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Behind the News

Networks Struggle to “Get” Bloggers
November 8, 2006 02:06 PM
Somewhere along the line in recent years, television news decided that it could no longer ignore bloggers. Especially political bloggers. Especially on big election nights. But just because you've decided that you want to cover bloggers doesn't mean you've figured... Continue reading
The Audit

And Now Back to the Economy
November 7, 2006 04:44 PM
No matter what happens in today's elections, the great tundra of American punditry will soon be teeming with debates over what went down and what it all means. Regardless of the outcome, though, problems will still be looming on the... Continue reading
Politics

Why Do Journalists Bother to Report on “Internal Polls”?
November 3, 2006 01:50 PM
In the history of American politics has a poll ever been conducted that political reporters were unwilling to cite? The question occurred to us in recent days, as speculation continued to swirl over the potential outcomes of the upcoming elections.... Continue reading
Behind the News

Investigative Story Joins Football Coverage in Top Ten
October 31, 2006 03:05 PM
(The Most Post is an occasional look at the most popular, most blogged, and most emailed stories on the Web.) It's not every day that the Most Post spots a piece of high-minded investigative journalism hanging out with... Continue reading
Behind the News

Will the Times Steer Its Car Coverage Out of the Sunday Paper?
October 27, 2006 04:55 PM
Last week, the New York Times announced that its third-quarter earnings per share were down slightly from the same time period last year. In a conference call with analysts, Times executives attributed the slowdown, in part, to a... Continue reading
Behind the News

What Makes an Article About Bed-Sharing So … Share-able?
October 25, 2006 02:48 PM
(The Most Post is an occasional look at the most popular, most blogged, and most emailed stories on the Web.) Within the universe of most-emailed articles, there are certain, dependable genres -- stories about natural disasters, weird animals,... Continue reading
Behind the News

Has the Chicago Tribune Heard of “Splogs”?
October 24, 2006 03:25 PM
Just when we thought journalists were finally getting tired of overhyping the expansion of the blogosphere, we read Steve Johnson's credulous piece today in the Chicago Tribune, entitled "I blog, therefore I am." "On the... Continue reading
Behind the News

Roller Derby Revival at the Times
October 18, 2006 02:01 PM
From an article this morning in the New York Times about the roller derby revival in Ulster County: Roller derby, for better or worse, got its start in the 1930's and had peaks of popularity... Continue reading
Behind the News

Why Did 60 Minutes Censor on the Web But Not on the Air?
October 17, 2006 01:39 PM
On Sunday night on 60 Minutes, CBS's Ed Bradley interviewed the three erstwhile Duke University lacrosse players accused earlier this year of raping a stripper during an off-campus party. Throughout the persuasive piece, 60 Minutes turned up a number of... Continue reading
Behind the News

The Former Mayor Keeps on Moving
October 13, 2006 02:29 PM
On a recent rainy afternoon, Ed Koch sat in his corner office at a Midtown law firm and spoke about his day thus far. He explained that earlier at lunch, several strangers had approached him to offer compliments on... Continue reading
Politics

Wired’s Tired Portrait of an Overly Familiar Blogger
October 6, 2006 10:40 AM
What's not to like about a profile that appears in this month's issue of Wired featuring celeb-blogger Ana Marie Cox writing about celeb-blogger Markos (Kos) Moulitsas? At first glance it has all the makings of the must-read article... Continue reading
The Audit

Are Lower Taxes Really Benefiting All Americans?
October 5, 2006 11:27 AM
On Monday, USA Today published a story highlighting a recent study of IRS data which found that Americans at all income levels (not just people of high net worth) benefited from the Bush administration's tax cuts. "Americans of... Continue reading
Politics

There’s No Conspiracy Behind an Error at Fox News
October 4, 2006 05:19 PM
As various news outlets and bloggers have already pointed out, last night Fox News accidentally labeled disgraced erstwhile GOP Congressman Mark Foley as a Democrat. Sure enough, on three occasions, shots of Foley were accompanied on Fox... Continue reading
Politics

A Newfangled Journalism Technique Leaps Across the Country
October 2, 2006 12:49 PM
Throughout the midterm campaign season, most newspapers around the country have monitored the various races using fairly standard tools -- telephone polls, Internet surveys, man-on-the-street interviews. One daily newspaper in Maine, however, is using goldfish. Yup, goldfish.... Continue reading
Behind the News

T.O. Racks Up Yardage on the Most Viewed Lists
September 28, 2006 12:03 PM
(An occasional look at the most popular, most blogged, and most emailed stories on the Web.) Terrell Owens may or may not someday be the MVP of the NFL. But he is already the MVP of the American... Continue reading
Behind the News

Sports Illustrated Makes a Big Bet on Fantasy Sports
September 26, 2006 10:50 AM
For years, David Bauer, the deputy managing editor of Sports Illustrated has played fantasy baseball and fantasy basketball. Then this past summer, he became what you might call a three-sport fantasy athlete, participating in his first fantasy football draft. His... Continue reading
Behind the News

In Defense of Brent Musburger
September 20, 2006 10:20 AM
More so than in any other sport, the language of football borrows heavily from the language of war. For the most part, today's references draw from wars past: linebackers blitz, linemen toil in the trenches. But occasionally, contemporary football analysts... Continue reading
Politics

How Reliable Is the Zogby-Journal Poll?
September 18, 2006 05:58 PM
This past week, two polls (one from Zogby, one from Rasmussen) found that the governor's race in Texas was closer than expected. According to both polls, incumbent frontrunner Rick Perry had dropped down to less than 35 percent of the... Continue reading
Behind the News

Americans, Too Busy to Do Errands, Read About Them Instead
September 14, 2006 03:15 PM
(An occasional look at the most popular, most blogged, and most emailed stories on the Web.) Recently it dawned on the Most Post that there are plenty of people out there who like to read about gofers. Not... Continue reading
Behind the News

Los Angeles Times Refuses to Identify Already Identified Source
September 13, 2006 05:13 PM
What lengths should reporters go to in order to protect the identity of their sources? Recently, with the threat of subpoenas hanging over newsrooms from coast to coast, that question has taken on an ominous tone for many reporters. This... Continue reading

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