As America prepares to watch the first of the presidential debates, the media has spent most of the last three days discussing strategies and how the expectations for each candidate will affect public perception of who wins and loses. Not that anyone should be surprised by this. But it does suggest the media has learned … Read more
Many of you will remember the picture on the right of NBC News political director Tim Russert and his now-famous, low-tech white board. Early in the evening, Russert predicted the 2000 election would hinge on the outcome in Florida. And after weeks of recounts and legal challenges, everyone was congratulating Russert for his foresight. There’s … Read more
In a previous post, I shared The Daily Show host Trevor Noah’s observation you can both support Black Lives Matter AND be pro-police. I still believe that. In fact, my pro-police side was affirmed several times over the weekend following the largely unsuccessful terrorist bombing in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. (NOTE: Though this … Read more
Imagined transcript for “Weekend Update”: September 17, 2016. All of the material in italics in this post are documented quotes about President Barack Obama’s country of birth. ANCHOR: Like all of you, we miss Gilda Radner. In hopes of recapturing just a smidgen of her comic magic, Saturday Night Live has invited Republican President candidate … Read more
I am trying to figure out the moment in time news programs became game shows. I’m not sure exactly when this transformation took place. Maybe it was May 11, 2001. That was the date of Lynn Russell’s last broadcast as the anchor of CNN Headline News. Russell’s program consisted of a recap of current events … Read more