Grumpy Editor

Ex-Marine Grimm bellows harsh words, stirs up media

New York Congressman Michael Grimm last week provided the kind of material that makes print and broadcast staffers lick their chops:  dynamic, threatening words by a politician  to a reporter --- who veered off track from the intended discussion on the president’s State of the Union address, points out Grumpy Editor.

Heavy coverage of Grimm extended several days after the irritated congressman, the only Republican representing a significant portion of New York City, told NY1 cable reporter Michael Scotto at the Capitol Rotunda that “I’ll break you in half”…and “I’ll throw you off this f-----g balcony.”

Grimm said for Scotto to ask about a federal investigation into campaign finances --- in which he has not been charged with a crime --- as part of that interview was a “cheap shot.”

Grimm later apologized, saying he had "lost his cool."

Background factors for his actions media overlooked:  Grimm, a businessman and attorney, spent eight years on Marine Corps active duty and as a reservist.  He was involved in the Persian Gulf War, Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.  Among his awards was the combat action ribbon.  He later worked as an FBI agent for nine years.

 

In case you missed these…

AP WRITERS (AGAIN) SCRUB BYLINES FOR A DAY.  Other than family members, friends and fellow staffers, most newspaper readers probably didn’t notice that most Associated Press writers, for 24-hours late last week, withheld bylines.  It marks the fourth time in recent years they did this, this time protesting health care and job-transfer proposals.

ARMY OPENS PREVIOUS OFF-LIMITS SPECIALTIES TO WOMEN.  Female soldiers, starting in April, will be eligible to serve in about 33,000 positions in 132 specialties previously off-limits to them following a now-canceled policy designed to keep women out of combat.  Thus, they will be eligible to serve in direct ground combat units below brigade level.

BUT WILL HE WEAR RED SOX IN THE PUBLISHER’S OFFICE?  John Henry, who purchased the Boston Globe from the New York Times Co. last October, named himself publisher of the newspaper.  He is principal owner of the Boston Red Sox baseball team.

SNOWDEN JOINS LIST OF NOBEL PEACE PRIZE CANDIDATES.  Two Norwegian politicians jointly nominate former National Security Agency contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden, now in Russia, for the 2014 Nobel peace prize.  He will be among the many names that the Nobel committee considers for the prestigious award.

WASHINGTON POST GEARS UP TO ADD DOZENS OF JOBS.  Amazon.com Inc. CEO Jeff Bezos, who bought the Washington Post last August, plans to beef up the newspaper by increasing its budget and adding dozens of editorial employees.

UNIVERSITY PLANS ANNUAL REPORTING AWARD.  University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Journalism Ethics is seeking applications for a national Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics.  It’s named after a graduate, winner of two Pulitzer prizes, who died in 2012 while crossing the Syrian border on a reporting assignment for the New York Times.  A $1,000 award goes go to the journalist (or team) whose reporting “best exemplifies four key criteria: accountability, independence, reporting in search of truth and minimization of harm to subjects, sources and the public at large,” says the university.

LOCAL TV NEWS GAINS GROUND LAST YEAR.  A Pew Research Center analysis finds, after a period of declining viewership, audiences for local TV news last year rose 6 percent in the 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. period and 3 percent in the 5 to 7 p.m. newscasts. 

Benghazi night/Obama in White House saga continues; AARP's CEO warns seniors about proposed chained CPI

The much-discussed whereabouts of President Barack Obama on the night the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya was attacked Sept. 11, 2012 popped up again via Roger Ailes, Fox News chairman and CEO, and chairman of Fox Television Stations Group, notes Grumpy Editor.

In receiving a $250,000 award last week from the Bradley Foundation, Ailes’ acceptance speech included reference to the Benghazi attack that resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stephens.  

 “I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t even care what the president of the United States was doing that night,” Ailes said. “However, I would like to know what the commander-in-chief was doing that night” --- which yielded applause from the audience.

Meanwhile, a photo, presumably shot on Sept. 11, 2012, resurfaced last week after its first release, without much fanfare, in early January.

The caption read: “Denis McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor, left, updates the President and Vice President on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa. National Security Advisor Tom Donilon and Chief of Staff Jack Lew are at right.”  All five are standing.

Strangely, Benghazi or Libya are not mentioned in the caption.  The photo shows Donilon holding a red file folder.  Lew and the president have hands in pockets.

However, details are given on the camera used by official White House photographer Pete Souza: a Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

See the photo here.

Obama departed Washington the following morning (Sept. 12) for a Las Vegas fundraiser.

 

'Chained CPI' means less COLA for seniors

The phrase “chained CPI” and what it is all about made its debut --- with little comment from most print and broadcast media --- after President Barack Obama’s budget plan was formally announced on April 10. 

It deals with a proposed change in the formula for the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) that will negatively affect millions of older Americans receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. 

Now, AARP’s CEO is alerting members that if enacted it “means cutting Social Security benefits by $127 billion over the next 10 years.” 

In a message to members of AARP (formerly known as American Association of Retired Persons) Addison Barry Rand warns:  “Can you afford to lose $14,076?,” pointing out “that’s what the cumulative cut in Social Security benefits will be for the average retiree by the time they reach 90.” 

Replacing the traditional consumer price index (CPI), long used in calculating the annual COLA, by chained CPI will cut yearly benefit increases. 

Social Security and SSI recipients grumbled when this year’s COLA barely rose to 1.7 percent, about half of last year’s 3.6 percent.  

The chained CPI “is not fair to you, me or other Americans,” declared Rand in this month’s message.

That caution communication from AARP’s CEO is in contrast to support of ObamaCare at a November, 2009, press conference when Rand proclaimed: “AARP is proud to endorse the Affordable Health Care for America Act."

 

In case you missed these…

Sarah Palin, former vice presidential candidate, returns as a Fox News contributor, appearing today on the channel’s Fox and Friends…Despite a presidential visit and promises of federal assistance, West, Texas, scene of an April 17 fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15, injured hundreds and destroyed nearby properties, was denied funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  FEMA also rejected Gov. Rick Perry’s request for a major disaster declaration for the town…Al Jazeera America schedules its launch for around Aug. 24...the PBS NewsHour nightly newscast is laying off employees for the first time in nearly 20 years and closing its Denver and San Francisco offices…Helen Brush Jenkins, one of the few early female photographers on daily newspapers (at the original Los Angeles Daily News), died in Chicago at age 94. 

Pulpy ‘Gangster Squad’ provides fictional action in L.A.; gun control chatter skips illegal weapon use by bad guys

While Washington continues to focus on gun control this week, Gangster Squad, the Warner Bros. crime film over the weekend attracted flocks of (mostly young) moviegoers glued to their seats as the screen showed explosions, machine guns, smashed cars and general violence --- as a screenwriter viewed things in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, notes Grumpy Editor.

Despite the screen notice that the film was “inspired by a true story,” that’s not the way it was in the City of the Angels at that time.

The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce must be grumbling over the extraordinary amount of mayhem depicted in the story, fictionalized by Will Beal’s screenplay from the book by Paul Lieberman.

The cast includes Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone and Sean Penn in a script that focuses on six Los Angeles Police Department officers recruited to be as ruthless as mobster Mickey Cohen (played by Penn). 

A veteran newsman, who worked in the LAPD press room in City Hall, recalls no such continuous violent action at that time. 

Police reporters from the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Mirror, Herald-Express, Los Angeles Examiner and Los Angeles Daily News were busy feeding tips to city desks regarding traffic accidents, robberies, burglaries and such --- when they weren’t playing cards.  Certainly a machine gun-riddled LAPD patrol car and shootouts around the city, as seen in the film, would have made front pages. 

Those were the days when newspaper competition was keen, with up to six deadlines a day. 

Cohen, who mingled with Hollywood stars, died peacefully in his Los Angeles home on July 29, 1976. 

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Gun control reports continue with front page coverage this week boosted by Vice President Joe Biden’s recommendations to President Barack Obama tomorrow. 

Focus will be on background checks of gun buyers, restrictions on high-capacity clips and other measures. 

A popular phrase with news anchors last week on NBC, ABC and CBS television networks was “gun violence.” 

What none covered, however, was what to do about criminals possessing illegal weapons and not obeying laws. 

*        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        * 

In case you missed these… 

For dramatic effect?  CNN’s Wolf Blitzer broadcast an interview in segments last week with Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi.  Blitzer asked questions in English.  Morsi sidestepped English, answering via a translator despite being a former student at the University of Southern California and later teaching, as an assistant professor, at Cal State Northridge from 1982 to 1985…Senate reporters coverup.  Few TV viewers or newspaper readers are aware that the U.S. Senate has been in a two-week recess, convening next Monday for inaugural ceremonies…Farewell to green?  The New York Times is closing its environmental desk. 

A missing element with coverage of the Journal News, Westchester, N.Y., that published an interactive map showing names and addresses of licensed pistol permit holders in its area: it’s one of 90 daily Gannett Co. newspapers…Time magazine goes to 48 issues this year, a reduction of three, as ad page count is off by almost 50 percent in five years…The Los Angeles Times, with another periodic piece to shake up readers, on Wednesday detailed a statewide California earthquake may be possible after all… Forbes magazine’s Jan. 21 issue runs an out-of-focus, blurry photo --- a trend with some publications these days --- that spans a full page and extends almost half way into an adjoining page to illustrate a “Bad Medicine” article dealing with patient satisfaction surveys…Fox News Channel for the 11^th consecutive year dominates cable news with the top 11 programs in total viewers, finds Nielsen Media Research.

Pulpy ‘Gangster Squad’ provides fictional action in L.A.; gun control chatter skips illegal weapon use by bad guys

While Washington continues to focus on gun control this week, Gangster Squad, the Warner Bros. crime film over the weekend attracted flocks of (mostly young) moviegoers glued to their seats as the screen showed explosions, machine guns, smashed cars and general violence --- as a screenwriter viewed things in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, notes Grumpy Editor.

Despite the screen notice that the film was “inspired by a true story,” that’s not the way it was in the City of the Angels at that time.

The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce must be grumbling over the extraordinary amount of mayhem depicted in the story, fictionalized by Will Beal’s screenplay from the book by Paul Lieberman.

The cast includes Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone and Sean Penn in a script that focuses on six Los Angeles Police Department officers recruited to be as ruthless as mobster Mickey Cohen (played by Penn). 

A veteran newsman, who worked in the LAPD press room in City Hall, recalls no such continuous violent action at that time. 

Police reporters from the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Mirror, Herald-Express, Los Angeles Examiner and Los Angeles Daily News were busy feeding tips to city desks regarding traffic accidents, robberies, burglaries and such --- when they weren’t playing cards.

Certainly a machine gun-riddled LAPD patrol car and shootouts around the city, as seen in the film, would have made front pages. 

Those were the days when newspaper competition was keen, with up to six deadlines a day. 

Cohen, who mingled with Hollywood stars, died peacefully in his Los Angeles home on July 29, 1976. 

*        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        * 

Gun control reports continue with front page coverage this week boosted by Vice President Joe Biden’s recommendations to President Barack Obama tomorrow. 

Focus will be on background checks of gun buyers, restrictions on high-capacity clips and other measures. 

A popular phrase with news anchors last week on NBC, ABC and CBS television networks was “gun violence.” 

What none covered, however, was what to do about criminals possessing illegal weapons and not obeying laws. 

*        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        * 

In case you missed these… 

For dramatic effect?  CNN’s Wolf Blitzer broadcast an interview in segments last week with Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi.  Blitzer asked questions in English.  Morsi sidestepped English, answering via a translator despite being a former student at the University of Southern California and later teaching, as an assistant professor, at Cal State Northridge from 1982 to 1985…Senate reporters coverup.  Few TV viewers or newspaper readers are aware that the U.S. Senate has been in a two-week recess, convening next Monday for inaugural ceremonies…Farewell to green?  The New York Times is closing its environmental desk. 

A missing element with coverage of the Journal News, Westchester, N.Y., that published an interactive map showing names and addresses of licensed pistol permit holders in its area: it’s one of 90 daily Gannett Co. newspapers…Time magazine goes to 48 issues this year, a reduction of three, as ad page count is off by almost 50 percent in five years…The Los Angeles Times, with another periodic piece to shake up readers, on Wednesday detailed a statewide California earthquake may be possible after all… Forbes magazine’s Jan. 21 issue runs an out-of-focus, blurry hospital photo --- a trend with some publications these days --- that spans a full page and extends almost half way into an adjoining page to illustrate a “Bad Medicine” article dealing with patient satisfaction surveys…Fox News Channel for the 11^th consecutive year dominates cable news with the top 11 programs in total viewers, finds Nielsen Media Research.

Despite terrorist threat, U.S. aims $450 million to Egypt

Despite two allied, yet contrasting developments on Egypt, most U.S. media did not combine them to indicate how Washington acts these days during a period of  tense relations, observes Grumpy Editor. 

However, editors at The Times of Israel did. 

They merged a terrorist threat warning from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo with Washington’s plans of sending almost a half billion dollars in U.S. aid to Egypt. 

The Times of Israel story Friday noted the U.S. Embassy in Cairo urged U.S. citizens to “exercise vigilance, taking necessary precautions to maintain their personal security” and “Americans in Egypt were also advised to maintain valid travel documents and to regularly monitor the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website, which lists updated travel warnings and alerts.”

The Times of Israel worked in Rep. Kay Granger (R., Texas), “chairwoman of the House of Representatives committee that oversees foreign aid said she would block $450 million in U.S. assistance to Egypt in light of tense relations between the two countries.”

Rep. Granger, it added, said, “This proposal comes to Congress at a point when the U.S.-Egypt relationship has never been under more scrutiny, and rightly so.  I am not convinced of the urgent need for this assistance and I cannot support it at this time…I have placed a hold on these funds.”

The Times of Israel is a Jerusalem-based news Website founded eight months ago to document developments in Israel, the Middle East and around the Jewish world.

11 days after deadly Libya attack: terrorists did it

Grumpy Editor’s pick as quote of the month --- 11 days after a military-style deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton admitted:

“What happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack.”

She added, “And we will not rest until we have tracked down and brought to justice the terrorists who murdered four Americans.” 

For more than a week, U.S. officials thought --- and widely proclaimed --- the attack was a protest stemming from a little-seen anti-Islam Internet video. 

The assault resulted in the murders of Ambassador Chris Stevens, diplomat Sean Smith, and ex-Navy SEALS Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods who were in Benghazi as part of a security contractor force.

London paper: U.S. warned 3 days prior to Libya attack

Shoving aside new information on the Libya deadly riots, media --- TV and especially MSNBC --- dwelled on a four-month old “hidden video” suddenly surfacing yesterday showing Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney with off-the-cuff remarks on President Barack Obama’s base, notes Grumpy Editor.

That overshadowed the new revelation, via London’s The Independent, that Libyan security officials warned U.S. diplomats three days before the Sept. 11 murders of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three members of his team in a Benghazi attack. 

Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., with appearances on four Sunday talk shows and beyond, has maintained the deaths of U.S. personnel were triggered by a 12-minute anti-Islam video rather than pre-planned. 

(No one questioned her on how most of the thousands of protesters, living way below the poverty line, could afford access to the Internet and computers to view the video.)  

The Independent pointed out the advance warning came as Libya’s interim president, Mohammed el-Megarif, said his government had information that the attack on the U.S. consulate was “planned by an Islamist group with links to al-Qa'ida and with foreigners taking part.”

Furthermore, the London daily reported diplomatic sources said threat of an attack against U.S. interests in the region was known to the Obama administration 48 hours before it took place. 

The alert, it added, was issued by the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security, but not made public. 

In contrast, The Independent also reported a State Department spokesman maintained, "We are not aware of any actionable intelligence indicating that an attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi was planned or imminent."

Feels like some writers work out of White House PR office

Today’s quiz:  Guess the source of these in-print statements, focusing on GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, asks Grumpy Editor. 

“Republicans are fretting over the state of their nominee's campaign.” 

“A new flurry of polls (show Romney) behind.” 

(Romney is) “untested on the international stage and with limited foreign policy experience.” 

With unrest in Egypt and Libya (anti-American violence swelled to two dozen countries since Friday), "Romney accused Obama of apologizing for America, his first statement mischaracterizing events in Cairo before all the facts were known…” 

“Romney's foreign policy bobble was the latest in a series of recent missteps.” 

“Republicans have expressed worry that Romney may be starting to let the campaign get away from him. Others are pushing him to explain more clearly what he would do as president.” 

“Observers have noticed a change in the candidate who struggles to connect with his audiences and is tagged by critics as less than charismatic and even out of touch.” 

Answer:  Associated Press. 

Four AP writers were behind the lengthy story that ran in some newspapers over the weekend.   Sharing bylines were Steve Peoples, who covers national politics, and Thomas Beaumont, political writer.  Contributing to the piece were Beth Fouhy, White House correspondent, and Ben Feller, presidential campaign reporter. 

After reading the story, that ran two-and-a- half single-spaced pages when printed out, Grumpy Editor wondered if the material was produced in the White House communications office. 

Veteran journalists, at least those from the “old school,” were taught to leave the editorializing for the editorial page, use attribution from real, named sources rather than tossing in words such as “observers” and “others,” and not to let bias slip into the copy.

(Do naughty things like that and a growling editor would promptly transfer an offending reporter to the overnight police beat.)

Meanwhile, with recent events putting a strong spotlight on U.S. foreign policy, Amy Holmes, a news anchor on Glenn Beck's GBTV, on CNN's Reliable Sources yesterday, said media should:

"Go to the sources...find out what is going on in the Middle East.  Americans are tuned in and reading newspapers. What is happening over there?  What happened to our State Department?  Where were our ambassadors?  Did we have advance warning?   

"Who, what, where, when and how in the Middle East --- instead of Mitt Romney."

 

 

17 percent of Americans skip what’s happening in world

In news about news --- and newspapers --- Grumpy Editor is almost wordless in learning 17 percent of Americans get no news every day, up from 3 percent in 1998.

That finding comes from Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project, a non-profit, non–partisan "fact tank."

Based on a 2010 tally, Rainie also uncovers only 17 percent of Americans read a newspaper daily.

But it gets worse --- 31 percent of the 18 to 24-year-old group gets no news on an average day.  That’s up from 25 percent in 1998.

The 30 to 34-year-old bracket doesn‘t fare too well, either, with 22 percent getting no news daily, compared with 15 percent 12 years prior.

Seniors rank worse with 11 percent getting no news, vs. 6 percent in 1998.

Topping the news source list?  Local TV news --- despite the fact that many TV newsrooms simply rewrite material from morning newspapers.

Meanwhile, for those who do read, Americans still choose print newspapers rather than online versions, finds Rasmussen Reports.

In a national telephone survey, Rasmussen tallies 66 percent of adults say they prefer reading hard-copy newspapers while 28 percent like reading their preferred newspapers’ online material.

 

Editors miss First Lady in Vegas; $100 million to Tunisia

Two interesting stories --- especially to taxpayers finishing up income tax returns and wondering how their money will be spent --- somehow escaped most print and broadcast editors’ attention late last week:  First Lady Michelle Obama, with her two daughters, visited Las Vegas one week after President Barack Obama made it to Sin City, and the United States plans to give $100 million in cash to Tunisia, observes Grumpy Editor. 

Mrs. Obama’s trip, not announced to media, came to light following a Las Vegas reporter’s query on a special closure at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport. 

Her Wednesday-Thursday visit with daughters Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10, was noteworthy because the president shot arrows at Las Vegas twice in recent years, scaring off tourist and convention activity.  

In February, 2009, aiming at business gatherings, he declared:  “You can’t take a trip to Las Vegas or down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers dime.” 

Then a year later, he warned:  “You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.” 

A sour economy followed, resulting in thousands of casino workers’ jobs lost plus Las Vegas rising to first place in the U.S. with home foreclosures. 

Last year’s  unemployment in Las Vegas, at 13.3 percent, was among the highest in the nation. 

Meanwhile, most editors also missed Thursday’s announcement from the Obama administration that $100 million, subject to congressional approval, will go to Tunisia for short-term fiscal relief --- to help improve its economy. 

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the funds would allow Tunisia to “use this money for its priority programs, accelerating economic growth and job creation.” 

In addition, the U.S. is negotiating a separate package that would offer loan guarantees to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for Tunisia.