###### Tim Russert gave a telephonic interview to Deborah Soloman for NYTimes Magazine on Mother's day - Saying nothing about his mother (inspite of pressing repeatedly), complaining about Fox on Air Force One & whining about Bushies dissing MTP - Russert's image didn't come up well. MTP boss was angry, ran to Wash.Post & whining that the interview was "misleading, callous and hurtful" to him.
###### Paper of Fiction - "Mr. Paulson and other executives expressed little interest in taking the post. ... They couldn't get someone from Wall Street because nobody wanted the job" -> per NYT-WH Reporter granting anonymity to secret sources inside WH. Within 2 days Mr. Paulson resigns as chairman of Goldman Sachs & stands with the Prez. accepting nomination as Treasury Sec. :-) The same reporter is still covers WH.
###### When unemployment is 6-year low(4.6%) with booming economy, Wash.Post is in doom and gloom -> 70 reporters, editors, photographers, newsroom employees & 100 employees outside the newsroom will be out of their jobs. Wash.Post acknowledges that Circulation has decreased in recent years. As misery loves company, Wash.Post points out they aren't alone & NYTimes, Tribune and other dailies face the same burden as them. Experts say that Wash.Post's biased reporting is the reason for it's sinking circulation & earnings.
###### Associated Press's chief political writer, Ron Fournier was famous for predicting the wrong results since Bush elected. He is not in AP anymore and quitting political reporting for good.
###### Ketchup Queen Heinz' 4Q Profit Fall, Plans to cut 2,700 jobs & exit 15 plants this year.
###### Da Vinci Code backlash? -> Films from MGM will no longer be distributed on video and DVD by Sony instead chose 20th Century Fox. Sony will lose $25 million to $30 million by this decision.
###### Profits are plummeting at Time Inc. Sports Illustrated and Fortune are suffering steep declines in advertising pages, while namesake title Time is seen as in danger of becoming obsolete.
###### New Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke WAS sympathetic to journos. Not anymore. After his private conversation with Maria Bartiromo was deliberately leaked, taking cue from his WH experience he CANCELLED the Fed Fourth of July party with Washington's A-list reporters permanently.
###### Fox News Business Channel could launch as soon as this month. [Who will take-over Cavuto's time now?].
###### Media shareholders alert! - Associated Press , NYTimes, LATimes, Wash.Post, and ABC News are paying $750,000 to Wen Ho Lee as settlement fees for not revealing the name of Clinton admn. official who slandered the scientist. NYTimes faces another big libel suit from Stephen Hatfill in anthrax slur.
I would be happy if the business block on Saturday morning moves to another Fox channel. It has deteriorated into uninformed political commentary and has little to do with business as such.
Thank you for the media nuggets -- I always enjoy them. The article about Russert is very revealing.....he claims that Deborah Soloman presented a misleading representation of his interview. How ironic -- Russert who misleads every Sunday, and indeed every time he appears on tv, is complaining about a misleading story about him. It gave me a good Sunday morning giggle -- thank you for posting!!!
Really? Thank God! The man was totally biased. I believe he used to work at the Little Rock, Arkansas, main rag, er, newspaper, and came to Washington and the national scene with his heroes, the Clintons, in 1993. The guy was one of their chief cheerleaders, and an Bush Basher extraodinaire since 2001....
Can't wait for the rest of AP to give up!
Thanks so much for all these juicy political tidbits you give us every week!
Great job anita we love your nuggets, always breaking news stuff here.