Call it the Peter Principle 2.0. Instead of just promoting someone to the level of his incompetence, McClatchy Newspapers has actually promoted failed Miami Herald executive editor, Anders Gyllenhaal, beyond his level of his incompetence. Is your humble correspondent being a bit too harsh in his assessment of Anders Gyllenhaal's capabilities? Allow me to enter into the record the judgement in September of the people who actually worked for him at the Herald: Last week, several Miami Herald editors and reporters wrote a letter to the paper's management asking it to stop focusing on delivering quick news and return to its roots in well-reported investigative journalism. We're not sure if this is the answer. But we are sure of one thing: the quality of the paper has suffered a lot under the leadership of executive editor Anders Gyllenhaal. Perhaps he understands the Internet and its role in new journalism, but he is clearly having a hard time putting a plan into action. Indeed the letter circulated internally and signed by most of the paper's top news personnel is a clear sign of dysfunction. Why would such a group of bright people — including a half dozen Pulitzer Prizer winners — resort to assembling such a diatribe if the paper were working. … Gyllenhaal worked in Miami back in the '80s, but he spent years away before returning several years ago. He doesn't get the pulse of this city. Moreover, he's aloof and not well liked in the newsroom. He is the wrong guy to run the paper at this time. So listen up McClatchy: It's time to dump Anders. read more
Continue reading …Related Entries October 31, 2010 Trick or Treat October 31, 2010 Christine O’Donnell Favors Separation of Speech and Thought
Continue reading …By Mike Luckovich Related Entries October 31, 2010 Trick or Treat October 31, 2010 Christine O’Donnell Favors Separation of Speech and Thought
Continue reading …Fake news by Andy Borowitz By Andy Borowitz “To tell you the truth, I don’t know if there’s anything about that in the Constitution,” she added. “In the version of the Constitution that I read, Big Bird didn’t mention it.” Related Entries October 29, 2010 ‘Left, Right & Center’: Midterm Madness; Obama and the GOP October 29, 2010 U.S. Economy Quickens Its Pace
Continue reading …Whether you drink tea, coffee or Kool-Aid, it’s your civic duty to vote. It’s also surprisingly easy to end up in the wrong rec center casting a provisional ballot. Make sure you’re registered and know where to vote by searching the election gadget after the jump. You’ll find the latest poll info there as well. Related Entries October 29, 2010 ‘Left, Right & Center’: Midterm Madness; Obama and the GOP October 29, 2010 U.S. Economy Quickens Its Pace
Continue reading …ABC’s Christiane Amanpour spent her last show before the election mimicking Democratic talking points. She cued up Democratic Senator Robert Menendez with how Americans don’t recognize the realities of Obama’s achievements so the Democratic shortcoming is not liberal policies but “bad messaging,” while she pressed Republican Senator John Cornyn about whether Republicans “will agree with President Obama's plan to raise taxes on the wealthiest and preserve them for the middle class?” She also fretted that it’s been a “very specific-free, substance-free, content-free election” before she scolded Cornyn for a “racist” ad. Though ABC’s Jonathan Karl on Friday night noted how “a new study of campaign ads finds that more than half of negative Democratic ads [51%] are personal attacks, whereas the overwhelming majority of Republican ads attack Democratic policies [69%],” Amanpour relayed “strong complaints from the Democrats about a lot of the anonymous money that's going on ads.” She then ran a clip of an ad from Republican Senator David Vitter which contended his opponent favors illegal aliens, demanding of Cornyn: “So some people have called that racist. I want to know do you think it's appropriate to finger Hispanics in that way? Do you think it is appropriate?” read more
Continue reading …An investigation by National Public Radio has brought to light the fact that Arizona’s controversial immigration law SB 1070 was drafted by prison companies that were set to make significant gains from the criminalization of immigrants in the state. The NPR report claims that “[w]hat they show is a quiet, behind-the-scenes effort to help draft and pass Arizona Senate Bill 1070 by an industry that stands to benefit from it: the private prison industry.” Check out the NPR story here . The Orange County Register: Prison companies helped draft and pass controversial Arizona’s immigration law SB1070, a National Public Radio investigation shows. The law is currently tied up in the courts after a judge blocked some of the most contentious provisions of the bill from taking effect. It would allow police to ask people to prove they are in the country legally during a lawful stop. If the law is upheld, it could mean a windfall for the prison industry, according to a National Public Radio investigation. Read more Related Entries October 30, 2010 SB 1070’s Day in Court October 23, 2010 Arizona Lawmaker Fights Boycott Backlash
Continue reading …Brazilians are again going to the polls to elect a successor to the popular President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Workers’ Party candidate Dilma Rousseff is expected to win Sunday’s runoff between herself and Social Democrat Jose Serra. —JCL The BBC: Brazilians are voting to choose a new president to succeed the popular Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Opinion polls suggest the governing Workers’ Party candidate Dilma Rousseff has a clear lead over Jose Serra of the opposition Social Democratic Party. Ms Rousseff has enjoyed the full support of President Lula, who is leaving office after two terms with record popularity ratings. Read more Related Entries October 30, 2010 SB 1070’s Day in Court October 23, 2010 Arizona Lawmaker Fights Boycott Backlash
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