The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Brutal. Simply Brutal.

Something I hadn’t previously noticed is how Rachel Maddow employed the word “creep” against Anthony Weiner: (Hat-tip: PoliticalPAW.) Meanwhile, the latest spin on WeinerGate provokes Ace of Spades to lay down an incredibly brutal interrogation on the Prime Suspect — an instant blogospheric classic. And, yeah, I’ve got a new WeinerGate column up at The […]

#WeinerGate: Where the Story Goes Next

Weiner calls lewd photo on Twitter a ‘distraction’ — Washington Post Lawmaker in Twitter Case Assails Reporters — New York Times Yesterday’s televised meltdown was, I think, complete vindication for those of us in the online community who spent Memorial Day weekend trying to convince people that #WeinerGate was an honest-to-goodness genuine news story. It’s not only […]

The Power of Simple Sentences

Why is Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) ready to “move on” now? Some statements are either true or false. Expressing things in simple declarative sentences helps clarify meaning, so that we can either agree or disagree as to the truth or falsehood of such statements. Here are three examples: SENTENCE 1 On Nov. 22, 1963, Lee Harvey […]

Da Tech Guy, Da Columnist
UPDATE: While Praying Pete Is Lifted Up, Guess Who’s Still Falling Down?

Peter Ingemi, a.k.a. Da Tech Guy, has a column in the New York Post explaining why #WeinerGate can be understood in 140 characters or less. UPDATE: The contrast could not be more remarkable. Pete’s column is linked nearly everwhere — Instalanched, linked by Donald Douglas and Dan Collins, his very own Memeorandum thread — and meanwhile, […]

Never Burn a Source

Nothing is more essential to a newsman’s craft than trust. If your sources can’t trust you to keep a secret, they’re not going to tell you everything you need to know, because sometimes you need to know more than you can actually report. Therefore, to breach confidentiality — to burn a source by reporting what […]

Did National Magazine Award Winner Scott Horton Spin a Guantanamo Myth?

The award considered the “Pulitzer for magazines” went to Scott Horton of Harper‘s for an article asserting that three detainees at Guantanamo Bay were tortured to death in 2006. U.S. officials say the suspected terrorists committed suicide in a sort of jihadi publicity stunt. Alex Koppelman explores the possibility that the award-winning article promoted a […]

It’s Hard to Beat a Man …

. . . who refuses to quit. Haley Barbour quit. Donald Trump quit. Mike Huckabee quit. Guess who didn’t quit? Four years ago at the studios of WSB Radio in Atlanta, I interviewed talk-radio host Herman Cain, who had only recently recovered from cancer. He smiled as he vowed, “Death’s going to have to catch […]

On Media, Money and Membership

“Since 2003, Soros has spent more than $48 million funding media properties, including the infrastructure of news — journalism schools, investigative journalism and even industry organizations.” — Dan Gainor, Vice President for Business and Culture, Media Research Center Did Mitt Romney Mention That He Can Raise $10.25 Million in Eight Hours? — New York magazine […]

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