Sneak peek at this Sunday’s show
The Justice Department went on the defensive this week after new information came out that seemed to contradict statements Attorney General Eric Holder made in his testimony on the Department’s seizure of reporter phone records. The controversy culminated late in the week with a series of meetings between Justice Department officials and news organizations. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post, Debra Saunders of the San Francisco Chronicle, and Lois Romano of Politico will join Howard Kurtz to discuss the outcome.
Next, the panel returns with for a discussion on the media treatment of Rep. Michele Bachmann following her announcement that she will leave Congress after her current term ends.
Canadian news outlets are coming under fire over their reporting on a cell phone video that allegedly shows Toronto’s mayor, Rob Ford, smoking crack cocaine. John Stackhouse, Editor-In-Chief of Toronto’s largest newspaper, The Globe and Mail, stops by to break down the controversy.
Howard will sit down with former Chicago Sun-Times photojournalist John H. White to talk about the newspaper’s decision to lay off all of its full time photographers as it rethinks its multimedia strategy.
Finally, we’ll hear from Anthony De Rosa on his decision to leave his position as Social Media Editor for Thompson Reuters and join the startup news app “Circa.” Are apps like this the future of news?
Tune in Sunday morning, 11am ET.
What we're reading this week...
By Becky Perlow, CNN
The official start of summer is still a few weeks away, but the weather is too beautiful to stay inside. So grab your sunscreen and relax by the pool while you catch up on what the Reliable staff is reading this week!
Do the shoes make the woman? Some journalists seem to think so, as they've written articles referencing a woman's shoes... as if her footwear choice lends any insight into her individual integrity. Unfortunately, the "insight" is usually cast in a negative tone, such as when USA Today’s Joanne Bamberger wrote that Sheryl Sandberg wants “women to pull themselves up by the Louboutin straps." According to one Slate.com writer, though, "the mention of high heels is an egregious detail—so many women wear them, they’re about as meaningful a fashion choice as a senator in a suit."
Closing up shop: With U.S. soldiers back home and a dwindling stream of news from the Middle Eastern nation, news organizations have been shutting down their brick-and-mortar operations. This week, CNN was the last American news organization to do so, though it will continue to have a permanent presence. According to TVNewser, "it's also the end of an era," as CNN has operated a bureau in Iraq since 1990, becoming a household name for its coverage of the Gulf War.
News from the mole hole: It's been more than a year since news broke of a liberal mole in the Fox New lair, but the man at the center of the story continues to cash in on his 15-minutes of fame. In an article released on Salon.com and tied to his new book, Joe Muto writes about where Fox News' editorial direction comes from and gives readers a rundown into O'Reilly's daily schedule. So what's next on Muto's plate? Only time will tell.
Tawdry tabloid tours: New York City's landmarks have certainly staked their places in history – from visiting The Great Gatsby’s Plaza Hotel, to the Upper-East Side tours of Carrie Bradshaw's rent-controlled brownstone, people from all over the world travel to see the places of their favorite novels, TV shows and movies. "In February The New York Post, in partnership with Metro Sightseeing, an offshoot of Circle Line Sightseeing, began taking riders on a tabloid excursion around the city, revisiting many of the sites immortalized in the newspaper’s renowned headlines," writes The New York Times. Apparently, though, one scandalized sightseeing ride isn't enough - TMZ has now joined the scene.
So where would you go on a Tabloid Tour? And are you reading anything interesting this week? Tell us in the comments below.
Prosecutors Target Fox Reporter
Ryan Lizza, Tim Carney, Keli Goff and Howard Kurtz discuss the fallout from revelations that the Obama administration monitored Fox News reporter James Rosen as part of a leak investigation.
A Host With ‘No Labels’
Following his move to SiriusXM, radio talk show host Michael Smerconish talks to Howard Kurtz about his political evolution and today’s polarized media landscape.
Tackling Tornado Tragedy
Columnist Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman gives Howard Kurtz a local perspective on covering the Oklahoma tornado and its devastating aftermath.
Behind Yahoo’s Tumblr Gamble
Katie Linendoll, Mario Armstrong and Howard Kurtz dissect Yahoo!’s acquisition of the popular blogging site, Tumblr and what it means for the future of the Internet giant.
Gaga For Google Glass
Katie Linendoll, Mario Armstrong and Howard Kurtz take Google Glass for a test drive and discuss the pros and cons of this new “wearable technology.”
Media Monitor- May 26th
A controversial documentary featuring David Koch and reliance on prepared text leads reporters to misquote President Obama.
Sneak peek at this Sunday's show
Following Monday’s devastating tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, images of destruction and stories of survival have been the focus of the national media’s attention. We’ll get a local perspective on how the storms have been covered from Berry Tramel, a longtime columnist for The Oklahoman.
We’ll discuss the tornadoes and troubling new revelations that the Obama administration targeted a Fox News reporter as part of a 2009 leak investigation with The New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza, Tim Carney of The Washington Examiner and Keli Goff from TheRoot.com.
Radio talk show host Michael Smerconish sits down with Howard to discuss his new show on SiriusXM, his political evolution and his views on media polarization.
Finally we’ll assess the impact of Yahoo!’s billion dollar acquisition of blog site Tumblr with tech experts Katie Linendoll and Mario Armstrong, who will also introduce Howard to Google’s much-hyped new Glass technology.
Sunday morning, 11am ET.
What we're reading this week
By Elizabeth Cherneff, CNN
This week on Reliable Sources, we’ll look at media coverage of the devastating Moore, Oklahoma tornadoes as well as the ongoing federal investigation into Fox News reporter James Rosen’s sources. Until then, here are some other stories that caught our attention this week:
Scandals and Watergate: An overused analogy? – In a piece for Slate this week, chief political correspondent John Dickerson urged his younger peers to be cautious in comparing the recent controversies facing the Obama administration to the infamous 1970's Watergate scandal. Dickerson argues that the tendency to overuse the phrase in modern reporting “has scrubbed the analogy down to near meaninglessness.” Rather than exaggerate, he writes, journalists should exercise caution in covering political scandals with the knowledge that “if something is like Watergate, you will not have to say it is so.”
For Weiner, a Campaign Apart – With this week’s YouTube video announcing his bid, Anthony Weiner ended months of speculation and confirmed that he will enter the race for NYC mayor. The Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Grossman notes that this will be a campaign unlike any other for Weiner, who was forced to resign in 2011 after sending inappropriate tweets and photos to several women on social media. Now, Weiner faces several hurdles, including the fact that many unions and political groups have already thrown their support behind other candidates. As he kicks off his latest campaign, it will be interesting to see how receptive New Yorkers are to Weiner’s latest message to focus on issues affecting the city’s middle class voters.
ESPN Cutting 300 to 400 Jobs – ESPN is cutting 300 to 400 jobs through layoffs and leaving vacant positions unfilled. The company confirmed the changes and released a statement on Tuesday reading, ‘We are implementing changes across the company to enhance our continued growth while smartly managing costs.” Despite the revenue ESPN brings to its parent company, Walt Disney, the staffing cuts come at a time when sports programming costs are also on the rise.
Celebrities who have fallen asleep during tv interviews – A tv interview with actor Morgan Freeman went viral this week after he appeared to fall asleep during a live segment with Seattle affiliate KCPQ. Freeman was appearing alongside fellow actor Michael Caine to promote the pair’s new film, ‘Now You See Me.’ With hectic press tour schedules, Freeman isn’t the first celebrity to doze off on-air, but the actor had the last laugh this time. Following the interview, he posted a good-natured response on his Facebook page, writing, “Regarding my recent interview, I wasn't actually sleeping. I'm a beta tester for Google Eyelids and I was merely taking the opportunity to update my Facebook page .”
About "Reliable Sources"
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.
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About the host
Brian Stelter is the host of "Reliable Sources" and the senior media correspondent for CNN Worldwide. Before he joined CNN in November 2013, Stelter was a media reporter for The New York Times. He is the author of the New York Times best-seller "Top of the Morning."
Here's his biography. You can read his stories on this blog and at CNNMoney.com/Media/.
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