SUV-hater Huffington: "Activism is an extension of journalism" (LAT/r.r.)
Pelton: We ate up to five times a day while kidnapped
NationalGeographic.com
Robert Young Pelton, who was kidnapped by a Colombian paramilitary group on
Jan. 14 while on assignment for National Geographic Adventure, says he and
his two companions were passed from group to group, and being moved further
and further into the jungle during the ten-day ordeal. "But they did seem
to be very concerned with feeding us," he says. "They fed us up to five
times a day. They weren't beating us, they never mistreated us or insulted
us or threatened us. It was a very strange experience." PELTON ON DANGER:
"I tempt fate by going to the grocery store. The reality is that there's no
safe activity."
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45
Daniel Ellsberg says reporters on the war beat aren't getting enough real
unauthorized disclosures. "What we call leaks, nine times out of 10, are
authorized, within the practice of 'information management' in the
government," he tells Greg Mitchell. "When Rumsfeld complains about leaks,
he means only the ones he did not authorize."
Activist" Huffington booted off Oregonian's op-ed page
Oregonian
Oregonian associate editor Doug Bates says Arianna Huffington's columns
remain "snappy and readable," but she's "dragged herself across the line
from being a commentator to being an activist" with her anti-SUV campaign.
Huffington disagrees, telling ombud Dan Hortsch: "It is a movement to raise
awareness. I have never contributed to political candidates or campaigns.
To me, that is the line." Still, Bates is pulling Huffington and adding
David Ignatius to his line-up. (Read what Star-Telegram columnist Dave
Lieber says about Huffington's campaign.) More ombud columns:
"Fat lady has sung, and she looks like Ashcroft"
MediaNews Memos
New Times executive editor Mike Lacey tells his employees in a memo that
the alternative weekly chain "successfully settled" the anti-trust probe
brought by federal and state prosecutors, and "as a result, the drone bees
are no longer in our eyes." He continues: "Here is what our lawyer
negotiated: All the various government prosecutors get to file complaints
accusing us of everything up to and including serial killings. This makes
them feel terrific. But New Times signs a consent decree with no admission
of guilt or wrongdoing." (Read today's postings on the settlement.)
The Bakersfield Californian's 17,321-word "The Lords of Bakersfield" series
looks at a legend that had only been whispered about in the community for
decades, reports Gayle Pollard-Terry. For more than a generation,
Bakersfield was run by men -- judges, politicians, and even the
Californian's publisher -- who were part of a loose-knit, secretive
network. "Some were homosexuals who preyed upon young men and boys, then
used their positions of power and influence to protect one another from
possible ramifications," write the authors. Robert Price, a reporter who
worked on "Lords," says: "This is a murder mystery. This is an R-rated
blockbuster."
Tina Brown says she plans to lead discussions with small groups of guests
on a series of CNBC prime-time specials called "Topic A with Tina Brown,"
beginning March 20. "It is a modest beginning in television," writes Jim
Rutenberg. "But the CNBC specials are another step along the way in Ms.
Brown's slow public re-emergence." Brown says she chose CNBC because its
upscale viewers are the kind who read Talk, New Yorker, and Vanity Fair.
Reading a few new yorkers from last dec recently I think the 'A' might
stand for anarchy.
