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August 15th, 2013
06:24 PM ET

What we're reading this week...

By Sara Fischer, CNN

We’ve got a busy show planned for Sunday with our ‘Reliable Sources’ guest host, author and editor Joanne Lipman. Lipman is a former editor at the Wall Street Journal and Conde Nast and is co-editor of the forthcoming, “Strings Attached.” We’ll discuss the dangers of reporting on the recent outbreaks of violence in Egypt, the coverage of President’s vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, and the new trend of crowdsourcing social media online, but until then; here are some other stories that caught our eye this week.

Facebook use 'makes people feel worse about themselves'

BBC News cites a study by the University of Michigan which concludes that checking Facebook makes people feel worse about their sense of well-being and satisfaction with life. The study examines the causal relationship between Facebook usage and loneliness, concluding that the more participants used Facebook, the less satisfied they were with their lives. This condition, referred to as fear of missing out, or FOMO, occurs when Facebook users look at pictures of friends having a good time at events in which they are not included or present.

New York Times Website Back Online After ‘Internal Issue’

New York Times readers were in for a surprise when they learned that the newspaper’s website and email went down late Wednesday morning into late Thursday morning. Visitors were greeted by an error message upon visiting the site during the crash. The New York Times issued an apology message upon the restoration saying, “To our customers: As you know, our web site was unavailable for a period of time earlier today. The outage occurred within seconds of a scheduled maintenance update, which we believe was the cause. We are working on fully restoring service and apologize for any inconvenience.”

Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin eyed as 2016 GOP debate moderators

The Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” blog reports that GOP insiders are considering a panel of conservative radio hosts, including Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin, as debate moderators in 2016. The GOP sources tell the Examiner that pressure from viewers combined with the potential for increased viewership are two factors in the consideration of the conservative personalities as moderators. The announcement comes a week after Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, dismissed Mika Brzezinski of NBC’s Morning Joe as a potential Republican debate moderator due to her affiliation with NBC, whose entertainment sector plans to produce a miniseries on Hillary Clinton.


Filed under: Blog • CNN • Facebook • New York Times • Reliable Sources • Rush Limbaugh • Washington Post • What we're reading
May 5th, 2013
02:12 PM ET

Taking on Sheryl Sandberg

Author and former Washington Post reporter Elsa Walsh gives Howard Kurtz her view on the Facebook COO’s “Lean In” philosophy and how she views the challenge of work-life balance for women.


Filed under: Elsa Walsh • Facebook • Lean In • Sheryl Sandberg
March 10th, 2013
12:51 PM ET

Facebook’s daily ‘newspaper’

Kara Swisher and Howard Kurtz on the social media giant’s newest re-design; is Facebook becoming a quasi-news organization?


Filed under: Blog • Facebook • Reliable Sources
February 10th, 2013
01:05 PM ET

Facebook Users Taking ‘Vacations’

Sarah Lacy, Mario Armstrong and Howard Kurtz discuss the results of a survey that found that a majority of Facebook users have taken extended breaks from the social media site.


Filed under: Blog • Facebook • Netflix • Technology
February 8th, 2013
04:32 PM ET

Sneak peek at this Sunday's show

By Becky Perlow, CNN 

With Dick Morris recently released from his punditry duties on Fox News, many critics have questioned whether the network, long criticized for acting as an extension of the GOP, is trying to soften its conservative image. Conservatives aren't the only ones in trouble, though, as Democratic Senator Bob Menendez continues his battle with the media. On Monday, Menendez told CNN's Chief Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash that the news website The Daily Caller was "a right wing blog" that was smearing his reputation with "totally unsubstantiated" lies. Until recently, the mainstream media had largely stayed away from the sex scandal claims, but as journalists dug deeper, they discovered the Garden State senator might be mixed up with other conduct claims that are questionable in nature. Lauren Ashburn, Editor-in-chief of Daily-download.com, The New Yorker's Washington Correspondent Ryan Lizza and George Washington University's Professor of Media and Public Affairs Steve Roberts join Howie at the table to debate. They'll also discuss the media's mockery of Chris Christie's health and the unusual media connection to the manhunt for Los Angeles ex-police officer Christopher J. Dorner.

Founder of PandoDaily.com Sarah Lacy and HLN Digital Lifestyle Expert Mario Armstrong will continue our media analysis this week, focusing on Facebook vacations (when people leave Facebook cold-turkey for a significant amount of time) and Netflix's attempt to change the way viewers watch TV. 

Rounding up our show, Culture Commentator Lola Ogunnaike and  NY Magazine's "The Cut" Features Editor Maureen O'Connor will lead the Grammy discussion... namely, what does CBS's new "dress code memo" mean for the famed red carpet?

Tune in this Sunday at 11am EST.

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Filed under: Blog • Bob Menendez • CBS • Chris Christie • Facebook • Fox News • Grammy • Netflix • Reliable Sources • Sneak Peek • The Grammys
December 23rd, 2012
12:49 PM ET

Media Monitor- December 23

Fascinating behind-the-scenes details in a Wall Street Journal article on fiscal cliff negotiations, The Daily Beast's "uh-oh!" moment, Fox News makes light of Hillary Clinton’s concussion and a TV meteorologist is fired for a Facebook post.


Filed under: Blog • Facebook • Fiscal Cliff • Fox News • Media • Media Criticism • Media Monitor • Politics • Reliable Sources • The Daily Beast • Wall Street Journal
May 20th, 2012
12:18 PM ET

Media Friends Facebook

Howard Kurtz talks to Sarah Lacy of PandoDaily.com about Facebook's blockbuster IPO

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Filed under: Facebook • Social Media
February 5th, 2012
01:27 PM ET

Facebook Striking It Rich

As the social media behemoth prepares to launch its IPO, Mark Potts, Felix Salmon and Howard Kurtz discuss whether Facebook is overtaking traditional media as a source for news.


Filed under: Facebook • Reliable Sources • Social Media