The Whole Delivery

The son of Tim Russert surely asserted his growing rule in our modern day Jokenalism, trying to make a crazy rich man seem like a down to Earth wholesome guy on Mo(u)rning Jo(k)e. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy He had 11 other siblings. He played football. He was bossy and swept the floor at a restaurant. Yes, that qualifies him fully as a man who represents the values of middle class Americans. Even if he supports policies that continue to ship middle class jobs overseas to foreign nations, supports tax cuts only for rich folks like him, and wants to gut and eviscerate any government program that benefits the middle class among many out of touch insane things, he is just a regular good ol' mid-American boy that could be the next Speaker of the House. Yup, nothing about his limited worldwide, nothing about his constant love of golfing, nothing at all about the fool that he is now. And oh, did we mentioned it took 7 years for him ...

Ah Oooh, Mr. All Things News Corp. could be in some serious do-do : The News of the World paid a private detective to provide hundreds of pieces of confidential information, often using illegal means, a confidential document obtained by The Independent on Sunday has revealed. The "Blue Book", a ledger of work carried out by Steve Whittamore for News International titles, including the NoW and The Sunday Times, details a series of transactions including obtaining ex-directory phone numbers, telephone accounts, criminal records checks and withheld mobile numbers. It reveals the itemised details of checks on public figures, including Peter Mandelson, ordered and paid for – at up to £750 a time – by reporters working for the redtop. Staff from a number of other national newspapers made similar requests, and their details are contained in further dossiers held by the Information Commissioner, the privacy watchdog. Among the journalists requesting information from Mr Whittamor...

The New York Times has no problem marketing this book You have to love their continued persistence to great journalism integrity and not succumbing to shady advertising ruining their ethics. Especially in regards to promoting the book of one of the war criminals who certainly used their article to go into the illegal war that we need know of. What would Judith Miller think if they did?

Some of you maybe familiar with the story of Newton, Massachusetts news reporter Barry Nolan. If not, here is the runthrough on this individual. Two years ago, while working for CN (Comcast) 8 in Boston, Nolan was upset over the New England chapter of the National Academy for Television in Arts and Sciences giving their Governors' Award to Bill O'Reilly at their local Emmys. So justifiably upset was Nolan, that in the buildup to the event, he both privately and publicly voiced his opposition towards the O'Liely one garnering that award. And he pulled no punches back when he labeled him "a mental case." And on the night of the formal tuxedo event, Nolan decided to dress down for the occasion, citing himself that his slacks and a blazer were accordingly enough for him. In addition, the Comcast anchor (at the time) continued in his temerity by passing out flyers of the Fixed Propaganda blowhard's worst comments ever, including the infamous "I just wis...

Hackio's Mike Allen displayed once again the type of credentialed reporter he and his work place is this morning on the brainless Hugh Hewitt's radio show. In fact, Allen's very candid assessment of what the D.C. stenographers and gossip writers yearn for represents not only his sorry publication's hopes, but all of his Beltway colleagues' top wishes in full glaore. It is an interview that both Instaputz and Atrios have been all over this today. And it sure is disgusting to see and hear : Hugh Hewitt: Well you know, Mike, I read John Harris’ piece at Politico, and I’ve got to say, the one thing I didn’t see covered well, Jane Norton got more votes losing than Michael Bennet got winning. It’s the same thing we saw in Missouri, the same thing we saw in Georgia. Yeah, the left turned out… Mike Allen: Yeah, so you’re saying there’s an intensity issue. HH: Yes, I’m saying that Michael Bennet’s going to get wiped out by Ken Buck. What do you think? MA: (laughing...

The Social Security report just came out today, and as expected, news organizations like CBS are providing the alarmist headlines placating into those deserving to harm the very stable program. And CBS (along with the Associated Press) sure did have quite the lead in to support that knee jerk (and very false) title : The annual checkup of the government's big benefit programs for the elderly shows the Social Security program is projected to pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes for the first time this year and next year. The Social Security trust fund is expected to be exhausted in 2037, the same date as in last year's report. What CBS and the AP exhibited in that article is your latest example of our Jokenalism in the year 2010. If any serious reporting was done on this issue by those outlets or any other news source who create that type of headline, leading the right wing nuts to declare again "Social Security is going broke", then they would ...

If you just received news from our sad cable media, you would just think that Charlie Rangel was the only ethic scandal in town going on (well, before the one on Maxine Waters was brought up over the weekend). Yet just as big of a story (and even more juicy in the details) is the continued ongoing mess of Nevada Republican Senator John Ensign, which has had such a hard time finding attention again on the television screen after Rick Sanchez properly embarrassed the philandering fool at the exact end of last year . After The Hill reported on the latest developments last Friday , both Chris Hayes and Steve Benen were the only ones to re-ask the salient question (that they of course knew the answer to) on "Why the spotlight on Rangel while Ensign's situation with new developments, still remained under their colleagues' peripheral?" Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy Benen and Hayes pertinent focus on Republican ethics pro...

Sigh : The White House Correspondents Association is moving Fox News up to the front row in the briefing room, according to sources familiar with the process. The WHCA board's decision was unanimous. Since veteran journalist Helen Thomas retired, three news organizations—Fox News, Bloomberg News, and NPR—have argued that they should move to the front row. Fox News will join the broadcast networks and CNN up front. However, Fox News will not be taking Thomas's long-held seat in the center. Helen Thomas' front row position (not her seat in the middle but her position) is now owned by the Murdoch Clown Channel. And the fact that it was a full unanimous position shows how much of a sad joke our journalism is nowadays. Jokenalism 2010 at its continued finest.

The false equivalency disease has certainly kicked up a full notches, as David Carr's lethargic display in the New York Times today somehow lumps these figures together on the spectrum: There have been times when it seemed that Rush Limbaugh was acting as de facto head of the Republican Party, as the Democrats picked up talking points from Rachel Maddow. And Sarah Palin, through Facebook and Twitter accounts, has become an important source of political wisdom for many Americans. Oy. Even if Carr does not outright say that Rachel Maddow is the left equivalent of the unqualified and failed NFL owner candidate (or Ms. Refudiate), the fact that he conveniently lumps Maddow as a leader or prominent figure of the Democratic party to offset the radio clown's influence on the nutcase party is another case of Jokenalism. Carr simply knows better, or should know better. But just like Anderson Cooper , Matt Lauer , and David Gregory of recent days, Carr does not care to get rid ...

The latest embodiment of our sad media news culture. This happen almost 48 hours ago as of this post, but I had to just see it and think about it again to believe it. Oy: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy The NAACP is the left equivalent to the Tea Party because the Tea Party is mostly white and the NAACP is mostly black. Aha, both are fringes then too!!! That is the thought and mind of most in our "State of Jokenalism 2010." Because it sure isn't journalism. Other Little Deliveries: The Orange sure would led the House so bad, you will wish for Newt Gingrich . The sad story of Abdul Naji and how rendition still goes freely on under Obama . From the great Political Carnival, video of Howard Dean calling Fox News "racist." A solar powered process could reduce carbon dioxide to pre-industrial levels . And a free marketed raided : Federal agents on Saturday raided a Houston flea market and arrested 18 susp...

Sigh, they all think the same lazy way with their seven figure salaries . Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy "They both do it." "Even if I have no evidence from any prominent left sites of maligning video to fit their agenda, I can just easily assume that somewhere, someway, someone on the left did, or does, or maybe even will do what Andrew Breitbart did." "No need for me to even research or support my seeming true statement, because it has to be accurate, right?" And if it isn't accurate, no one but a few people will actually care. Because I can just move on and continue doing my lackluster "They both do the same thing" political neutral viewpoint without having to get deservedly denounced as a seven figure "journalist" who is terrible at doing research. And I can have the likes of Politico support me in my claim , because they said it too. Just like my good buddy friend Anderson d...

CNN's primetime host thought he was hitting all the rights notes (because that's what they always think at that network, no matter how cookie cutter and disturbing recalcitrant they have become over the years to real political reporting) in this screed last night. From 50 seconds on, it was a total trainwreck, made a disaster by Cooper and his network's truest downfall: "False equivalency disease." We all know and exasperate when we see that full sad condition time and time again, pushed by every strategist and politician on the nutty party's side, from the asylum unit throughout Capital Hill to "Take any order" slime snakes like Ron Christe always on the "The Ed Show" whenever, wherever. That disease however is worse on Time Warner's beloved news channel, exhibited fully by their 10 PM darling last evening. In his (of all the titles in the world) "Should Be About The Truth" commentary moment, Cooper didn't care a...

This just cemented it for anyone who didn't want to give her that mantle.

As most know the story by now, Phil Griffin banned Kos today from MSNBC because Joe Scarborough runs his world . Greg Sargent brings up a great point of how hypocritical and utterly gutless Griffin's decision was. Griffin, trying his best Jeff Zucker/Dick Ebersol impersonation, put out the anathema on Kos as soon as possible once Scarborough whined to him. But Griffin and his no stringent attitude was nowhere to be found when Liz Cheney happily smeared two of his night time hosts Keith Olbermann and Ed Schultz when she had her wonderful ad calling them virtually "cowards" towards her. And Sargent makes sure that everyone remembers that : It's funny. I don't recall the chief of MSNBC publicly banning Liz Cheney from appearing on the network when she cut an entire Web video "publicly antagonizing" Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews for allegedly being too frightened to debate her about terrorism: It really is disheartening, as a fledging journalis...