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Don't Quote Me archives
Parthian shots
Atlantic editors have a final say
from December 16, 2005
from December 16, 2005
WBUR's new boss learns the ropes
Plus, the comedy team of Woodward and Bernstein, and scary tales from the land of community journalism
from December 9, 2005
From watchdog to lap dog
Bob Woodward’s "Plamegate" blunder showed the world what many knew for years: we need a bunch of new Bob Woodwards
from December 2, 2005
A small-town tale
When community journalism meets an aggressive reporter, sometimes it can get ugly
from November 25, 2005
Trial and Terror
The Islamic Society of Boston claims a media conspiracy unfairly linked them to terrorists in an effort to halt plans for a new mosque in Roxbury
from November 18, 2005
The Theo fiasco: a media report card
The last word on the latest Yawkey Way (via Morrissey Boulevard) soap opera
from November 11, 2005
The loneliest man in Washington
With the neo-cons silenced, the pragmatists disillusioned, and his puppet masters preoccupied, the president will have to go it alone for the next three years. Who’s in more trouble? Him or us?
from November 4, 2005
Echo chamber
What’s black and white and silent? The Metro.
from October 28, 2005
Dawn of the dead
Wide-awake after four years of slumber, the mainstream media is finally turning on Bush
from October 21, 2005
The future 10
With the news industry at a crossroads, these 10 journalists could make a difference
from October 14, 2005
Two hits, one big miss
The Herald’s new crime column crackles, the Globe’s Sidekick stumbles, and the Times’ new public editor does some spanking
from September 23, 2005
Surprise at Harvard
Far from being a status-quo placeholder, Nieman curator Bob Giles has proved to be a controversial activiste
from September 16, 2005
No alternative
A Village Voice/New Times merger could establish what both chains are supposed to despise
from September 2, 2005
The Romanesko Effect
How a media Web site is changing the face — and pace — of media culture
from August 26, 2005
Black and white
The New York Times Company’s plan for a free African-American weekly in Florida makes many see red
from August 19, 2005
Journalism’s next big battle
The Wen Ho Lee case could deal a harsher blow to investigative reporting than Plamegate did
from August 12, 2005
Dis-Connected
Dick Gordon speaks out about his surprise firing from WBUR
from August 5, 2005
Redemption tale
Former conservative-media poster boy David Brock is trying to do the right thing with liberal media watchdog Media Matters. Should we trust him?
from July 29, 2005
Curing the news blues
Can CBS4 get Boston to watch again?
from July 22, 2005
Terror diary
From cable news and the pundit shows to the dailies — how the US media covered the London bombings
from July 15, 2005
The Eight Annual Muzzle Awards
The FBI leads our annual roundup of those who undermined free speech and personal liberties
from July 1, 2005
The trouble with being Hillary
Many of the same folks who were gunning for her husband Bill are out to get her. What’s a power-player to do?
from June 17, 2005
Targeting NPR
Despite studies that show public radio’s audience is diverse and its news coverage bias-free, the White House’s hatchet man threatens our most vital source of broadcast news
from June 3, 2005
Bay State of mind
John Kerry and Mitt Romney gear up for ’08. But is America sick of Massachusetts?
from May 27, 2005
Case closed
Newsweek’s screw-up is a gift to right-wingers looking to blame the media for Bush’s foreign-policy failures
from May 20, 2005
The next great indecency threat
The religious right (and a few liberals) already have broadcasters on the run. Coming up: Cable, satellite, and — just possibly — the Internet.
from May 13, 2005
Justice under fire
The religious right attempts a coup against the federal judiciary. Will it succeed — or prompt a backlash?
from April 29, 2005
A better Herald
How to reinvent the ailing tab in five not-so-easy steps
from April 22, 2005
Listen up
While network news flounders toward the future, the present belongs to NPR
from April 15, 2005
Seen but not heard
By standing in opposition to modernity, the pope made himself an irrelevant — if beloved — figure in the West
from April 8, 2005
An American fatwa
Media irresponsibility could place Michael Schiavo’s life in danger for many years to come
from April 1, 2005
Why Jacko's not boffo
The ‘Trial of the Century’ is a long way from the O.J. extravaganza. Why? No live TV, too much weirdness, and — just possibly — a changed public attitude toward celebrity culture.
from March 25, 2005
Lydon returns
A true original’s long exile finally comes to an end — but not without complications or controversy
from March 11, 2005
He stoops to conquer
Is Jon Stewart too smart for his own good? Not as long as he keeps up the dick jokes
from March 4, 2005
Under cover
How the White House’s assault on the Freedom of Information Act enables torture, exposes media apathy, and hurts our ability to govern ourselves
from February 18, 2005
Absence of malice
The Herald’s coverage of Judge Ernest Murphy was flawed and inflammatory. But that doesn’t mean he was libeled.
from February 11, 2005
Blogging Bush
From deep in the heart of Blue America, Inauguration Day lamentations in real time
from January 28, 2005
Getting the Metro lowdown
Internet proves a driving force in coverage of media executives’ bad behavior
from January 21, 2005
Scandal proof
The CBS report documents the latest in a long string of media misdeeds. You can bet it won’t be the last.
from January 14, 2005
Cardiac kids
Internet speculation about Bush’s and Cheney’s health poses a media dilemma. Plus, Barnicle’s Herald stint sours; what the sale of Slate means for online media; and Arthur Sulzberger changes his mind.
from January 7, 2005
Feed your head
Podcasting is DIY radio for programmers and listeners alike. Will it save us from corporate radio? Or further isolate us inside our own miniature media worlds?
from December 31, 2004
Unlikely crusader
How libertarian technocrat Michael Powell saved his career — and lost his soul
from December 24, 2004
Our pols, ourselves
Jack Beatty on politics, great political writers, and what the past has to say about the era of George W. Bush
from December 17, 2004
Faces of death
Why that video of a Marine shooting an Iraqi insurgent has already begun to fade
from December 3, 2004
Howell of pain
Seth Mnookin’s book on the New York Times shows how an editor’s narcissism nearly destroyed the world’s greatest newspaper
from November 26, 2004
Media war
From the New York Times to Al-Jazeera, the press tries to make sense of the battle for Fallujah
from November 19, 2004
Axis of evil
Meet the new Republican senators. Five of them hope to make your worst nightmares come true.
from November 12, 2004
Blue in a Red America
The values of Red America are ascendant: Fear, intolerance, and an insistence on imposing a pinched notion of morality on everybody else
from November 5, 2004
Cone of silence
From the Patriot Act to presidential records, George W. Bush has presided over an unprecedented rise in government secrecy
from October 29, 2004
The Cheney myth
The veep’s reputation is that of ‘the evil genius.’ His record at Halliburton, though, reveals him to be nothing more than a corrupt, incompetent hack.
from October 22, 2004
Waves of anxiety
What’s next for WBUR and Jane Christo, its embattled general manager? Plus, polling pugilistics, and liberal radio comes to Boston.
from October 8, 2004
What Rather wrought
CBS’s hapless anchor didn’t just screw up — he fulfilled every paranoid fantasy of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy
from October 1, 2004
Sound and fury
WBUR dumps its Rhode Island stations, lays off employees, and downsizes Here and Now. It’s time for Boston University, its license-holder, to demand some answers.
from September 24, 2004
Bush's turn
Finally, the media turn their sights on the president. But Kerry supporters shouldn’t get too excited by the claims of gossip diva Kitty Kelley and a flawed CBS report.
from September 17, 2004
Memo to John Kerry: Kick in Bush's teeth
Time to stop being a girlie-man
from September 10, 2004
GOP-TV
Stuck inside Republican hell with the ‘fair and balanced’ Fox News Channel
from September 3, 2004
Revisiting the scene of the crime
Thanks to reforms undertaken after Bush’s 537-vote, no-recount victory over Al Gore, the Florida fiasco of 2000 couldn’t happen again. Could it?
from August 27, 2004
Secret agents
From Washington to Providence, reporters face jail for not giving up their sources. But what, exactly, does the government hope to accomplish?
from August 20, 2004
The math needed to beat Bush
As few as 10 states could determine the election. At the moment, Kerry’s electoral count looks better than his popular vote.
from August 13, 2004
Blood from stones
A blogger digs up the unexpected: Political contributions from journalists. Plus, Kerry and that $87 billion, and a massive failure of intelligence.
from August 6, 2004
The kumbaya party
George W. Bush has united the Democrats. Now it’s up to John Kerry and John Edwards to translate that unity into victory.
from July 30, 2004
Who's who in the media
A delegate’s guide to the ups, downs, ins, and outs of Boston’s feisty political press
from July 23, 2004
That 90's show
Its dubious literary merits aside, Bill Clinton’s My Life sparks nostalgia for a decade of peace, prosperity, and presidential sex
from July 9, 2004
The Seventh Annual Muzzle Awards
Ten who undermined free speech and personal liberties
from July 2, 2004
Steyn's way
Write, twist, smear, and sneer. Repeat! Meet Mark Steyn, the most toxic right-wing pundit you’ve never heard of.
from June 18, 2004
Miller's Times
The Gray Lady confesses its sins in hyping Iraq’s nonexistent weapons capabilities and terrorist ties. So what took so long?
from June 4, 2004
Tipping point
The horrors at Abu Ghraib have finally changed how the media report on the war — and on the president who started it
from May 28, 2004
The big story
With Iraq taking center stage, other news gets squeezed. Plus, Danny Schechter goes public, Spare Change News goes pro, and the Globe goes porn.
from May 21, 2004
Angel and whore
Jessica Lynch and Lynndie England — the damsel in distress and the castrating bitch — symbolize our shifting perceptions of the war in Iraq
from May 14, 2004
Stuck in neutral
With the Kerry campaign spinning its wheels, some Democrats are worried — while Republicans are positively gleeful
from May 7, 2004
Money screams
Thirty years of campaign-finance reform have brought us confusion, loopholes, cynicism, and an erosion of free speech. It’s time to try something new.
from April 23, 2004
Debacle in Iraq
A spate of recent books and articles shows that all this could have been prevented — from the dishonest rationale for war to the arrogant, incompetent occupation
from April 16, 2004
Heart of darkness
The terrible images from Fallujah are destined to become icons of the war in Iraq. But what, exactly, are they trying to tell us?
from April 9, 2004
A tale of two papers
Boston’s dueling dailies, the Globe and the Herald, have entered a new phase of their long rivalry — one that threatens to consign the Herald to irrelevance
from April 2, 2004
Indecent proposal
Media moguls are sacrificing free speech on the altar of corporate empire-building
from March 12, 2004
And then there was one
The Democratic presidential-nomination contest ends. John Kerry’s next challenge: Surviving the pre-convention months without getting destroyed by the GOP’s flying monkeys.
from March 5, 2004
Dick Cheney's Nigerian nightmare
Investigators in three countries are probing an alleged $180 million bribe involving Halliburton. How long can the veep keep this tale of international sleaze from dominating the news?
from February 27, 2004
Sex, lies, and Republicans
Drudge shoots and misses. But Bush’s allies are attacking Kerry with everything from a phony Jane Fonda photo to a sickening attack on triple amputee Max Cleland.
from February 20, 2004
The plot shifts
Kerry’s chain of victories has become old news. Now he’s got to define himself before the Republicans — and the media — do it for him.
from February 6, 2004
Next stop: Super Tuesday
John Kerry has made one of the most impressive comebacks in modern politics. Can he sustain the momentum through the South?
from January 30, 2004
A brand-new campaign
After Kerry’s Iowa surprise, the Democrats hit New Hampshire running
from January 23, 2004
Between the covers
The Democratic candidates’ campaign books say much about who they are and why they’re running. And Edwards’s is actually a good read.
from January 16, 2004
Facing the finish line
Once the front-runner, John Kerry battles to keep his presidential bid alive
from January 9, 2004
Exiles on Main Street
The year 2004 is likely to be a good one for Bush and the Republicans — and bad news for progressive causes
from January 2, 2004
Bush's new running mate
The capture of Saddam puts Democrats in an ugly and awkward dilemma
from December 19, 2003
Left side of the dial
All this and Barry Crimmins, too: Liberal radio gears up for the post-Rush era
from December 12, 2003
Embrace the wedge
The conventional wisdom says that same-sex marriage will unite Republicans and divide Democrats. But that can cut both ways.
from November 21, 2003
An unlikely bigfoot
Meet Dr. Bill Siroty: Physician, Dean supporter, and New Hampshire’s indispensable media activist
from November 7, 2003
Recovery phase
The Atlantic survives — and thrives — following the death of Michael Kelly. But questions about its future remain.
from October 24, 2003
Little chance
The Station Agent and its star, Peter Dinklage, cast dwarfism in a new, well-rounded light
from October 17, 2003
Scandal proof
A vengeful White House may have jeopardized national security — and passed it off as a kerfuffle
from October 10, 2003
Second act
Virginia Buckingham settles in at the Herald. Plus, Edward Said’s death and life; and Michael Goldman plots his comeback.
from October 3, 2003
State of surveillance
Let’s just throw away the Bill of Rights and the Constitution
from September 19, 2003
Wholly war
Ashcroft’s anti-porn crusade threatens everyone’s free-speech rights
from September 5, 2003
Tarnished, not finished
Speaker Tom Finneran faces an effective GOP governor and a growing number of organized political enemies, but he’s not heading for the door ... yet
from August 15, 2003
Rome casts its ballot
The Vatican’s current stance on same-sex-marriage legislation resurrects church/state issues put to rest by JFK four decades ago
from August 8, 2003
Cooking the books
Forget those 16 words. The Bush administration’s case for war was a corrupt mishmash of lies, wishful thinking, and doctored intelligence.
from July 25, 2003
The rite stuff
What's the surprise issue of the 2004 presidential race? Try same-sex marriage.
from July 18, 2003
The sixth annual Muzzle Awards
Ten who undermined freedom of speech and personal liberties
from July 4, 2003
O brother, where art thou?
Making sense of Bill Bulger’s testimony and the media frenzy it inspired
from June 27, 2003
Tabzilla returns
The sliding Herald rediscovers flash and trash, while owner Pat Purcell contemplates the new media landscape and asks, What's next? Eat? Or be eaten?
from June 20, 2003
New York state of mind
The Globe ponders Baron’s possible departure. Plus, Hersh goes wild, PETA gets censored, and 'BUR kills a media show.
from June 13, 2003
Mad as hell
To no one’s surprise, the FCC has given media monopolists what they want. This time, though, the public may be ready to fight back.
from June 6, 2003
Republic of fear
Separating the reality of terrorism, disease, and economic distress from the virtual world of media hype and political gamesmanship
from May 30, 2003
News at the brink
The New York Times scandal is just the latest in a long line of stories about journalists behaving badly. And they’re eating away at the media’s credibility.
from May 23, 2003
Raines's folly
The Jayson Blair scandal reveals some unflattering truths about the Times' hard-driving editor
from May 16, 2003
The GOP attack machine
All who are not Bushies are evil
from May 9, 2003
Silent swoosh
Boston-based activist John Bonifaz says Nike’s not covered by the First Amendment. But if Nike loses its rights, what about the rest of us?
from May 2, 2003
Waging post-warfare
Eight foreign-policy experts on the uncertain future of the US role in Iraq
from April 25, 2003
Foreign matters
For the first time since the end of the Cold War, international news is paramount. But how long will it last?
from April 18, 2003
Michael Kelly's war
Only in Iraq, it seemed, could the late journalist find horrors commensurate with his sense of moral outrage
from April 11, 2003
The home front
Local news organizations confront the war in Iraq
from April 4, 2003
Picture imperfect
From bombs away to embedded reporters, the media war has provided some striking images — but not much context
from March 27, 2003
Into the darkness
History — and Bush’s own reckless arrogance — make this a gamble whose ending could be ugly
from March 20, 2003
Sorting out the truth
From remarks by Al Gore and Bill Clinton to a new book by Eric Alterman, the myth of liberal media bias is finally being challenged. Has the pendulum swung — or do we all now live in the Savage Nation?
from March 13, 2003
Critical condition
Danny Schechter's world-focused Media Channel is a hit with readers, but funding woes force a 'temporary hiatus'
from March 6, 2003
Report charred
The UN weapons inspectors’ report suggests that we take a more careful look at what we’re up against in Iraq. But the media aren’t looking.
from January 30, 2003
The fifth annual Muzzle Awards
Ten who undermined freedom of speech and personal liberties
from July 4, 2002
Anchors away
While NBC grooms old-fashioned Brian Williams, CNN’s Aaron Brown is honing the new New Thing
from June 20, 2002
Witness to an execution
Reflections on the meaning of the Daniel Pearl video — and the Phoenix’s decision to make it available
from June 13, 2002
Chandra's ghost
Sure, media coverage was excessive. But that doesn’t mean the story of the Intern and the Congressman wasn’t — and isn’t — important.
from May 30, 2002
Attack of the clones
Opponents warn of genetically engineered superhumans. But forget the slippery slope: Medical advances need not lead to a Brave New World.
from May 16, 2002
How Dubya lost his groove
From the Middle East to Venezuela, from the oil fields of Alaska to the coca farms of Colombia, the Bushies find themselves in a world of trouble
from May 2, 2002
Talisman Tom
Friedman’s Pulitzer isn’t merely about one man and his work. It’s a symbol of our national consensus in the war against terrorism.
from April 11, 2002
Goodwin's folly
How a popular historian committed plagiarism, tried to cover it up, and got caught in the culture of the celebrity media scandal
from March 21, 2002
Cardinal Law on the ropes
Ten years ago, in the midst of an earlier pedophile scandal, Cardinal Law called down the wrath of God on the media. Now the media are giving him hell.
from March 7, 2002
Profits of doom
A pair of Washington Post stalwarts lend their prestigious voices to the rising lament over corporate journalism
from February 21, 2002
Trivial pursuit
Alan Keyes’s new show on MSNBC may be a harbinger of bad things to come in the post–post–September 11 world of cable news
from February 7, 2002
Enwrong
The punditocracy agrees that this isn’t a partisan political scandal. Actually, it’s much worse than that.
from January 31, 2002
The 'L' word
Yes, the elite media are liberal, at least on cultural issues. But Bernard Goldberg’s best-selling critique is shoddy, stupid, and beside the point.
from January 17, 2002
Beef stew
Mad-cow disease could be much ado about nothing — or a terrifying threat to our food supply. It’s time for the media to take another look.
from December 27, 2001
Marty Baron
Boston Globe editor Marty Baron sat down for an interview with Phoenix senior writer Dan Kennedy last Wednesday, November 28. An edited transcript follows.
from December 6, 2001
Public radio and cold cash
Now more than ever we need NPR. The question is, who pays?
from November 29, 2001
News from the back burner
Five important stories pushed to the margins by the terrorism-obsessed media
from November 8, 2001
Money pit
Since September 11, news organizations have been spending more and earning less. Will profit-obsessed Wall Street slam on the brakes?
from October 25, 2001
'Liberal': No longer a dirty word
Liberal support of the war on terrorism caps a long journey back to a new mainstream
from October 18, 2001
Culture warrior
David McCullough’s stately John Adams prompts a backlash — and a fascinating debate over the limits of character
from August 31, 2001
Fangs a lot
The Boston Globe may do away with the ombudsman. What it should do is turn the post into a truly independent watchdog.
from August 23, 2001
Weird science
Bush’s rejection of Kyoto rests on three legs: Energy-industry interests, the conservative media — and scientists who contend that global warming doesn’t really exist
from August 2, 2001
Getting even
A new book on Tina Brown and Harry Evans is a down-and-dirty, delightfully bitchy summer read. But don’t write off Tina just yet.
from July 26, 2001
Curious George
Gilder’s Spectator trades nutty right-wing scandal-mongering for nutty right-wing economics. Plus, women in radio, and freelance blues.
from July 5, 2001
The fourth annual Muzzle Awards
Ten who undermined freedom of speech and personal liberties
from June 28, 2001
Hot Prospect
The 11-year-old liberal magazine seeks to raise its profile by shifting its base from Boston to DC and bringing in a talented new editor
from June 14, 2001
Squeezing the Globe
The New York Times Company is certainly to blame. The bigger villain, though, is Wall Street and its unrealistic profit demands.
from June 7, 2001
Bush's free ride
From the attack dogs of the Clinton era to the lap dogs of today, the White House press corps sure isn’t what it used to be
from May 24, 2001
Truth and consequences
If we execute Timothy McVeigh, questions about the Oklahoma City bombing will go forever unanswered
from May 17, 2001
Killing Timothy McVeigh
The First Amendment requires it and our conscience demands it: Televising executions is the right thing to do
from May 10, 2001
Bobos in radioland
The battle over The Connection illuminates what public radio has become: privatized, high-quality programming for the affluent, well-educated elite
from April 26, 2001
Pulitzer notes
For the Globe, good news during a time of financial constraint. Plus, a thoughtful voice on gay marriage, and the Wall Street Journal’s eloquent contrarian.
from April 19, 2001
The Internet on trial
The war on drugs, a powerful Mexican banker, and a libel suit add up to a big threat to independent online journalism
from April 12, 2001
A conversation with Al Giordano
from April 12, 2001
Hush-hush
In its war of words with WEEI, the Globe learns that silence isn't necessarily golden
from April 5, 2001
Talk is cheap
When news isn’t happening, the all-news cable channels are yapping. But why do they have to be so dumb?
from March 15, 2001
Kissinger accused
Journalist Christopher Hitchens reminds us once again of the horrors that Henry wrought in Chile, Cambodia, Vietnam, and elsewhere
from March 8, 2001
In cold type
Behind the Globe’s front-page mea culpa; the Herald overhypes a theory
from March 1, 2001
Code of silence
A federal appeals court ruling that muzzles judges will harm the public’s right to know — and, in turn, will undermine public confidence in the judicial system
from February 28, 2001
Eugene Rivers's moment
Under fire for challenging Jesse Jackson, the street minister says the real challenge is to work with the Bushies in crafting a new, post-civil-rights agenda
from February 1, 2001
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