And They Say FOX News Is Conservative? July 15, 2008
Posted by fitsnews in : The Press, US Politics , 11 comments
APPARENTLY NOT ON IMMIGRATION REFORM
By Mande Wilkes
FITSNews - July 15, 2008 - Yesterday afternoon on FOX News, during a discussion about illegal immigrants and education, this caption flashed at the bottom of the screen:
“ILLEGAL STUDENTS: SHOULD THEY BE ABLE TO STAY AFTER GRADUATION?”
Wait a minute - isn’t this the television station that’s incessantly bemoaned by liberals for its conservative bias?
Perhaps that’s just the problem: The common sense bar has been lowered even for genuinely conservative media outlets, and to such an extent that FOX doesn’t think twice about choosing a decidedly liberal angle for a very important conservative issue. (more…)
La Socialista’s Double Standard July 11, 2008
Posted by fitsnews in : The Press , 6 comments
MAINSTREAM MEDIA’S TWO-FACED TREATMENT OF THE BLOGS
FITSNews - July 11, 2008 - Back when current educrat lobbyist Ross Shealy started anonymously blogging his vitriol against school choice supporters three years ago, The State newspaper vigorously protected his identity. And while Sic Willie eventually outed Shealy (like he’s outed several left and right-wing bloggers since), The State did everything within its power to keep Shealy’s authorship of the anti-school choice propaganda from being exposed.
So … that’s how the paper treats liberal blogs, but how does it treat conservative ones?
Well, in the case of The Pulse of Columbia - a local conservative blog focused on city government issues - The State not only failed to protect the authors’ anonymity, they actually published a story this morning exposing their identity, questioning their tactics and describing the site as having “attacked the city’s leadership and stirred political controversy for nearly a year.”
Let’s be clear - we can’t think of anything that interests us any less than city government in Columbia, S.C. In fact, we’re pretty sure there are power struggles going on deep within ant hills in our backyard that are much more important. (more…)
Matt Drudge Is Kind Of A Big Deal July 10, 2008
Posted by fitsnews in : The Press , 4 comments
THE NEW JOURNALISM’S STANDARD BEARER STIRS IT UP AGAIN
FITSNews - July 10, 2008 - There are still millions of Americans who have no idea who Matt Drudge is … but you better believe they know all about the dozens of big political stories that have gotten their start on his website.
Take yesterday’s “Testicle-gate” between Jesse Jackson and Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, which Drudge singlehandedly turned into the week’s biggest political story. From the Washington Post ’s Chris Cillizza:
Drudge’s number of unique visitors is regularly touted but what is more important, in terms of his ability to drives news cycles, is that every reporter and editor who covers politics is checking the site multiple times a day.
Phil Singer, former deputy communications director for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign and now a Democratic consultant, called Drudge’s “elite readership” a key to his influence. Singer added that a walk through any press filing center at a debate reveals every other laptop, at least, has Drudge’s website up on its screen.
The second major reason for Drudge’s influence, according to the Fix’s informal poll of Drudge-ologists is his ability to sniff out a potentially big story when others — including reporters — miss it at first glance.
“He can identify what’s a big deal even when the reporters who actually cover and report on an event don’t realize what they have,” said one GOP strategist granted anonymity to speak candidly. “He scoops reporters’ scoops.”
Drudge’s work in Washington has spawned numerous imitators at the state level, including the widely-read SC Hotline and (some would say) our own website. Both the Hotline and FITS certainly have the same “elite readership,” even if those elites swear up and down that they “don’t read the blogs.” (more…)
New York Times - Easy To Climb July 9, 2008
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OFFICE BUILDING OR ADULT PLAYGROUND?
FITSNews - July 9, 2008 - It always gives us great pleasure anytime there’s something “new” in New York City, because people have to refer to it as the “new New York” whatever it is, which just sounds funny.
It’s a lot like when people say that they “do do” something, because “do do” is funny, at least if you’re smellin’ what we’re steppin’ in and have the maturity level of a five-year-old.
Anyway, such is the case with the “new New York Times building,” which is also amusing because it’s basically turning into a McDonald’s playground for adults:
So much for the security modifications outside: Over night, a third person managed a climb on the exterior of the New York Times Building on Eighth Avenue at 41st Street in Midtown Manhattan. The first reports of his presence were around 1:30 a.m., and the NY Times reports, “after staying on the building for about four hours, the man surrendered to police officers and was arrested around 5:20 a.m.”
The climber is identified as David Malone. The Daily News says he contacted their paper and “acknowledged he was after the same free publicity the earlier pair [of climbers] received.”
Malone reached the 11th floor and unfurled a banner that said something or the other about Osama bin Laden, and reportedly directed people to his website - which we’re not linking to because we honestly don’t give a rat’s ass what this guy thinks.
Oh alright, dammit … here it is. Everybody happy now? Jeez, maybe we need to put scaling the New York Times building into our marketing plan …
UPDATE - The New York Daily News , which broke this story, has a pretty cool recap of how their reporter actually talked Malone off of the building.
La Socialista’s Restructuring July 7, 2008
Posted by fitsnews in : SC Politics, The Press , 11 comments
FIRINGS … ERR, BUYOUTS … LEAD TO RESHUFFLED NEWSROOM
FITSNews - July 7, 2008 - One of the questions we’re frequently asked is how a newspaper as liberal as La Socialista can continue to function in a state as conservative as South Carolina.
It’s pretty easy, actually.
After failing in its attempt to sustain a statewide presence, La Socialista basically retreated back into its comfort zone - the government/ University town of Columbia, S.C.
There the newspaper finds a built-in audience for its tax-and-spend philosophy - thousands of government bureaucrats and college professors who savor every last bleeding heart appeal and politically-correct morsel designed to separate the citizens of this state from their tax dollars.
Of course, things aren’t nearly as profitable in the big government enclave as they used to be, prompting the dismissal - or buyouts, rather - of nearly a dozen newspaper staffers this summer. (more…)
Sic Willie Has A Posse July 6, 2008
Posted by fitsnews in : SC Politics, The Press , 8 comments
MAINSTREAM MEDIA JOIN SIC’S FIGHT AGAINST SOUTH CAROLINA’S IDIOTIC LAWMAKERS
FITSNews - July 6, 2008 - It’s been said that all we do around here is criticize people without offering any solutions of our own.
Obviously that’s bullshit, but it is nice when our friends in the mainstream media here in South Carolina show some love to what we’re saying.
Several such epiphanies took place over the Fourth of July weekend, as newspapers in every corner of the Palmetto State rose up against the anti-intellectual inbreds currently in charge of our favorite little ass-backward, upside down triangle.
Most of the editorial angst was directed at South Carolina’s so-called “competitive grants” program, which doled out about $10 million in utterly useless spending last week at a time when we’re cutting $11 million in funding from our state’s tourism agency - one of the few government expenditures which actually produces a solid return on investment.
Thanks again, Hugh Leatherman and Dan Cooper.
Anyway, it was nice to have some company this weekend in our ongoing attempts to talk some sense into these idiots … (more…)
La Socialista Layoffs July 5, 2008
Posted by fitsnews in : The Press , 9 comments
A DOZEN PINK SLIPS AT SOUTH CAROLINA’S LIBERAL FLAGSHIP
FITSNews - July 5, 2008 - South Carolina’s largest newspaper is letting go of at least a dozen newsroom employees, FITSNews has learned.
Unfortunately, deputy managing editor Steve Brook and head editorial honcho Brad “Unabomber” Warthen are sticking around, which means the paper will continue to spit out whatever drivel the state’s liberal establishment tells it to.
Speaking of left-wing regurgitation, sources tell FITSNews that education “reporter” Bill Robinson is among those receiving the axe, along with Jim Hammond, who previously worked for Democratic superintendent of education Inez Tenenbaum.
Business reporter Jim Duplessis, news editor Dan O’Mara and managing editor Tonnya Kennedy Kohn will also be among ‘The Departed,’ although O’Mara is reportedly taking a position with the Rock Hill (S.C.) Herald.
