The Bar for Health Care Advertising Has Been Raised

Everything is Corrupt

AT&T, one of the biggest corporate sponsors of “American Idol,” might have influenced the outcome of this year’s competition by providing phones for free text-messaging services and lessons in casting blocks of votes at parties organized by fans of Kris Allen, the Arkansas singer who was the winner of the show last week... There appear to have been no similar efforts to provide free texting services to supporters of Adam Lambert, who finished as the runner-up to Mr. Allen.

The article goes on to say that the AT&T employees were invited by the fans to these gatherings. Bull. Shit. When you're having a viewing party, say, of the Super Bowl, do you call up the corporate offices of one of the advertisers and invite 'em on over for a product demo? Okay, yes if it's a beer brand, but a phone carrier? Puke. Unless they're giving me a free iPhone and including unlimited texting like TMobile, they are welcome nowhere near my living room.

PS when I grow up I want to be Simon Cowell.

Because What's More Political Than Sex?

Fascinating article on a new book about the fascinating Helen Gurley Brown, who I, until now, did not realize was fascinating because I'd deeply buried a disparaging comment from my mom (from at least 15 years ago) in my subconscious. While I can see why a mother would have wanted to keep her teenage daughter far from Cosmo, I must also ask you, dear reader, who wouldn't want HGB for - well, maybe not a mom, but at least that cool aunt that your mom is terrified to let you visit?

At her most radical, Brown was a subversive rather than a revolutionary; a sexual libertarian rather than a liberator; and an unapologetic partisan of free enterprise. (She once called Margaret Thatcher a “Cosmo Girl.”) “How could any woman not be a feminist?” she wondered, in 1985, in an interview on her twentieth anniversary at Cosmopolitan. “The girl I’m editing for wants to be known for herself. If that’s not a feminist message, I don’t know what is.”

I would also like to note that I happen to be wearing practically the same dress as the one in this photo.

The Actual NY Times Internal Memo on Pay Cuts

May 5, 2009

The New York Times Media Group

Dear Colleagues,

Now that those of you in The Guild have voted to accept the 5% reduction of
salaries for the remainder of the year, we wanted to take this opportunity
to thank everyone for their sacrifice. We know this is a very difficult
period, yet you have once again demonstrated your steadfast commitment to
The New York Times, to quality journalism and to the millions of readers in
this country and internationally who depend on what we have to say in our
newspaper and on NYTimes.com.

We had to take this step because of the unparalleled drop in advertising
revenues that we have suffered within the first quarter of 2009. As you
know, this is only one of a number of actions that we are taking to ensure
that we have sufficient resources to adhere to The New York Times's high
standards.

Getting this far required us to come together — news and business, print
and digital, management and union — to deal with the many challenges we
faced. We wish we could tell you when things will get better, but we
cannot. What we can say with confidence is that by supporting the larger
goals of our organization and each other, we will get through this period
and we will provide our audiences with the best news and information
available.

Sincerely,

Arthur, Scott, Bill, Martin and Andy

Guest Post: Bret on Why the NY Post Sucks and You Should Never Buy It or Any Other Murdoch Owned Media

Today's NY Post cartoon is absolutely terrible. How the Post's idiot-in-chief didn't kill this before it went print, I have no idea. I'm pretty sure the comic's intent was to show that the Obama / Stimulus plan was on par with the intelligence of a monkey, but how could he not have not figured people are uber sensitive to the black male / monkey stereotype & that people from all walks of life would be extremly offended by his bigoted depiction??

"It's also extemely offensive how it plays into the troubled relations between the police and minorities. What is it?..A year after Sean Bell, 6 months after they tazed mentally ill guy off a a building & here they are depicting the shooting death of a "monkey who wrote the stimulus bill?"

You bet the Posts office is being inundated w/ emails this AM.

Bad news bears.

See Bret's Blog As Long As You Don't Like It Better Than Mine

Iraq War Ends!

Yeah, that was my reaction too, when I saw this headline all over the New York Times on the subway platform this morning. The one day I don't listen to NPR before work and this is what I get?!

A closer look at a stranger's copy (sorry cute Indian guy, hope I didn't traumatize you) showed that the issue was "All the news we hope to print," post-dated July 4, 2009. Brill.

See the whole story here.