Nobody Votes for a Quitter

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Apr 4, 2008 Real politicians don't quit. They are defeated, indicted, jailed, die or, in some jurisdictions, ousted by term limits. So don't expect Hillary Clinton to surrender just yet. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

New York Times Up for Grabs?

Staff / Truthdig Apr 3, 2008 There was the Jason Blair scandal, the Judith Miller WMD fiasco, the John McCain (yawn) brouhaha and the appointment of neocon "never-get-it-right" William Kristol as an Op-Ed columnist, to mention a few New York Times blunders. All that and a shareholders' assault make the Sulzbergers' lock on ownership of The New York Times seem not entirely impregnable, explains Vanity Fair's Michael Wolff. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Story With Legs

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Feb 26, 2008 It seems odd, but for John McCain it was a blessing to have the chance to bury questions about his dealings with lobbyists beneath an alleged sex scandal. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Turbulent Times in N.Y., L.A. Newsrooms

Staff / Truthdig Feb 16, 2008 It's been a lively week in the newspaper world, and the excitement hasn't exactly been of the desirable variety. Earlier in the week, Tribune Co. Chairman and CEO Sam Zell announced major cutbacks at Tribune papers across the country, and then The New York Times' Valentine's Day edition brought word that the Gray Lady will also be downsizing its staff. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Newspapers, Puppy Dogs and F-Bombs, With Your Host, Sam Zell

Staff / Truthdig Feb 5, 2008 Chicago-based billionaire and Tribune Co. honcho Sam Zell doesn't take too kindly to uppity ink-stained wretches reminding him about what's important in the newspaper business besides the bottom line. Here, an Orlando Sentinel journo grapples with him in a lively exchange that ends with Zell letting fly with an F-bomb. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

FCC Sells Out

Staff / Truthdig Dec 19, 2007 Despite opposition from Congress and the public, the FCC has decided it's in the nation's best interest to relax decades-old ownership rules that prohibit media giants from owning newspapers and broadcasts outlets in the same local market. The idea behind the old rules, crazy as it sounds, is that it's probably not a good thing to get all of your information from the same place. The FCC's three Republicans and America's media conglomerates disagree. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Wall Street Journal Braces for Murdoch

Staff / Truthdig Dec 12, 2007 Change is afoot at the Wall Street Journal. As of Wednesday, mega-mogul Rupert Murdoch is just a day shy of officially owning The Journal (although shareholders haven't officially signed off on the sale yet), but he's already looming large at the paper's Dow Jones & Co. headquarters. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

An Obituary for the Free Press

Staff / Truthdig Sep 20, 2007 A leading Los Angeles religious figure blasts media irresponsibility at a memorial service for one of the Los Angeles Times' top editors, Anthony Day. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Goodbye to All That

Steve Wasserman / Truthdig Sep 8, 2007 Although coverage of books in major newspapers may seem to have taken a precipitous downturn in recent months, this decline has been in the works for a while, says longtime writer, literary editor and book aficionado Steve Wasserman, who opines in this CJR article about the high costs of this lamentable cultural sea change. Dig deeper ( 37 Min. Read )

Murdoch May Be What’s Best for Wall Street Journal

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Jul 24, 2007 Could the veteran of rough-and-tumble tabloid journalism with dubious ethics be the only appropriate buyer for the fabled newspaper? Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Bill Moyers Lets Loose on Rupert Murdoch

Staff / Truthdig Jul 2, 2007 Media icon Bill Moyers objects not just to Rupert Murdoch's politics but to the damage he says the mogul has done to the ailing Fourth Estate And in this critique, the venerable journalist doesn't hold back: "If Rupert Murdoch were the angel Gabriel, you still wouldn't want him owning the sun, the moon and the stars But Rupert Murdoch is no saint He is to propriety what the Marquis de Sade was to chastity". Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Blair Likens Media to a ‘Feral Beast’

Staff / Truthdig Jun 12, 2007 Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who ought to know a thing or two about the topic, says the relationship between the media and public figures of various stripes has deteriorated of late, owing in part to the proliferation of broadcast, online and print outlets, the decline of the newspaper industry, and an insatiable need to create "impact" at all costs. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )