News Media

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Tuned In+Television | 12 hours ago

Twimmolation Alert: Roland Martin Gets His Ascot in Hot Water at CNN

By James Poniewozik
Haraz N. Ghanbari / AP

Martin may or may not have meant his tweets about David Beckham and wearing pink as homophobic, but they’re obnoxious regardless.

Tuned In
Tuned In+16 days ago

State of the Union: A Call for Unity, in a Political Package

By James Poniewozik

A lengthy, listy speech appealed to Americans’ common goals, but was always conscious of political opponents in the room—and at least one Presidential rival outside the room.

Tuned In
Tuned In+16 days ago

The Morning After: Come Back, Loud Debate Audiences! All Is Forgiven!

By James Poniewozik

Without the hoots and hollers from a partisan crowd, last night’s Republican candidates in Tampa were like sitcom actors looking for their laugh track.

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Tuned In+21 days ago

Debate Watch: You Come at the King, You Best Not Miss

By James Poniewozik

When John King opened the debate by asking Gingrich about the bombshell marital charge, it was as if he had walked up to the former Speaker, set up a glass fishbowl on a tee, and handed him a Flintstones-sized club.

Tuned In
Tuned In+21 days ago

Dead Tree Alert: Truth Vigilantes, Attack!

By James Poniewozik

Last week, New York Times public editor (the equivalent of an ombudsman) Arthur Brisbane wrote a blog post asking whether, in covering the campaign, reporters should challenge in the body of their straight-news stories statements by candidates that are dubious, distorted or outright false. Or as he put it—in a headline that generated unsurprising outrage [...]

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Tuned In+21 days ago

Romney Didn’t Win Iowa After All. Is It Too Late To Change the Story?

By James Poniewozik
Win McNamee / Getty Images

For over two weeks Romney got the benefit of being described as the “winner” of a caucus that journalists should have called a tie. And the difference it made may have been a hell of a lot more than a few votes.

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Tuned In+23 days ago

Not Allowed to Vote for Stephen Colbert? Oh Yes You Cain!

By James Poniewozik

Colbert is urging his supporters to show their support for him by voting for Herman Cain, the GOP now-non-candidate who is still on the ballot in the Palmetto State.

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Tuned In+Television | 28 days ago

PAC Man Colbert “Gives” the Money and Runs, for President

By James Poniewozik

With the announcement of a second run, Colbert will hand over the money from his Super PAC to Jon Stewart and give up control of the war chest. Wink, wink.

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Tuned In+30 days ago

Hunting for Drama After a Quick Romney Call

By James Poniewozik

With the New Hampshire primary result called at 8 p.m., what was left to talk about? Expectations, Ron Paul, and scenarios of a theoretical future voter “jihad.”

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Tuned In+35 days ago

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before: Olbermann At Odds With His Network

By James Poniewozik
Jason Kempin / Getty Images

Keith Olbermann is a boss at Current, but that hasn’t stopped him from, once again, getting into a public battle with his own bosses.

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Tuned In+36 days ago

Standing 8 Count: Romney Squeaker Tests the Media’s Math Skills

By James Poniewozik

Punch-drunk commentators stayed perched in cable-news studios last night like night owls at a Denny’s as the last few Iowa precincts trickled in, and this morning, reporters and analysts had to answer the question: what do we call this thing?

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Tuned In+57 days ago

ABC Shuffle: Amanpour Out, Stephanopoulos Back In, Tapper Robbed

By James Poniewozik

Withits Sunday-morning news show This Week trailing third in the ratings, ABC has decided to reshuffle the decks and turn back the clock. Christiane Amanpour, the international-news reporter who took over the show in 2010, is returning to CNN to host an international-affairs show (while also reporting for ABC); and she’ll be replaced starting Jan. [...]

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Tuned In+62 days ago

TV Weekend: A Little Louie, a Little Luck, a Little More Debating

By James Poniewozik
FX

Earlier this week, I posted my Top 10 TV series of 2011 list, with Louis CK‘s remarkable first-person show Louie at #1. You’ll have to wait until next year for the next season, but in the meantime, there’s a Louis CK special this weekend—and in the DIY spirit of his one-man show, the comedian is [...]

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Tuned In+63 days ago

Dead Tree Alert: The Trump Primary

By James Poniewozik
Illustration by Mickey Duzyj for TIME

To the list of absolutely crucial wedge issues distinguishing the Republican primary candidates, this week added a new one: What is your position on Donald Trump? In my latest TIME column (subscription required), I look at the latest step in the reality-TV-ification of the Republican primary—Trump’s plan to moderate a GOP debate later this month—and [...]

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Tuned In+69 days ago

Celebrity Apprentice: Donald Trump to Moderate GOP Debate

By James Poniewozik
NBC

Sure, if they accept, they risk having America see them begging for the approval of a reality-TV host and birth-certificate-conspiracy pusher. But if they refuse, they risk having the base see them spurning the approval of their favorite reality-TV host and birth-certificate-conspiracy pusher.

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Tuned In+72 days ago

The Morning After: With New Sex Allegations, The Cain Trainwreck Adds Another Car

By James Poniewozik

I don’t yet know how history will remember the Herman Cain candidacy for President, but the pizza king /erstwhile GOP frontrunner has given us what I believe is a first in Presidential campaigning: the candidate went on a cable-news show yesterday evening and scooped his own accuser on a charge of a 13-year extramarital affair. [...]

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Tuned In+73 days ago

Hey, Twitter, the Governor Is Totally Gonna Tell the Principal on You

By James Poniewozik
Twitter

Earlier this year, Rep. Anthony Weiner showed us how an elected official can make himself look like an idiot over tweets that he sends to the electorate. Now Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has demonstrated how an elected official can make himself look like an idiot over tweets that the electorate sends about him. Last week, [...]

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Tuned In+79 days ago

Poll: Fox News Viewers Less Informed (Except About the Nutritional Value of Pepper Spray)

By James Poniewozik

So here’s a finding that may or may not surprise you: a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll of New Jersey residents found that Fox News viewers were less well-informed about current events than respondents who watched no news at all. Our public discourse being the predictable thing it is, this means it’s time to debunk the [...]

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Tuned In+86 days ago

The Morning After: The Good, the Sad and the Odd, in a Night of Big Interviews

By James Poniewozik

I had to save Gabby Giffords for last. Giffords gave her first TV interview on ABC Monday night, the same night that NBC’s Bob Costas talked former Penn State defensive co-ordinator Jerry Sandusky, for Rock Center with Brian Williams, on the charges of child rape against Sandusky. The interviews aired in the same time slot—one [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+86 days ago

NYC Un-Occupies Wall Street, Manages the Media

By James Poniewozik

The NYPD raid to clean up Zuccotti Park at one in the morning clearly also came with an effort to contain the media and reduce the risk of adverse coverage.