This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThis is what was on Thomas Chatterton Williams’s mind when he decided to write a short letter on the risks to liberalism and open discourse and get some like-minded thinkers to sign on.He was thinking of the Poetry Foundation, after their four-sentence statement in support of Black Lives Matter was deemed too tepid by 1,800-plus petition-signers. And the National Book Critics Circle, over its own attempt at such a statement.He was thinking of after tweeting about a study suggesting that violent street protests helped tip...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThis is what was on Thomas Chatterton Williams’s mind when he decided to write a short letter on the risks to liberalism and open discourse and get some like-minded thinkers to sign on.He was thinking of the Poetry Foundation, after their four-sentence statement in support of Black Lives Matter was deemed too tepid by 1,800-plus petition-signers. And the National Book Critics Circle, over its own attempt at such a statement.He was thinking of after tweeting about a study suggesting that violent street protests helped tip...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePresident Trump has a long history of using the bully pulpit to take jabs at reporters. Yet the pandemic-era briefings have become especially fraught — and an unusually barbed exchange with one journalist on Monday raised questions about whether he reserves special contempt for some.At a Rose Garden press briefing, CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang asked the president why he so frequently claims that the United States is doing “far better than any other country” at testing for coronavirus. “Why does that matter?” she...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePresident Trump has a long history of using the bully pulpit to take jabs at reporters. Yet the pandemic-era briefings have become especially fraught — and an unusually barbed exchange with one journalist on Monday raised questions about whether he reserves special contempt for some.At a Rose Garden press briefing, CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang asked the president why he so frequently claims that the United States is doing “far better than any other country” at testing for coronavirus. “Why does that matter?” she...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareFor weeks, some of Fox News’s most popular hosts downplayed the threat of the coronavirus, by media organizations and Democrats to undermine President Trump.Fox News personalities such as Sean Hannity and Laura In­graham accused the news media of whipping up “mass hysteria” and being “.” Fox Business host Trish Regan “yet another attempt to impeach the president.”But that was then.With Trump’s declaration on Friday that the virus constitutes , the tone on Fox News has quickly shifted.On his program on Friday, Hannity —...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareFor weeks, some of Fox News’s most popular hosts downplayed the threat of the coronavirus, by media organizations and Democrats to undermine President Trump.Fox News personalities such as Sean Hannity and Laura In­graham accused the news media of whipping up “mass hysteria” and being “.” Fox Business host Trish Regan “yet another attempt to impeach the president.”But that was then.With Trump’s declaration on Friday that the virus constitutes , the tone on Fox News has quickly shifted.On his program on Friday, Hannity —...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareFox News cut away from White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s remarks at a news conference Monday evening because she claimed without evidence that Democrats were inviting fraud and illegal voting.“There is only one party in America trying to keep observers out of the count room, and that party, my friends, is the Democrat Party,” she said, adding, “You don’t oppose an audit of the vote because you want an accurate count. … You take these positions because you are welcoming fraud and you are welcoming illegal...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareFox News cut away from White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s remarks at a news conference Monday evening because she claimed without evidence that Democrats were inviting fraud and illegal voting.“There is only one party in America trying to keep observers out of the count room, and that party, my friends, is the Democrat Party,” she said, adding, “You don’t oppose an audit of the vote because you want an accurate count. … You take these positions because you are welcoming fraud and you are welcoming illegal...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareNEW YORK — More than a week into demonstrations that saw peaceful protesters swarmed by police in riot gear and his own daughter placed in custody amid mass arrests, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) was managing a remarkable feat: getting booed in two places at the same time.A few blocks from the mayor’s residence at Gracie Mansion, protesters sat in the street and chanted, “Where is our mayor?” They held signs that said, “Resign” and “De Blasio 6’5” of Useless.”The mayor, at that moment, was in downtown Brooklyn at a memorial...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareNEW YORK — More than a week into demonstrations that saw peaceful protesters swarmed by police in riot gear and his own daughter placed in custody amid mass arrests, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) was managing a remarkable feat: getting booed in two places at the same time.A few blocks from the mayor’s residence at Gracie Mansion, protesters sat in the street and chanted, “Where is our mayor?” They held signs that said, “Resign” and “De Blasio 6’5” of Useless.”The mayor, at that moment, was in downtown Brooklyn at a memorial...WW…

This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareA nonpartisan political organization is facing blowback from its employees after hiring journalist Mark Halperin, whose career as a prominent TV pundit hit a wall after he faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment.Junior staffers at objected this week when the organization hired Halperin, co-author of the best-selling campaign chronicle “.” The internal dissension grew so heated that two employees who complained were granted paid leave — to consider whether they want to stay, the organization said — and a third is...…This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareA nonpartisan political organization is facing blowback from its employees after hiring journalist Mark Halperin, whose career as a prominent TV pundit hit a wall after he faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment.Junior staffers at objected this week when the organization hired Halperin, co-author of the best-selling campaign chronicle “.” The internal dissension grew so heated that two employees who complained were granted paid leave — to consider whether they want to stay, the organization said — and a third is...WW…

This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareA Wyoming-based Swiss billionaire who formed half of the consortium making a bid to buy Tribune Publishing Co. has backed out of the deal, according to two people familiar with negotiations.Hansjörg Wyss had joined with Maryland business executive Stewart Bainum Jr. earlier this month in submitting the $680 million proposal to a special committee of Tribune’s board, in an attempt to beat out an offer from Alden Global Capital. The development casts further doubt on whether journalists at Tribune newspapers can avoid a...…This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareA Wyoming-based Swiss billionaire who formed half of the consortium making a bid to buy Tribune Publishing Co. has backed out of the deal, according to two people familiar with negotiations.Hansjörg Wyss had joined with Maryland business executive Stewart Bainum Jr. earlier this month in submitting the $680 million proposal to a special committee of Tribune’s board, in an attempt to beat out an offer from Alden Global Capital. The development casts further doubt on whether journalists at Tribune newspapers can avoid a...WW…

This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareLast year, as a group of Baltimore Sun reporters embarked on a long-shot endeavor to find a new owner that could save their paper from a hedge-fund takeover, a former Maryland politician gave them a piece of advice.Treat this like a political campaign.The worried reporters would need to recruit community allies. Hire a public relations firm to sway public opinion. And most crucially: Figure out how to find rich people who might be persuaded to finance a rescue plan.That meeting over coffee with Ted Venetoulis — a former...…This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareLast year, as a group of Baltimore Sun reporters embarked on a long-shot endeavor to find a new owner that could save their paper from a hedge-fund takeover, a former Maryland politician gave them a piece of advice.Treat this like a political campaign.The worried reporters would need to recruit community allies. Hire a public relations firm to sway public opinion. And most crucially: Figure out how to find rich people who might be persuaded to finance a rescue plan.That meeting over coffee with Ted Venetoulis — a former...WW…

This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareFrom the start, Alexi McCammond seemed an unlikely candidate to become a top boss within the storied Vogue empire — at least on paper.Only 27, she had little editing experience and had never managed a staff before she was tapped as editor in chief for Teen Vogue early last month. A stranger to the world of glossy New York magazines, she had spent the past four years as a junior reporter at a news start-up in Washington, scrapping for incremental scoops and gritty campaign-bus assignments alongside scores of other young...…This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareFrom the start, Alexi McCammond seemed an unlikely candidate to become a top boss within the storied Vogue empire — at least on paper.Only 27, she had little editing experience and had never managed a staff before she was tapped as editor in chief for Teen Vogue early last month. A stranger to the world of glossy New York magazines, she had spent the past four years as a junior reporter at a news start-up in Washington, scrapping for incremental scoops and gritty campaign-bus assignments alongside scores of other young...WW…

This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareNew York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s relatives and other well-connected New Yorkers were among those given preferential treatment at state coronavirus testing centers. State troopers were on standby to rush their samples to a lab to be expedited. And those with priority status got results within hours or a day, compared with the wait of up to a week that other New Yorkers faced at the time.Seven individuals with firsthand knowledge of testing practices said that some people with access to power were able to largely bypass the...…This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareNew York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s relatives and other well-connected New Yorkers were among those given preferential treatment at state coronavirus testing centers. State troopers were on standby to rush their samples to a lab to be expedited. And those with priority status got results within hours or a day, compared with the wait of up to a week that other New Yorkers faced at the time.Seven individuals with firsthand knowledge of testing practices said that some people with access to power were able to largely bypass the...WW…