Gawker quotes from the transcript of Reliable Sources yesterday, in which I tell how my own mother didn’t notice my byline. Now you’ll understand me.
: My stand on the segment was that it makes no sense for local newspapers to hold onto movie critics as they risk losing real reporters. Among the comments at Gawker:
* “One could argue that the man who invented Entertainment weekly cheapened all kinds of criticism by keeping it short, adding letter grades, and so on. So it is no surprise he would want to get rid of all critics. They are obviously interchangeable to him and only matter when they give letter grades, and anyone can give a letter grade. Putz.”
Well, I think that was a rather succinct review itself. I think he gives me an F.
* “But if they get rid of all the movie critics from smaller papers, where are the mediocre movies going to get their rave reviews to quote in their ads and trailers?”
Blurb shortage strikes Hollywood.
* “Jarvis lost my respect when he did not approve my add on facebook. Looks like you need Columbia to hang out with smartypants. fuck him. seriously.”
This signed by someone named Moe Golden. I know no Moe. I also have nothing to do with Columbia. And I’m not inclined to befriend anybody named Moe who wants to fuck me, seriously. This may be why Moe has no friends. Now we’ve understood the neuroses of two people on the web.
* “Yeah, I didn’t invent EW or anything, but I’m a reporter and my mom often quotes my stories to me not realizing I wrote them. I usually just ignore it, grateful she’s getting her news from someone other than Bill O’Reilly. But really Jarvis? Don’t take away my fucking byline.”
I may - may - be on Today this morning. They came to my house last night to record the interview but I suspect the segment may get bumped by the bridge disaster (my last network appearances were bumped by the execution of Saddam Hussein and the death of Anna Nicole Smith…. I am the news fairy; if you want a big story to break, just interview and preempt me). The topic on Today: Nan Talese saying that Oprah Winfrey shangaiied James Frey into his public flogging and blasting her “sanctimoniousness.” They needed someone who dared to criticize Oprah and found me. I remind them that it was Oprah who sleazed up daytime TV — in a straight line leading to Jerry Springer — before she recanted and declared herself the queen of all good.
Here’s the transcript of my Newshour appearance last night on journalistic objectivity. I tried to capture the video to embed but it was of too poor quality. Not that you’d see anything but talking heads. Though mine was well-coiffed, I thought.
I’ll be on Howie Kurtz’ Reliable Sources this morning between 10:30 and 11 about, of course, Virginia Tech.
: I’m in the CNN New York newsroom now watching the earlier segments of the show. Hugh Hewitt, Bill Press, and Gail Schister are discussing ABC’s decision and Hewitt and Press are attacking NBC for releasing the killer’s material. I disagree strongly (see this post below). Hugh’s show called the other night to have me on to discuss this but I didn’t get the message until after they had aired. It’s an important and fundamental discussion: Is is the job of journalism to protect us or to tell us uncomfortable truth? Steve Capus of NBC News says via phone that he made the right decision. He says that some of the same news organizations that are criticizing NBC now for releasing anything had yelled at NBC when the package arrived demanding that they release it all. But then the PR tide turned. “It’s just shameful for someone like Hugh Hewitt to say that we are going to have blood on our hands,” Capus says. At the end, Capus raises the real issue: “Now there needs to be appropriate discussion about the months leading up to this. Where were the people who blew through the warning signs.”
: My earlier posts on Virginia Tech: On the tapes here and here; on ubiquitous live news here and here, and the initial coverage here.
I’m going to tape a Cranky Geeks with John Dvorak today. This impresses my son. CNN with Howie Kurtz? 20/20? Frontline? MSNBC? CNN? Shrug. But Cranky Geeks? Now that’s the big time! (They’re daring you to send questions for me.)
: Just found out I’ll be on aforesaid Howie’s show Sunday to talk about the Hillary attack video and PrezVid and more.
: By the way, aforesaid son has a great new design and just started a new site. Pardon the proud parenting moment. Blogging is in the genes. I inherited it from him.
Faith Salie has the most endearing voice on radio. Click below and listen to her on Fair Game, a new show aimed at a younger audience, and you’ll want to propose.
It’s not a voice or, for that matter, a personality we hear on public radio news shows, where the tones are stentorian and authoritative (hear: Nina Totenberg). Salie is relaxed and funny — though, as her radio bio emphasizes, she’s not dumbing down NPR stations; she’s a Rhodes scholar and Harvard graduate. I’ve been listening to her on my iPod, fascinated by the show’s attempt to liven up public radio (especially after visiting NPR last week). So I was delighted when a call came to appear on Fair Game and doubly delighted that it was to talk about my new endeavor, PrezVid.
Before I got on, they were talking about the Jesus bones, not afraid of rattling the cultural safety latch, doing a shtick about a Jesus Jurassic park with cloned Messiahs and speculating with a theology professor about how hard it will be to get Jesus DNA (Salie guesses that a communion wafer probably won’t do the trick).
It was daring without acting daring and what I liked best was that the intelligence comes out in the wit.
I wanted to video the interview but with Salie as a TV personality, that caused complications. So here’s just a snippet from the control room below. And here’s the interview.
: My newfound video friends, Mary Matthews and Liza Persky of 39 Second Single, will, indeed, be on Weekend Today tomorrow (not next week as it appeared would be the case).
: UPDATE: This email from Mary: “Just as I predicted when the big news broke yesterday, due to the unfortunate passing of former stripper turned reality TV star turned diet pill pitch person Anna Nicole Smith, the highly anticipated 39 Second Single segment scheduled for tomorrow’s Today Show then changed to next week’s then changed back to tomorrow’s Today Show, has been bumped . . . .” Arrrgh.
: It looks like 20/20 is rerunning its Caught on Tape two-hour special tonight. I appeared on this but the last half of first airing was preempted by the execution of Saddam Hussein. So I was glad I could finally see the whole thing. Except I note that tonight they’ll be looking back at the life of Anna Nicole Smith. Now that’s news.
: Scheduled to be on CNN Sunday at 7:30 p.m. to talk about the YouTube campaign, presidential candidates on small TV.
: And while I’m at it, on Feb. 13, PBS Frontline starts a three-part series about the alleged war in and on news. I’ll be in the third episode on Feb. 27.
