Grumpy Editor

TRUST IN MEDIA REPORTING NEWS DROPS: GALLUP

Gallup finds Americans' trust in media to report news fully, accurately and fairly has dropped from last year, notes Grumpy Editor.

The pollster says trust fell to 36 percent, four percentage points below 2020.

Gallup reports a slim seven percent of adults have "a great deal" and 29 percent "a fair amount" of trust and confidence in newspapers, television and radio news reporting.

Combined, that puts it four points above Gallup's 32 percent record low in 2016.

These findings,  from a Sept. 1-17 poll, are the latest in Gallup's tracking of the public's confidence in key U.S. institutions that began in 1972.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

WILL HOLLYWOOD BECOME GHOST TOWN?  A strike looms for Hollywood’s major industry as its key union --- representing more than 150,000 behind-the-scenes entertainment workers --- approves a strike if negotiations over working conditions and pay break down.

 TEXAS HOUSING COSTS APPEAL.  A key reason Texas is one of the fastest-growing states is housing costs, finds a University of Texas, Austin, study.  Most homes cost under $200,000.  In California. as comparison, about 58 percent of houses cost more than $500,000. 

N.Y. LIBRARY LATE FEES GONE.  Libraries in New York City no longer will charge late fees and will waive existing fees for overdue books and other materials.

 

RARE DISH SELLS AT AUCTION.  A rare 16th century dish depicting the biblical tale of Samson and Delilah sells at auction at more than $1.7 million.  Discovered in a drawer at a Scottish house, the plate measures 11 inches in diameter and is believed to have been made by Nicola da Urbino around 1520-23.

 

RETIRED AIRCRAFT CARRIERS SELL FOR ONE-CENT EACH.  The USS Kitty Hawk and the USS John F Kennedy, warships from the Vietnam and Gulf wars, are sold for one cent each to a scrap metal dealer in Texas.

SMALL HOUSE PRICE TAG DRAWS INTEREST.  In the Boston suburb of Newton, where the median home price is more than $1 million, interest is focused on a $449,900 property for sale.  But it’s only 251 square feet, yet features a loft bed, kitchenette, skylight, room for storage in the basement and a large driveway. 

SQUIRREL STORES WALNUTS IN VEHICLE.  Bill Fischer of Fargo, North Dakota, says he removed about 42 gallons of walnuts from his Chevy Avalanche pickup truck parked outside his home, after a red squirrel selected the vehicle as its winter storage area.

ANTARCTICA ENCOUNTERS VERY DEEP FREEZE.  While this year’s summer set records for heat in the U.S., Antarctica was in a very deep freeze.  Average temperature at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station between April and September was minus 78 degrees, coldest on record, dating back to 1957.

BASEBALL GAME LENGTH GROWS.  Baseball games are getting longer.  Average time of a nine-inning Major League Baseball game this season is a record 3 hours, 10 minutes, 7 seconds.  Perhaps it’s time to speed up pitchers action from the mound.

Feds place barriers in illegals coverage by media

Restricting media from fully covering newsworthy, front-page happenings --- especially with the government involved --- always has been a strong no-no, reminds Grumpy Editor.

Thus, it was interesting to see media back off when Health and Human Services (HHS) officials threw up a barrier to on-scene coverage of border-crossing illegal minors being housed at Fort Sill, Okla.  It is the same federal facility that on July 1 thwarted entrance by Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.), the congressman who represents the area.

HHS later invited the media, but issued seven rules that would make any grizzly, grumpy editor pound on his desk, utter some nasty words and call for immediate action from Washington…or else.

The unusual restrictions to visiting media as spelled out by HHS “in order to protect the safety and privacy of the children” call for:

   “■ No recording devices will be allowed.

    ■ No questions will be allowed during the tour.

    ■ No interacting with staff and children at the shelter.

    ■ We ask that your questions be provided via email or phone after the tour to Kenneth Wolfe.

    ■ HHS ACF (Administration for Children and Families) public affairs will provide answers to your follow up questions as quickly as possible.

    ■ We will provide photos of the facility after the tour.

    ■ There will be no on-site interviews by HHS staff before or after the tour, all inquiries go to Kenneth Wolfe.”

“This is not transparent,” declared Bridenstine.  “HHS is trying to muzzle the media and hide the human tragedy that has resulted directly from the administration’s failure to enforce the law.”

Meanwhile, along with other restrictions imposed by the Obama administration on coverage of the young illegals making their way around the country, Media Research Center president Brent Bozell said in a Fox News interview:

"This is an administration that is becoming unglued...reacting with panic the way the Chicago machine reacts where they're just trying to ram down the throats of the public the rules as they see fit," adding "they are breaking the Constitution at every level. This seems to be the First Amendment that's threatened by these people."

Bozell added the press is taking it lying down rather than telling "the Obama administration to go fly a kite."

But grumbling among journalists is nearing a crescendo. 

Last week, 38 journalism groups, led by the Society of Professional Journalists and including the American Society of Journalists and Authors, American Society of News Editors, National Federation of Press Women and National Press Photographers Association, sent a letter to the White House assailing the president’s team for censoring media coverage, limiting access to top officials and overall “politically-driven suppression of the news” despite the president’s 2008 campaign pledge to provide transparency.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

One phrase for sure you will not hear or read today through mid-week:  global warming.  That’s because a cool jet stream will be sending Midwest temperatures as much as 20 degrees below normal…Fortune magazine last week launched (without blushing over the title) a daily online newsletter highlighting news on the world’s most powerful women.  Its name?  The Broadsheet…Steve Roberts, who lives in The Oaks apartments, Santee, Calif., and whose father served for more than 25 years in the military, was told he could not display the American flag inside his apartment window --- and management will not tell him why…Nineteen veteran journalists, with 586 years of combined experience, are departing the Star Tribune, Minneapolis, on Friday, leaving the newsroom with about 230 staffers…Observed on the CNBC website before the stock market opening bell last Monday:  “U.S. stocks begin lower in pullback from record” previous day…University of Georgia researchers tally total enrollment in the nation’s journalism schools has dropped, noting the biggest decline --- 33 percent in five years --- at Columbia College Chicago which specializes in arts and media disciplines, with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees…The New York Times goes to great lengths to report from the West Coast on “Saving Water in California,” pointing out “the state needs much stronger conservation measures if it wants to battle its worst drought in decades and not to face severe water shortages.”

Declared President Barack Obama --- one day after he was photographed shooting pool in Texas --- in connection with the (nixed) suggestion of viewing first hand the massive influx of illegals at the Texas-Mexico border:  “I am not interested in photo ops.”

Journalism going wrong way, say most reporters, editors

Print/broadcast reporters, editors and producers say they are less satisfied with their work, have less autonomy on the job and see the industry moving in the wrong direction, Grumpy Editor notes from an Indiana University survey that, naturally, received zilch attention in newspapers and radio/TV news.

Among noteworthy survey findings: 

Going wrong way.  About 60 percent of journalists say journalism  in the United States is going in the wrong direction. 

Newsrooms are shrinking. Almost 63 percent of journalists say staffs were reduced during the past year, while only about a quarter say staff numbers remained the same.

Majority have bachelor’s degree.  About 92 percent of full-time journalists have at least a bachelor’s degree --- although journalism majors represent about 37 percent. 

More journalists say they are political independents. About half of all journalists say they are independents, up about 18 percentage points from a similar survey in 2002. The number of those identified with the Democrat Party dropped nearly 8 percentage points to 28 percent, while the number of journalists closer to the Republican Party decreased to 7 percent from 18 percent. 

Job satisfaction ebbs.  Job satisfaction fell to 23 percent from 33 percent of journalists who said they were “very satisfied” with their jobs in the 2002 tally.  This trend continues the decline in job satisfaction that was observed between 1971 and 1992 but was interrupted with a positive bounce in 2002. 

A puzzling element --- at a time when media critics are labeling current journalists, especially those out of Washington, lapdogs rather than watchdogs --- is that 78 percent of the surveyed journalists say investigating government claims is “extremely important.”  The survey finds that percentage up significantly from 2002 and exceeds the 76 percent in the early 1970s. 

 

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TIME FOR A CHANGE WITH CLIMATE.  First it was termed global warming, then (as eyebrows were raised by some meteorologists and atmospheric scientists), it became climate change.  Now, with last week’s 840-page National Climate Assessment report, the phrase “climate disruption” made its debut.

 

ANOTHER L.A. SHAKE-EM-UP STORY.  Under the headline --- Preliminary quake map shows fault lines under schools, hotels, homes --- the Los Angeles Times continues its periodic shakeup of readers.  A story last week pointed out about 12,000 properties lie in the newly drawn California Geological Survey fault zones, roughly 500 feet on each side of estimated fault lines. It follows a Times story last October focusing on “more than 1,000 old concrete buildings in Los Angeles and hundreds more throughout the county may be at risk of collapsing in a major earthquake.”

 

‘NYET’ TO FOUL LANGUAGE.   A Russian law signed last week by President Vladimir Putin restricts use of profanity in literature, theater, film and recorded music, effective July 1.  A separate law, starting in August, subjects bloggers --- those with more than 3,000 daily page views --- to hefty fines for using profanity.

 

TIME INC. SPIN-OFF SET.  Time Warner Inc.'s spin-off of publishing unit Time Inc. takes effect on June 6.  Time Inc.’s titles include Time, People, Fortune, Sports Illustrated, and Entertainment Weekly.  Along with 23 magazines in the U.S., the company operates 45 Web sites.

 

DYSFUNCTION IN WASHINGTON?  In a TV interview, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) --- who single-handedly has blocked much movement in the Senate --- declares, "One of the problems that the press has in modern-day journalism is everything you do is a tit for tat. You won't call things the way they actually exist. What has happened here is the Republicans have stopped everything from happening.”

 

MORE ON WASHINGTON FROM THE PRESIDENT.  Variety, the entertainment news publication, reports that at a Los Angeles fundraiser last Wednesday, President Barack Obama said a “disquiet around the country” remains along with “an anxiety and a sense a frustration”…and “the challenges out there remain daunting and we have a Washington that’s not working.”

Major N.Y.-based newspapers give opposite views of L.A.

Which to believe?  The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times presented detailed, but contrasting, reports this month on the status of Los Angeles, notes Grumpy Editor.

The Journal headline proclaimed, "In L.A., Downtown Looks up.”  The Times, on the othert hand, cited a report that finds Los Angeles in decline. 

The Journal’s subhead read:  “A rising star is found downtown, a former wasteland now awash in luxury condos and upscale retail.” The story pointed out, “Demand for luxury housing downtown is approaching an all-time high as the area’s population soars, nearly tripling over the past 14 years to 52,400 people, according to the Downtown Center Business Improvement District.” 

Along with interior photos of expensive condos and exteriors of soaring high rises, The Journal, noted “developers are struggling to keep up with the influx of new residents.”  It quoted a real estate research firm consultant saying, “Now, there are young people walking their dogs, families with strollers, restaurants teeming with people.” 

On the other hand, The Times presented a different view, highlighted by a staff photo of makeshift tents, shopping carts and other belongings of the homeless lining a downtown Los Angeles sidewalk in the shadow of modern skyscrapers. 

It spotlighted a Los Angeles 2020 Commission report that “presented a catalog of failures that it said were a unique burden to the city:  widespread poverty and job stagnation, huge municipal pension obligations, a struggling port and tourism industry, and paralyzing traffic…” 

Continuing with information from the commission, The Times added, “Los Angeles is barely treading water, while the rest of the world is moving forward.  We risk falling further behind in adapting to the realities of the 21^st century and becoming a city in decline.”

 

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PRESSES TO STOP FOR ANOTHER MAGAZINE.  After a 131-year run, Ladies’ Home Journal’s July issue will be its last.  However, the website of the Des Moines-based Meredith Corp. publication will continue and LHJ will appear only on newsstands as a quarterly special interest magazine.

 

HILLARY CLINTON LECTURES ON JOURNALISM.  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking at the University of Connecticut at Storrs, declared national "journalism has changed quite a bit in a way that is not good for the country and not good for journalism” and "current journalism is being driven more by entertainment than fact-based reporting."  Sounding more like a journalism professor, the former first lady also mentioned, "It’s important for journalists to realize that they have to do their homework too and they really should be well-prepared when they interview people, when they talk about issues.”

 

MORE BUSINESS AHEAD FOR ATTORNEYS?  Look for the Justice Department soon to release new clemency criteria guidelines aimed at releasing thousands of nonviolent drug offenders convicted of using crack cocaine.  “The White House has indicated it wants to consider additional clemency applications to restore a degree of justice, fairness and proportionality for deserving individuals who do not pose a threat to public safety,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.

 

IT’S SHOW BIZ TIME FOR FIRST LADY.  Michelle Obama will appear in a guest role as herself on the May 7 episode of ABC's "Nashville."  Country music star Kellie Pickler also guest stars, playing herself.  The episode, titled "All or Nothing," is set at Fort Campbell and centers around a charity concert.  The Army’s Fort Campbell is home of the 101^st Airborne Division.

 

BUSINESS MAGAZINES TAKE A HIT IN FIRST QUARTER.  The 14 business publications underperformed other categories in the magazine field in the first quarter, reported Publishers Information Bureau.  Business titles saw about a 3 percent dip in advertising revenue to $245.4 million and almost a 6 percent decline in advertising pages to 2,289. That compared to a 1.6 percent decrease in ad revenue and a 4 percent decrease in ad pages for the full industry.

 

THIS JUST IN --- AGAIN.  Not giving up on the March 8 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370, CNN over the weekend changed course somewhat to include “lawsuits on the horizon.”

 

FILM AT 11.  For those who think working in TV is the pinnacle of news gathering, consider the action faced by a reporter/photographer team for WGHP, known as Fox8 in North Carolina, on Friday afternoon ---

Following up on an early morning drug bust near where 14 people were arrested, the Fox8 pair was greeted by a bottle-tossing woman who shouted, “I will shoot your m*****f******.”   All was duly captured on video. 

Media jump on single Tesla fire, skip major Toyota recalls

Media were excited last week reporting on a single, non-injury Tesla Motors Model S fire in a garage in Canada while most ignored two major Toyota Motors recalls --- two days apart --- involving 261,114 Toyota and Lexus brands in the U.S., 713,000 Prius vehicles in North America (1.9 million worldwide) plus 260,000 other vehicles in the U.S., including the RAV4, Tacoma and Lexus RX350 models, notes Grumpy Editor.

The fire involving Tesla’s electric car in Toronto occurred shortly after the driver parked it in a garage.  The vehicle reportedly wasn’t plugged in for recharging. 

A spokesperson for Palo Alto, Calif.-based Tesla said: 

“In this particular case, we don’t yet know the precise cause, but have definitively determined that it did not originate in the battery, the charging system, the adapter or the electrical receptacle, as these components were untouched by the fire.” 

Interestingly, Toronto Star editors on Friday ran a Bloomberg story --- with a Los Angeles dateline --- updating the Tesla fire in a Toronto garage rather than putting one of its staffers on the local happening. 

In “localizing” the story, Star editors changed Canada (last word in the Bloomberg lead) to Toronto.

 

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NEWSPAPER FOR MARINES GETS LESS EXPOSURE AT BASE EXCHANGE CHECKOUTS.  Marine Corps Times, part of Gannett Co. which owns and operates 82 daily newspapers among other media properties, is being removed from prominent up-front newsstand locations at base exchange stores worldwide and placed away from checkout lines, where it is harder to find.  Marines are raising eyebrows because in the past year, the newspaper published many articles on the service’s commandant, Gen. Jim Amos, abusing his authority to ensure Marines were punished for an embarrassing war-zone scandal.

PRISON NEWSPAPER SUSPENDED.  San Quentin News, the monthly newspaper produced by an inmate staff of 15 at California’s San Quentin State Prison, is back in business this week following a 45-day suspension after "inmates circumvented the editorial process by publishing disapproved content" in the December issue.  The suspension of the paper, with an 11,500-copy press run, stems from inmate editors switching a photo after prison staff already approved the page.

MSNBC CONTINUES NON-STOP SPOTLIGHT ON CHRISTIE.  MSNBC is not letting up on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and “bridgegate.”  The cable network continues its daily extended focus on last year’s traffic jam into New York.  But Christie remains busy.  He visited Chicago Tuesday and returns tonight after he and his family spent the weekend in Puerto Rico.

BLIZZARD BATTERS TOKYO.  While snow and ice slam much of the eastern part of the U.S., as some experts, with straight faces, attribute the unusual record-setting frigid/snowy weather to global warming (aka climate change), not much is reported in the U.S. on Tokyo getting more than a foot of snow following the worst blizzard to hit the region in 45 years. 

WILL CANDY, CHERRY PIES, CHOCOLATE CAKES AND HEAPING TEASPOONS OF SUGAR INTO COFFEE BE NEXT? California state Sen. William Monning, a Democrat representing the state’s central coast, proposes to make the Golden State first in the nation to require warning labels on soda and other sugary drinks.  His bill would require labels on the front of all 12-ounce beverage containers with added sweeteners that have 75 or more calories reading: "STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay."

DOCUMENTARY JOURNALISM COURSE SLATED.  Missouri School of Journalism at University of Missouri in Columbia receives a $6.7 million gift to create a degree program in documentary journalism, educating students in the history, business and production of film and other nonfiction multimedia.

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.

 

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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. 

30 D.C. police in riot gear storm home, shake up family

No, it wasn’t a TV movie.  Looking for guns, 30 armed police in tactical gear raided a financial adviser’s home in the Georgetown section of Washington, handcuffed him and his girlfriend after pointing guns to their heads, scared four children during a search of the residence for more than two hours, while other officers closed neighborhood streets during the process that turned up no weapons --- with all the action receiving scant media attention, noted Grumpy Editor.

In the forefront with coverage, however, is Washington Times staffer Emily Miller providing details in an Oct. 23 story.

It’ll be interesting to see media coverage of homeowner Mark Witaschek’s trial that starts next Monday.  With no criminal record, he faces two years in prison for possession of unregistered ammunition, reports Miller, senior editor of opinion at The Times.

As Miller explains it: While no weapons were found in the house, police reported finding “one live round of 12-gauge shotgun ammunition,” which was an inoperable shell that misfired during a hunt years earlier, kept as a souvenir by Witaschek, and “one expended round of .270 caliber ammunition” along with “one box of Knight bullets for reloading” which Miller --- author of the 2013 book, “Emily Gets Her Gun” --- notes “are actually not for reloading, but are used in antique-replica, single-shot, muzzle-loading rifles.”

Miller, in her story, quotes Witaschek saying that soon after entering the premises, “police used a battering ram to bash down the bathroom door” where his 16-year-old son was pulled out of the shower, naked.  “The police put all the children together in a room, while we were handcuffed upstairs. I could hear them crying, not knowing what was happening.”

Witaschek says the search caused an estimated $10,000 in damage, documented by photos he took after the July, 2012 incident.

Read Miller’s full story here.

 

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+  President Barack Obama's proposal to create a “unisex” look via a new boxy cap for both male and female Marines has triggered a storm in the ranks, with some charging that the headgear gives the tough Leathernecks a "girly" look.  Looking like a cross between a French Foreign Legion cap and something worn by 1950s-era airline stewardesses (as they were called then), the price tag for the cap conversion will cost $8.2 million, according to an internal memo obtained by the New York Post.

+  Front-page headlines after one of the wildest endings of a World Series baseball game Saturday night in St. Louis with the score tied, two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, when an obstruction charge resulted in the Cardinals beating the Boston Red Sox 5 to 4:

Boston Herald --- FOR THE BIRDS!

Boston Globe --- Cardinals win in wild finish

St. Louis Post-Dispatch --- A LEG UP 

+  Was she fired?  BuzzFeed Politics notes the woman pictured on the Healthcare.gov home page is gone --- mysteriously vanished.

+  Look for heavy coverage by television networks on and around Nov. 22 with special reports and broadcasts marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

+  Radio news continues with the bad habit of not pinpointing the precise location in top-of-the-hour breaking news.  Latest:  ABC with a lead item Tuesday on a school shooting by a student, mentioning only that it was in Nevada --- omitting it occurred in Sparks, near Carson City.  News editors forget that the Silver State, with 110,567 square miles, ranks seventh largest in size among the 50 states. 

+  Condé Nast, publisher of 25 magazines, including The New Yorker, Glamour, Brides, Condé Nast Traveler and Golf Digest, is shelving its internship program.

+  Fifth annual edition of "Hot Careers for College Graduates,” compiled by University of California San Diego Extension, places public relations specialists in ninth spot.  Topping the list:  Software developers-applications, followed by software developers - systems software.  No magazine/newspaper/broadcasting jobs on the list.

Britain's Guardian leads U.S. media in snooping coverage; Koch eyes newspapers, cites need to 'focus on real news'

London-based The Guardian newspaper left U.S. print/broadcast news media with red faces when it broke stories on Fort Meade, Maryland-based National Security Agency collecting information on millions of Americans through various sources, notes Grumpy Editor. 

Soon followed by the Washington Post on the NSA activity, it ranks as the top story of the week --- with additional information popping up daily. 

Edward Snowden reveals he is the whistleblower behind the leaks. 

The Guardian describes Snowden as a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and employee of defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, adding he has been working at NSA for the last four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz. 

Now in Hong Kong, Snowden says:  “I do not expect to see home again.”

Behind The Guardian coverage is Glenn Greenwald, a columnist focusing on civil liberties and U.S. national security issues.  A former constitutional lawyer, Greenwald writes for The Guardian version designed for the U.S.  The Guardian maintains a U.S. editorial office (which it calls a branch) in New York City. 

Greenwald also was in Hong Kong yesterday. 

Breaking the NSA snooping story via London underscores what happens with a decline in U.S. investigative reporters as layoffs mount in print and broadcast media. 

For an aerial view of NSA’s data center --- showing a half dozen buildings at the vast facility in Bluffdale, Utah --- go here.  

 

Koch Industries mulls newspaper addition 

The Wall Street Journal reports billionaire Charles Koch confirms his company, Wichita, Kan.-based Koch Industries Inc., is looking into the possibility of acquiring newspapers, but insists he is seeking  a profitable business, rather than a venue to advance his politics.

"There is a need for focus on real news, not news with an agenda or not news that is really editorializing," he tells the WSJ.

Koch also points out the editorial page of any newspaper his company acquires “would be a marketplace of ideas where all sorts of approaches to public-policy issues are vetted and contrasted, and there could be ongoing debate.” 

Recent reports mention that Koch and his brother David have indicated an interest in Chicago-based Tribune Co. newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Baltimore Sun. 

Getting into the newspaper field would be a new avenue for the Koch brothers.  Their Koch Industries operations include oil refining, energy pipelines and production of chemicals, fibers and fertilizer.

 

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Time Warner Inc. is investing about $50 million in China Media Capital, a Chinese investment fund, targeting TV and film content operations…In connection with the June 6 anniversary of the D-Day invasion in France in 1944, some stories reminded readers that World War II veterans are dying at a rate of more than 600 a day, meaning future tales of combat in Europe and the Pacific are more likely to come from a book or a Website than from the veterans themselves…Only a very slim one percent of likely voters give Congress an excellent rating, with 64 percent giving the body poor marks while five percent rate performance as good and 26 percent fair, tallies a Rasmussen Reports survey…Down with “breaking news.”   That’s what Louisville Fox TV affiliate WDRB trumpets.  “It’s an advertising trick, a gimmick that isn’t based on anything,” declares a voice in a spot the station has been running. “Breaking news’ is seldom actually breaking and, quite often, isn’t even news.”

 

Cheers to The Wall Street Journal with a humorous play on words with a front-page headline Saturday:  San Francisco Giants Fans Find Diamonds Are a Gull’s Best Friend.  The article points out how hungry seagulls “clean up” fans’ food remains after baseball games.

Newspaper reporter sinks to bottom of least-favored jobs; a reminder: HHS adds PR firm to tout ObamaCare

For those thinking about a career as newspaper reporter, some glum news:  that occupation ranks as the worst these days, tallies a 2013 CareerCast.com Jobs Rated Report, observes Grumpy Editor.

Newspaper reporter drops to the bottom of the list (No. 200) in a tally by the Carlsbad, Calif., firm.  That’s one notch below lumberjack and compares with a 126 ranking in 1988.

“Newspaper reporters have fared poorly in the report for years due to the job's high stress and tight deadlines, low pay and requirement to work in all conditions to get the story,” points out CareerCast.com.  “Ever-shrinking newsrooms, dwindling budgets and Internet competition have created a very difficult environment, driving the position to dead last on this year's Jobs Rated Report.”

Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast.com mentions, "People who love to write can consider working for online publications or transition to advertising or public relations.  Many jobs in communications offer better hours, greater stability, a work/life balance and a healthier hiring outlook than being a newspaper reporter."

So what are the top five 2013 jobs?

Topping the list is actuary, followed by biomedical engineer, software engineer, audiologist and financial planner.

 

Another reminder of outside PR use by HHS

Making the rounds again on the Web after a Newsmax mention last week is the Obama administration awarding PR firm Weber Shandwick a $3.1 million contract “to help sell ObamaCare to the uninsured and persuade them to enroll in a healthcare plan.”

The repeat of an announcement almost seven months earlier does remind, however, how Washington --- with wall-to-wall chatter these days on budget cuts via sequester --- spends taxpayer money on an outside PR campaign when Department of Health and Human Services already has a mighty taxpayer-paid press office.

See the HHS lengthy press office list here.

Perhaps the Obama administration and HHS are swayed by inspirational words on the Weber Shandwick Web site.  The global public relations firm with offices in 81 countries, boasts:

“We are a creative studio of writers, designers, builders, strategists, conversation-starters, storytellers. We are passionate about our clients and, through our specialty firms and dedicated practice groups, we are deeply knowledgeable about their businesses. And while we are a big, global organization, we believe that collaboration is the best way to succeed.”

The PR firm also cites:  “We inspire. We incite. We shape ideas to move companies and organizations forward. We get people thinking and acting in new ways so they connect with and advocate for your brand. And we do it with a level of commitment and expertise that is simply unmatched by anyone, anywhere.” 

Undoubtedly, HHS couldn’t resist those stimulating words.

 

In case you missed these…

Not so fast:  “Air traffic controllers back at full strength,” proclaims a Saturday newspaper across-the-page headline over an Associated Press story.  Not quite.  The sixth paragraph of the AP piece reads: “There  was no immediate word on when the controllers’ furloughs would end.”  Sunday papers have the FAA controllers going back to work "within 24 hours." Actually, President Barack Obama was prepared to sign the bill on Saturday morning, but now must wait until tomorrow because a spelling error in the measure needs to be corrected. 

In an unusual promotional partnership hailed as a Hollywood first, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. customers will be able to buy tickets to June 13 screenings of Man of Steel, the latest Warner Bros Superman movie…The Express-Times, Easton, Pa., is eliminating its production department and will move its printing operations to the Staten Island (N.Y.) Advance starting June 3.  The move erases 12 full-time and 26 part-time Easton jobs

Cheers for radio coverage.  While most newspapers snub radio coverage with its many offerings, the Orange County (Calif.) Register says long-time radio writer Don Barrett is the newspaper’s new radio columnist…Traffic-clogged drivers already are squirming in Los Angeles with word that President Obama will fly to the city again on June 7 for a series of Democrat fundraisers.  LA Observed, which follows these trips, reminds readers to “mark your Obamajam calendars.”

An amusing, attention-getting ad from iGATE in Forbes magazine declares in large type:  “If this ad does not deliver results, we’re not paying Forbes.”  iGATE, with principal executive offices in Fremont, Calif., provides consulting, technology and business process outsourcing, and product and engineering solutions.

Sequester cuts trigger major air traffic delays, loom as hindering National Weather Service forecasts, too

Not widely grabbing space over the past few days to inform travelers:  Federal spending cuts that furlough air traffic controllers --- requiring one day off without pay for every 10 days work --- kicked in over the weekend, that could delay close to 7,000 flights a day at about a dozen of the biggest U.S. airports, notes Grumpy Editor. 

Thus, few passengers heading for airports are aware that sequester cuts are now triggering disruptions in air travel. 

At Los Angeles International Airport, for example, aircraft arrivals are expected to sink to 48 an hour from 80.  Departures also are affected. 

The Federal Aviation Administration’s plans are “illegal, irresponsible and damaging,” says Nicholas E. Calio, chief executive of Airlines of America, which represents major U.S. airlines. 

Michael Huerta, FAA administrator, says the air traffic controllers furloughs are unavoidable.

“We’re basically dismantling” the world’s safest and most efficient air traffic control system, warns Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

 

Budget cuts could affect weather forecasts 

Also not widely mentioned is that sequester action also could affect the National Weather Service. 

The Washington Post reports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration proposes furloughing employees for four days across the agency that includes the National Weather Service. 

The newspaper notes NOAA would give labor unions the opportunity to offer alternatives to furloughs before finalizing its plan for reducing costs as part of the sequester. 

The union that represents National Weather Service employees criticized the furlough plan, saying it is “unnecessary and places the public at greater risk,” adds the Post.

 

In case you missed these… 

Boston radio stations plan 60 seconds of silence at 2:50 p.m. today to honor victims of last Monday’s Marathon bombing at that time…While much TV coverage of the Marathon bombing saw reporters standing in streets over the past few days, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer this morning was still reporting from a breezy, cool (temperature in the low 40s) Boston street corner --- competing with busy vehicular background traffic and sounds --- when his stand-up could easily (and more comfortably) be done from a quiet studio…A first in baseball:  the Red Sox-Kansas City Royals game in Boston was postponed Friday because of local manhunt…Still no explanation, one week after the bombing in Boston, on the role or observations of two law officers with rifles seen on the roof of the Lenox Hotel overlooking the marathon’s finish area in an Associated Press photo by Elise Amendola…Newly christened 21^st Century Fox will include the 20th Century Fox film studio, 20th Century Fox Television, Fox Broadcasting network, Fox News Channel, FX, Fox Sports, National Geographic channels and interests in foreign TV broadcasting companies, including British Sky Broadcasting...Las Vegas Sun editorial cartoonist Mike Smith captures the busy news week with a news junkie saying, "Me? Just trying to keep up with the news" while facing monitiors tuned to NBC, ABC, MSNBC, CNN, Fox, CBS plus You Tube, Facebook and Twitter.  See it here.

 

Media not stirred by Obama’s 70,000 bridges to repair

Absent from most print/broadcast coverage of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech last week:  those 70,000 “structurally deficient” bridges popping up again, this time with a repair price tag of $50 billion, notes Grumpy Editor. 

Initial mentions of the 70,000 bridges started five and a half years ago. 

Repairing bridges comes as Congress debates a jobs bill. 

Media’s focus last week was on Obama’s agenda of upping the minimum wage, climate change and gun control legislation. 

 

Broadcast newsrooms need larger maps 

One of the lead items on broadcast news last week was “a moderate earthquake has struck in rural Nevada near the California state line.” 

That doesn’t quite pinpoint the shaky area. 

For eastern news writers, the Nevada-California state line runs 650 miles.  That’s the distance between New York City and Chicago. 

Actual center of the 4.9 magnitude shaker was 45 miles west of Tonopah, Nev.  Closest California city: Bishop.

 

Rubio gulps water about 155 times on MSNBC

Television media put the focus on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s Republican response to the State of the Union address on his water sipping rather than content. 

In the forefront was MSNBC which replayed Rubio’s swig about 155 times --- with 101 of them played on loop at the bottom left of the screen Wednesday during the Rachel Maddow Show. 

CNN replayed the water action 34 times. 

In a fair-and-balanced mode, Fox News, meanwhile, showed a clip of President Barack Obama also sipping water from a plastic bottle during an earlier speech.

In case you missed these… 

Carnival Corp. faces a mammoth PR problem in the wake of power-food-sewage problems for five days on its cruise ship Carnival Triumph that was towed to Mobile, Ala…Comcast Corp. agreed to pay NBCUniversal $16.7 billion to acquire General Electric Corp.’s remaining 49 percent of the entertainment company…Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs joins MSNBC and NBC News as a contributor…Thomson Reuters plans to slash 2,500 jobs this year.  That’s 4 percent of its global work force…Time Warner Inc. is in talks to sell a chunk of its Time Inc. magazine division to Meredith Corp.  The plan calls for Time Warner to retain Time magazine, Fortune and Sports Illustrated.  But People and Entertainment Weekly, among 16 others, would mesh with Meredith’s 14 titles including Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, and Better Homes and Gardens.