By Elizabeth Cherneff, CNN
We’ve got a busy show coming up on Sunday. From the Justice Department seizing AP reporters’ phone records to the IRS targeting conservative groups, the Obama administration’s handling of several major controversies has been criticized across the spectrum. We’ll discuss the coverage of the latest Washington headlines in detail, but until then, here are some other reads that caught our attention this week:
Seth Meyers will return to ‘SNL’ this fall, leave for ‘Late Night’ in 2014: The late night television changes continued this week with NBC’s announcement that current SNL cast member Seth Meyers will replace Jimmy Fallon as host of ‘Late Night.’ In a ‘Today Show’ interview, Meyers confirmed to NBC’s Matt Lauer that he’ll stay with Saturday Night Live through the fall before starting his new gig next year. February 2014 marks Jimmy Fallon’s transition to ‘The Tonight Show’ slot, also coinciding with NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage. While many SNL fans will undoubtedly be sad to see Meyers go, this latest change reflects the networks’ push to attract younger viewers.
An inside look at Guantanamo Bay: Cuba’s most infamous detention center is the subject of author and Wall Street Journal correspondent Jess Bravin’s new book The Terror Courts: Rough Justice at Guantanamo Bay. In his latest novel, Bravin highlights the lack of legal precedent that makes prosecuting inmates even more difficult amid hunger strikes and calls to close the prison. With rising costs to maintain Guantanamo Bay and accounts of worsening conditions inside the cells, the topic is sure to remain a source of controversy across the political spectrum.
Which journalists accepted free laptops from Google? When it comes to reviewing the newest smartphones and laptops, trying out the latest gadgets is part of the job- but does it create conflicts of interest for journalists tasked with objectively covering the technology beat? At this week’s Google keynote address, Gawker media blogger Sam Biddle highlighted a possibly ambiguous loan agreement that may have allowed several journalists to keep some gadgets free of charge. The story highlights the bigger issue of news organizations’ ethics policies against handouts and not accepting gifts- in an evolving media landscape, it’s an ongoing conversation to be had amongst journalists and news executives.
Editor's note: Howard Kurtz is the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources."
(CNN) – The media verdict is in: Barack Obama is cursed.
Less than four months after taking the oath of office for the second time, he is seen as falling prey to some mysterious witchcraft that casts a fatal spell on re-elected presidents.
"Will Obama suffer the 'second-term curse'?" asks the Washington Post.
"President Obama stares down the second-term curse," says Politico. And such stories ricocheted onto NBC's "Today" show, on which, we learned, "some observers" are questioning whether "Mr. Obama is falling victim to the second-term curse."
One can almost conjure up a bubbling cauldron of black smoke with a wand-wielding wizard laughing diabolically.
Read more of Howie's two cents here.
Lola Ogunnaike, Jim Warren, Paul Farhi & Howard Kurtz pour over the extensive media coverage of the Cleveland kidnappings.
Connie Schultz & Howard Kurtz discuss the hits and misses as journalists raced to cover the breaking news out of Cleveland.
Margaret Carlson, Jim Geraghty, Bob Cusack & Howard Kurtz on allegations of bias in media coverage of the 2012 Benghazi attack.
Margaret Carlson, Jim Geraghty, Bob Cusack & Howard Kurtz talk about the media's coverage of this week's political stories.
Howard Kurtz on NBC's cancellation of Rock Center, Bloomberg reporters' data snooping & the Fox News mole's day in court.
By Elizabeth Cherneff, CNN
When three once-missing Cleveland women returned to their families after being held captive for nearly a decade, the story captivated viewers across the country. It’s a story on the minds of families everywhere, and we’ll discuss the coverage this week on Reliable Sources.
Joining us on the show, popular culture commentator Lola Ogunnaike, Paul Farhi of the Washington Post and Jim Warren of The New York Daily News will discuss how journalists attempted to make sense of the story as the horrifying details emerged. We’ll also get our panelists’ take on how the story competed for attention with the dramatic conclusion in the Jodi Arias murder trial.
We’ll talk to Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Connie Schultz live from Cleveland about the media’s initial race to cover the emotional reunions as Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus were freed & reunited with their families.
And finally, Bloomberg View columnist Margaret Carlson, The Hill’s Bob Cusack, and the National Review’s Jim Geraghty join our political panel this week. They’ll talk to Howard about this week’s congressional hearings on the fatal Benghazi attack, Mark Sanford’s political victory and why Chris Christie’s weight is once again making headlines this week.
Tune in Sunday morning, 11am ET.
By Laura Koran, CNN
Tune in Sunday for a look at how the Cleveland abduction case, the Benghazi hearing, and the week's other big stories are playing out in the media. Until then, here are some interesting reads that caught our attention.
Sexism at play? - This week’s Time Magazine cover story, “The Me Me Me Generation”, describes the entitlement and narcissism of American Millenials. While author Joel Stein concede that the generation “could be a great force for positive change,” his portrayal is often less than flattering. While some have taken issue with Stein’s perception of young people, others are calling out the magazine itself for the cover image it used to accompany the story. The cover features a young woman taking a picture of herself with a smart phone. That depiction, according to ThinkProgress culture reporter Alyssa Rosenberg, is not only ageist, but sexist as well, implying that self-absorption is a primarily female trait.
The Photoshop diet - The media’s ongoing obsession with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s weight was on display this week after the Governor admitted he underwent weight loss surgery in February. We will have more on how the story played out in the national media on Sunday, but for those who have been asking themselves how the leaner Christie will look, there’s no need to wait! The Asbury Park Press digitally altered a photo of the Governor to show what he might look like once the weight loss takes effect. This makes Christie the latest in a long line of celebrities who have benefited from developments in airbrushing technology.
Eulogy to a library – After the library across the street from his apartment closed to make way for condos and a hotel, Current TV co-founder Michael Rosenblum took to Huffington Post to reminisce about libraries and to ponder their future existence. As Rosenblum points out, libraries may hold sentimental value to people, but the internet has rendered them increasingly unnecessary. In fact, the disappearance of Rosenblum’s local library is far from unique. According to the American Library Association, state and federal funding for libraries has been dropping significantly in recent years, leaving many to wonder whether they might to the way of telephone booths and typewriters.
Editor's note: Howard Kurtz is the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources."
(CNN) - The Cleveland kidnapping drama was unfolding on the airwaves, hour after hour, a riveting spectacle that was overshadowing every other conceivable story.
Nothing could possibly bump it from the nation's television screens - or so I thought.
When word came Wednesday afternoon that a verdict had been reached in the Jodi Arias murder trial, the focus of the cable news universe immediately shifted from Ohio to Arizona, where the defendant was convicted of first-degree murder.
It was a day of anguish and emotion - and a revealing Rorschach test of media values.
Read the full story here
Now more than ever, the press is a part of every story it covers. And CNN's "Reliable Sources" is one of television's only regular programs to examine how journalists do their jobs and how the media affect the stories they cover. Host Howard Kurtz is the nation's premier media critic, and each week he questions print reporters, television correspondents and Internet bloggers about how the press is covering the major stories of the week.
Tune in every Sunday at 11am ET.
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