) blood?" You decide... 10:40:18 AM

Imus Is Getting A Makeover
Quoting Howard Kurtz in the Post: "MSNBC executives plan to move the I-Man and his crew from their Queens studio to a new set in Secaucus, N.J., to add more visual elements and glitzier production. One complication: Imus needs a way to keep broadcasting in the 9-to-10 a.m. hour, when MSNBC has moved on to other programming." 9:11:56 AM

Rudi Wants Reporting Opportunities and Editorial Control
Rudi Bakhitar is sick of sitting behind the CNN Headline News desk: “I haven’t gone anywhere in a year and a half," she lamented in a speech at Harvard this weekend. "[I’m] hoping I’ll go back into the field. I feel pigeon-holed right now. I hope next contract I can be a reporter.” The Harvard Crimson also quotes her frustration about editorial control on the show: “I have a reputation at CNN of being very hard to work with,” she said. “I don’t have editorial control. I fight every night with producers about what [story] should come first.” 9:11:23 AM

CNN's Non-Union Workers Clash At RNC Site
CNN has run into a snag for its Republican National Convention coverage this summer: The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers won't allow them to install the miles of electric cables they need to broadcast the event, because CNN is a non-union operation. The NYPost says FOX has a similar problem. (Note to News Corp: Why did Murdoch's Post call Murdoch-owned FNC the 'Fox News Network'?) 9:10:32 AM

LA Times Editor Blasts FOX News
Los Angeles Times editor John Carroll blasted FOX News in a speech at the University of Oregon last week, the Oregon Daily Emerald reports. He referenced the fact that FOX viewers were more likely than other media consumers to have believed one or more of the misconceptions about Iraq: "How in the world could Fox have left its listeners so deeply in the dark?," Carroll asked. The story has resulted in a long line of comments on the site... (Hat tip: MSNBC MSN) 11:08:44 PM

Quote of the day
From Reliable Sources: 'Newshour' correspondent Terence Smith on Gore's cable TV channel purchase: "Listen, if you accept the notion that -- CNN insists that it's neither left or right, but straight news. And if you accept that Fox is over on the right, with a liberal voice, what's wrong with another corresponding left?" 11:05:54 PM

MSNBC Anchors Love Their Moms
MSNBC anchors celebrate their moms on MSNBC.com. Amy, Alison, Laurie, Bianca, Alex, John and Monica all share anecdotes. Quoting Robach: "My mom always told me to 'believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear.' It was advice she used to help me get through the sometimes contentious years of young adulthood, where gossip and innuendo reign. It certainly helped me to 'consider the source' not only then, but now, in my career as a journalist." 12:15:33 PM

Carving A Niche For Debbie
Over at TVHeads, 'PHCB' has an idea for Deborah Norville: "...An hour spent with Lionel Richie, 20 of those minutes she left him play at the piano. Perhaps this is her niche, she should let all the other shows handle the news and daily events, and she should try to spend an hour a night with entertainers." 12:07:43 PM