Grumpy Editor

Obama debuts ‘Ladies Day’ with White House press corps

 

In an unusual routine, President Barack Obama at his final White House press conference of the year on Friday called only on female members of the press corps --- eight of them --- for questions, leaving their male counterparts waving their hands to no avail, notes Grumpy Editor. 

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the prepared list focused on “women from a variety of news organizations who day-in and day-out do the hard work of covering the president of the United States. As the questioner list started to come together, we realized that we had a unique opportunity to highlight that fact at the president’s closely watched, end-of-the-year news conference.” 

Those called on during the session:

Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico, led it off, followed by ---

Cheryl Bolen, Bloomberg.

Julie Pace, Associated Press.

Lesley Clark, McClatchy.

Roberta Rampton, Reuters.

Colleen M. Nelson, The Wall Street Journal.

Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post.

April Ryan, American Urban Radio. 

Getting to the podium 22 minutes beyond the scheduled start (throwing a curve to broadcast and cable TV networks regular programming) and before the questions, the president spent eight minutes recapping his accomplishments during the year “to make life better for ordinary Americans.”

Keith Koffler, award-winning journalist with 16 years experience covering Washington and noted for reporting, commentary and analysis at his whitehousedossier.com, said Obama was “relaxed, confident, completely dismissive of his opponents and bragging shamelessly about his achievements.” 

While some news outlets trumpeted Obama’s remarks, Koffler commented:

“The president seems unaware that Democrats were destroyed in the last election; that the slaughter in Syria continues; that the economy has stirred to life only after five years of trying under his leadership; that the jobs being created ain’t that great, that incomes aren’t rising, and that more are simply out of the workforce than in 40 years; that the U.S. oil and gas boom occurred despite him, not because of him; that he blew Bush’s achievements in Iraq; that a whole new class of Islamists have been created for us to fight; that Iran is on the cusp of nuclear weapons; that people’s health insurance costs are on the rise and rationing is on the horizon. And on and on.” 

 

FYI, IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE EDITORS MISSED THESE…

After a series of storms, following three years of drought, Los Angeles water officials --- noting the vast amount of rain water that surges down the Los Angeles River (which it has for years), emptying into the Pacific Ocean --- feel it would be a good idea to start collecting that runoff…That’s show biz. Fortune magazine’s Dec. 22 issue mentions, “The big question for the 2015 global economy is how dramatic China’s economic slowdown will be.  Our answer? Meryl Streep dramatic.”…San Diego-based Bumble Bee Seafoods, founded in 1899 by a handful of dedicated fishermen and growing to become North America’s largest branded shelf-stable seafood company, is being acquired by Thai Union Frozen Products of  Thailand…Magazine circulation directors remain busy needling subscribers.  Bloomberg Businessweek sends out a “student renewal alert” to “avoid service interruption” at a $40 one-year rate --- double a prior pitch.  Meanwhile, Consumer Reports, which spends a high amount on frequent printing, mailing and postage directed to subscribers, starts its “reminders to subscribers” five to six months before renewal time…Marking the end of a famous car-maker corporate name, Chrysler Group LLC changes its name to FCA US LLC linked to its parent, Fiat of Italy…The New York Times is without an advertising column following the departure of Stuart Elliott who wrote the feature for 23 years...The June 16 issue of People, with Hillary Clinton on the cover, was the magazine’s worst seller this year with 503,890 copies, reports Adweek…Debuting in Coos County, Ore. Jan. 6 will be the weekly Coquille Valley Courant with Shelby Case editor.  Publisher Jeff Precourt says contrary to industry critics, newspapers are far from being a dying medium.

Much to read.  With an eye toward running for president, Jeb Bush says he’s ready to release 250,000 emails from his years as Florida governor.

Related articles

Shhh! China overtakes U.S. as world's No. 1 economy

Calif. solar facility output fizzles, despite bright location

SEC set to push scrutinizing pay of CEOs vs. workers

White House media growl over blocking photos of events

White House correspondents and news organizations are grumbling over the barring of photojournalists from many presidential events, observes Grumpy Editor. 

Among those calling for better access to President Barack Obama and the White House:  The White House Correspondents Association, the Associated Press, Reuters, The Washington Post plus broadcast and cable networks.  They'd rather not rely on events’ handouts provided by the White House.

"Journalists are routinely being denied the right to photograph or videotape the President while he is performing his official duties,” the journalists mention in a letter to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.

“As surely as if they were placing a hand over a journalist’s camera lens, officials in this administration are blocking the public from having an independent view of important functions of the executive branch of government.” 

The journalists also point out, “The apparent reason for closing certain events to photographers is that these events have been deemed 'private.'  That rationale, however, is undermined when the White House contemporaneously releases its own photograph of a so-called private event through social media."

They add restrictions on access to such events interfere with legitimate newsgathering, raise constitutional freedom-of-the-press questions and set a dangerous precedent.

“Freezing out reporters from events is not healthy,” sums up Ron Fournier --- National Journal editorial director and national correspondent who earlier worked at AP for 20 years --- in a CNN interview on Friday.

 

In case you missed these…

TRIBUNE CO. PLANS ANOTHER ROUND OF STAFF CUTS.  Chicago-based Tribune Co., second largest U.S. newspaper publisher, plans to cut nearly 700 jobs or about 6 percent of its total workforce over the next year, mainly at its newspaper division that includes the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and six other newspapers.  The company, which exited bankruptcy in January, cut 360 jobs companywide in the first nine months of the fiscal year.  That followed eliminating 800 publishing positions last year.

 

BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK FOCUSES ON GLOBAL WARMING.  Rather than devoting more editorial space to top business developments as year-end nears, the weekly spreads its Nov. 25 cover story over a vast 17 full adless pages of text and photos (out of 80 pages in the issue) relating to what it sees as future higher sea levels affecting Kiribati, north of Fiji.  The central Pacific nation spans 33 small islands with a population of 103,000.  Cover headline for the story:  This entire country is about to be wiped out by climate change.

PRESIDENT TARDY FOR LIVE WALL STREET JOURNAL INTERVIEW ON THE WEB.  President Obama kept Web viewers around the country waiting 30 minutes beyond the 3 p.m. (Eastern) scheduled time Tuesday for the start of a live stream interview, via the WSJ’s website, led by Gerald Seib, the newspaper’s Washington Bureau chief.

FEDS BYPASS LAS VEGAS THIS TIME, GATHER IN CARIBBEAN.  Phillip Swarts reports in The Washington Times that “a group of federal officials skipped chilly Washington this month for a taxpayer-funded trip to the Virgin Islands in the name of protecting the world’s coral reef.”  The organizer, Swarts adds, is the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force which “isn’t saying much about the total cost or reasons for the trip or why officials chose the St. Croix beachfront resort Buccaneer Hotel (made famous by an episode of TV’s 'The Bachelor') as their destination.”

Media bits:  Look for Maria Bartiromo, who departed CNBC (after 20 years at the cable network) on Friday, to host a live Sunday show early next year on Fox News Channel in addition to activities on the Fox Business Network…CNN's Jake Tapper will fill in for three weeks on the network's primetime lineup next month as Erin Burnett takes maternity leave.  Along with that added duty, Tapper will continue to host his 4 p.m. (Eastern) “The Lead”…Recently launched Al Jazeera America cable news channel’s ratings averaged around 13,000 viewers in its first few months, reports the New York Post…The Minneapolis Star Tribune in February will take over printing of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The saga of confusing magazine subscriptions continues.

Fast Company, via an insert in its December issue, pitches readers a “3-for-1 holiday gift giveaway” for “only $12.99” as the one-year rate.

At the same time, subscribers, in a magazine wraparound, are offered a “2-for-1 holiday offer” for $10.

Meanwhile, a mailed pitch to subscribers also dangles a 2-for-1 holiday offer, citing “regular cost of 2 subscriptions: $99.80” and “you pay only $10 for “10 more issues (one year)" plus a gift card to send “to announce your valuable gift.”

Obama executive order: gear for global warming impact

While Washington media were focusing on President Barack Obama meeting in the White House for two hours Friday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to discuss ways to work together in efforts to stop the al-Qaida threat, the president issued an executive order --- missed by many editors --- directing a government-wide effort to boost regional preparation for global warming’s impact, noted Grumpy Editor. 

The action came just before an unusual meteorological weekend in the U.S. that brought a mix of snow and rain across the Great Lakes to northern New England along with a series of winter storms moving through the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies accompanied by strong winds and heavy snow at higher elevations. 

With this, and snubbed by (usually weather-conscious) media, was that daily high temperatures late last week in places like Chicago and Detroit were running up to a cool 15 degrees below average. 

Obama’s action, as reported by Dave Boyer in The Washington Times, orders federal agencies to work with states to build “resilience” against major storms and other weather extremes. 

Boyer said the order declared:  “The impacts of climate change --- including an increase in prolonged periods of excessively high temperatures, more heavy downpours, an increase in wildfires, more severe droughts, permafrost thawing, ocean acidification and sea-level rise --- are already affecting communities, natural resources, ecosystems, economies and public health across the nation. The federal government must build on recent progress and pursue new strategies to improve the nation’s preparedness and resilience.” 

Meanwhile, some newspapers yesterday carried an Associated Press story previewing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s report next March that will indicate “how global warming already is affecting the way people live and what will happen in the future, including a worldwide drop in income.” 

While the spotlight was on “warming,” the word cold was absent in the story. 

 

In case you missed these… 

Social Security benefits for nearly 58 million people will rise in 2014 by 1.5 percent, one of the smallest increases since automatic adjustments were adopted in 1975.

Official reason for the skimpy raise: Consumer prices haven’t gone up much in the past year.

As media have been reporting for months --- inflation is “tame.”

That leaves many budget-squeezed seniors, facing higher costs on multiple fronts, shaking their heads.

 

USA Today claimed top spot in U.S. newspaper circulation, sending The Wall Street Journal to No. 2.  The Gannett Co. publication accomplished the position with 2.9 million daily average circulation for the six months ended Sept. 30 by including print and various digital editions. 

The San Francisco Chronicle was the latest publication to ban use of “Redskins” in  referring to Washington, D.C.’s professional football team --- which has been using the name since 1933.

Readers’choice:  November issue of Sunset magazine, in the Time Inc. family, included two different subscription cards.  A two-for-one deal put the one-year term at $24.  Another card promised 12 months for $29.

Will Washington watch?  Sen. Ted Cruz, (R-Texas) guests on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Friday.

U-T, the San Diego daily, in a deal expected to close today, purchased from Mainstreet Communications eight San Diego County community newspapers including the Del Mar Times, La Jolla Light, Rancho Santa Fe Review and Poway News Chieftain.

Broadcast media became excited last week when what was initially termed a large explosion followed by gunfire was heard near the U.S. embassy in Sana’a, Yemen's capital, with a population of 1.7 million.

It turned out to be fireworks from a wedding…which media decided not to cover.

‘Loose lips sink ships’ fades from Washington minds

Emphasized with great effect during World War II, the "loose lips sink ships" slogan apparently was nowhere to be remembered last week when the White House announced what used to be considered hush-hush details ahead of planned military action in Syria, observes Grumpy Editor. 

Looks like the Pentagon also had a fuzzy memory of that slogan created by the War Advertising Council and promoted by the U.S. Office of War Information during WWII years.

“Loose lips sink ships” was designed to prevent inadvertent disclosure of important information to the enemy.  That included plans on a pending attack, when, targets and duration.

Among items aimed at citizens and military personnel: 

Don't mention plans and forecasts or orders for future operations, whether known or just your guess. 

Don't disclose movements of ships, naval or merchant, troops, or aircraft. 

Now, more than seven decades later, the White House in a mid-week announcement remarkably revealed a U.S. military attack on Syria could begin as early as last Thursday and consist of two or three days of missile strikes. 

The planned action was to “protect our national security interests,” explained the White House, adding the push for military action was to punish Syria for what the U.S. said was a chemical weapons attack.

The U.S. also alerted Syria that five cruise missile-carrying Navy destroyers (plus identifying the ships by name) were positioned in the eastern Mediterranean Sea ready to go.  Likely military targets were named --- giving additional advance word so that Syrian military assets could be moved or hidden. 

Later in the week the U.S. destroyers were joined by a U.S. amphibious assault ship, also named, carrying about 300 Marines, although word out of Washington was that there would be no boots on the ground. 

Military action then was shelved Saturday when President Barack Obama said he would seek congressional authorization before ordering any strikes in Syria.  But House and Senate members won’t return from their traditional summer recess until next Monday. 

For those, including some in Washington, who missed World War II history, D-Day --- the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 --- was carried out without advance word leaking out from Washington, the military or civilians, including members of the press.  That would be unheard of today. 

Location of the landing and military assets involved were a heavily guarded secret --- because loose lips sink ships. 

How big was that 1944 invasion?

About 5,000 vessels transported 150,000 men and 30,000 vehicles across the English Channel from Britain to French beaches.  It also involved six parachute regiments --- 13,000 troops flown from nine British airfields in about 800 aircraft, while 300 other aircraft dropped bombs on coastal Normandy. 

     And not a word leaked out in advance.

 

In case you missed these…

PETA has bad news for female chicken eaters.  Philadelphia’s KYW-TV, also known as CBS 3, uncovered this aimed at women:  "Eating chicken parts --- or, more specifically, chicken wings --- could shrink your baby’s man parts."  It cited a letter from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that claimed, “The latest scientific evidence shows that the sons of pregnant women who consume chicken are more likely to have smaller penises because of a chemical found in the birds’ flesh.” 

In editing news:  Grammarly, an automated proofreader and grammar checker, zeroed in on spelling, grammar and punctuation errors in articles among top women's and men's magazines.  It found most accurate publications for women were Ladies’ Home Journal in top spot, followed by Glamour, O: The Oprah Magazine and Family Circle.  For men, GQ ranked No. 1, followed by Popular Mechanics, Maxim and Playboy…Quieter assignment in newsroom:  David Colker switched from an assistant business editor at the Los Angeles Times to the obituary staff where he will write and edit obits. 

Movies' negative impact on viewers:  A new Rasmussen Reports survey found 50 percent of adults figured the movie industry has a negative impact on American society, while 21 percent said the industry has a positive impact, 15 percent maintained it has no impact, and 13 percent were undecided…Boston radio station WBZ reported a South Boston condo owner was fined $25 a day for violating association rules by flying the U.S. flag in his window.  Condo association rules allowed only white curtains to hang from windows.  Fellow residents (obviously not patriotic) complained.

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. 

A look back: As Benghazi attack unfolds, Obama preps for Vegas; Newspaper publisher, 21, debuts in Nebraska

During a heavy news week, questions continue on the mystery focusing on the silence and whereabouts of President Barack Obama on the night of Sept. 11, 2012 while a deadly attack on Americans was under way in Benghazi, Libya, observes Grumpy Editor.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a super sleuth to uncover that, with a campaign fund-raising event the next day --- Sept. 12 --- in Las Vegas, obviously the president was gearing up for his speech and Sin City activities.

Noteworthy, however, is that the White House schedule for Sept. 11 shows a 5 p.m. (Eastern) meeting with then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in the Oval Office.

The question:  What did they discuss, since the attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, that resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stephens, started mid-afternoon Washington time on that day.

Quizzed yesterday by Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday on the president’s whereabouts on the night of the Benghazi attack, Dan Pfeiffer, senior advisor to the president for strategy and communications, declared: “I don’t remember what room the president was in that night.  That’s a largely irrelevant fact.”

The president and others last week called the renewed debate on Benghazi “a sideshow.”

Updated information last week on the Benghazi attack was competing with other front-page reports on the Obama administration’s role with a secret probe of the Associated Press and its confidential sources plus revelations of political targeting by the Internal Revenue Service.

 

There’s hope for print journalism

Grumpy Editor finds it refreshing that 21-year-old Michael Happ, on the weekend prior to his graduation from Creighton University, produced the first issue of the Elm Creek (Neb.) Beacon-Observer since he became publisher.

The weekly’s Thursday edition kept him up until 3 a.m. putting on the finishing touches, according to Jessica Kokesh, regional editor of the daily Kearney (Neb.) Hub.

Kokesh relates that “Happ owns the Beacon-Observer building and built an apartment for himself in the back room where the printing press used to be."

The young publisher tells Kokesh he "hopes to introduce online coverage once things have slowed down, and plans to redesign the Beacon-Observer when he’s more familiar with the design software.”

“Happ was on spring break in March when his father called to tell him about the opportunity to buy the Beacon-Observer,” writes Kokesh.  “He was immediately interested and called the (owners) to take a look at the office in Elm Creek that day.” 

He seeks "an entire new look, kind of a grand opening for the paper” and plans to widen the newspaper’s coverage to include Loomis, Pleasanton and other area communities.

 

In case you missed these…

Super fast action:  Two days after journalists called the Justice Department’s seizure of records from phone lines assigned to Associated Press offices and its reporters over a two-month period “chilling” and a “dragnet to intimidate the media,” the White House --- in an effort to blunt the phone records seizure story --- on Wednesday said it will renew its push for legislation that would offer federal protections to journalists and their sources via reintroduction of the so-called media shield bill --- which faltered nearly four years ago in Congress…A Rasmussen Reports national survey finds 84 percent of American adults believe English should be the official language of the United States.

Not too many U.S. publications have an architecture critic on staff.  But the Dallas Morning News does with the hiring of Mark Lamster.  A focus on architecture in Dallas comes as the city is experiencing a building boom that is changing the skyline…The daily Evening Sun, Hanover, Pa., owned by Denver-based MediaNews Group, goes to publishing three days a week beginning Jan. 1…United Methodist Reporter, hit by financial losses, will cease operations May 31…After operating at a downtown Miami building on Biscayne Bay since 1963, the Miami Herald moved to suburban Doral. The 750,000-square foot building was purchased for $236 million in 2011 by Malaysia-based Genting Group from the newspaper's parent company, McClatchy Co.  Genting plans to demolish the building and erect a luxury hotel --- and, with state approval, a casino on the 13.9-acre site…“Jack Bauer” is returning to TV.  Kiefer Sutherland will star in 12-episodes of political thriller "24” on Fox starting next May.

While most broadcast and cable networks carried the press conference of President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron, a local NBC affiliate beamed its own program with a world-shaking discussion on:  How many swimsuits do you own?

Another whodunit: Who gave okay for illegals release?

Imagine, more than 5,ooo jailed illegal aliens are being released --- after the Obama administration announced only “a few hundred” were being freed because of sequestration, notes Grumpy Editor.

What is interesting, and worthy of further investigation, is that both the White House and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano deny any involvment with the illegals being turned loose.

Those released are required to appear at later court hearings (if they can be found).

Alicia A. Caldwell, Associated Press writer, did some digging and finds Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “released roughly 1,000 illegal immigrants from jails around the United States each week since at least Feb. 15” and 3,000 more are set for release this month.

 

Sequestration also grounds Thunderbirds

Not too much has been reported by national media about sequestration being blamed for clipping the wings of the Air Force's Thunderbirds, the aerial demostration team that flies six F-16s at air shows in the U.S. and around the world. 

 

The Thunderbirds' last performances before the team's grounding will be in Titusville, Fla., March 23 and 24.

Seems strange to cancel the Thunderbirds precision aerial exhibitions that thrill young and old folks plus all in between, boosts interest in flying and is simply patriotic.

 

Something for TV, film producers to consider 

With television and motion picture producers always seeking nifty stories, one they should consider (but without the now overused multi-car crashes or shootouts aimed at attracting 21-to-35 year olds), would include true World War II action and survival:

The story would follow a navigator on a B-25 aircraft, part of the Doolittle Raid to bomb Tokyo just a little over four months after the Dec. 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Bombers in the daring raid took off from an aircraft carrier, a very unusual "runway" for large aircraft at the time. 

After the effective April 18, 1942 bombing run (and U.S. morale booster), the navigator's B-25, as with others, lacked fuel to reach safe territory.  Some made forced landings, others crashed.

The navigator had to bail out, parachuted into a tree but managed to elude Japanese capture.

He returned to action in bombing runs on the other side of the world in North Africa but was shot down in 1943 which led to spending two years in a German prison camp.

The navigator, Major Thomas C. Griffin, who later lived in the Cincinnati area, died Tuesday at 96, leaving only four surviving Doolittle Raid members out of the original 80.

Services will be held Saturday --- with a planned B-25 flyover, hopefully with coverage by national TV and print media.

 

In case you missed these:

Wrong number:  Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.), with 22 years in the House and ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee, faced print and TV media to declare (a highly inflated) “over 170 million jobs” could be lost because of federal spending cuts…Chicago-based Tribune Co. is exploring the sale of its eight newspapers that include the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Baltimore Sun and Orlando Sentinel…The New York Times Co. plans to drop the name of its 125-year-old International Herald Tribune, distributed in more than 160 countries and territories, and rechristening it this autumn as the International New York Times…This just in:  The Washington Post reported an asteroid hit near Decorah, Iowa --- about 470 million years ago…Warren Buffet acquires his 28^th daily newspaper, the Tulsa World, second largest newspaper in Oklahoma…Variety will discontinue its daily entertainment print publication March 18 but has launched Variety.com providing free access to breaking news and analysis…Arnold Schwarzenegger, former California governor and noted for action roles in films, returns to being executive editor of Muscle & Fitness and Flex magazines.  

Washington Post stats slump as executives scratch heads

As circulation and advertising figures slide at the Washington Post Co., management is probably wondering why --- and the Internet is not wholly to blame, notes Grumpy Editor. 

The Post reports print advertising skidded 12 percent in the 2012 fourth quarter, to $67.5 million.  The Post also cites average daily circulation in 2012 declined 8.6 percent to an average of 471,800, while average Sunday circulation fell 6.2 percent to 687,200. 

What’s behind advertising and circulation drifting lower at most newspapers?

When businesses, large and small, envision less money to spend, advertising is one of the first things slashed. 

Daily news reports are loaded with uncertainty, especially with predictions --- and scares from the nation’s capital --- of economic messes ahead. 

A heavy flow of new business/personal rules, regulations and taxes coming out of Washington plus the confusing financial wake looming from ObamaCare and the upcoming sequestration are among key contributors to the wide-scale uncertainty. 

For businesses, that’s not conducive to boosting advertising. 

Thus, the constant negativity running in news columns triggers less advertising space sold, putting a major dent in the bottom line of newspaper publishers. 

Eventually, and sadly, this also results in newspapers’ periodic staff trimming, among other measures. 

With circulation, when readers find their favorite newspaper is more of a lap dog rather than a watchdog --- echoing information, especially fuzzy math and misleading facts, fed from the White House and some lawmakers without newspaper fact checking or solid investigating --- they move on to other news sources. 

Getting back to the Washington Post:  Seeking to highlight a bright spot in the company’s glum 2012 financial figures, the Post cited:  “One benefit of the paper’s woes: lower newsprint costs,” down 10 percent.

 

 

AP okays ‘husband,’ ‘wife’ for same-sex couples

Updated in the Associated Press Stylebook, used by most newsrooms:  

Regardless of sexual orientation, use of husband or wife is acceptable in all references to individuals in any legally-recognized marriage. 

Spouse or partner may be used if requested, adds AP.

 

In case you missed these… 

Time magazine runs the longest article in its 90-years of publishing with a 24,000-word piece on “Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us” by Steven Brill…The New York Times Co. is putting the “for sale” sign on its Boston Globe which also includes the Worcester (Mass.) Telegram & Gazette…CBS News’  Bob Schieffer will receive the National Association of Broadcasters distinguished service award on April 8 in Las Vegas…David Axelrod, former White House senior adviser and senior strategist for President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns, joins NBC News and MSNBC as a senior political analyst…Los Angeles Times scrubs its daily prime time television schedule from the newspaper’s Calendar section starting tomorrow…CNBC acquires the long-running Nightly Business Report from PBS and will move production from Miami to CNBC headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. on March 4…Generally overlooked in coverage of the wide-scale manhunt for rogue ex-Los Angeles Police Department officer Christopher Dorner, who later died in a Big Bear (Calif.) cabin fire, was the early-morning shooting in Torrance, Calif. of two L.A. Times delivery women by eight LAPD officers who mistook them for Dorner.  The injured women’s attorney says he counted 102 bullet holes in their blue Toyota Tacoma…Comedian Conan O'Brien, who hosts a nightly show on TBS, will emcee the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on April 27, airing on C-Span…Journal Register Co., which owns --- and plans to sell --- Michigan dailies The Oakland Press, The Macomb Daily, Morning Sun and Daily Tribune, says it plans to lay off more than 840 employees, with hopes that the new owner will rehire them. 

‘Skeet shooting’ Obama aims rifle low at clay target

A photo of President Barack Obama skeet shooting, released by the White House over the weekend, has some participants of the sport  raising eyebrows, notes Grumpy Editor.

Most editors who ran the photo, shot last Aug. 4 at Camp David, failed to notice the “skeet shooting” president’s rifle barrel is almost parallel to the ground.

That’s not the way to shoot at an up-in-the air clay disk.

It looks more like trying to bag a crow on a low fence.

Nevertheless, the left-handed president, wearing goggles and ear protectors, peers down the barrel of the shotgun while his left index finger pulls the trigger, resulting in a puff of smoke emitting from the rifle.

The aim did catch the eyes of Rick Davenport, of the Erie County Sportsmen’s Federation.  As reported by Carl Campanile in the New York Post, the photo shows “Obama is shooting straight ahead.”

Davenport explains, “In skeet shooting, you’re either shooting high or you’re shooting low. This is nothing but pandering to the sportsmen and hunters.”

 

Is this the way to treat new owner Buffett?

A bit of blushing by editors at the Greensboro, N.C. News & Record in announcing its acquisition by Warren Buffett's Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

The top front-page story on Friday misspelled Buffett, putting only one t on the name in a headline. 

On the same Friday page, Executive Editor Jeff Gauget announced the introduction of a new crossword puzzle to readers of the News & Record, with a daily circulation of 58,000 and Sunday circulation of 86,000.

Since many readers dislike changes in crossword puzzles, Gauget admits it is “the scariest move for any editor” and adds, “I welcome your feedback.”

Chances are he’ll be busy today going over many emails and phone messages.

 

In case you missed these…

Time Inc., the magazine group unit of Time Warner Inc., is cutting its global staff by about 480 jobs or six percent, as newsstand sales and ad revenue continue to fall…The New York Times, via buyouts and layoffs, trimmed its newsroom by about 30 staffers…President Barack Obama spent nine hours round-trip on trusty Air Force One to fly to Las Vegas last Tuesday for a 25-minute speech on immigration…Also in Las Vegas, a local radio station, which normally runs a live news feed from Washington D.C. in morning hours, somehow on Jan. 30 aired a tape covering the news heard Jan. 22…More vintage material:  To illustrate the Washington Post Co. exploring the sale of its D.C. headquarters, The Wall Street Journal on Saturday ran a photo of the Post’s entrance --- showing reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward leaving the building in April 1974…Geraldo Rivera, with a daily syndicated radio program and a weekly Fox News TV show, is mulling running for U.S. senator from New Jersey.

Major Garrett returns to White House beat --- for CBS

Grumpy Editor learned that Major Garrett --- who did a great job while at Fox News before going back to print --- next week is returning to full-time television as CBS News’ chief White House correspondent. 

He left Fox News two years ago for National Journal where he will continue the print relationship as correspondent at large. 

At CBS’ Washington bureau he joins Bill Plante, Mark Knoller and Peter Maer on the White House beat starting Sunday. 

For campaign 2012 coverage, National Journal  forged a partnership with CBS News.  That led to Garrett becoming a substitute anchor on "Face the Nation." He also appeared on "CBS This Morning." 

Garrett was Fox News’ chief White House correspondent for eight years.  Prior to that, he was a White House correspondent for CNN. 

Earlier, in the print field, he was a staffer at U.S. News and World Report, Washington Times, Houston Post, Las Vegas Review-Journal and Amarillo Globe-News.