Rita Sits Down With Thomas Hamill Tonight
Rita Cosby's exclusive interview with Thomas Hamill will air on FOX's Big Story Weekend Edition tonight. It's the first TV interview with the former hostage. (Rita previously interviewed Hamill by phone.) Ann Curry has the "first network TV interview," airing Tuesday on Today and Dateline...
> UPDATE: FOX apparently got the first interview because Hamill's family preferred their coverage of Iraq. Is this a trend?... 7:21:07 PM

The Newspaper/Broadcaster Line Is Fading Away, Effron Says
Thanks to their partnership with the Post, NBC and MSNBC aired the first video clips of prison abuse on Friday. David Bauder says that "it was the first time [MSNBC VP Mark] Effron could remember TV news networks having to depend on a newspaper for video in an important story." Quoting Mark: "We're all kind of beyond that, the `they're a newspaper and we're a broadcaster' kind of thing. I don't think anyone blinks at that anymore. It's part of newsgathering in the 21st century." 6:46:10 PM

"Wake up and smell the Nielsons pal"
That's a direct quote -- yes, he spelled Nielsen wrong -- from Steve Doocy, who wrote in to DCRTV to protest Dave's FOX-bashing. Doocy's e-mail: "FYI, Fox and Friends is #1 cable morning news show in the world. (3 years running) Our ratings top CNN, MSNBC, CNBC combined. Wake up and smell the Nielsons pal. PS: There is no Steve Jarrett at the channel. I'm sure you've got a budget for a fact checker don't you?" Dave called Doocy a "jackass" on the web site. But what is Steve's point? High ratings = ...? 6:44:52 PM

Scarborough Down To Four Days A Week?
Mark is annoyed: "I keep forgetting that Scarborough is not on Friday nights...maybe that is because the plan to put him on Sunday nights seems to have been quietly dropped after, what, two shows? [Ed note: I think it was 4.] So now we aren't getting Joe on Friday OR Sunday nights. Cutting prime time shows back to four a week...another Kaplan innovation?" "You'd think they'd give the trial run more than a month to sink in before pulling the plug?," an MSN poster says... 6:43:14 PM

Media Notes: Viewers See 'Agenda;' No Problems At CNN's New NYC Home
> The Washington Times writes up the recent FOX News poll. Headline: "Viewers see 'agenda' in war coverage"...
> A "FOX News security consultant" tried to chase down a killer on Sixth Ave. Thursday, the NYPost mentions...
> "Not a hitch or glitch" for Cooper or Zahn in their new Columbus Circle digs, Michael Starr points out...
> NYDN notes that Dan Abrams and Elisabeth Rohm are still together... 6:42:40 PM

Kerry's Considerations Could Affect Convention Coverage
Kerry may delay accepting his party's nomination for president to raise more campaign money -- and it could affect how television networks cover the convention. "It's one more thing that's not happening at a convention," Mark Lukasiewicz, special events coverage chief for NBC News, tells the AP. "It's one more thing to factor in as we decide how much resources - financial and editorial - we have to give to convention coverage." The coverage is still in the planning stages... 12:01:30 AM

Cleveland Reporter Heads To White House For CNN
NewsBlues says Cleveland reporter Kareen Wynter is heading to D.C. to cover the White House for CNN. "She plans to leave the station after her final 6 p.m. newscast on Wednesday and immediately board a plane for Washington, D.C" -- "It's crazy," she said. She reported for WEWS Channel 5. (But she has had No WH experience...) 5:04:35 PM

L.A. Anchor Joins CNN Investigative Unit, Anchors 'Live From'
"Is that former KCBS anchor Drew Griffin next to Fredricka Whitfield on CNN's Live From?," several e-mailers wondered yesterday. Yes, it is -- he co-anchored again today from Atlanta. I never saw a press release about it, but according to CNN.com's bio, Griffin joined the net's investigative unit this month... 5:03:19 PM

Update: NBC Cameraman Abused By U.S. Troops
The AP has more details about the NBC stringer who was abused by U.S. troops. "NBC News said a camerman who speaks no English...was abused, including being hit with a gun barrel when he tried to complain," the wire service writes. The network sent a "detailed complaint" to the Defense Department, but never received a response. A memo from their Baghdad bureau said "the cameraman was held after his arrest with about 50 other prisoners. On the third day, he was put in solitary confinement. During questioning, he "was subjected to a battery of abusive tactics that can only be called torture," the memo said... 12:31:44 PM

Cavuto: "I just wish my old pals in high school could see me now"
Neil's (sarcastic?) power trip, delivered as Common Sense from the White House yesterday: "I just wish my old pals in high school could see me now: Neil the nerd, now Neil-the-invited-to-the-White-House nerd standing on the same hallowed ground as Fox super cool guys Wendell Goler, Jim Angle and James Rosen. Take that football team captain. Take that all you cheerleaders who dismissed me as some freak of nature. Still a freak, but now a force of nature freak." (Hat tip: Wonkette) 12:31:12 PM

Quote of the day
WP's David Broder, speaking to the Campaign Desk, says that cable news has helped cause the definition of "journalist" to change: "It's a niche market for people who call themselves journalists and go on and argue with each other like politicians," he says. "These people become the personalities that represent what journalism is. On a show like 'Crossfire,' there's only one real journalist. The public doesn't understand that the other three are not what we would consider journalists." 11:35:57 AM

Poll: It's The News Media's Fault!
FOXNews.com has a new round of poll results with several interesting points about the media. Highlights:
> Question #20 asks "On the situation in Iraq today, where do you think most of the problems are being created?" 27% of respondents said "in the news media" -- more than "in Iraq" or "in Washington D.C."
> 34% of those surveyed said the media spent an excessive amount of time covering the prisoner abuse story. 9% said the same for the beheading. 35% said both were covered excessively.
> 46% of those surveyed think the media has been too tough on President Bush. 24% say the same about candidate Kerry. 11:28:30 AM

Randy Meier's Silly Question
Noted Now has posted a "cable watch!" to point out a dialogue on MSNBC this morning: "Randy Meier: 'Are you concerned about voter backlash from the Iraq abuse story?' Sen. Richard Shelby: 'Well the elections aren't today...' 11:00:41 AM

Bill Hemmer's Horrible Interview: "Yes. Yes. Yes."
This TVSpyer said Bill Hemmer had a tough time interviewing a Florida child who survived an alligator attack. The kid kept saying "yes" in response to Hemmer's questions:

HEMMER: So, how much do you remember? The gator grabs you, gets a hold of your head and some other parts of your body? LOCKE: Yes. HEMMER: Where did he get you, Malcolm? MISTY WARREN, MALCOLM'S MOTHER: He didn't hear you. LOCKE: Yes. HEMMER: Yes. Did you know alligators were in that lake? LOCKE: Yes. HEMMER: Yes. WARREN: You've got to talk more. HEMMER: How are you feeling today? Go ahead, Malcolm. You can just talk straight to me. It's all right. Just like we're having a conversation. Go ahead and relax and tell me your story, OK, because we really want to hear it.

Poor kid -- poor Bill, too. Here is the full transcript. 11:32:48 PM

Howard Disses Alan: Could Dean Replace Colmes?
Howard Dean was on Hannity & Colmes Wednesday night, and he said: "If I get a talk show, it's going to be called -- because Alan is not defending liberals hard enough. It's going to be called 'Hannity & Dean.'" Colmes asked if he would want to do TV, but Dean said "I don't know about that, we'll see." "I've got my hands full right now," Dean added. (Thanks Henry) 11:24:44 PM

Media Notes: Andrew Sullivan on FOX; Tired of Russert's Book Tour?
> Andrew Sullivan (who complained FOX wouldn't have him on air) appeared with Shep on Studio B today
> (Super Millionare genius) Michael Starr mentions Sam Shane's childrens book
> A day in the life of a former military defense lawyer in hot demand by the media: It "had a limousine waiting at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday to whisk him to a television studio in Omaha for an interview with CNN..." (Omaha World-Herald)
> Media Matters says that "Hannity scores a hat trick"
> Just wondering: Is anyone else sick of Tim Russert's P.R. push yet?... 11:10:40 PM

Cavuto Donated $1,000 To His Interviewee -- President Bush
Neil Cavuto interviewed President Bush today. His 4pm show was live from the White House. (Bush met with a bunch of business reporters, an e-mailer points out.) DCRTV Dave points out that Cavuto donated $1,000 to Bush at a fundraising dinner in 2002. "I wish he hadn't," John Moody told the Post in January. If I donate $1,000, can I interview W. too? I have a lot of questions, and I bet they'd be tougher than Neil's... 5:58:13 PM

Wed. Ratings: MSNBC Averages Less Than A Quarter-Million In Prime
For all the talk of a decline in FOX's ratings, the network is still clearly winning the cable news war. During Guiliani's testimony yesterday morning, FOX averaged 1,018,000 viewers, compared to CNN's 482,000 and MSNBC's 320,000. In primetime last night, FOX averaged 1,379,000, while CNN had 512,000 and MSNBC saw 243,000. Notice how MSNBC pulled more viewers during the day than in the evening... 5:57:35 PM

Which Cable Net Is The Most Accurate?
The Wall Street Journal's Question of the Day:

"Which cable news network provides the most accurate depiction of the events in Iraq?"

As of 5:45pm, 3,743 people had voted. FOX News was in the lead with 62%, CNN was second with 27%, and MSNBC came in third with 10%. A bit like the ratings battle... (Hat tip: Romenesko) 5:50:47 PM

WSJ Question Provokes Criticism of Cable
WSJ's Question of the Day has solicited a bunch of comments about cable news -- almost all of them negative. Here is a sampling:
> "The heavy vote for such an obviously biased network like Fox shows the limitations of non-scientific polling."
> "Wow, Fox News?! Are you people serious? This country is in more trouble than I thought."
> "Rightward slant? Who are you kidding?...Fox News simply does a better job of reporting the news without an agenda of brainwashing."
> "I voted for CNN only because the BBC wasn't an available option."
> "Fox is an extension of the White House or worse, CNN is an apologist for the American government more than half the time and MSNBC isn't much of anything. They have all crossed over into entertainment." 5:49:58 PM

Greta's Mystery (Fake) Business Partner
Greta blogs a strange story today: "There is a man running around a major Texas city claiming to be partners with me in a movie venture (starring Julia Roberts)," she writes. "I first got wind of this "movie" about a month ago when I began getting calls from various businesses in Texas seeking to confirm the business relationship." A weird must-read... 5:22:24 PM

FOX Gets The Ratings, CNN Gets The Ad $'s
The Wall Street Journal has a must-read about FOX and CNN ad sales on page 1 this morning. Quoting the story: "Media buyers say they generally pay Fox News ad rates that are about 75% to 80% of what they pay CNN -- even though CNN has only about half the audience of Fox News. And for all the inroads Fox News has made as a news organization, [FOX News ad exec] Rittenberg has to contend with advertisers who use CNN as a yardstick of quality." Much more... 11:03:58 AM

$1 Million In Ad Revenue Daily For FOX
Other interesting tidbits from the WSJ story:
> Rittenberg says FOX News takes in about $1 million in ad rev. a day, and is on track to book more than $350 million this fiscal year.
> "...Sometimes Mr. Rittenberg, like many advertising salespeople, laments the turmoil caused by his channel's outspoken news anchors"
> A commercial on O'Reilly costs $20 to $22 per thousand viewers, compared to $18 to $20 on Larry King
> "We see the numbers on how Fox is outperforming CNN. But the problem is the press and clients still see CNN as the No. 1 brand," an ad exec told Rittenberg recently. He responded: "Perception lags reality." 11:03:33 AM

Reese's Theory Doesn't Consider History
Several people have written in to disagree with Reese Schonfeld's theory about FOX. They point out that Bill O'Reilly was off last week, and that left a dent in the ratings. And an insider e-mails in to point out: "O'Reilly took down Larry King before Bush took office, which led to the downfall of CNN's primetime. When Clinton left office, FOX News was supposed to be history since its viewers would supposedly be bored without the Clinton bashing, yet their ratings surged." 10:58:10 AM

Glitzy Sets Not A Recipe For CNN Improvement, Source Says
One industry source vehemently disagrees with Ed's suggestion that CNN is 'creeping back:' "This is CNN's second round of spending $40 million on new studios, on top of the millions they spend on failed broadcast talent and sadly, they're stuck with the same result -- FOX continues to trounce them and doubles their total day & primetime at this point," the source writes. "With all the glitz and glamour, CNN is still saddled with a .5 for Zahn, a 1.0 for King and a .6 for Brown. The more money CNN throws at this crop of failed talent, the more their ratings stay the same -- .5's & .6's in primetime & getting annihilated on breaking news doesn't exactly constitute people 'taking notice.'" 10:57:41 AM

Bob Novak Jumps Out Of A Plane
73-year-old CNN Crossfire host Bob Novak went skydiving last Friday, and Swamp City has the photos to prove it. "B-Nov seems to have been smiling the whole way down," the site says. "Though we're not sure it was by choice." It was filmed for a segment on The Novak Zone... 12:34:39 AM

Media Obsession: Iraq Preferable To Kobe Or M.J. --Aaron Brown
The Boston Phoenix talks to Aaron Brown about how Iraq shoves other stories out of the news cycle: "It’s not news-of-day stuff, by and large, that doesn’t make it," he says. "It’s the back-of-the-book texture stuff that helps define the program," he says. And: "If you’re going to be owned by a story, you’d rather be owned by a story of meaning than by Kobe Bryant or Michael Jackson. This matters, and as the person responsible for making editorial judgments on the program, I would rather sort through this kind of stuff than have it be the other way around." (Hat tip: Romenesko) 12:19:29 AM

Savage Calls His Former Employer MSNBC "Verminist Traitors"
It's fun to read Michael Savage's comments about his former employer (MSNBC) and other cable news nets. Media Matters transcribes some of it: "The scum at CBS, the filthy vermin at MSNBC are reporting that this beheading is revenge for the abuse at Grab-an-Arab prison, which means that the scum at CNN, the verminist traitors at MSNBC have gone over to the enemy's side." He says that 1,000 Iraqi prisoners should be killed, and their deaths should air on TV: "It won't happen because of the CNN traitors. I won't happen because of the MSNBC empty heads." 12:14:29 AM

CNN Is Improving, Reader Says; Are Viewers Noticing?
A must-read e-mail this morning: "Why is CNN creeping back?," EdinUSA asks. "...Maybe [the conservatives are] turning to CNN because their product is improving. Proof? Here's what this viewer notices: The network's overall "look" is finally on part with MSNBC and FOX... the new sets in DC and New York are slick, expensive and high-tech.
Now look at the content: Aaron Brown did a full hour from Topeka, Kansas the other night doing a full evaluation of "Brown v. BOE". The broadcast was well-received. Then, Larry King pulls out years' worth of old interviews with Tony Randall and then invites all his friends to do a one-hour retrospective within a few hours of the announcement of Randall's death...Likewise, the network turns to its international sister more often, for coverage of the assassination of the Iraqi Governing Council president, at 4 a.m. in the morning, while the other guys run repeats...
Now, if Bush's favorables continue to tank, will Fox viewership slip? Will more people turn to CNN? Perhaps. But with an improving look and well-prepared broadcasts, it could merely be that people are taking notice of CNN's improving product. So it begs the question: Is CNN is finally doing things right? Now if only they'd report on the 3-4 liters of Sarin..." 12:11:09 AM

Karen Ryan's VNRs Were "Covert Propaganda," GAO Says
Remember the Karen Ryan scandal -- the VNRs packaged as news stories and distributed via CNN Newsource? The General Accounting Office called it "covert propaganda" that had "notable omissions and weaknesses" and were "misleading as to source." Quoting the New York Times: The GAO "said on Wednesday that the Bush administration had violated federal law by producing and disseminating television news segments that portray the new Medicare law as a boon to the elderly." 12:07:32 AM

Sarin: "The downplaying of this story is amazing," FOX Exec Says
Exclusive: An e-mail from an anonymous FOX News executive shares thoughts about the media's lack of Sarin coverage:
"So a DOD source tells Fox News that sarin was confirmed by another test and that there was likely 3-4 liters of it. The media has been largely mute. They've also virtually ignored the mustard gas shell the military says it discovered on May 2nd. Certainly, the story may change; we've seen the military back off claims before, but the downplaying of this story is amazing. (See William Safire's "Sarin? What Sarin?) When people deny media bias or don't understand Fox News' dominance in cable news, remember the deafening silence of this story. Then get back to another Abu Ghraib story, ok? 8:05:52 PM

A Week Of Bad News: "Conservatives Stopped Watching," Reese Says
Reese Schonfeld analyzes the Cynopsis #s, and his conclusion is fascinating:

"I’ve always kind of wondered how much of Fox success should be attributed to conservative rejoicing. The numbers suggest 7%."

"I think a lot of conservatives stopped watching" all the bad-news-for-Bush last week, Reese says. He compares market share of the "conservative network" and "less ideological networks" in March and May, and finds reason to offer this analysis:

"I think FoxNews ratings are as reliable a guide to the attitudes of the American electorate as even the best of the political polls and all the networks should carry the market share numbers right after Gallop, Newsweek and the L.A. Times."

4:56:53 PM

Last Week's News Viewer Index
Cynopsis has the surprising news viewer index for last week. In total day, "Fox News had 44% of the viewing, CNN 30%, MSNBC 14%; and Headline News 12%." In primetime, "Fox News had 47%, CNN 34%, MSNBC 12% and Headline News 7%." 4:38:09 PM

Cavuto Doubts The Media Would Cover WMD Finds
Neil Cavuto took aim at "the media" in his Common Sense segment yesterday. He asks what would happen if troops found chemical weapons in Iraq: "Would the media cover it at all? I doubt it." He concludes: "I don't know what to make of these nerve agents. I just fear my colleagues haven't the nerve to report the day we find still more agents. Will it be news then? I doubt it. It's a good story. Too bad it doesn't fit their story." 3:52:47 PM

MSNBC's "Special Coverage" Isn't Very Special
MSNBC sent out a press release hyping today's "special coverage" and an "in-depth look" of the prisoner abuse scandal. They call it "Court Martial In Baghdad: Duty Or Disgrace?" and promised live reports from "Baghdad and across the country." So why does MSNBC's daytime programming seem so...normal? Why aren't there special shows, special segments, special music, special graphics, and other special stuff? Don't you want to be different, Rick?...
> Lester Holt anchored around noon, then handed it off. (Who was on earlier in the morning?)
> Former CNNer Martin Savidge was on MSNBC with an interview with one of the accused troops' attorneys. 1:01:14 PM

Quote of the day
Brian Williams on the Dateline 'Apprentice' controversy in the New York Observer NYTV column: "You gotta look at it in toto. Look at the hours Dateline has done on race, on veterans, on education. And that they do a Zeitgeist-y hour on what we’re seeing unfold here is, I think, perfectly understandable. It’s harder and harder these days to be truly pious and godly in television news." (Hat tip: Romenesko) 12:51:34 PM

CNN Polling Director Dismisses CNN Online Polling
Howard Kurtz has an interesting bit in his Media Notes Extra column today: "Participants in an online CNN poll say John Edwards is most likely to get the veepstakes nod. The importance of such an unscientific survey of people who have no way of knowing what Kerry will do? "Next to nothing," announced CNN polling director Keating Holland. Glad to have that cleared up." 12:51:30 PM

FOX "Won't Have Me On At All," Andrew Sullivan Complains
Andrew Sullivan describes a daunting day of five media interviews, and has interesting tidbits about Anderson Cooper and FOX News: "Anderson Cooper asked the best questions. I've actually known Anderson for well over a decade - we used to work out in the old Washington YMCA together. But that was before he was a mega-star. He's still the same, though, engaging, funny, smart as a whip. One small note about media bias: it seems, sadly, that Fox News Channel won't have me on at all. They like their gays, as Homer did: easily characterized as left-wing and flaming. Oh well." (Hat tip: DCRTV Dave)
> Update: But he has been on FOX in the past, as Sullivan's own biography brags (Thanks Mark) 12:30:30 PM

Court Martial: No Cameras, But Plenty Of Press Present
> Quoting the AP: "The U.S. military has barred the broadcast of Wednesday's hearings on radio or television, and is prohibiting all recording devices and mobile phones from the courtroom."
> There are 34 seats reserved for news organizations; 9 of those are for Arab newspaper or broadcast journalists.
> An overflow room will accomodate other journos via closed captioning.
> A sketch artist will be on hand. (The U.S. TV networks apparently pushed for a source of visuals.)
> On MSNBC around 9:30pm, Christy Musumeci promised "live coverage" of the proceedings beginning at 1:30am ET; but an hour later, she changed her wording and said there would only be "updates." Let's hope CNN takes the International feed live. 11:13:58 PM

It Wasn't Worth An ALERT -- Heck, It Was Barely News
So a rocket launcher was found near a Georgia train station. The rocket was found around 2pm. By 5pm, the story was all over the AP wire. So why did FOX decide that it was worth an ALERT at 10pm? Greta Van Susteren teased the news, then tossed to a reporter in Atlanta for sketchy details (a report of the "we don't know, we don't know" variety). Can someone please try to justify the use of the ALERT for a story that 1.) doesn't appear to be terrorist-related and 2.) was first reported more than 5 hours ago? All it did was scare viewers unnecessarily... 11:13:34 PM

FOXNews.com Says "Sarin Results Confirmed;" Other News Orgs Ignore It
Monday's cable news web site compare/contrasts were revealing: FOX heaped attention on the sarin gas find, while CNN and MSNBC tended to give it less prominence. The trend is repeated this evening. At 11:05pm, FOXNews.com's top story is "Sarin Results Confirmed." "Up to four liters of nerve agent in improvised roadside bomb in Iraq; unclear where, when munition was made," the lead text says. There is no hint about the news on CNN.com's domestic or international front page. I couldn't find any mention of it on other pages, either. MSNBC.com also appears to ignore the news.
> Tomorrow's NYT editorial will state: "At this point no one can be certain whether the artillery shell rigged as a roadside bomb really did contain deadly sarin..." Why is FOX the only outlet running this story? 11:09:11 PM

"A Sea Change" In Coverage Of Iraq?
The Toronto Star says the "tide is changing in U.S. coverage of war in Iraq." Quoting the story: "The news pack has descended on the Abu Ghraib prison scandal like coyotes on springtime roadkill...it's impossible not to sense a sea change in U.S. political news coverage." 10:51:13 PM

MSNBC's David Shuster, Natalie Morales In Cumberland
Hardball's segments from Cumberland, Maryland tonight (home of the accused 372nd M.P. unit) were very interesting; David Shuster was there, along with "some of our top producers," according to Dominic's daily newsletter. They aren't the only peacocks who had been in the town lately:
> On Monday, MSNBC's Natalie Morales was in Cumberland; she interviewed the local newspaper editor (here's a photo).
> Here's a story about the "flood of media" from the Cumberland Times-News. 10:50:49 PM

Bill O'Reilly Guest Stars On CBS Tonight
Bill O'Reilly's cameo appearance on "Judging Amy" is tonight. Quoting this TV column: "[Bill], playing himself, starts fulminating against Amy the Lenient on his cable show. Oh, put a sock in it, Mr. Bill." The show airs at 10pm on CBS... 8:51:43 PM

NBC Stringer In Iraq Abused By U.S. Troops
An Iraqi journalist working for NBC News was beaten and mistreated by U.S. military forces, VP Bill Wheatley said today. Ali Muhammed Hussein Ali al-Badrani, a stringer for the network, was detained along with three Reuters staff members in January. Quoting the wire service: He "reported that a hood was placed over his head for hours, and that he was forced to perform physically debilitating exercises, prevented from sleeping and struck and kicked several times." "Despite repeated requests, we have yet to receive the results of the army investigation," Wheatley said... 3:56:47 PM

When Osama Is Caught, Palkot Wants To Be There
Fresh from the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, Greg Palkot appeared on FOX & Friends recently to talk about his travels. An excerpt:
Kilmeade: "How bad do you want to be there when they get [Osama bin Laden]?"
Palkot: "That would be very very good. We were promised that maybe some civilian-side press might be around, so I hope it'll be FOX News."
Are the nets still staffing the region the way they did when the military's ears perked up?... 3:52:24 PM

Jesse Ventura: MSNBC Is "Buying My Silence"
The Charlotte Post & Courier profiles Jesse Ventura, and has an interesting quote from him about his short-lived cable show. Quoting the newspaper: "He has a lucrative three-year deal with MSNBC that ensures he will be paid the duration of the contract. 'They're paying me,' says Ventura, who reportedly was getting $2 million for his services. 'I've got a three-year contract. It's their call. They're buying my silence. There's maybe a reason for it. Who knows.'" 3:49:45 PM

CNN's Weekend Success
A couple of TVSpys reference CNN's weekend programming, and suggest there could be signs of hope for Atlanta: "I have noticed that while FOX beats CNN soundly during the week, on the weekend it is very close and sometimes CNN actually pulls ahead," one person writes. A second chatter chimes in: "It's come to this -- CNN's weekend crew seems to be outperforming its first string...perhaps management should do some re-shuffling." 3:49:03 PM

Chris Wallace Describes "Unexplained Assumptions" In The Media
Chris Wallace spoke at the Teachers Credit Union Annual Meeting in Indiana yesterday, and "admitted that his view [of media bias] has changed since joining Fox last November," the South Bend Tribune reports: "'There are a lot of unexamined assumptions in the mainstream media,' he said. According to Wallace, 'liberal progressive positions' on issues including gun control and abortion 'are seen as the conventional wisdom, while conservative positions are seen as conservative.'" Wallace said that most of FOX's programming is "remarkably even-handed"... 3:47:25 PM

Gay Marriage: Coverage Fuels Perception That Press Is Out Of Touch
Quoting Howard Kurtz's column today: "...The overall vibe of most of the headlines and leads is that this is a step forward. Which, in the view of many liberal-leaning people and journalists, it is, comparable to the Brown v. Board of Ed ruling whose 50th anniversary was celebrated yesterday. But what is overshadowed, and what fuels the perception that the press is out of touch, is that many people consider this a negative step that violates the traditional concept that marriage is between a man and a woman." 10:03:22 AM

Gay Marriage: "Hand-Holding Gay Couples" In A "Story About Stocks"
The Boston Globe describes the media hordes who have descended on Massachusetts for the gay weddings: "In Boston, CNN's Vera Gibbons was on City Hall Plaza sipping coffee. She laid out a tale of woe: Though she had been assigned to talk on-air about the stock market, she had to report from City Hall because no one else was in CNN's Boston bureau. After concluding that the throngs of hand-holding gay couples and rainbow banners spilling out the doorway at City Hall might make an odd backdrop for a story about stocks, she and her bosses at CNN came up with an alternate plan: a segment on financial advice for couples." 10:00:19 AM

More Media Notes: The C Word; Topic A's Topics
> Howard Kurtz in a WP chat: "While Fox clearly has some high-decibel conservative commentators, I don't think it's fair to tag all its reporters with the C word."
> Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 "identifies the Fox News Channel employee who took the decision to report that Bush had won Florida on election night...as Bush's first cousin," according to this BBC review. (Ellis is old news.)
> 'Henry the Intern' sums up Tina Brown's weekend 'Topic A' for Gawker. 9:13:14 PM

NewsNight, Live In Kansas
Aaron Brown's NewsNight is on location in Topeka, Kansas tonight. "After a week in the new building, now seemed a good time for a road trip. We’re in Topeka, Kansas - anchor, producers and an army of technicians - on the 50th anniversary of the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education," he wrote in the newsletter today. He's going to have morning papers from fifty years ago... 8:41:31 PM

When It Comes To Ratings, Tony Snow Is No Bill O'Reilly
Drudge has posted cable news ratings for Friday night, and they are pretty surprising at first glance. O'Reilly's hour pulled only a 1.2 -- but Tony Snow was filling in, and it was a Friday night, so it's not too unbelieveably low. Larry King followed close behind with a 1.1, then the #s fall into line: On FOX, Shep, H&C; and Greta pulled 0.9's, and Brit had a 0.8. On CNN, Aaron Brown managed 0.8 and Paula Zahn saw 0.7. MSNBC's Hardball and Countdown each earned 0.4, while Norville saw only 0.2. And Dennis Miller still barely registers with a 0.1... 6:50:03 PM

Chris Matthews Address The Class of 2004
Chris Matthews addressed the class of 2004 at Hobart and William Smith Colleges "I've got good news for all of you this morning: I talk fast," he joked at the beginning. He offered five bits of advice for the graduates, including 'follow your hunch:' "When I was in college one of my nicknames was 'Arguing Matthews,'" he said. "Amazing what you can make a living off of!" Read his full speech here. "I believe all beach-ball tossing halted while he was delivering his 'five bits of advice!,'" a Hardball Briefing subscriber wrote in today... 6:48:31 PM

Cable Web Site Compare/Contrast, Round Three
(Rounds 1 and 2.) At 6:20pm: FOXNews.com's headline has changed to "Chemical Agents Found In Iraq." They aren't "weapons" anymore. Notably, the site has now added this line to the home page summary: "more analysis of field test results needed." MSNBC.com has added similar lines near the top of their story. CNN and MSNBC continue to deem the death of the Iraqi Governing Council chief more important than the sarin... 6:11:07 PM

Media Notes: Equal Time v. No Time; MSNBC's An America-Hater?
> MSNBC is "taking the lead in smearing the U.S. in what some America-haters have dubbed the 'torture-gate scandal,'" a conservative author writes, and cites one -- one! -- example to prove it. (From Debbie, no less!)
> TVWeek's Insider reports: "[Tim] Russert will, except when returning to D.C. to tape "Meet the Press," be on the promotional merry-go-round right up until Father's Day." Maybe Hannity and Colmes will pretend he's worth an hour of wasted airtime again!...
> Noted Now notes that CNN aired portions of Bush and Kerry's Brown-anniversary speeches today, while MSNBC and FOX ignored both of them... 3:22:11 PM

Quote of the day
When is a Jay Rosen column not a must-read? He delivers again today: "Lycos is saying: You can read the trajectory of reader interest in the progression from "nick berg murder" to the video of it, even though news of the video and murder arrived as one story. It's as if people let the news sink in, paused to register what beheading of an American, video-taped and broadcast... really means, and then said: Okay, now I want to see for myself. Show me, television set. Show me, newspaper. But there was no showing, so they went to the Web." If I was MSNBC, and I wanted to demonstrate the power of cable news... ...well, you can fill in the rest. 3:20:28 PM

Cable Web Site Compare/Contrast, Round Two
(Round one here.) By 3pm, CNN.com's domestic front page made no reference to the sarin. It was discussed halfway through the lead story, though. CNN's story points out that sarin only turned up in a preliminary test, and that "field tests sometimes yield false positives." FOX doesn't bother to mention that in their story.
CNN.com's story also states that "No other evidence of possible chemical weapons has been found in Iraq. The Bush administration cited weapons of mass destruction as a key reason for its invasion." FOXNews.com doesn't state anything to that effect; instead, they have subheads like "Iraqi Scientist: You Will Find More" and "Officials: Discovery Is 'Significant.'" MSNBC.com's wire-rip is similar to FOX's.
> The poor CNN execs are being FReeped... 3:07:24 PM

Is CNN On A Hiring Binge?
That's how it looks on Time Warner's HR web site. Dozens of jobs (nearly 50) have been submitted in the last two weeks. Here's a sampling:
> Senior Director, News Coverage: "Responsible for the oversight, management and functionality of desk operations, newsgathering, and staff.
> Executive Producer, The Row: "...responsible for vetting and approving correspondent scripts and packages for CNN networks"
> Weekend Supervising Producer: "...responsible for working with Atlanta-based show teams on content, graphic looks, development of new segments, etc. to ensure the best elements are being used to make the network's coverage accurate, fast and compelling."
> Deputy Political Editor: "This position is responsible for contributing to the overall editorial direction of network political coverage."
There are also posts for senior producers for Paula Zahn Now and NewsNight. 2:42:26 PM

Cable Web Site Compare/Contrast, Round One
With news of a trace of sarin found in Iraq, the cable news web site headlines at noon make for an interesting compare/contrast. CNN.com leads with "Artillery round in Iraq emits sarin gas, U.S. military says." FOXNews.com is more blunt: "Chemical Weapons Found in Iraq." (Their lede refers to "mustard gas" -- the other sites don't mention that.) MSNBC.com doesn't make the sarin its top story; instead, "Major setback" is the headline for the suicide bombing today. "U.S.: Roadside bomb contained sarin gas" is one of the links below it. 12:34:46 PM

Writer Meets "Closeted FOX Star" At Gay Bar
Who doesn't love an unsubstantiated rumor? This op-ed in the New York Blade is intriguing, if true: "On a recent trip to New York, I visited a gay bar on the Upper East Side, where I met a familiar-looking man wearing an expensive suit and excessive makeup. After a drink or two, I realized that he was one of the star anchors at Fox News...He wouldn’t admit his identity, only that he “worked for News Corporation,” the parent company of Fox, so I played dumb and let him buy another round of martinis. At 3 a.m. and after more than a few drinks, the closeted Fox star could barely balance on his bar stool. His solicitations for a date became more intense and desperate"... Here's more. (Why are the TVSpyers hinting that it's Shep? What about Nicole?) 12:31:54 PM

John Carroll's "Pseudo-Journalism" Speech
...It's like I'm begging for those "you're-biased" e-mails: Remember the excerpts from a speech by LA Times editor John Carroll that lambasted FOX last week? The paper printed the full text in Sunday's editions. It's a must-read:

"If Fox News were a factory situated, say, in Minneapolis, it would be trailing a plume of rotting fish all the way to New Orleans."

On the danger of "psuedo-journalism:"

"All across America, there are offices that resemble newsrooms, and in those offices there are people who resemble journalists, but they are not engaged in journalism. What they do is not journalism because it does not regard the reader — or, in the case of broadcasting, the listener or the viewer — as a master to be served. In this realm of pseudo-journalism, the audience is regarded as something to be manipulated. And when the audience is misled, no one in the pseudo-newsroom ever offers a peep of protest."

12:29:04 PM

Op-ed: "Fox News a slave to Murdoch's agenda"
How's THAT for a loaded headline? It's the title of an op-ed in the Lexington Herald-Leader today. "The question is not whether but why Fox News is a right-wing propaganda machine, arm of the Republican Party and a vital part of the Bush-Cheney campaign," professor Ron Formisano writes... 8:18:49 AM

Signs Of Cable News Life In The Wee Hours
...From a couple e-mail tips:
> Early Sunday morning: ALL 3 cable news nets are carrying LIVE Colin Powell's speech at the World Economic Fourm in Jordan; it's currently 3:02 am EDT
> Early Monday morning: CNN has taken CNNI's feed for the Breaking News of the Iraqi Shiite leader being killed by a car bomb. Time is 4:15 am. MSNBC and FOX are showing taped shows, per usual in the land of cable "news" on a weekend. 8:17:14 AM

NYT Critic Calls FOX Conservative; Network Demands Correction
New York Times critic Alessandra Stanley called FOX News "the conservative cable network" last month, and the network is demanding a correction, Howie reports in the WPost this morning. "I think I owe the reader a better definition of Fox and other networks than what they put in their own promotional ads," Stanley says. But a FOX spokesman says she shouldn't have injected her opinion into a news story.
> What Kurtz didn't mention: The context of the 'conservative' tag, courtesy Lexis Nexis: "Fox News, the conservative cable network, paid less attention to the meeting than CNN or the networks did and was far more sanguine about the secrecy -- as well as Mr. Bush's insistence that Mr. Cheney be at his side during the interview."
> Update: 8:20am: Why wasn't Stanley's column labeled 'analysis' or 'critic's notebook' -- or any title suggesting that she was writing as a critic?... 12:42:52 AM

Iraq Dangers Continue To Hamper Coverage Efforts
"Some days our guys just don't get out of the building where we're located," FOX News VP John Moody says in the Post's Monday editions. He is describing the chaotic situation for media types in Iraq: "Travel across the country is almost impossible now because the roads are too dangerous. It's constricted our ability to report stuff going on that's not just a comment from the CPA." 12:40:51 AM

FOX's Documentary: "Deadlines on the Battlefield"
FOX's 'War Stories' profiles war correspondents tonight in "Deadlines on the Battlefield." It airs at 8pm tonight. Senior producer Pamela Browne offers "four guidelines every combat journalist should know" on FOXFan.com: "One, always question. Two, when there is outgoing fire, there is always incoming fire. Three, always remember that the military you are covering will know more about the weaponry than you do, so pay attention and listen to them. And four, when they say no lights on nighttime operations, they mean no lights!" 4:55:39 PM

CNN's Documentary: "The Gap"
CNN's documentary "The Gap: 50 Years After The Brown Ruling" premieres tonight at 8pm. Quoting the web site: "...According to a widely cited federal study, the average black high school student today graduates with achievement test scores comparable to those of the average white eighth grader. CNN Correspondent Dan Lothian examines possible reasons behind the disparity at one of the country's most respected and integrated school systems." 4:50:54 PM

MSNBC's Documentary: "Battle for America's Schools"
MSNBC's documentary "The Battle for America's Schools: How the Children Won And Lost" premieres tonight at 10pm. Quoting the press release: "Honoring the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education...[the show] looks at Prince Edward County, Virginia, and how that community's reaction to the ruling affected lives for decades to come." It's hosted by Lester Holt... 4:50:14 PM

Monica Novotny Ties The Knot
MSNBC's 'Countdown' correspondent Monica Novotny married Michael Foley in New York yesterday. The New York Times has the announcement. Foley is a "consultant relations director at Alliance Capital Management." Novotny, 32, will "continue to use her name professionally"... 4:40:09 PM

An Hour of 'Reliable Sources' Today
CNN's Reliable Sources is expanded this morning, devoting a full hour to "the national discussion about the televised pictures of both the abused Iraqi prisoners and the run-up to the Berg beheading." It's on from 11am to noon; I'll blog the highlights later today... 8:53:00 AM