Grumpy Editor

GLOBAL WEALTH DECLINES, SAY ECONOMISTS

For the first time since 2008, economists say global wealth declined, falling 2.4 percent, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Americans were hit hardest as stocks and bonds declined in value.  However, that was partly offset by rising house prices and other assets.

 

This resulted in about 1.7 million American adults are no longer millionaires.

 

Another 17,260 people drop out of the ultra-high-net-worth category, meaning they are no longer worth $100 million or more.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

MORE WEAPONS FOR NORTH KOREA.  Never quiet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calls for an increase in weapons production as the U.S. and South Korea strengthen military cooperation. Last week he toured munitions factories and ordered a major increase in production of missiles and other weapons.

 

CLASSIC CAR HAS HIGH ASKING PRICE FOR AUCTION.  Sotheby’s this fall in New York will auction a red 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO with an asking price of $60 million.

 

OPERA NEWS TO CEASE PUBLICATION.  Opera News, an 87-year-old publication focused on the Metropolitan Opera and spotlighting the art form, prints its final issue in November.

 

GRAY WOLVES APPEAR.  A new pack of gray wolves is spotted in California’s Sierra Nevada, several hundred miles away from any other known population of the endangered species, say wildlife officials.

 

COCOA COSTS SOAR.  Hershey and Mondelez and other chocolate makers face tougher trading conditions over the next year as they seek to pass on soaring cocoa costs to consumers who are cutting back.

 

AUTHORS DISLIKE AI.  For a vast number of book writers, artificial intelligence is a threat to their livelihood.  More than 10,000 writers endorsed an open letter from the Authors Guild, urging AI companies not to use copyrighted work without permission or compensation.

 

AMERICANS SLEEP ATOP EIFFEL TOWER.  Two American tourists are found sleeping off a heavy night in the upper part of Paris' Eiffel Tower.  Security guards found them in the early morning before the 9 a.m. opening.

 

HARRISON FORD TRIBUTE.  A new snake species — tachmenoides harrisonford — in containing the name of actor Harrison Ford, is intended to be a fun play on Indiana Jones’ hatred for scaly creatures. 

KIPLINGER’S MAKES IT EASY FOR READERS TO CONTACT STAFF

Too many magazines, and some newspapers, make it very difficult to contact staffers --- which is just plain dumb, grumbles Grumpy Editor.

Readers may have hot tips, article suggestions, added information or just plain praise. 

So it’s interesting to note Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s editor Mark Solheim, in the February issue, devotes a whole page to “Thanks for the Feedback.”

Four pages further into the magazine all staffers, from editorial to sales are listed.

As Solheim points out on his page:  “At Kiplinger, the best feedback of all comes directly from you.  One of the guiding principles of the Kiplinger family of publications is reader service.  We aim to be as useful to you as possible and to respond when you reach out to us.  That’s why I include my e-mail address at the end of my column, and it's why articles now include writer’s e-mail addresses.”

Kiplinger’s also employs another method to get feedback --- a panel consisting of several hundred readers who volunteer to rate each issue.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

WHAT, NO COURT MARTIAL?  Maj. Gen. Ryan Gonsalves, who recently headed the 4^th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo., is denied promotion to three stars because he referred to a female congressional staffer as "sweetheart" during a meeting in October, 2016. 

FAVORITE WORD ON CNN.  After President Donald Trump reportedly asked why the U.S. should welcome migrants from “sh-tholes” like Haiti, Central America or African nations, that word was mentioned at least 36 times Thursday on CNN, tallies Gateway Pundit.

 FORGET STEERING WHEEL, PEDALS.  General Motors thinks folks would drive a car without steering wheel or pedals, reports Fortune.  The automaker petitioned the federal government for permission to deploy self-driving Chevrolet Bolts that lack steering wheel, pedals and other manual controls ahead of the planned launch of a robo ride-sharing service next year.

SOMETHING TO BARK ABOUT.  The FBI has a new agent --- with four legs, a yellow coat and a wet nose:  Harley, a two-year-old Labrador retriever.  She works with the FBI’s New York outpost and the Westchester County Police Department sniffing for flash drives, hard drives, SIM cards and other storage devices in criminal cases where electronic evidence is sought.

BACK TO WORLD WAR II GARB?  The Army will decide later this year if it should switch back to its classic World War II-era “pink and green” dress uniform as part of an effort to link troops more closely to the service’s history.

COST OF OIL RISES AGAIN.  Oil reaches $70 a barrel for the first time in three years as production cuts by OPEC and rising demand drain the global surplus.

NEW FLAVORS LOOM FOR DIET COKE.  Look for new flavors such as “ginger lime” and “twisted mango” and a revamped can design for Diet Coke, first change with the Coca-Cola beverage since 1982.

MORE APPEAL FOR STOCK OWNERSHIP.  Bloomberg reports Warren Buffett says U.S. tax cut legislation makes stock ownership more attractive by making companies more valuable by giving owners a bigger share of profits.

NOAA CITES WEATHER-LINKED DAMAGE.   Massive damage from the unprecedented number of hurricanes along with fires, floods and other weather-related events, cost the U.S. a record $306.2 billion last year, estimates the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

SUDDEN RICH KID.  For Shane Missler from Port Richey, Fla., it was time to retire at the ripe old age of 20 after winning the whopping $451 million Mega Millions prize in the Florida Lottery.

15 YEARS ON OVERNIGHT RADIO.  George Noory this month marks his 15^th year as host of “Coast to Coast AM,” an overnight radio show fed by Premiere Networks.  The program features interesting interviews on various topics with the focus on paranormal or conspiracy theories.  On Tuesday's show, for example, the key topic will be on the coming ice age.

UNDELIVERED MAIL.  In Louisiana, a federal prosecutor says a 50-year old former U.S. Postal Service worker took mail from his rural postal route to his home in Pitkin where he burned at least 20 tubs of mail. 

Merriam-Webster adds 1,000 fresh words to dictionary

Grumpy Editor observed copy editors now have to contend with more than 1,000 fresh words added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary including what its producers said are "terms from recent advances in science, borrowings from foreign languages, and words from tech, medicine, pop culture, sports and everything in between.”

What’s puzzling, however, is some words have been around for a while.

Take, for example, “ping.” It is listed as one of the additions, although its use (via the Navy) goes back to World War II. As the dictionary explains it, ping is “the pulse of sound waves reflected from or emitted by a submerged object in submarine signaling or detection and heard by special apparatus.”

Seems we have heard that word in scores of movies since WWII.

Ping also is described as “a sharp sound like that of a striking bullet
” and “a signal sent from one computer to another across a network for usually diagnostic purposes.”

Among other new words:

Photobomb --- to move into the frame of a photograph as it is being taken as a joke or prank.

Safe space --- a location, as on a college campus, intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism or potentially threatening actions, ideas or conversations.

Humblebrag --- when a person makes a modest or self-critical comment about himself or herself that is really meant to draw attention to their accomplishments or impressive qualities.

Fast fashion --- clothes that are manufactured and sold cheaply to keep up with new trends.

Woo-woo --- another vintage word now defined as dubiously or outlandishly mystical, supernatural or unscientific. (Actually, “Woo-woo goes back to Feb. 1, 1939 when Harry James and the Boogie Woogie Trio recorded a 78 r.p.m. jazz instrumental disc.)

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE..

Misleading media: Chatter on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, along with other media outlets, wrongly pin upcoming Social Security cuts on Donald Trump. Long before Trump took office last month, Social Security reforms passed by Congress mandated a reduction of 24 percent in benefits by 2050 --- accomplished mainly by gradually raising the program’s full retirement age from 65 to 67…CNN came up with this headline on Friday when Trump greeted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House: Donald Trump shook the Japanese Prime Minister's hand for 19 seconds. (That was probably considered a “scoop.”)  The play-by-play story said, “Trump pulled Abe's hand closer, patted it several times and held on for 19 seconds. When they completed the handshake, Trump pulled away and Abe made a regrettable facial expression”…NewsBusters noted that at the White House press conference with Trump and Abe “all liberal three networks were not chosen to ask questions.  ABC didn’t even bother to cover the event live. Only CBS and NBC broke in. Instead, Trump called on Daniel Halper of the New York Post and Blake Burman of Fox Business. Prime Minister Abe took questions from Japanese reporters”…As noted by CNSNews.com, Piers Morgan, editor-at-large for The Daily Mail, London, on Fox News’s Tucker Carlson program said, President Donald Trump has good reason to distrust liberal media outlets such as CNN and the New York Times, which are "utterly determined to bring the Trump presidency crashing down”…The Trump administration will continue using the term "fake news" until the media understand that their "monumental desire" to attack the President is wrong, said Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Donald Trump...Gallup poll found confidence in the economy rose to new highs at the time Trump entered the White House, adding optimism was higher in January than any month since 2008.

Coffee drinkers perk up. A bill introduced in Oregon would impose an excise tax of five cents a pound on wholesale transactions of coffee beans and ground coffee in order to fund education programs…Two more dailies, tracing roots to the late 19^th century, fold. Massachusetts Mondays through Fridays papers The Malden Evening News and the Medford Daily Mercury stopped publishing print and online editions…North Korea fired a ballistic missile that soared east towards the Sea of Japan, latest in a number of nuclear tests in the past year…Former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder’s ’s law firm, Covington and Burling will be paid $25,000 a month from the California Legislature for 40 hours of work providing “legal strategies regarding potential actions of the federal government that may be of concern to the State of California.”

Brown likes brown.

Noting California Gov. Jerry Brown refuses to scratch the word “drought” from his current vocabulary triggered a long-time resident to comment:

“Yet no matter how much rain or snow we get, Gov. Brown will always say we are in a drought.  He wants the state to be brown!”

Monkey business in the air grabs editors' attention

 

Print and broadcast media last week went bananas over a monkey "loose on a plane" report that resulted in police being called to greet a Frontier Airlines flight after it landed in Las Vegas, observed Grumpy Editor.

Turns out that the incident was a "big misunderstanding" since Gizmo, a tiny four-year-old marmoset monkey was certified to provide emotional support for Jason Ellis, 30.

Ellis said he has taken Gizmo with him "everywhere with me every single day" since the monkey was a few weeks old.

 

Marmosets are one of the smallest monkeys in the world, can make amazing pets and can fit into a pocket.  They are about eight inches long. 

The "monkey on the loose" saga started when a flight attendant saw Gizmo's head pop out of Ellis's clothing.  Someone on the airplane contacted McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas to report a monkey was loose or got loose in the cabin.

Media jumped at a "monkey loose on a plane" story.

After all, we're in the "dog days of summer" and with a shortage of canine capers, a monkey on a flight stirs editors' interest.

The issue was resolved after landing when Ellis showed paperwork for the animal.  He and Gizmo were cleared.

And editors were still searching for dog stories.

Most missed this one:  Some dogs in the Detroit Police Department's canine unit were outfitted with bullet-resistant vests that cost $1,000 each.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

Reporters covering politics often fail to ask "how."  Example:  Hillary Clinton at campaign rallies voiced among her priorities are a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants while providing better social security benefits to seniors (who were not granted an increase in monthly payments for this year).

 

Look for media to be hinting of an interest rate increase (followed each time by gyrations in the stock market) just before every Federal Reserve meeting through the end of the year even though most economists see no boost through December. 

 

California's dairy farms were being blamed by the Golden State's Air Resources Board for methane emissions.  To be exact, "cow manure and 'enteric fermentation (flatulence)' account for half of the state's methane emissions" affecting climate change, according to the ARB.  The Wall Street Journal pointed out, "Democratic lawmakers want to mandate a 40 percent reduction in methane by 2030, and the board is pondering ways to do it."  The battle over smog has been going on since the late 1940s in Southern California.  The area from the Pacific Ocean to the Mojave Desert this summer was having its worst air quality since 2009.  So maybe that's why the ARB is eyeing dairy cows as a major source.

 

Mike Huckabee, who had a weekly show on Fox News Channel before deciding to run for president, was back on the network Friday night filling in for Sean Hannity.

 

A New York Times editorial on Friday claimed Donald Trump, in his attacks against Hillary Clinton and President Obama, is appealing to "the mob."

 

Top leadership warned the Air Force will face a shortage of 1,000 fighter pilots in the next few years.

 

Washington-based Ron Fournier planned to leave the Atlantic as its senior political columnist to return to his hometown and help run Crain's Detroit Business.  Earlier he spent more than two decades with the Associated Press.

 

Media trimming was hitting Canada, too, as the Toronto Star laid off 45 newsroom employees.

 

Be on guard with those dating ads.

An 80-year-old woman in Poland drugged and stole from a string of suitors she met through her local newspaper's dating ads. Authorities said that could put her behind bars for 20 years.

 

Media focus heavily on disruptions at Trump events

Grumpy Editor asks if you've had enough of the same video footage --- focusing on noisy, disruptive protesters at Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's Chicago rally --- that has been repeated over and over since Friday night.  Clips are still running today. 

Enough already.

That's why TV news watchers are switching to the Animal Planet channel.

Newspapers joined in with a parade of action photos of protesters at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Many of the protesters, including students, jumped up and down with their arms in the air.  TV news directors relish such animation coupled with some physical confrontations. 

A typical protester, facing a Fox News Channel camera Friday night, was asked why she was among protesters.  She replied that she had no idea why she was shouting against Trump, who cancelled the rally.

MSNBC, Fox News and CNN mostly went wall to wall with the yelling and fist-waving action while NBC, CBS and ABC used the Chicago (and later other protests over the weekend) to lead off network news programs.

Associated Press on Saturday fed a lengthy report --- Analysis: Chicago chaos tests Trump promises of unity.  It contained the line: "The Chicago chaos presents the biggest leadership test yet for the Republican outsider, the deeply divided Republican Party and an even more sharply splintered nation that he seeks to lead."

(What do trouble-seeking protesters have to do with Trump's "biggest leadership test"?  And note how "deeply divided Republican Party" was worked in, while "more sharply splintered nation" is pinned on a GOP presidential candidate rather than the current White House occupant. )

Another AP story ended with:  "But many of the protesters in Chicago said they were there specifically to stop Trump from speaking." 

Just think how some political writers would treat a baseball game with some fans shrieking at an umpire's call in a crucial matchup leading to a brawl by the home team at second base. They probably would blame the team’s owner.

Many observers agreed with Trump that the Chicago ruckus was "a planned attack."

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter approved plans from the military services and Special Operations Command to open up all combat jobs to women, and authorized the military to begin integrating female combat soldiers immediately…A CardHub.com study found Americans in last year’s fourth quarter added more than $52 billion in credit card debt, making it the largest pace of credit card debt increase since the Great Recession…While going on for decades, the Washington Post brought it up again last week with: Pay doesn’t look the same for men and women at top newspapers…Sleepy state? Centers for Disease Control found residents of the Great Plains states have the highest prevalence of “healthy sleep duration” --- especially in South Dakota, where 71.6 percent of residents sleep more than seven hours a day…Not so bright earnings picture? Bloomberg View noted corporate profits have dropped three out of the last four quarters, adding that usually means a recession for the U.S. economy…Lawmakers introduced a bill that would limit airline fees for checked bags, ticket changes and cancellations, claiming the practice is similar to price gouging.

Surveys galore:

Americans are getting fed up with surveys (asking “how are we doing”?) that come via telephone (quizzers say “it will only take three to five minutes”), e-mail and snail mail.  Newspapers and magazines are among the survey-takers.

Calif. mudslides coverage shows need to consult maps

 

Localized storm-triggered mudslides, engulfing cars and trucks 80 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles late last week, pointed out to Grumpy Editor that print and (especially) broadcast newsrooms apparently don’t consult maps these days.

Reporters and editors thus get mixed up in directions and locations,  relaying faulty information and causing confusion to readers/viewers.

Check these misleading print/broadcast headline examples:

Dramatic photos of the mudslides that stranded L.A. drivers

Powerful storm slamming Southern California --- and it’s not over

Heavy rain causes mudslides across Southern California

Southern California digs out of mudslides

Many radio stations with on-the-hour news and television evening news programs based their reports on a wire service story that put the fuzzy location of roadway mud on “a section of Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles.”  The wire story also described the “flooding” was “brought on by a storm system that produced heavy rainfall across the region.”

First off, the storm --- localized in a section of Kern County (geographically, located in the southern part of California's Central Valley) --- did not affect Los Angeles which recorded zero precipitation and thus L.A. drivers were motoring along in sunshine.

Main area affected was on busy east-west state highway 58 between Bakersfield and Tehachapi where close to 200 cars and 75 tractor-trailers were trapped by mudslides flowing from higher elevations. 

Flooding and backups closed a south-of-Bakersfield section of heavily-traveled Interstate 5 that runs from Los Angeles to the San Francisco area, and beyond.

Thus, the local storm in Kern County did not “slam Southern California” and “Southern Californians were not digging out of mudslides.”

A TV network (which definitely needs to check a California map in its newsroom), alarmed viewers with, “Cars were stuck in place on Los Angeles highways Thursday night amid mudslides caused by flash flooding and thunderstorms.”

It appeared some broadcast and print editors were gearing up for the widely predicted upcoming El Nino.  One TV network, looking weeks ahead for more heavy rain coupled with mudslides and homes sliding down hills, mentioned:

“This El Nino season is expected to be as strong as the one that swept into Southern California in 1997.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

North Korea is capable of hitting the United States with a long-range nuclear missile, warned Adm. William Gortney, commander of the U.S. Northern Command.  Amplifying that a few days later, a Wall Street Journal editorial Saturday cited “North Korea could have as many as 100 nuclear bombs within five years and may already be able to mount warheads on missiles capable of reaching the United States.” Meanwhile, after a White House meeting Friday with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, President Barack Obama said the U.S. is ready to negotiate with North Korea as it has with Iran, but Pyongyang has to be serious about abandoning nuclear weapons.  This was followed by word from North Korea on Saturday that the communist nation rejected the idea of resuming talks to end its nuclear program.

The Labor Department noted plunging gasoline prices as a key factor in no inflation and thus, no 2016 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for millions of Social Security recipients, disabled veterans and federal retirees.  More precisely, gasoline prices last month fell 9 percent, biggest drop since January, after declining 4.1 percent in August but food prices rose 0.4 percent, largest increase since May, 2014, after rising 0.2 percent the prior month. Also rising was the rental index, up 0.4 percent, after advancing 0.3 percent in August...Separately, with some questioning the tally, the Labor Department said the number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits fell to a 42-year low.

China has edged past the U.S. in the number of billionaires with 242 added in the past year, upping its total to 596, surpassing the U.S.'s 537...A Washington Post headline: White wines may be just as good for you as red (in some ways, at least)…Playboy will unveil its redesign with the March issue that will feature a larger size plus heavier, higher quality paper --- but no nudes…In denouncing “Truth,” CBS nixed running commercials for the film in which Robert Redford plays ex-CBS newsman Dan Rather who was involved in a discredited 2004 news story on former President George W. Bush's military service record…A hot-selling Halloween item in Mexico this year is an unflattering Donald Trump mask.

 

FROM THE POLICE BLOTTER:  A burglar entered through a doggie door at a residence of vacationing homeowners, drank a lot of booze, spent time searching for jewelry and even used the toilet (and not flushing) over several hours.  Even slept in a bed. 

Yes, a security service, alerted by sensors, dispatched a guard.

He rang the door bell.

No one answered.

So he departed.  

‘Victory lap’ becomes very contagious term for media

Grumpy Editor notes newspaper readers/radio and TV listeners were bombarded last week with the much overused term “victory lap,” after the president trumpeted from the White House Rose Garden that 7.1 million people signed up by the deadline for the first round of ObamaCare.

Victory lap stems from motorsports to describe the extra lap around the racetrack after the end of a race.  It’s much like "hitting a home run,” as heard in baseball parks, to describe something such as a nifty presentation at the office. 

A sampling of headlines or leads from the many print/broadcast/Internet websites going for “victory lap” (emphasized in bold face, below) --- 

ABC News:  President Obama Takes Victory Lap After

Health Care Sign-Ups Top 7 Million

 

Washington Post:  7.1 million reasons for ObamaCare victory lap

 

NBC News:  Victory Lap: Obama Says Health

Care Law Is 'Here to Stay'

 

PBS News Hour: President Obama takes health care victory lap

 

Fox News:  White House runs 'victory lap' after 7M ObamaCare sign-ups, Republicans renew repeal fight

 

Roll call:  Obama, Democrats Have 7 Million Reasons for a Victory Lap

 

U.S. News & World Report:  Obama Runs Victory Lap on ObamaCare Sign-Up Success, Chastises Republicans

 

New York Post:  While ‘victory lap’ was not in the headline, it was in the lead of its story ---

WASHINGTON — President Obama took a victory lap at the close of the enrollment period for ObamaCare…

 

WebMD:  First paragraph under the headline, ObamaCare Hits Goal of 7 Million Enrolled --- 

The Obama administration took a victory lap Tuesday as enrollment through the health law’s exchanges topped 7 million... 

 

Meanwhile, in the Far East, English-language Japan Times picked up an Associated Press story, adding its own headline:

Obama takes victory lap after health care sign-ups top 7 million

 

Memo to media:  Did anyone check to see if there was an uptick in business at Victory Lap Auto Sales in Newnan, Ga.?

 

In case you missed these…

 

CBS ADDS COMBUSTION ENGINE SOUND TO QUIET TESLA MODEL S FOOTAGE.  Drivers of Tesla Motors, Inc.’s Model S electric car are still buzzing following CBS’s 60 Minutes report of March 30 that included several shots of the normally silent-running luxury car on the road --- but with dubbed-in sound of a traditional gasoline engine.  Seems strange that Scott Pelley, who reported the story (and whose wife, according to Fox News, drives a Tesla Model S), says he wasn't aware of the added audio ahead of time.  He didn’t comment on it after the segment with the false noisy engines aired. 

 

NEW JERSEY’S TOP DAILY, CUTS STAFF.  Advance Publications’ Star-Ledger, Newark, New Jersey’s largest newspaper, is cutting jobs, including one-fourth of its newsroom staff (leaving 156 on the editorial payroll), as it moves to consolidate operations and cut costs.

 

SUNDAYS WITH NEWS VIA NEW YORK.  The New York Times, seeking to bolster subscribers, is pitching its Sunday edition far from Gotham.  Folks in the far West are getting mailed pitches for subscriptions at $2 a week, with smaller print refining that to “for four weeks, plus free all digital access.”  Then fine print explains that after the introductory period “delivery will continue at the regular rate, which is $8.60 per week for Sunday delivery, unless you notify us.”  That’s $447.20 for a year of Sunday deliveries.

  

PATRIOTIC MARINE FLIES FLAGS, IS THREATENED WITH EVICTION.  Salem Run Apartment Homes in Fredericksburg, Va. threatens to evict a Marine who served three combat tours in Iraq because he is displaying the U.S. flag and a Marine Corps flag on his balcony.  Ex-sergeant Manuel E. Vega, who spent eight years in the Marines, told Examiner.com he has been flying the flags since October and apartment managers recently decided to take action via a warning tacked to his front door.  The notice reminds Vega that “you cannot have anything attached to the railing or any part of the building.”  Vega --- who received the Navy and Marine Corps commendation medal, combat action ribbon, presidential unit citation, Navy unit citation and good conduct medal --- says he will not back down.

 

SEND THAT MAGIFYING GLASS PRONTO.  One Reverse Mortgage, a Quicken Loans company, in pitching seniors with TV commercials, offers an illuminated magnifying glass as an inducement to seek more information.

For many, the magnifying item can be put to good use to enlarge the many lines of fine print that appear briefly on the TV screen.

 

 

Some newspaper editors bury latest Benghazi details; Delivery problem? Call audience development division

With a House committee hearing producing fresh revelations on the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi that resulted in the murders of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, Grumpy Editor surveyed how key U.S. newspapers played the story. 

New York Times and Washington Post editors were among those who recognized the significance of fresh information eight months after the attack.  Both placed reports on column one of their front pages. 

Others going the front-page route included the Denver Post and Kansas City Star. 

But many dailies put the material on inside pages. 

Information from the House hearing didn’t make front page of the Los Angeles Times.  But its five opening-page stories included “Mexico’s cop test comes under fire” and costs of a freeway project. 

The Boston Globe managed to include the Benghazi update among 10 “refers” on its front page where the top story was: “Labs must test medical marijuana.”

The latest Benghazi revelations --- in which incompetence and misinformation were cited --- also bypassed front pages of the Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer and Detroit News.  With the latter, Benghazi was not among the eight “refers” on the front page where the main story was “Hazardous cargo may head to bridge.” 

Meanwhile, the Bakersfield California went all out with three-fourths of the front page showing a head shot of Gregory Hicks, former deputy chief of the mission in Libya and one of the three State Department “whistle blowers” at the House hearing. 

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Are further probes likely on Benghazi events?  Unanswered questions --- still hanging after eight months --- point to that.

Sharyl Attkisson, CBS News' Emmy Award-winning investigative correspondent appearing on C-Span yesterday, revealed she has a list of 25 questions regarding Benghazi still awaiting answers from the White House communications office and others.  “It’s hard to say where this (investigation) goes,” she said.  

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New name for circulation department

Say goodbye to a newspaper’s circulation department --- at least in Fresno, Calif.

The Fresno Bee, one of McClatchy Co.'s 30 daily newspapers in 15 states, renames the long-known circulation department as the (mouthful) audience development division. 

Sounds like something that would be promoted at a broadcast operation in efforts to boost listeners/viewers. 

But the Bee says the updated title --- sure to create havoc when subscribers phone in to report a missing morning delivery --- “more accurately reflects (the department’s) responsibilities.” 

The change, says Bee publisher and president Tom Cullinan, reflects the department's role to increase print readership and to expand the online audience through a variety of products and platforms. 

 

In case you missed these… 

Disciplinary actions:  A U.S. soldier riding in a vehicle in Afghanistan could face disciplinary action for throwing stones at a portrait of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.  Meanwhile, two seven-year-old Suffolk, Va., second graders were suspended for two days for making shooting noises while pointing pencils at each another…Hocus-pocus.  Standing about 30 feet apart --- and appearing to chat via satellite on a split-screen --- were CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield and HLN anchor Nancy Grace.  Producers didn’t count on the same vehicles passing through the background.

 

New York print ranks get slimmer.  Two editors quit the Village Voice Thursday after being instructed to reduce staff by five.  On the same day, the New York Post sought to lower its headcount by 10 percent through buyout packages.  Later, the New York Daily News announced layoffs.  As Daily News editor-in-chief Colin Myler and president Bill Holiber explained it:

“The newspaper industry is going through an unprecedented revolution. Print advertising and circulation revenue streams continue to fall but our business transformation as a whole is strong and growing.”

Byline strike shelved by staffers at New York Times

Whew!  Looks like a talked-about byline strike by hundreds of New York Times staffers has been avoided after the newspaper reached a tentative agreement with the Newspaper Guild on a new labor contract after more than 18 months of negotiations, notes Grumpy Editor 

Times staffers last week were considering withholding bylines and photo credits to emphasize their unhappiness. 

If all goes well, readers no longer will be “threatened” with looking at stories and photos with missing bylines/credit lines. 

The withholding credits idea isn’t new.  Staffers at other news outlets --- including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and Associated Press --- have employed the tactic in recent years.

What credit-scrubbing news staff participants failed to realize:  most readers --- other than family members, close friends and fellow staffers --- aren’t even aware of the vanished bylines/photo credits. 

Veteran and retired newspaper editors will point out that in earlier days not every story was topped by the writer’s name.  And not every photo carried the lensman’s identification.

Writers or photographers credits were scribbled in by editors for stories and art that involved exceptional merit.  It was a reward for performance above and beyond routine, often involving difficult work in reporting/writing or photography.

Newspaper seeks readers’ input on comics being read

It’s interesting that with all the action going on in the world, a daily newspaper is seeking input from readers --- on its comic strips, notes Grumpy Editor. 

Via email, the newspaper (which shall remain unidentified) seeks to know which comics are grabbing attention. 

(No questions are sought relating to improving coverage of the Romney-Obama battle warming up as the November election nears, or jazzing up the weather page along with sports, business, food, op-ed and entertainment sections.) 

The funny page survey asks readers to “please take a few minutes to tell us which comic strips you read” in the Sunday and daily editions.

Readers are asked to check off which of the 30 comic strips they regularly read --- or "none of the above." 

Apparently with eyes on editorial changes in 2013, the survey also seeks to learn what other strips appeal to readers.