News Junkie - Live Wire

FOX/CNN/MSNBC DISSECTED

Some great analysis of the current cable media landscape from CJR today. I disagree with a few points (especially the bit about MSNBC offering a rainbow of opinons) but this quote is interesting:

From personal experience covering news around the world, you almost always run into a CNN crew or stringer. You almost never run into a Fox reporter, and never one from MSNBC.

Read the whole thing at CJR’s website.

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ROY ASHBURN: “I’M GAY”

California State Senator Roy Ashburn admits to being a homosexual in an interview today on KERN. You can listen to the interview in this post and read the details here. Ashburn vows to carry on.

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BETTY WHITE TO SNL

After a massive online movement to draft her into the hosting duties at Saturday Night Live, Betty White confirms she will appear on the show.

But will she host?

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PETA TARGETS SEAWORLD

PETA sees a wounded opponent in SeaWorld after last month’s killer whale attack. Their latest mantra: “Let whales and dolphins ‘out of prison.’

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ADAM GADAHN CAPTURED

HUGE news out of Pakistan: American-born al-Qaeda leader Adam Gadahn has been arrested.

Update: It’s not him?

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NYT ON SCIENTOLOGY

‘Breaking With Scientology’ won’t hit print until tomorrow but you can read the New York Times assault on Scientology online right now.

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PHOTOS: TOYOTA HEARINGS

Executives from Toyota Motor Corp made the journey to Washington D.C. this morning to face down angry customers seething over their company’s recall follies. Take a look at these pictures from today’s event.

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THE BLOOM BOX

I can’t decide if the Bloom Box is the greatest invention ever or if I’m a bit like an old lady being conned by a slimy auto mechanic. Regardless, you have to watch this video. [Video]

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SCOTTY LAGO PHOTOS

Snowboarder Scotty Lago leaves the Olympic village in Vancouver after sexually suggestive photos of the bronze medalist and his trophy surfaced online. Lago says he’s in a ‘blackout’ and can’t talk about the event until next month. [View The Photos]

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RAY GOSLING ARRESTED

What happens when you admit to a murder on British public television? Well, you get arrested, of course. BBC presenter Ray Gosling arrested on suspicion of murder. [Details]

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TIGER WOODS PRESSER

Tiger Woods will finally reemerge from the shadows this Friday. The golf pro and reported sex addict is planning on holding a press conference at the PGA headquarters at 11AM Eastern. [Details]

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JOE BIDEN’S FOREHEAD

As I was watching President Obama’s stimulus update presser today, several readers emailed to ask ‘What’s that spot on Joe Biden’s forehead?’ Joe Biden is the first Catholic Vice President the U.S. has seen so each Ash Wednesday these questions float in like crazy. It’s Ash Wednesday, folks.

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What In The Hell Is Happening In Honduras?

Most mainstream media outlets seem to be keeping their distance from this explosive ‘coup’ story in Honduras. Odds are this is less because they’re trying to defend the President’s inconsistencies with ‘meddling’ in international affairs and more because they don’t truly understand the story. So, let me take a minute (or a few paragraphs) and dive into the various reports that best describe the current situation in Honduras. Let’s start with the major…


Pro-Ahmadinejad Hacker Takes Over Briefly

The same pro-Iranian forces that hacked Oregon University’s servers have attacked TheNewsJunkie.com. The hacker forwarded all requests to the server to another address which contained the misspelled pro-Ahmadinejad script you’ll find below. I worked with my tech crew this AM to fix the problem and ensure it won’t happen again.

hacked


News Junkie Radio Show 06-27-09

The News Junkie Radio Show Audio Archive For June 27, 2009:

[podcast]http://www.thenewsjunkie.com/images/06-27-2009WGN.mp3[/podcast]

[Download Link - Click Here]


Sanford Finally Caves… But Who Is This OTHER Woman?

Yeah, yeah, yeah — so the story’s exploded at this point. I hit this one on before it was a blip on anyone’s radar and I knew from the start something wasn’t right. The ‘I’m not really worried about it’ response from South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s wife was beyond bizarre. I mean, it was Father’s Day weekend and her husband was MIA. In the next 48 hours we heard a myriad of…


President Obama Orchestrates Q&A With Huffington Post Blogger

As I noted in a Facebook update earlier, imagine for a second, if you will, if President Bush orchestrated a presser question with a blogger from Red State or Free Republic. Do you think the response would be different? Not that there’s much of a response to this at all. But there should be. The President took another question from The Huffington Post today.

Obama_Bada-1_t756

This is an openly partisan (in…


Behind The Numbers: CBS News/NY Times Health Care Poll

I’m guessing you’ve heard about the NY Times/CBS News health care poll released last night — timed, of course, to ensure extended coverage on the influential Sunday political talk show circuit. The headline making the copy/paste rounds today is some form of the following: Majority of Americans Support Public Health Care Option. But what should be grabbing your attention is the more bizarre revelations in this poll. It seems most Americans are…


What’s With The Media Silence On Walpin?

Odds are you have no idea who Gerald Walpin is. Don’t worry, it’s not your fault. The network newscasts have almost completely ignored this story. The mainstream outlets have had a rabid appetite for stories about a few firings under the previous President that may have been politically motivated, but this story isn’t attracting their attention. So why was IG Gerald Walpin fired? Well, if you ask him, he says he’s


Day Three: Iranian Protests Continue Despite Media Blackout

Tehran Bureau is back up. I suggest following either that link or this one which will lead you to Andrew Sullivan’s non-stop-Iranian-chaos-blogathon. I’ll keep this post updated with the latest and greatest as the day progresses.

This post will be updated throughout the day with news on this story. (All Times Central)

11:35AM: More info about the press blackout at HotAir.com.

Obama’s latest remarks above… he’s walking the…


Chaos In Iran – Protests Rage After ‘Rigged’ Election

There are several great resources to catch the latest information on the aftermath of what appears to be a rigged election in Iran. Tehran Bureau is doing most of the hard round-it-up legwork so here’s a link in that direction. Their Sunday update was incredibly informative. Here’s a tidbit:

Also from my balcony facing north into the mountains, people are on their rooftops shouting “marg bar diktator” and “allaho akbar” [“Death to


Lefty Blogs Quick To Make Political Points Of Body Counts

From my desk in the Chicago Tribune newsroom, I hear reporters chasing stories all day long. It brings me back to the days of smoke-filled news gathering areas where it was the story that mattered. These days, it’s less the story and more of the spin when it comes to measuring importance. Just the other day, a Trib reporter came over to my workspace and gave me a heads up on a developing…


David Carradine Hanging Picture Leaks – Thai Magazine Under Fire

A magazine in Bangkok, Thailand is under fire for releasing a picture allegedly showing actor David Carradine hanging in his hotel room closet. The photo below does nothing to quell rumors that Carradine died of something other than the originally reported ’suicide’. His hands are bound in a manner that appears to be impossible to do without the help of another.

davidcarradinehanged

David Carradine’s family is quite obviously upset about the release of…


Iran’s Coming Election: Things Are Heating Up In Persia

There’s a lot of new angles to this Iranian election. Much to Ahmadinejad’s horror, there’s an actual contender. Former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi is a pal of Mahmoud’s foe Mohammad Khatami and he’s giving the President a run for his money. Though the campaign has been a bit boring at points, last night a debate between the two main contenders was rife with action. Watch the translated Iranian presidential debate below and keep…


All Access: NBC Goes Behind-The-Scenes At The White House

NBC News went behind-the-scenes at the White House last week and they’re playing back the captured video all week long. Sure, the administration put on their best faces for the cameras and controlled the message. But there’s some great insight to be gained from this footage. Below, spread out across several videos, you’ll see the lions share of the coverage. From Axlerod’s office to the daily activities of Rahm Emanuel and the assistants…


The George Tiller Murder – Inside The Demented Mind Of Scott Roeder

There are a few subjects I distance myself from on the radio show. I’ve never been a big fan of talking about the conflict in Gaza — you don’t get anywhere and debate often turns to fisticuffs — and I like to keep my distance from the abortion debate for the same reason. Though I think emotion makes for great radio, I don’t enjoy spinning my wheels in a useless debate. Still, I…