Across The Media Universe: Hair, Drugs and Rupe Edition

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Across The Media Universe

(AP)

Beat The Press: According to The Politico's Ben Smith, John Edwards is the "first major Democratic candidate for president" to take a page from the Republican playbook and make attacking the press corps a part of his campaign strategy. He's aggressively responded to stories about his expensive haircuts, for example, releasing a video flashing images of misery in Iraq and New Orleans while the theme song of the musical "Hair" plays. And at the end, this question: "What really matters?" (He has also used the issue in fundraising emails.) Perhaps if Internet video and the "Tank Girl" soundtrack had been around in 1988, Michael Dukakis could have put together a nifty response of his own.

Stoned Cold: Recent PE interviewee Maia Szalavitz has posted her thoughts on media coverage of "a new study claiming that marijuana increases the risk of later psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia by 40%." She argues that most media coverage has neglected to point out that schizophrenia rates have not increased in line with marijuana use rates, a significant point in light of the study's implications. She also complains that most accounts don't quote prominent researchers who say that there is no conclusive proof that cannabis causes psychotic illness. "Such comments don't help the media stir up reefer madness, which they've been doing, quite successfully, for the last few decades," Szalavitz concludes. "Perhaps covering the marijuana beat makes you crazy."

My First Journal: It looks like Rupert Murdoch's News Corp has won the battle to take over Dow Jones & Co. and its flagship Wall Street Journal. Is this, as some seem to think, going to result in the paper transforming from a first-rate news outlet to a mediocre publication willing to sell out its journalistic principles when it helps the parent company's bottom line? We report, you decide.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by mattcat25 August 1, 2007 5:29 PM EDT: The reality of today isn%u2019t the Liberal Media Biased %u201Cdrive $buy media%u201D Rush Limbaugh invented years ago but, it's the Rupert Right Wing Media!

Soon the owners of the United States %u201Cthe private sector%u201D will only allow party propaganda as news to support their perpetual wars along with energy, medicine, food, and water shortages to maintain their complete and malevolent control of the plebs.; Reply to this comment


by memekiller August 1, 2007 3:25 PM EDT: Only poor people in Washington should pass legislation that doesn't benefit billionaires? How much do I have to make before you feel it's hypocritical for me to do anything that doesn't benefit rich people?; Reply to this comment


by jimcyr-2009 August 1, 2007 2:37 PM EDT: The "party of the Little Guy" (at least that's one of the notions of them I had when growing up, which led me to donate my college years and 20s to Democratic Party activism) nominates a BILLIONAIRE (that's billionaire with a B, folks!) for president, and his vice-presidential candidate/current candidate gets haircuts which cost AT LEAST $400 (solid evidence suggests he's spent much more).
Gee, wonder why I don't believe that old B.S. about being a party of the little guy anymore....
If this doesn't trouble you, you get an autmomatic pass into the category of sycophant.; Reply to this comment


by August 1, 2007 1:07 AM EDT: Very clever, Mr. Felling. Squeezing more mileage out of the haircut "story" and linking Edwards to Dukakis. A two-fer -- double axel into a toe loop and he NAILED the landing! That's pretty hilarious. We should put you down for one of those 30% of journalists who "hate" John Edwards then? Good to know, this early on. Yes, indeed.; Reply to this comment


by memekiller July 31, 2007 7:00 PM EDT: "There is a difference in the political reality: fairly or unfairly, a healthy chunk of the national political press corps doesn't like John Edwards."

Fairly or unfairly, there's also a difference in narrative timing: when the first quarter ended, the press was trying to bury Edwards. It's not so much interested in burying Romney right now -- many reporters think he's the Republican frontrunner."

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/07/romney_wore_makeup_film_at_ele.php

That's from Marc Ambinder, one of the founders of the conventional wisdom ("up is down") Note at ABC.

When is the press going to let us choose the President?; Reply to this comment


by memekiller July 31, 2007 6:44 PM EDT: Edwards owes blog media critics quite a lot. They've jumped to his defense several times, but it had nothing to do with his politics. If we write Deborah Howell about John Solomon's interview with Edward's barber, it's because it's really, really stupid, and irresponsible. How can your paper claim Abramoff is non-partisan, and then make a scandal out of the fact that Edwards' real estate agent sold his house at market value to a Republican? When the agent could sue if Edwards refused to sell because the buyer had the wrong position on unions?

He's benefited because blogs combat journalists who want to make stupid fluff a character issue. How much do millionaire Republican Congressmen usually pay for a haircut? They'll never ask. Being rich is never a problem, so long as you line your own pockets. It's fine not to wear a tie, unless you're Obama, which sounds like Osama, so he must be trying to emulate the President of Iran. Aids scramble to explain one inch indentation sticking above Hillary's V-Neck!

Did it ever occur to you that if these people are "calculating" about what they wear, it's because you write stupid sh@% like this? As a reporter admitted recently, as with the past two presidential elections, the media hates them and wants to take them down -- but Republicans they want to have a beer with. So if you want to destroy him, he might as well point it out.; Reply to this comment