Grumpy Editor

NEWSWEEK HAMMERED FOR COMPARING MASS MURDERER TO PRESIDENT

Grumpy Editor noted that Newsweek, formerly a highly respected weekly news magazine, has gone way off track by comparing Charles Manson, mass murderer and cult leader (who died Nov. 19), to President Donald Trump.

 

Dan Gainor, vice president of Media Research Center, which documents liberal media bias, called the story —  How murderer Charles Manson and Donald Trump used language to gain followers — “clickbait.”  Newsweek stopped being a legitimate news organization years ago, he added.

 

“It's almost predictable that some idiot online will write an outlandish story connecting Trump to the villain du jour, all designed to generate web traffic and ad dollars,” Gainor told Fox News.  "We worked through all the major historical villains the media could tie the president to -- Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini. They called him a strongman, a dictator and worse. Now it's Manson, Weinstein and probably Mugabe.”

 

Gainor added, “The media are running out of hyperbole. It's all embarrassingly stupid. No one gets held to account for it. And the cycle begins again with the next clickbait article.” He pointed out that Newsweek reporter Melissa Matthews, who wrote the article, recently wrote "other gems as ‘Why more orgasms can relieve sinus pressure’ and 'Is PMS real or a myth?’"

 

In the article’s comment section, a reader declared, “Wow, both Manson and Trump used language to gain followers? Next you're going to tell me that they both drank water to quench thirst. You've cracked the case Newsweek.”

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

MEREDITH BUYS TIME.  Meredith Corp., publisher of Better Homes & Gardens and Family Circle, among others, is buying Time Inc., publisher of Time, Sports Illustrated, People, Fortune and Entertainment Weekly, for about $1.8 billion in a deal expected to close early in 2018.

 

JOURNALISM AWARDS RESCINDED.  Veteran newsman Charlie Rose, fired by CBS News and ousted by PBS in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations, had journalism awards rescinded from the William Allen White Foundation at the University of Kansas, and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Arizona.

 

ONE DEGREE ABOVE 1903 READING.  Global warming followers cited unusual high temperatures last week in Southern California.  While a Thanksgiving Day reading in downtown Los Angeles hit 91 degrees, little was mentioned that the previous Thanksgiving Day high was only one degree less — reached 114 years earlier on Nov. 26, 1903.

 

CHINESE DEVELOP FLYING CAR.  Bloomberg reported a Chinese startup developed a flying car that it plans to roll out as soon as next year. EHang’s E-184 drone can carry one passenger in its small cockpit, but the firm said it’s working on a model that can carry two. 

 

HAPPIEST CITIES IN THE U.S.  National Geographic put Boulder, Colo. as the happiest city in America.  Coming in second was Santa Cruz, Calif. followed by Charlottesville, Va.

 

BRITISH SAILORS IN CHANGING OF THE GUARD.  Britain’s Royal Navy sailors, for the first time in 357 years, yesterday conducted the traditional "changing of the guard” ceremony outside Buckingham Palace, London.  Performing the familiar ritual usually carried out by regiments of the Army’s  Household Division were 86 sailors from 45 ships.

 

LIVE PIGS USED IN DOCTOR TRAINING.  Despite protests, the University of Missouri said it will continue to use live pigs to train emergency room doctors.  The university's Animal Care and Use Committee voted earlier this month to continue the practice through November, 2020, reported the Columbia Daily Tribune.

COUNTRIES CALL FOR JOURNALISTS TO REGISTER AS FOREIGN AGENTS

 

Journalists as foreign agents? That’s what is being alleged by Russians, Chinese and the U.S., finds Grumpy Editor.

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission calls for staff members of Chinese state-run media groups in the U.S. to register as foreign agents.  The U.S.panel asserts journalists at some Chinese media organizations engage in spying activities, feeding information back to the Chinese government while China has increased restrictions on foreign journalists in China.

 

Meanwhile, The U.S. Justice Department says it would require the Russian state-owned RT channel to register as a foreign agent. U.S. intelligence agencies accuse RT of involvement in alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, but Russia has denied any meddling.

 

From the other side, the Russian Ministry of Justice warns the Moscow bureau of U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe should prepare to register as a foreign agent.

 

“We had been expecting something for a long time,” says Ivan Martynenko, a reporter for the news outlet’s Russian-language website, Radio Liberty, at Radio Free Europe’s newsroom in Moscow.

 

Russian politicians for months have been grumbling that Radio Free Europe’s programs and website spread false or negative reports in efforts to harm Russia.

 

The U.S. Justice Department’s action infuriated the Kremlin and left news outlets such as Radio Free Europe vulnerable to retaliation in what is called a diplomatic tit-for-tat between Moscow and Washington.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

SMOG CONTINUES TO BLANKET L.A. AREA ---  Los Angeles area's air quality, which went south starting in the mid-1940s, remains the nation’s worst — and is not getting any better.  Ozone, the harmful gas in smog that inflames the lungs and triggers asthma attacks and other health problems, has violated federal health standards 145 days this year through Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.  That’s up from 132 ozone violation days last year and 113 in 2015.

LONGEVITY TIP:  EAT RAW EGGS.  A New York Times story on living past the century mark, includes these quotes on longevity:  Goldie Michelson, of Worcester, Mass., divulged her secret to longevity countless times before dying last year at 113:  “Morning walks and chocolate.” From Emma Morano of Verbania, Italy, who was still cooking her own pasta until a few years before she died last April at 117, her prescription:  raw eggs — and no husband.

 

DOGS BOOST LIFE OF SINGLES, FINDS STUDY.  People who have dogs are less likely to die from any cause during the 12 years covered by Uppsala University, Sweden research, according to the study published in Scientific Reports. The impact was greatest for single people, says Mwenya Mubanga, an author of the paper.  "Dog ownership was especially prominent as a protective factor in persons living alone, which is a group reported previously to be at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death,” finds Mubanga. 

 

CIA SAYS NO YULE PARTY THIS YEAR FOR PRESS.  A frequent critic of the media, CIA Director Mike Pompeo declines to invite the press this year to the CIA's annual Washington holiday party, seen by news folks as an opportunity to meet officials in a pleasant, friendly atmosphere.

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE SET TO MOVE.  The Chicago Tribune in next year’s second quarter will move from its long-time landmark headquarters on Michigan Ave. to One Prudential Plaza, a few blocks away, where it is leasing 137,000 square feet on five floors.

 

BRITISH MILITARY DOG DECORATED.  Mali, a British military dog that saved the lives of troops in Afghanistan in 2012, is decorated for bravery at ceremonies on Friday.  The eight-year-old Belgian Malinois twice was sent through direct fire in search of explosives.  The dog also detected insurgents. He is fully recovered from grenade blasts that injured his chest, legs and ear.

 

N.Y. SUBWAY CONDUCTORS CHANGE ADDRESS.  In another gender-neutral move, conductors on New York City subway trains will halt addressing riders as “ladies and gentlemen” when making announcements and instead use “passengers, riders or everyone.”

 

COMPANY EYES EX-MILITARY AS HIRES.  Recognizing the talents of former military service personnel, Accenture — a global professional services company with 425,000 workers in more than 120 countries — is aiming to add more military hires.  “Experiences of military men and women transfer seamlessly to the work we do,” says a top official, adding, “the hard skills acquired by military personnel” range from data analytics and logistical planning to engineering.

SENATORS SET TO UNDERGO SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING

U.S. senators and their staffs will undergo sexual harassment training in the next 60 days and at least once every two years under terms of a Senate resolution approved late last week sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D.-Minn.), ranking member of the Senate Rules Committee and co-sponsored by 19 others, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.-Ky.), notes Grumpy Editor. 

“All offices will have to certify to the secretary of the Senate that they and their employees here in Washington, as well as those working in our home states, have, in fact, taken the training and complied with the resolution,” says Klobuchar in a CNSNews.com report. “These certifications will be posted online for the public to view.”

“We are all too aware that sexual harassment continues in our workplaces,” she adds.

“A recent study found that one in four women has been sexually harassed in the workplace and that three-quarters of individuals who have experienced sexual harassment at work have not reported the incidences. 

"Civil service is actually among the top five industries with the highest sexual harassment incidences.”

Adds Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R.-Iowa):  “By passing this resolution, we take a step to ensure that all who work for the Senate are able to do their job without feeling unsafe or uncomfortable.” 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

WAL-MART SHOPPER WINS $7.5 MILLION VERDICT.  Wal-Mart shopper in Phenix City, Ala, who claims he tripped and broke his hip while buying a watermelon, wins a $7.5 million verdict in his lawsuit against the retailer. He says his foot became trapped in a pallet beneath the watermelons as he reached for one.

WINDY CITY EYES FINE FOR TEXTING WHILE CROSSING STREET.  Chicago is considering a fine of $90 to $500 to folks texting or talking on the phone while crossing streets.  “Everybody does it and then everybody is irritated when someone else does it. So my total view is I want to look at it. I think it has something to do with peoples' own safety,” says Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

JAIL TIME FOR SPREADING HATE MESSAGES.  Venezuela’s constitutional assembly passes a wide-reaching law that clamps down on social media and broadcasters by ordering prison sentences of up to 20 years for anyone who spreads a message through television, radio or social media that instigates violence or hate. The new law says public and private media outlets are “obligated to broadcast messages aimed at promoting peace, tolerance, equality and respect."

ABOUT THIRD OF COUNTRY FEELS SAFER.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 31 percent of likely U.S. voters believe the country today is safer than it was before the New York City terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 while 52 percnt disagree and feel the country is less safe, and 17 percent are not sure.

ANOTHER L.A. POLICE CHASE ON TV.  A police chase reaching speeds of up to 120 m.p.h. ends in bizarre fashion when a suspected carjacker releases a "fuzzy white dog" from a stolen vehicle and then trips and falls as he attempts to run from officers. The pursuit, broadcast live via helicopter, begins in North Hollywood and ends in a residential neighborhood in Palmdale.

NEWLY-LAUNCHED DRIVERLESS VEGAS BUS SMACKS TRUCK.  Within two hours after its launch, complete with unveiling ceremonies, a driverless shuttle bus in downtown Las Vegas hit a semi-truck.  None of the eight passengers aboard is injured.

FISH STORY FROM TOKYO.  Mainstream media get excited when President Donald Trump feeds koi carp at the Akasaka palace in Tokyo.  He’s seen on video, with Japanese Prime Minister Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by his side, spooning fish food out of a box.  Trump then empties the remainder of the box into the pond.  Media call the action uncivilized and ignorant.  But Trump merely follows what Abe does (not captured by cameras) moments earlier.  

PARROT SHAKES UP NEIGHBORHOOD.  Screams from a home that sounded like a person in great distress fills the air near Clackamas, Ore. So responding to a call, a deputy cautiously approachs the residence. When he sees the source of the screams he lets out a sigh of relief, followed by a chuckle. The screamer is a parrot — named Diego.

PAIR’S LOST-AT-SEA DETAILS ARE RAISING EYEBROWS

Eyebrows are being raised in the story from two women with two dogs who were on a 50-foot yacht hit by bad weather and lost at sea for almost six months before being rescued by a U.S. Navy ship, notes Grumpy Editor.

What hit them, they claim, was a storm with near hurricane-force winds on the night they set sail from Hawaii on a planned 18-day voyage to Tahiti.

But government records show no severe weather at that time in their area of departure, reports an Associated Press follow-up story.

The women had an emergency beacon aboard their yacht but never turned it on, say Coast Guard officials.  If they had, rescue routine would have been dispatched in minutes.

The women also mention a coordinated attack by 20 to 30-foot tiger sharks ramming their boat for more than six hours.  However, shark experts point out such a routine by tiger sharks has never been recorded and the sharks grow only to about 17 feet.

Mother of one of the women says she called the Coast Guard to report her missing daughter one and a half weeks after departure.  The Coast Guard claims it never got such a call.

The women also say they flagged vessels and sent distress signals for at least 98 days. 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

BUSINESS NETWORKS BATTLE.   Fox Business Network extends its total viewers winning streak to five months over business news rival CNBC, according to Nielsen Media Research. 

VIN SCULLY ABANDONS NFL.  Former Los Angeles Dodgers announcer and Hall of Famer Vin Scully, who turns 90 this month, says, "I used to love, during the fall and winter, to watch the NFL on Sunday.  And it's not that I'm some great patriot. I was in the Navy for a year --- didn't go anywhere, didn't do anything. But I have overwhelming respect and admiration for anyone who puts on a uniform and goes to war. So the only thing I can do in my little way is not to preach. I will never watch another NFL game."

TV REPORTER AT CRIME SCENE.  KTVU news reporter Claudine Wong became the subject of a crime story when her purse was stolen in a Concord, Calif. parking lot.  She says she was pushing a shopping cart after visiting a Costco store on Friday when a car pulled up beside her and a man leaned out of the passenger side and grabbed her purse from atop the cart. Then the car sped off.

MAGAZINE PUBLISHER CUTS JOBS.  New York-based publisher Condé Nast is slashing about 80 jobs from its 3,000 work force as budgets are being sliced.  The publisher also is reducing frequencies of some titles and will close Teen Vogue in print.  Not seeing frequency changes are monthly titles Vogue, Vanity Fair and Wired plus weekly The New Yorker and Brides which runs six times a year. 

MARKET SHOPPER STEALS RED WINE. A male shopper at California’s Incline Village at Lake Tahoe walks out of a supermarket with a shopping cart loaded with about 55 bottles of stolen expensive red wine worth about $15,000, report authorities.