News International CEO Rebekah Brooks

As reported earlier, Britain's Guardian has been on the warpath during the Murdoch hacking scandal. Here's The Guardian on Rebekah Brooks of News International, "David Cameron and Rebekah Brooks: a special relationship":

Not since Dylan played the Albert Hall has there been a hotter ticket. MPs expected such demand for seats in the Boothroyd Room of Portcullis House next Tuesday that the appearance of Rebekah Brooks before the culture and media committee was due to be relayed by video to an overspill room – even before Rupert Murdoch and his son James performed the latest in a week of jaw-dropping U-turns and agreed to join her.

It is certain to be an occasion worth clearing your diary for. The last time Brooks condescended to be questioned by MPs, she made the striking admission that the Sun had paid police for information – a statement that she later explained did not mean that she knew of any actual cases of police being paid by her journalists. A decade, several arrests and an entire newspaper have passed since then, and this time there is rather more to talk about.

Murdoch senior's defence of his embattled empire will now be the main event, but it's the under-bill bout with Brooks that I'll be looking forward to most. Such has been the media preoccupation with Cameron's curiously trusting relationship with one former Murdoch editor (yes, I plead guilty) that his much closer embrace of Brooks has undergone little scrutiny.

That's the statement at the clip above, via the extraordinary roundup at the New York Times yesterday, "Updates on British Phone-Hacking Scandal."

Rupert Murdoch Agrees to Face Parliament

There's too much news for a roundup here.

Check Google's news page for Rupert Murdoch. See Mediagazer as well.

Also, at New York Times, "Murdochs Now Say They Will Appear Before Parliament."

LONDON — In an abrupt reversal, the News Corporation said on Thursday afternoon that Rupert Murdoch and his son James would testify next week before a British parliamentary panel looking into phone hacking. They will appear along with Rebekah Brooks, the chief executive of the company’s beleaguered British newspaper group, known as News International.

Earlier in the day, the Murdochs had sent letters to the panel, the Commons Culture Select Committee, refusing an invitation to appear.

Plus, Rupert Murdoch's interviewed at Wall Street Journal, "In Interview, Murdoch Defends News Corp."

In his first significant public comments on the tabloid newspaper scandal that has engulfed his media empire, News Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch vigorously defended the company's handling of the crisis but said it would establish an independent committee to "investigate every charge of improper conduct."

In an interview, Mr. Murdoch said News Corp. has handled the crisis "extremely well in every way possible," making just "minor mistakes."

News Corp. owns The Wall Street Journal.

RELATED: At WSJ, "News Corp. Caves as Support Fades."

Gordon Brown Rips Into Rupert Murdoch

At Telegraph UK, "Phone hacking: Gordon Brown gets his revenge on News International."

On the day that Mr Murdoch had to abandon his bid for full control of BSkyB, Mr Brown set out to compound the agonies of the media magnate and end his influence in public life forever.

Speaking for more than half an hour to a packed Commons, Mr Brown’s condemnation of the media verged on the apoplectic, displaying a passion and anger he rarely exposed while in office ...

The sense of righteous fury Mr Brown projected, and his denunciation of New International’s sins, made clear where on the moral and spiritual scale he located himself and his newly-declared enemies.

But see Business Insider, "CNBC's Simon Hobbs: Gordon Brown is a Hypocrite and Has No One But Himself to Blame For Murdoch Hackings."

Casey Anthony to Go Into Disguise

At the clip is Bill O'Reilly's compelling exchange with Nancy Grace from last night:

Also at RCP: "Nancy Grace: 'Somewhere Out There, The Devil Is Dancing Tonight'."

And from London's Daily Mail, "'She doesn't get how much people hate her': Casey Anthony considering disguises and a fake name after release." And at Fox News, "Casey Anthony Reportedly Plans to Use False Name, Disguises Upon Release From Jail."

Mila Kunis GQ Photoshoot August 2011

At the video, Mila Kunis responds to the news of Sgt. Scott Moore's invitation to the Marine Corps Ball.

And at Gentlemen's Quarterly, "A GQ&A with Mila Kunis":

Also at GQ: "...And She's Funny, Too: Photos."

Milly Dowler Family Pressures Rebekah Brooks to Quit News International

At Yorkshire Post, "Do honourable thing and quit, Dowlers urge Rebekah Brooks."

RELATED: There was a really good piece earlier at Pajamas Media, from Mike McNally, "Victory for the Anti-Murdoch Alliance as 'Phone Hacking' Scandal Shuts UK Tabloid."

... there’s a widespread sense of Schadenfreude at seeing a publication that dealt in scandal and sleaze brought down by a scandal of its own, and I’m certainly no fan of the paper. However, there’s a disturbing political dimension to this affair. Few are talking about it – understandably, as no-one wants to be seen as trying to defend the paper’s appalling behavior – but the crusade against the NoW has been driven at least as much by the desire to damage the Murdoch empire and Cameron’s Conservative government as by any concern for those whose phones were hacked, or for the reputation of British journalism.

After the 2007 court case and jailings, the phone hacking affair appeared to be closed. It was the left-wing Guardian newspaper which reopened the saga with a series of reports in July 2009 – and it’s no coincidence that this was at the time when it was becoming clear that Murdoch was switching his allegiance, and that of his papers, from the Labour Party to the Conservatives. The story was enthusiastically taken up by the BBC, which coordinated its coverage with the Guardian; both organizations saw the phone-hacking story as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to attack both a powerful rival media group, and (through the Cameron-Coulson connection) the Conservatives. Just for good measure, and lest anyone doubt the political and business motivations involved, the New York Times piled on last year.

Other UK news organisations were slow in taking up the story, either because they were Murdoch owned, or sympathetic to Cameron, or because they knew their own journalists had also engaged in phone hacking and other illegality. But with the BBC driving coverage on its prime-time broadcasts, 24-house news channel, and website, the story became impossible to ignore, and the chance to damage Murdoch became irresistible to other rivals. Coulson’s resignation was the first victory for the anti-Murdoch alliance, and they’ve been keeping up the pressure in a bid to derail News Corp’s bid to take a controlling stake in British satellite broadcaster BSkyB.

I find it revolting, but check the Guardian's coverage for more information. They're out for blood over there.

HuffPo Writer Fired for 'Over-Aggregating' News Stories

I don't read Huffington Post, although I'm always interested in what goes on with Arianna Huffington. And this story's a kicker. At LA Weekly, "Amy Lee Firing by Huffington Post Exposes Hypocrisy When it Comes to Site's News-Stealing Business Model." And SF Weekly, "Huffington Post Suspends Reporter for Rewriting Article."

Amy Lee had summarized an original piece at AdAge, and the latter checked the traffic stats, finding that HuffPo sent a measly 57 visitors to its website. See: "What It's Like to Get Used and Abused by The Huffington Post" (via Mediagazer).

RELATED: Also at AdAge, "Huffington Post Launches U.K. Site Amid Murdoch Scandal: First Venture Outside North America Must Prove Its Appeal to Local Readers."

The Self-Congratulatory Smugness of Internet Culture

Well, I find myself reading over at RAWMUSCLEGLUTES more often than normal, and it turns out there's a change of pace today: Jonathan Rauch, the author of Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America, is blogging at Sully's. See: "Blogging: The Rules." He doesn't like blogs and blog ethics. And he's grumpy. But this is catchy:

Am I whining? Sure. But I submit that the whining of traditional journalists (you know, the kind of people who punched their tickets on newspaper police beats where they learned quaint notions of fairness and accuracy and keeping one's opinions out of it and all that) is nothing compared to the self-congratulatory smugness of internet culture, which tells us at least five times before breakfast that it is the Great New Thing.

Rauch argues blogging's glory days are done. Perhaps. But as I've discussed recently, it's really old media that bitten the dust. We'll have some kind of new media, blogs or something else, and citizens will drive an increasing portion of what's news, and they'll keep the establishment more honest than ever before. I like it.

RELATED: From Belladonna Rogers, "The Unbearable Smugness of Liberals: A Guide for the Perplexed."

Murdoch Newspapers Targeted Gordon Brown

This story has become a monstrosity. Folks praised Murdoch's closing of News of the World last week, but that's likely only the whet appetites.

At The Scotsman, "Hacking updates: 'Gordon Brown was targeted over 10 year period'":

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he will refer the proposed takeover of BSkyB by News Corporation to the Competition Commission.

The announcement came less than an hour after News Corp said it was "withdrawing proposed undertakings in lieu of reference to the Competition Commission" - meaning it would no longer spin-off Sky News to secure the deal.

It will delay the bid by at least 6 months.
Gordon Brown is the latest figure to have been targeted by News International publications, according to reports, with allegations that they obtained medical records of his son and tried to access his voicemail.

Brown was targeted over a period of more than 10 years, during which a "blagger" tried to obtain details from his bank account, his lawyers were tricked into handing over information and his son's medical records were obtained by a newspaper, according to the Guardian.

Prince Charles and Camilla may have also had their mobile phones hacked by private investigators, police have warned.

The heir to the throne and his wife are among 10 members of the royal family to be warned they may have been targeted.

Earlier, Nick Clegg has called on Rupert Murdoch to "do the decent thing" and reconsider the bid in the wake of the phone hacking scandal that his engulfed the British arm of his media empire.

The Deputy Prime Minister said: "Do the decent and sensible thing, and reconsider, think again, about your bid for BSkyB."

More at WaPo, "Tabloid intrigue spreads: Queen and Brown reportedly targeted as police complain of sabotage."

Also at Telegraph UK, "News International journalists 'hacked medical records of Gordon Brown's family." Scroll down at Telegraph for additional links, and see Mediagazer, especially AdAge, "Life After Rupert's Reign: What Will Happen in a Post-Murdoch World?"

Palin Plots Her Next Move

It's this week's cover story at Newsweek (via Memeorandum):

It's a fluffy, upbeat piece, and the photos will be splashed at airports and supermarket checkout stands nationwide, just as "The Undefeated" documentary premieres. This will drive progressives crazy. I can see Steve Benen now, incredulous that a "half-term governor" should get so much attention. And well, that's the basis if her appeal right there. Finally we have a national figure who's just one of us, unpretentious and willing to fight. I'd say it's providence, although we heard enough of that "Lightworker" stuff from the Obama cult in 2008. Palin's down to earth, and just what America needs. I hope she makes up her mind soon.

Clay Shirky: 'Why We Need the New News Environment to be Chaotic'

Take a few minutes and read it all. It's beefy. And my beef comes here:

This fall, I’m joining NYU’s journalism program, where, for the first time in a dozen years, I will teach undergraduates. Someone who turns 19 this year will have not one adult memory of the 20th century; for them, the Contract With America, the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the first Gulf War are roughly contemporaneous events, just as, for my 19 year old cohort, the Summer of Love, the Watts’ riots, and Kent State all seemed to have happened in that one busy month we called The 60s. When it comes time to explain the media landscape of the 20th century, I will be teaching my own youth as ancient history.

I could tell these students that when I was growing up, the only news I read was thrown into our front yard by a boy on a bicycle. They might find this interesting, but only in the way I found it interesting that my father had grown up without indoor plumbing. What 19 year olds need to know isn’t how it was in Ye Olden Tymes of 1992; they need to know what we’ve learned about supporting the creation and dissemination of news between then and now. Contemplating what I should tell them, there are only three things I’m sure of: News has to be subsidized, and it has to be cheap, and it has to be free.

The main thing is the news subsidy, and the other elements follow from the analysis. Shirky argues news --- civic news reporting --- is a public good, and as with any public good, there's under-provision and the need for a leader to pay the cost of the collective benefit. Government is usually the answer, and I hate the idea of government becoming involved in the media industry. I goes against everything we've learned about media decentralization in the Internet age. Frankly, more newspapers will die off, and the ones that make it will change. The last thing we need is a bunch of progressive commissars controlling the production, content, and distribution of the news --- all in the "public good," of course. But read Shirky. He claims there are other ways outside of government involvement to subsidize the news. I'm skeptical, especially in that those most receptive to anti-market proposals for the media are big-government types.

More on News of the World's End

At New York Times, "At a Paper Set to Close, Defiance and Foreboding":

LONDON — With the tremors of The News of the World scandal still spreading across the landscape of British life, the newspaper’s staff assembled on Saturday for the paper’s last working shift before it is shut down by the Murdoch empire as part of its strategy for limiting the damage to its worldwide brand.

At the newspaper’s plant in Wapping, East London, plans were to double the number of copies printed of the Sunday issue, the paper’s last after 168 years of publication. The run of five million copies was expected to sell out.

The paper’s closing also meant the loss of jobs for 280 reporters, editors and other employees. While some of them had hopes of being rehired for a publication said to be planned by News International, the Murdoch subsidiary in Britain — a new Sunday edition of The Sun, Rupert Murdoch’s mass-circulation daily paper — the mood as they prepared to send the final edition to press was one that mixed pride over the paper’s history of revealing some of the most lurid scandals in British life with bitterness at becoming sacrificial lambs.

“We feel like we have paid the price for a small group of people who are no longer at the paper,” Jamie Lyons, the deputy political editor, said in a Twitter post. He said that his colleagues were “appalled and disgusted” by the phone-hacking that brought the paper low, but added a defiant note. “Let’s go out with a bang,” he said.

More at that top link, and at Telegraph UK, "Rebekah Brooks to be questioned by police over phone hacking."

ICYMI: "The End of News of the World."

Dude Who Snagged Derek Jeter's Home Run 3,000th Hit Gives Ball Back For Nothing

At New York Daily News, "Derek Jeter's 3,000 hit ball nabbed by Highland Mills resident Christian Lopez at Yankee Stadium."

The lifelong Yankees fan who snagged Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit shares a few qualities with The Captain: Hustle, generosity and class.

After outbattling a crazed bleacher crowd to snag the historic homer, Christian Lopez returned the ball Saturday to Jeter - passing up a possible six-figure payday for the irreplaceable memento.

"I'm going to give it to Derek," Lopez announced on the Yankee Stadium video board during the eighth inning - prompting the type of ovation typically reserved for Jeter.

"I got to see history in the making, and now I'm part of history," he said.

Well, the comments at that both the Daily News and YouTube aren't so supportive. Downright vicious, frankly. And I gotta say: Was that smart? Will the dude regret it? The Yankees gave him four season tickets for every remaining home game and the playoffs and World Series. That's pretty "suite." And he's getting his 15 minutes, so what the heck?

The End of News of the World

The final comment: "Thank you and goodbye: After 168 years, we finally say a sad but very proud farewell to our 7.5m loyal readers."

And at Los Angeles Times, "Rupert Murdoch visits a London that's turned on him." And, "British tabloid scandal envelops three pillars already stained":

Even before the hacking allegations exploded into the national consciousness after reports that the News of the World may have tapped into the voicemails of murder victims' families as well as those of movie stars and other celebrities, the reputations of lawmakers, journalists and the police had been tarnished.

Two years ago, Britons were outraged to learn that members of Parliament were claiming reimbursement from taxpayers for expenses such as home improvements and horse manure for their gardens. Lawmakers have pledged to clean up their act, but voter faith in their integrity dropped dramatically.

The police have been hit by accusations of using excessive force against protesters and spying on environmental activists. And criticizing the media is as much a pastime here as it is in the United States.

"All the institutions of politics, press and police have emerged the worse for their involvement in the affair," said Ian Burrell, the media editor at the Independent newspaper. "This is a big newspaper-reading society. People still take immense pride in the 'mother of parliaments' and the integrity of British bobbies.... This story is going to undermine public trust in the way society operates."

Evolution of the Media: Back to the Future

I've been referring to today's mass media as the "partisan press" for some time. Left-leaning critics long ago attacked Rush Limbaugh and Fox News for biased reporting that wasn't "real news," but of course most folks understand the mainstream press as progressive, and it's gotten worse in recent years, especially during the Obama administration.

A related point is raised at The Economist, "A special report on the news industry: Bulletins from the future." There's a huge graphic at that link, and some background information, and then this summary:

Clearly something dramatic has happened to the news business. That something is, of course, the internet, which has disrupted this industry just as it has disrupted so many others. By undermining advertising revenue, making news reports a commodity and blurring the boundaries between previously distinct news organisations, the internet has upended newspapers’ traditional business model. But as well as demolishing old ways of doing things, it has also made new ones possible. As patterns of news consumption shift, much experimentation is under way. The internet may have hurt some newspapers financially, but it has stimulated innovation in journalism.

And check GigaOm for an analysis with lots of links to The Economist's report: "Back to the future: Is media returning to the 19th century?" This one, from The Economist, gets to the nub of things, "Coming full circle: News is becoming a social medium again, as it was until the early 19th century—only more so." And from the conclusion there:

The biggest shift is that journalism is no longer the exclusive preserve of journalists. Ordinary people are playing a more active role in the news system, along with a host of technology firms, news start-ups and not-for-profit groups. Social media are certainly not a fad, and their impact is only just beginning to be felt. “It’s everywhere—and it’s going to be even more everywhere,” says Arianna Huffington. Successful media organisations will be the ones that accept this new reality. They need to reorient themselves towards serving readers rather than advertisers, embrace social features and collaboration, get off political and moral high horses and stop trying to erect barriers around journalism to protect their position. The digital future of news has much in common with its chaotic, ink-stained past.

Be sure to read that whole thing. Arianna Huffington's point is especially interesting, considering how well she's made out with new media. But most important is how everyday people are producers of news. That's one of great things about blogging. I like sharing my life and politics and sometimes I've not only offered original reporting on the news, but I've also become part of the news.

Royals Watchers Crowd Charity Polo Match

At Los Angeles Times, "Royals watchers crowd Carpinteria polo club."

Fox News Fireworks Over Casey Anthony Verdict

Some excellet television last night on Fox News.

See Hollywood Reporter, "Bill O'Reilly Goes Off on Casey Anthony Juror, Praises Judge (Video)." And Mediaite, "Casey Anthony Got Away With Murder!? Hannity Panel Explodes Over Verdict."

No More Mister Nice Guy: Can Tim Pawlenty Make the Sale to Voters?

From Kim Strassel, at Wall Street Journal, "Beyond Minnesota Nice":

Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty brags that as governor he stared down Democrats on taxes and spending, but can he sell it to conservative voters?

Ask Mitt Romney to opine about his time managing a blue state, and the former Massachusetts governor will mostly take a pass. Ask Tim Pawlenty about his recent tenure governing liberal Minnesota, and you could be listening for hours.

If Mr. Pawlenty sees a path to the Republican presidential nomination, it's increasingly through the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Running in a highly conservative primary as the former head of a proudly liberal state—one perpetually beset by economic woes—certainly holds its downsides. But Mr. Pawlenty isn't shying away from that past. He's intent on turning his own feisty leadership of Minnesota into his main selling point for the nomination.
This has become all the more clear this past week, as the Minnesota government shut down over a budget impasse. The focus instantly turned to Mr. Pawlenty, highlighting the risks his time as governor (which ended earlier this year) holds for his run.

Conservative critics jumped to suggest the shutdown shows Mr. Pawlenty is far from the fiscal hawk he claims to be—that he instead papered over Minnesota's budget woes. Democrats piled on, with Walter Mondale emerging to lay the entire "mess" of a shutdown at Mr. Pawlenty's feet. All this is the last way Mr. Pawlenty wants to be defined to primary voters who are only now becoming familiar with candidates.

And Mr. Pawlenty's response? Far from going on defense, this week he aired a spot on Iowa television feting . . . the Minnesota shutdown. To be precise, the ad is highlighting a 2005 Minnesota shutdown, bragging that it happened because Mr. Pawlenty refused "to accept Democrats' massive tax and spending plans." The ad also references a 2004 transit strike (caused by a fight over pension cuts), in which Mr. Pawlenty "refused to cave in to government unions." The ad's moderator notes that both situations ended with one result: "Pawlenty won."

And:

Still, Mr. Pawlenty has been playing off variations of the tough-guy-from-a-purple-state theme since he first started contemplating a run, and he has yet to get traction. The RealClearPolitics average of polls has him pulling 4.5% of voters—significantly less than Republicans who haven't even declared. This helps explain why the Pawlenty team is embracing, not running from, the Minnesota shutdown. They are happy for the headlines.

More at the link.

I like Pawlenty. He seems like a nice guy. I just don't see him getting traction, and I expect a loss in Iowa could be the end of the line for the former governor --- at least for now.

RELATED: At New York Times, "Will Republican Race’s First In Be the First Out?" (via Memeorandum).

'What Happened in Room 2806': The Evidence Against Dominique Strauss-Kahn

At New York Times:

Even as the criminal case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn erodes with each new example of his accuser’s crumbling credibility, the central question remains unanswered: What actually happened in Room 2806 of the Sofitel New York on May 14?



Certain facts are not in dispute. As the illustration below shows, electronic evidence reveals what time the accuser, a 32-year-old hotel housekeeper from Guinea, entered Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s suite. Physical evidence indicates that a sexual encounter took place.



The housekeeper has characterized the encounter as a sexual assault. Lawyers for Mr. Strauss-Kahn, 62, have said any sexual act was consensual. Others have offered other theories.



Here is a look at three possible sequences of events, and how the available evidence — physical, electronic and witness testimony — could support each of them.

Read it all at the link.

Humberto Leal, Mexican Citizen, Executed in Texas

At New York Times, "Mexican Citizen Is Executed as Justices Refuse to Step In."

More at Memeorandum.