newspapers

What's the Worst Beat in American Journalism?

Hamilton Nolan · 10/21/09 02:32PM

Somewhere in this great land of ours, there is a reporter who holds the single worst reporting job in America. Sure, the guy who has to constantly watch men be filled up with poison in a prison in Huntsville, Texas is a strong candidate. But we know there are many more. What about the reporter who has to cover long-haul truckers? Or the municipal waste beat? Or the St. Louis Rams?

ALM Should Be Ashamed of Its Bathrooms

Hamilton Nolan · 10/20/09 12:12PM

In your dangerous Tuesday media column: A media employee cries for help from the office bathroom, more details on yesterday's Glamour layoffs, a dangerous liberal media pumpkin, and a newspaper gets cheaper, on purpose.

cityfile · 10/19/09 03:29PM

• The New York Times says it will cut 100 newsroom jobs, or roughly 8% of its editorial workforce, via buyouts and/or layoffs. [NYT, NYO]
• The Condé Nast cuts continue today at Wired, Glamour and Lucky. [Gawker]
• The bad news for NBC: It's facing blowback from its affiliates over Jay Leno's 10pm show. The good news: MObama is booked on Leno this Fri. [LAT, AP]
• Meanwhile, Vivendi, NBC and Comcast are inching along in their respective negotiations to hand over control of the network to Comcast; and former News Corp. exec Peter Chernin has signed on to advise the cable giant. [NYT, WSJ]
• CBS News paid tribute to late 60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt today. [AP]
• Ticket sales were up big this weekend. As expected, Where the Wild Things Are came in No. 1 at the box office with $32.5 million in sales. [LAT, THR]

Computer Beats Humans at Formulaic Crap

Hamilton Nolan · 10/19/09 12:20PM

In your malicious Monday media column: computers replace sportswriters (finally), rumored layoffs at W mag and Lucky, a new way for death to save the media, and the salvation of publishing arrives.

Vice Blows Entire Paycheck on Drugs

Hamilton Nolan · 10/15/09 12:40PM

In your retro Thursday media column: Vice is having a Halloween party, laid-off journalists get an award, 'Netflix for magazines' is doomed to fail, and the Wall Street Journal is finally as prestigious as USA Today.

Flacks Love This Businessweek Deal

Hamilton Nolan · 10/14/09 01:07PM

In your overstuffed Wednesday media column: a PR man cheers Bloomberg's latest purchase, Calvin Trillin says crotchety things, the New Yorker hires(!) somebody, Brides loses advertisers, and the Washington Post poaches from HuffPo, for a change.

Everyone Wants to Be Biggest Dying Paper

Hamilton Nolan · 10/12/09 12:50PM

In your papery Monday media column: the ferocious war of words for newspaper supremacy, another theory about Gourmet's death, the sensible end of newspaper endorsements, and a cool new newspaper hero!

Peggy Noonan, Teaching at Harvard: “You Have To Let Your Freak Flag Fly.”

Foster Kamer · 10/10/09 11:00AM

Three-steps-from-crazy-cat-lady WSJ columnist Peggy Noonan is teaching at Harvard. Our spies report: "Peggy's a ridiculous, hilarious person to speaking with any authority on anything at all." They've provided us with her awesome quotes. We're presenting them emoticon-contextualized them for you.