DougJ’s final, final (this time he really means it) souring on Politico reminds me that I forgot to post this gem about the culture of the newsroom there:
It was April Fools’ Day last year, and Politico’s top two editors sent an e-mail message to their staff advising of a new 5 a.m. start time for all reporters.
“These pre-sunrise hours are often the best time to reach top officials or their aides,” the editors wrote, adding that reporters should try to carve out personal time “if you need it,” in the midafternoon when Internet traffic slows down.
But rather than laugh, more than a few reporters stared at the e-mail message in a panicked state of disbelief.
“There were several people who didn’t think it was a joke. One girl actually cried […]”
And there’s this:
The top editors, who rise as early as 4:30 a.m., expect such volume and speed from their reporters because they believe Politico’s very existence depends, in large part, on how quickly it can tell readers something, anything they did not know.
The “anything” in that sentence that explains why VandeHei needs the Andrew Breitbarts of the world. Politico cannot tolerate a slow news day, and the only way to guarantee few of those is to pimp the output of bullshit artists. Let’s face it: the NAACP is only going to condemn real racists, and they do it on an irregular basis. Andrew Breitbart, Fox News and the rest can always be counted on to gin up a false controversy on a regular basis. So, it’s no accident that Breitbart posted the Sherrod story first thing on a Monday morning, and it’s no coincidence that Fox trotted out a story about “Big Mexican Women” helping Afghan soldiers go AWOL as soon as the Sherrod story started looking iffy.
VandeHei doesn’t care about the ideology, his business module just needs the consistency.
Face
I have no idea what this is about, but the mere fact that it isn’t an Onion headline tells us all we need to know about contemporary journalism.
MattF
Yeah, I stopped watching –um, I mean ‘reading’– Politico some months ago. Scratching that itch is satisfying for a moment– but when it starts drawing blood, you need to reconsider, and maybe go back to a more rational method.
NonyNony
So basically Politico’s business model is basically the same as the National Enquirer’s, except that NE only needs to make a weekly deadline while Politico has to dredge up muck constantly.
So that basically makes Politico the Gawker of political journalism, doesn’t it? Except with what I’ve seen over the last year I think Gawker might have the edge on journalistic standards and credibility.
The Tragically Flip
That prank is typical of right wing “comedy” in that it involves the powerful playing a joke on the powerless. Ha-ha, we can make you get up at 3:30am to be here for 5am – no wait, we’re not really doing that, just kidding! But we could, and that’s the joke!
Cruelty is the essence of all right wing comedy. If someone isn’t being hurt, it’s not funny to them.
arguingwithsignposts
There was a story a while back about how Politico is just link-baiting for Drudge hits and the like. I think there was a memo from the editors about it. Wish i could find the link.
Admiral_Komack
@Face:
Ay caramba!
Rick Massimo
I hadn’t thought of this, but you’re right about that – in the reality-based community. In Breitbart/Fox/Racist World, the fact that the NAACP continues to exist is a daily insult that must be redressed.
Yes and no. They trot out fake racist controversy every day. So they trot out fake racist controversies when it’s a convenient time, an inconvenient time and everything in between.
GregB
Well, it was nice to hear the CNN anchor state that Shirley Sharrod was “Breitbarted”.
He deserves to have the scumbag tactic of using false or edited video/audio to politically smear someone named after him.
Seems there’s dueling meanings at the Urban Dictionary already. The good guys have the first definition though.
NonyNony
@GregB:
Voted up.
And if CNN has verbed Breitbart’s name to mean “being a lying sack of shit” on camera, that’s even better. I hope more journalists pick that up.
Walker
I am convinced that the National Enquirer needs to be given access into the Washington Press Corps, and called on heavily. Compared to these other news outfits, they are a beacon of integrity.
scav
@Face: well, how about the ChiTrib finding the real victim in the Sherrod incident: Tom Vilsack:
To be fair, the trib is an old hand at this sort of stuff and this effort is actually almost a plague on both their houses piece (except that their stunned reaction to white-boss-publicly-apologizing-for-stupid-actions-done-on-his-watch making him candidate for fall guy status reveals their roots). Still, the elements of Winnie the Pooh that work their way in make it nicely surreal.
...now I try to be amused
I second Walker’s motion. The National Enquirer’s fact checking is most impressive. They investigate their sources, even giving them polygraph tests. Yow.
MattF
…and, by the way, is there any doubt that if Republicans take the House this fall, Politico will, every day, feature screaming headlines about Larry Summer’s doctor’s dog?
Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle
VandeHei doesn’t care about the ideology, his business module just needs the consistency.
I disagree. Remember, Drudgico was started by RWNJ money. Also, where were they on the David Vitter/hookers story? Or Larry Craig.
geg6
I quit reading Politico back before the 2008 election for this very reason. It was quite obvious to me that they didn’t care one whit about being responsible journalists or providing any sort of actual analysis of what American politics has devolved into, rather they were out to speed up that entire devolution by flogging any type of story that could be ginned up into any type of controversy that would lead to page hits. Any story and any controversy, no matter how false, defamatory, and damaging.
It’s the same reason I no longer ever click onto a WaPo link, despite my cougar-crush on Ezra. Or would never subscribe to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Or allow my channel surfing to ever stop on FOX News.
Snake oil peddlers, one and all. Only suckers fall for that shit.
demimondian
@NonyNony: “verbed” ? ! ? 1 1 / eleventy-one
I coined that term about thirty years ago in a paper I wrote while post-doccing. I never expected it to actually achieve usage. What have I done?
NonyNony
@demimondian:
I’m fairly certain that “verbed a noun” is in at least somewhat common usage among linguists. I’m almost positive that I picked up that usage from working with linguists at my university in the Linguistics Department and that it isn’t something I’ve randomly picked up from elsewhere.
MattF
OED cites use of the verb ‘verb’ from 1936:
1936 F. CLUNE Roaming round Darling vii. 62 The Poet accused me of verbing a noun, but I soon fixed him. I threatened to noun a verb. 1978 Verbatim Sept. 7/1 Take..the four names of the four seasons. Two have been verbed, and two have not. One summers, in Maine, and winters, perhaps, in Florida. 1984 Philos. of Sci. LI. 465 Practically any noun can be verbed in English.
kommrade reproductive vigor
Bet no one knows VandeHei likes to break into petting zoos with a gallon of Astroglide and a box of Trojans.
RUN THAT BABY ON PAGE ONE!
Nellcote
but, but wasn’t the Big Lesson Learned that the media needs to wait and investigate before publishing bullsh*t?
Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Alex
One good reason to read anything on Politico: Laura Rozen.
Gregory
@NonyNony:
Calvin and Hobbes used the term:
Anne Laurie
@Gregory:
I’ve seen Calvin saying that on a t-shirt… worn, of course, by a linguist.
JWL
I worked for a soda pop company that did mandate its sales force begin the workday at 5:30 AM. Never mind that 95% of the stores that sold soda didn’t open until (at least) 8 AM– they were expected to be at their desks two-and-a-half hours earlier. The experiment lasted a couple of months, and it was a riot. I worked a swing shift at the time, and our crew would have a good laugh each morning as we were punching out and the salesman came dragging in. Some of them had a long commute to begin with, and were forced to hit the deck no later than 4 AM and rush to work. They had always considered themselves the upper crust big shots of the company, and didn’t walk so much as swagger. But for those 8 weeks, they didn’t swagger so much as sleepwalk. It was great.