Grumpy Editor

DESCRIPTIONS OF CAPITOL SIEGE CHANGE FROM ORIGINAL 'RALLY'

An Associated Press story recalls changing descriptions given to the Capitol siege earlier this month in which five people died, observes Grumpy Editor.

 

"At first, viewed from a distance, it was a rally or protest,” notes AP.  "Then it became an assault, a riot, an insurrection, domestic terrorism or even a coup attempt.”

 

"The use of ‘riot' as a descriptor is almost universally accepted,” points out AP, "even though the word has become fraught with racial connotations and despite the relatively gradual way the story unfolded.”

 

Originally called protesters, it later became clear as many breached the Capitol and lawmakers fled for safety, that more was happening, continues AP, which later informs staffers that "protest" was too mild a word and terms  like “mob,” “riot” and “insurrection” are appropriate.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

U.S. PIGEON TRAVELS ACROSS PACIFIC.  A racing pigeon survives an 8,000-mile Pacific Ocean crossing from the U.S. to find a new home in Australia. But authorities consider the bird a quarantine risk and plan to kill it. The exhausted bird that arrived in a Melbourne backyard in December disappeared from a race in Oregon two months earlier.  Experts suspect the pigeon, named Joe after the president-elect, hitched a ride on a cargo ship.

 

YOGI BERRA STAMP COMING.  New York Yankees great Yogi Berra, a 10-time World Series champion and three-time American League most valuable player will be featured on a new stamp coming out this year.

 

MASSACHUSETTS NEWSPAPER BACK IN LOCAL HANDS.  Inquirer and Mirror, Nantucket, Mass., one of the oldest newspapers in the country --- marking its 200^th year in 2021 --- is back in the hands of local owners after Gannett, its previous owner, sold it to 41 North Media LLC last November.

PGA VOTES TO MOVE CHAMPIONSHIP.  The PGA of America votes to move the 2022 PGA Championship from Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey.  It marks the first sports organization to abandon Trump after the Capitol siege. The Trump Organization owns or operates 17 golf courses around the world, generating about a third of the family's revenue, according to the New York Times. 

 

POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS CURBED.  Several corporations are restricting or suspending political contributions after the Capitol siege:  They include banks JPMorgan Chase and Citi, Marriott International hotels, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Boston Scientific.

 

RADIO HOSTS TOLD TO SHELVE ELECTION CHATTER.  Cumulus Media, the talk radio company with a lineup of conservative hosts such as Ben Shapiro and Mark Levin, tells its radio personalities to knock off the chatter about the election being stolen from President Donald Trump. Cumulus, based in Atlanta, owns 416 stations in nearly 90 markets across the country.

 

PETER DOOCY BECOMES WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT.  Fox News selects Peter Doocy as a White House correspondent covering President Joe Biden’s administration.  The son of “Fox & Friends” co-host Steve Doocy will begin coverage of Biden White House starting on Inauguration Day.

SURVEY: POLICE-PROTESTERS CONFRONTATIONS GRAB MOST ATTENTION

The upcoming election, unusual weather and forest fires news stories have been competing for Americans’ attention in recent weeks but the public is more likely to have heard “a lot” about ongoing confrontations between police and protesters, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

That’s the finding of a Pew Research Center survey of almost 10,000 adults conducted Aug. 31 to Sept. 7.

 

About eight-in-10 adults (78%) say they have heard or read a lot about ongoing confrontations between law enforcement and protesters in cities around the country, finds Pew.

 

By comparison, smaller shares of adults say they have heard or read a lot about how increased mail-in voting could affect the 2020 presidential election (64%); President Donald Trump’s criticism of the U.S. Postal Service and his administration’s actions toward it (49%); attempts in Congress to pass another economic relief and stimulus bill (40%); and the Trump administration considering banning the social media app TikTok (40%). 

 

The survey of 9,220 adults was conducted as part of the Center’s American News Pathways project.

 

Overall, 41% of adults say recent protests related to racial inequality have received too much attention from news organizations, while 36% say they have received the right amount and 23% say they have received too little.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

STUDENT LOCALES SHOW HIGHER VIRUS RATES.  Among the 50 U.S. counties with the highest shares of students and overall population of at least 50,000, 20 have consistently reported higher virus rates than their states, finds an Associated Press analysis.

MOST YOUNG ADULTS FUZZY ON HOLOCAUST.  Nearly two-thirds (63%) of young American adults are not aware that 6 million Jewish victims died during the Holocaust in World War II.  That’s the finding in a study commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, also known as the Claims Conference.

IMPORTANCE OF FACE MASKS CITED.  Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, emphasizes the importance of wearing face masks, saying, “I will continue to appeal for all Americans, all individuals in our country, to embrace these face coverings. ... [I]f we did it for six, eight, 10, 12 weeks, we'd bring this pandemic under control.” 

 

MORE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS SEEN THIS YEAR.  A Rasmussen Reports survey finds 45% of U.S. voters are more likely to contribute time or money to a political campaign this year vs. 34% two years ago.

 

FOX TRIMS STAFF.  Fox News Media expects to cut less than 3% of its overall staff as the unit, the financial engine of parent Fox Corp., works to make its operations more efficient. Fox News’ hair and makeup staffers are said to be the most affected.   Fox guests will no longer receive make-up and hair services, which are being relegated to anchors and contributors.

 

SUBARU MODEL ATTRACTS TICKETS.  A study from insurance comparison site Insurify, that looked over 2 million insurance applications, finds drivers of the Subaru WRX compact sports car are more likely to get a speeding ticket.

 

CULTURE AND TALENT M.E. NAMED.  The Los Angeles Times appoints reporter Angel Jennings as the newspaper’s first assistant managing editor for culture and talent.  It’s part of The Times’ efforts to reform hiring practices, increase staff diversity and overhaul how it treats Black and Latino journalists and communities.