The Power of the Twenty-Something

Next time I’m looking to pop an inflated ego I’ll need turn no further than to the New York Times. Or just make sure it’s the end of the month. And yes, I realize that it’s already May but it still feels like April to me, or something. Because then I’ll know it’s time for the monthly shine-light-upon-beautiful-successful-youths piece. Last month it was The Rising Stars of Gossip Blogs. This particular article hit too close to home. I read through the name of contempt, high-and-mighty bloggers posing for their NYT photo shoot, who were probably dying to reveal the shit-eating grins they kept bottled inside in favor of cool indifference. I suddenly froze on one of the names. The spelling, her face, dear god, my ex-boyfriend’s sister was staring straight at me from inside nytimes.com.

The same girl who’d politely asked 18-year-old me to not address her by name in her comments was now featured in the New York Times. And I was some dweeb lame enough to read an article about rising blog stars in the first place. Where did I go wrong? And what had she done that made her go so right? I’ll admit, it’s a fantastic blog my ex’s sister runs, but that’s not THE POINT. The point is, I need to not personally know the current bloggette star clogging up the NYT’s traffic. Mainly because it just freaks me out.

Today the blow came in New York Times Magazine form. A bigger beast in almost every way. The article, titled All the Obama 20-Somethings brought about inspiration more than jealousy. And when I talk about inspiration, I mean by Ashley Parker, the author of the piece. Her style refreshed me and her story-telling was too legit to quit. And sadly, when I tried to Google search for her twitter page, all I found were results for Ashley Parker Angel of O-town fame.
No thanks.

And the stories about the young White House assistants were absolutely endearing. They’re just like us, but all fancy! And they get to look at sacred American treasures and hoop it up with the White House staff (if they’ve got the cajones to play, that is). Parker hints that only men are welcome participants on the b-ball court. Boiz Club.

But still, to be writing about such incredible 20-Something in itself makes a person, in my eyes, an incredible 20-Something. Parker gets to describe Obama in her work. What do you do?

“It was as excited as I’d seen anyone since election night, since inauguration,” Favreau later told me. At one point, he saw Axelrod and Gibbs telling Obama some jokes. “He was laughing so hard,” Favreau said. “I’d never seen the president laugh that hard.” Adam Frankel — the history buff of the speechwriting staff — asked if perhaps he could see the Lincoln Bedroom. “Before I knew it, the president was like, ‘Who’s coming on the Lincoln Bedroom tour?’ ” Favreau recalled. Obama showed off the handwritten Gettysburg Address and said, “I’m just here by myself tonight, so you can come in, check everything out.” (Michelle and their two daughters were in New York for the weekend.)

The night ended at close to 1:30 a.m. “We finally realized we should probably let the president go to bed,” Favreau said. Obama thanked them all again and they trickled from the White House residence and into the cool early morning.

New York Times + Apple Tablet = Love?

Online sources are reporting that on January 27 the New York Times will begin charging its readers for access to online content. This change in accessibility is coming the same day Apple’s much-anticipated tablet (well, it looks like we may be calling it the iSlate) is rumored to launch. New York Magazine reported that NYT Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. may “strike a content partnership for the new device, which could dovetail with the paid strategy.”

The exact details of how the pay wall system haven’t been announced yet. Times spokesperson Diane McNulty said: “We’ll announce a decision when we believe that we have crafted the best possible business approach. No details till then.”

Journalists crafting a business approach? Aye, this could take quite a while. With 10 days to go until the rumored pay wall is raised high, we won’t have to wait long to see what the final approach will entail. Sulzberger needs to have quite a few conversations with Jobs pronto.

The Telegraph reports, “Mr. Sulzberger is believed to favor a metered use policy similar to The Financial Times, which allows readers to access some articles for free before they are forced to subscribe.”

Personally I’m completely comfortable with supporting the dying art of journalism (it feels a bit like supporting your local community theatre). I’m also happy to pay for quality news and reporting. But I do hope the Times gives some sort of mix’n'match deal. No Dowd for me, please.

Also… DO WANT THE TABLET. Holy jeez it looks amazing.

Sarah Palin is going back to her roots! TV for dumbasses!

It seems inappropriate to preface this post with anything but the following video.

I know, it’s quite difficult to watch. And she is eerily reminiscent of Britney Spears. In the baddest way possible.

What is there to say on a day like today when I was so freaking swamped at work and totally tied up all evening that I missed the most vomit-inducing news I’ve experienced in this lifetime? It’s baffling. The Washington Post tried to help me 12 hours ago. And I was too god damn busy to read my e-mail today? Really? I had access to the internet and my phone ALL DAY LONG and I missed this? I am baffled. Floored.

That there’s some photographic proof to you that I need more iPhone and twitter breaks. Boohoo cry weep.

Are you even reading this?

TGIF — Thank God I Facebook. I don’t think people my age will ever be able to organize any sort of coalition, protest or any grassroots movement without it. And if we actually do figure out how to bring an issue to people’s attention without creating a group or event, well, chances are the cause will never be quite as successful.

Thanks to this Keep Richard Finnell at The Daily Texan Facebook group, all of us concerned Texan Exes were able to do something about Texas Student Media’s troubling proposal to consolidate positions and layoff six people in an effort to shrink TSM’s deficit for the year. Within a span of 48 hours the page was filled with our comments and encouragements to each other to flood the TSM board members’ inboxes with e-mails pleading them to vote no on a proposal that would get rid of an advisor that has molded so many of us into the passionate journalists we are today.

wuddup world.

i’d just like to say that joining a facebook group is akin to wearing a save darfur shirt and that everyone should take 15 minutes to write all these people a quick dissent.

When the board meets Friday we will discuss the projected revenue shortfalls and explore options for cost efficiency.

No decision has been made, or will be made without thoughtful consideration of all possible alternatives regarding the future of the staff members involved and the financial best interests of TSM and its ability to serve UT students.

Cash said it would be a great disservice to students if the board did not address the real challenges facing media industries.

“It would create an artificial world for the students,” Cash said. “I think a lot of this is consolidation, which makes sense from a business model.”

Cash did seem affected by our presence in the meeting. And while TSM director Kathy Lawrence laid out her layoff agena, Cash asked thorough, aggressive, tough question after thorough, aggressive, tough question. Just like she’d taught us in her infamous reporting class (self-proclaimed as the hardest course offered within the journalism school). In the end, Lawrence’s own lack of preparedness cost her the vote.

She had a powerpoint presentation ready to explain what the new positions would entail … but those descriptions didn’t match the agenda. After a good amount of discussion, Cash moved to postpone the vote. We’ll have to wait until April 24 to see if Lawrence can convince the board to make the cuts.

Daily Texan’s editor Leah Finnegan and managing editor Vikram Swaruup made some comments after Lawrence’s powerpoint went bust. They expressed a deep concern over the lack of transparency and communication between the board and the students who are running The Daily Texan. They said they heard the news about Richard Finnell’s potentional layoff from the man himself, not from the board. Swaruup said he thought the two most influential students running the paper should have a chance to see the proposal on paper before it becomes a part of the meeting’s agenda.

The two then brought up the fact that there are board members who have admitted to not reading the Daily Texan regularly. Finnegan pleaded with the members to spend some time in the basement and learn what the publication is really all about. She said that nothing rang more true than the opening line of Swaruup’s opening to his progress report to the board: “Everytime I write one of these, I end up wondering how many people actually read it.” If they’re not even reading the Texan, who’s to know?

Superhero senator wants to save us all

Yesterday U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) introduced a bill that would allow newspapers (smaller ones, not the huge media conglomerates) to run just like a non-profit — tax breaks and all. They’d become kind of like public broadcasting companies.

Newspapers would still be allowed to report on political issues (dear God, let’s hope so) but wouldn’t be able to make endorsements anymore. Here’s what Cardin had to say about his brainchild:

The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy.

See, rest of the professional world, our industry is doubly screwed! Our business model is “BROKEN!” Too bad for all of y’all, because now your “DEMOCRACY” is going to be “BROKEN.”

Seriously though, I do like this idea. Too bad the rest of Washington hates it; Cardin has yet to attract any co-sponsors. Tell me, mediafiends, what do you think?

Obama the assassinated chimp?

So I’ve got my hot little hands on a press release from the Austin chapter of the NAACP. Due to the outrage over a New York Post cartoon that slightly compared President Obama to a dead chimp, Newscorp’s chairman Rupert Murdoch (yes he’s my boss, but just wait, soon he’ll be yours too) issued an apology for the gargantuan mistake of publishing that offensive, dirty, awful cartoon.

I have spoken to a number of people and I now better understand the hurt this cartoon has caused. At the same time, I have had conversations with Post editors about the situation and I can assure you – without a doubt – that the only intent of that cartoon was to mock a badly written piece of legislation. It was not meant to be racist, but unfortunately, it was interpreted by many as such.

NAACP is calling this apology inadequate because it doesn’t offer any concrete measures for improvement of FOX Corp’s sensitivity.

Nelson Linder, the president of the NAACP’s Austin branch, said the cartoon’s “an invitation to the assassination of the 44th president.” His organization is calling for the termination of the cartoonist, the Post’s editor-in-chief and increased diversity in the newsroom.

FOX 7, a small local tv station thousands of miles away from New York City, is being asked to write a letter to Rupert Murdoch supporting the NAACP’s demand.

We ask KTBC to be good corporate citizens and go on record against this abhorrent display of racism.

All I have to say here is that I’ve never met any staff members of The New York Post. But I have met several at FOX 7. And I know something like that would never be published from our staff. I’m interested to see whether or not our manager will sign the request — and even more interested in seeing just what this group plans to do if the station declines their request. Stay tuned.

Leaks, leaks, leaks

It looks like this year’s  list of Academy Award winners may have leaked earlier this week, as reported by E! Online. Well, that’s a BIG may have. A spokesperson for the academy has stated that the document is “a complete fraud.” Fine. We’ll have to wait and see just how accurate that list is.

But that’s not the scandalous web leak from this week that’s really concerning me, it’s the Los Angeles Police Department’s leak of Rihanna’s domestic abuse photo.

A TMZ insider told TheMediaBuffet.com that the gossip Web site payed $62,500 to a LAPD official close to the Rihanna/Chris Brown investigation for the photo of Rihanna after she was allegedly beaten by her boyfriend, Chris Brown.

Usually I hate to follow these kinds of stories — I try to stay away from Hollywood gossip — but the way that TMZ.com obtained the photo has been such a hot topic for the past two days that I decided I just have to mention it. After TMZ obtained the photo and posted it late Thursday night, the image spread across the Web like wildfire. (Of course.) TMZ’s post with the picture is filled with comments like this one:

“TMZ, this is in poor taste. Take this picture off for the privacy of Rihanna and her family! She is a victim of domestic violence and should NOT be exploited on your site like this!! SHAME ON YOU PEOPLE.”

The LAPD isn’t pleased with the leak. It began an internal investigation soon after the domestic violence photograph was released. It’s been reported that the money paid by TMZ doubles the LAPD official’s annual salary. The cool $62,500 is dwarfed by $14 million price tags for Brangelina baby photos. So where’s the real tragedy here? In the fact that LAPD is so much more easily paid off than Brangie? Or that the rights of the domestic violence victim have been COMPLETELY compromised?

I didn’t post the photo up here even though I know it’s hopeless, everybody’s seen it. If not, it WILL be seen in the drop of a .08-second google search. Is there any hope that the uproar around this incident will change the ways of checkbook journalism and give some celebrities (especially domestic violence victims) a piece of their dignity back?

Obama the dead chimp?

I’m sure you all heard about the chimp that was shot after mauling a woman earlier this week. (And by mauling, I mean ripping off her face and fingers.) This chimp, Travis, was highly trained; he could dress himself, brush his teeth, drink wine from a stemmed glass and he even starred in commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola. This story is tragic and frightening — the woman who owned the chimp was forced to stab her longtime pet with a butterknife to keep him from attacking her friend. Long story short, the cops showed up and Travis went after them. They hid in their cars, Travis knocked the mirror off a cruiser, got into the car and an officer shot him several times to protect himself.

Today a New York Post editorial cartoon showed a similar scene; one officer shot the chimp while the other says, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”

Al Sharpton cried out that the cartoon is racist. In a statement, Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan said: “The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington’s efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist.”

So, let me get this straight, this was the most appropriate and relevant news event to use as a comparison to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act? Really? This attempt to get our country back on track can only be compared to a violent, bizarre death of a chimp? Let me know if you think the cartoon’s offensive or not.