Pittsburgh Media Scoops and Gossip
Welcome, newsroom pros and moles. Here's the spot for all the latest dish and debate on what's happening in Pittsburgh media. This is a forum to talk about issues affecting the Pittsburgh media scene.
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- Sloppy Trib reporting-Murtha obit -- North Forker, 21:33:38 02/08/10 Mon [1]
Wereschagin's Jack Murtha obit.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleynewsdispatch/s_666224.html
Where's the problem? Well it seems Mikey thinks the Armistice for the Korean War was signed in May of 1953 when in fact it happened on July 27 of that year. Must have been too much trouble to check that little detail, or for the copy desk to bother checking. Might have taken 30 seconds.
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- More "Whispers" hijinks -- Mustard King, 20:41:36 02/04/10 Thu [1]
Anyone who thought "Whispers" would ease up on Teresa Heinz Kerry because of her health issues was misguided. Sunday's "Whispers" included a reference to her as the "pickle heiress."
The jesters know no decency.
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- Scaife's second favorite subject: Seton Hill U. -- Town/Gown, 23:04:37 01/31/10 Sun [1]
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_665040.html
Note both SHU Pres. Boyle and Scaife sit on the board of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.
http://www.worldaffairspittsburgh.org/about.jsp?pageId=0690200091781080246608031
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- Governor's Forum in Pittsburgh -- Suburban Republican, 08:25:13 02/01/10 Mon [1]
PG front page Monday, big picture and story about four Democratic candidates for governor debating in Squirrel Hill. All TV stations there. Philly Inquirer and PCN covered it too.
Trib? Nada. No story. If it happened in the city and involved Democrats only, it didn't happen in Scaifeworld.
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- Starkey is leaving the Trib -- Rick, 14:47:58 01/29/10 Fri [1]
Joe Starkey, who has been screwed over endlessly by the boneheaded leadership of the Trib, has turned in his notice. He's joining the new FM sports talk station. This is a major kick in the ass for the Trib. Kevin Gorman and Rob Rossi are the only members of their sports staff who have a clue. They don't compete on the Steelers and Pirates beats, and John Harris' columns are a snooze.
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- Sunday Trib! Starring--Dick Scaife's Favorite Dem!! -- North Fork, 13:25:33 01/31/10 Sun [1]
Today's Murtha front-pager: strictly written for Scaife.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_664943.html
He and Uncle Jack are old buddies from way back. They're the same age and Jack takes Dick more seriously than most other Democrats (save Hillary Clinton). Notice, not a word about Murtha's verbal gaffes or other questionable areas. It's another example of Dick, still yearning to be seen as credible (given the millions he fritters away) using the news side of his hobby operation, a side that should be immune to such things, to promote friends the same way he uses it to bash Teresa Heinz Kerry and of course Specter, who he dislikes as intensely and obsessively.
Perhaps the Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs" should send host Mike Rowe to Pittsburgh to spend some time as a Trib reporter. That's at least as disgusting a job as scraping up roadkill. If it happened, it'd be fun to watch Mike talk to Cuddy!
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- Why I hate the Tribune's attitude -- Steve, 22:36:11 01/27/10 Wed [1]
In Sunday's papers, the P-G had a detailed article about how the sisters from Ben Avon brought the orphans from Haiti to Pittsburgh. It was a solid piece of work that also included good detail on how it turned into a political battle between Jason Altmire and Mary Beth Buchanan, who may run against each other in the Congressional race.
The P-G story detailed Ed Rendell's involvement and how he was calling in favors to get some things done. If you read the story, you know that some major strings had to be pulled to make it all work.
Sunday's Trib included a "Whispers" item about Rendell's presence on the trip, reporting Anderson Cooper's questioning of why Rendell was there. They concluded with a pissy line about how Rendell never met a TV camera he didn't like.
Ha ha. I can just hear the old man chuckling at the breakfast table over that one.
But the P-G, which actually WORKED the damn story, had some information about what he contributed to the effort. Of course, that's not as hilarious as the Trib's line.
To the anonymous person who writes "Whispers:" Go look in the mirror. Is it really worth whoring yourself out like that for a non-union Trib pay check? Do you also send the old man links to funny youtube videos to keep him laughing?
The Trib: We diss our enemies first, cover the news later.
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- Where is Mike Seate? -- Gary, 04:58:07 01/27/10 Wed [1]
Where is Mike Seate? His Trib column has been missing and they're no longer bothering to post those little "He's away from his desk" notices. What's up?
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- That's a Load -- Tennessee Ernie Toyota, 19:09:57 01/28/10 Thu [1]
From the PG website. It was up for a day.
Medical team from Pittsburgh arrives in Haiti
The flight touched down last night with 79 helping hands and 30,000 tons
of medical supplies.
Read more: http://postgazette.com/#ixzz0ddnQv7AH
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- Who Is Taking The Trib's Offer? -- The Seeker, 16:01:44 01/22/09 Thu [87]
So who is leaving the Trib under the buy out? Anyone of importance?
I've there are some major editors and high ranking middle management thinking it through.
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- Question about a line in Sam's column -- Future-ama, 18:51:19 11/13/08 Thu [2]
Did anyone else notice the line in the P-G's Sammantha column that said "Guess you'll miss us when we're online-only" when referencing newspapers.
Was she talking about the P-G? Or just the future of newspapers in general?
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- P-G AWOL editorial page -- Fat, Lazy & Sloth-like, 16:39:59 04/05/09 Sun [22]
Holy Toledo, the Pittsburg Post-Gazette editorial page was so TOTALLY AWOL on today's editorial page about the police shooting, its not funny.
NO EDITORIAL.
EXCUSE the first: The section printed five weeks ago.
Uhm, what about the WEB?
How could the so regulary shot-at Tribune-Review have a FULL editorial in its Sunday opinion section (not to mention at full Web editorial BEFORE 6 p.m. Saturday) and the PG Web site/print edition had... N-0-T-H-I-N-G.
Asleep at the switch. Comatose. Fat. Lazy. Arrogant.
How sad.
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- Slain officers coverage -- Media mogul, 19:37:02 04/09/09 Thu [11]
In what has been the biggest story since an FBI agent was killed late last year, the Trib's coverage is blowing away the PG.
Although it may be overkill, they've been devoting much more ink to this tragic incident - from exclusive stories about Poplawski to ongoing coverage in the Trib pm.
There's no doubt the PG won a battle or two, especially the story Tuesday regarding the 911 dispatcher, but I think the Trib won this war.
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- PG + KD = (snore) -- Kahn Crete Block, 14:26:56 04/07/09 Tue [20]
Does KDKA need comic relief from their long form afternoon newscast so badly that they feel compelled to regale us with the nerdy meanderings of PG Associate Editor John Allison? News partnership or not, listening to the guy prattle on like an aging English professor is about as stimulating as a glass of warm milk (or a couple Ambien).
Do KD and the PG actually think this yawnfest encourages people to buy their fading, shrinking, overpriced paper? Maybe Allison is another one of its drawbacks. At least Ginny Kopas Joe, sitting behind John, was getting some work done.
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- Is it any wonder? -- Dili Gent, 19:44:37 04/02/09 Thu [19]
So, the 10 year anniversary has passed of the death of a man, who was critical of Dick Scaife, whose body was found 60 feet from Scaife's downtown office. This is the 2nd suspicious death of someone who's activities would be motive enough for their common adversary.
And I see nothing in our local media in spite of the diligence of a certain similarly pseudonymed author. Furthermore, there are no curious responses to that Dili Gent's previous recent post concerning this subject.
Please feel free to correct any spelling mistakes that I may have made while you ponder why your papers are going down the tubes.
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- Bob Hertzel -- Bob Middleman, 07:08:54 04/09/09 Thu [1]
It was great to see an article by Bob Hertzel in The Beaver County Times on Tuesday. Welcome back Bob.
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- Bennett Mulls Mullets, makes no sense. As usual. -- Coach Buzzcut, 04:51:40 04/09/09 Thu [1]
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09099/961353-151.stm?cmpid=bcpanel1
Dang, ain't Mon Valley Hospital so lucky to now have her on their PR team to write newsletters and annual reports?
Since the PG still has her in their pages, I'd say they got the short end of the deal.
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- Trib designers (all around) -- Smutty Nose, 16:13:25 04/02/09 Thu [8]
Now, I know the papers designers are far from talented, but, have you seen some of the garbage that has been done by their marketing designers on the magazines?
Had a look at the recent "Care Giver" publication and I have no words for the horrendous nature of it's page and cover design. Do they truly expect this magazine to survive? Most of the photos are hacked up and faded around the edges, the cover image has a wonderful drop shadow added to it, and the type face is ridiculous. My 9th grade daughter could do a better job than this.
Does the Trib Total Media empire want to be taken seriously? If they do, this is not the way to do it.
Whom ever is in charge of these publications needs to be let go if they expect to survive.
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- Rob Owen. Embarrassment -- Me Dia, 16:32:40 04/04/09 Sat [5]
As a fellow member of the media, I am totally embarrassed by Rob Owen's lack of sympathy and compassion today.
Look at this blog entry. Three of the finest men in Pittsburgh are dead, killed by a man with an AK-47, and Rob feels the need to write this, telling us he was at the gym when he first saw the coverage and going on to critique the local news.
There is a time and place, Rob.
Now was not either.
http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/tunedin/archive/2009/04/04/officers-shot-in-stanton-heights.aspx
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- Scaife -Kangas Death Anniversary -- Dili Gent, 01:03:05 03/31/09 Tue [15]
It's been 10 years since the anniversary of Steve Kangas's death, perhaps suicide, perhaps homocide. Kangas ran a liberal website, critical of conservatives, including Dick Scaife. Interesting man and story.
Just throwing this out there since I don't recall many follow ups except for a post on this site from 2005:
http://www.seeingtheforest.com/archives/2005/11/steve_kangas_st_1.htm Perhaps an enterprising soul may be interested in having their paper do a follow up.
Kangas's body was found, sitting slumped on a toilet with a gunshot wound to the head, on the 39th floor, 60 ft. from the door of the Pittsburgh offices of none other than Dick Scaife. No above ambient gun powder residue was found on his hands. Deputy Police Chief Charles Moffett said the suicide/homocide was "under investigation in the homicide section," at the time.
"This isn't the first time Scaife has been linked to a strange suicide: in 1973 former mentor and close friend Pittsburgh District Attorney Robert Duggan, under Federal investigation for Mob payoffs, was found shot to death with a shotgun bearing no fingerprints." He "shot himself on his hidden farm property on the day the grand jury returned the indictment for corruption." "Scaife had cut all ties with Duggan, who had married Scaife's sister Cordelia shortly before his death." -Chris Potter, Managin Editor, of the Pittsburgh City Paper, 1999
Really interesting story by PG's John Craig on Sunday, March 28, 1999 with the sub-head:
Dick Scaife couldn't keep his probe of Kangas a secret
http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/19990328edcraig4.asp
Interesting also is a summary of Scaife's scandals on Kangas's website from -well, from 1999 or prior to 1999. Interesting that it is still online.
Head lined with -Myth: There’s no "vast right wing conspiracy" to get Clinton.
Fact: Richard Mellon Scaife and the Republican Establishment have poured millions into the effort.
(some excepts)
In 1997, Scaife donated $550,000 to Judicial Watch, whose director, Larry Klayman, has filed 18 lawsuits against the Clinton Administration. (10)
Scaife also assigned one of his newspaper’s reporters, Christopher Ruddy, to a full-time, ongoing investigation into the deaths of Vince Foster and Ron Brown, trying to find evidence that the Clintons murdered them.
Scaife also gave $2.4 million to American Spectator magazine. This money went to create the "Arkansas Project," a massive investigation trying to dig up dirt on Clinton’s past. The Arkansas Project gained notoriety when it was revealed that David Hale, the only Whitewater witness who claimed personal knowledge of Clinton’s wrong-doing, had been paid at least $5,000 by Parker Dozhier, one of operatives of the Arkansas Project. Parker’s girlfriend and her 17-year old son both claim they saw Parker give Scaife-money to Hale on numerous occasions. When reporters confronted Parker, he warned that the 17-year old son "was destined to become a chalk outline somewhere." Alarmed by such threats and prospects of witness tampering, the Justice Department has ordered an investigation, the results of which are yet to be revealed.
Scaife has also given $450,000 over three years to the Independent Women’s Forum. (13) This is a media-booking agency that heavily seeds female conservative pundits into the media. (This is an attempt to reduce the "gender gap" that Democrats enjoy in the polls.) The IWF has given generous public support to Paula Jones in her lawsuit. In fact, one IWF pundit, Ann Coulter, heard at least one of the Linda Tripp tapes before it even reached Ken Starr. This proved that she was deeply involved with the Paula Jones’ camp (who received the tapes first), even though she was pretending to be an objective commentator on the scandal in the media.
But perhaps most alarming is Scaife’s ties to independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr. Starr’s conflicts of interest are almost too numerous to mention. Early on, Starr had been given an open-ended job offer as the dean of Pepperdine University’s Schools of Law and Public Policy. At first, Starr planned to accept the job after finishing his investigation. But it turns out this school is a heavy recipient of Scaife money, and the resulting media scandal finally convinced Starr to refuse the job. But the appearance of Scaife attempting to pay off Starr for getting Clinton lingers.
There are many other connections between the two men. Between 1988 and 1996, Scaife gave $3 million to the conservative Washington Legal Foundation, where Starr sits on the board. Scaife also gave $920,000 to the Federalist Society, a conservative legal organization where Starr is a member. Scaife donated $650,000 to the Landmark Legal Foundation between 1992 and 1996; Starr has done work for this organization, which has helped Paula Jones in her lawsuit. (15) Starr also prepared a legal brief for the Paula Jones lawsuit on behalf of the Independent Women’s Forum, which is substantially funded by Scaife.
Scaife’s personality profile is similarly interesting.
Pat Minarcin knows Scaife well, after serving as one of his magazine editors. "He [Scaife] has the emotional maturity of a very angry 12-year-old, and he has all this money and he can do whatever he wants with it," says Minarcin. While the magazine was operating, "[Scaife] presented a list of people who he wanted the magazine to attack, a kind of enemies list." Minarcin eventually resigned.
(Kiddies -still want to argue that the Trib is non-biased with no direct control of content by Scaife?)
It’s also well-known that Scaife is obsessed with proving that Vince Foster’s suicide was actually a murder. He goes so far as to call his death "the Rosetta Stone of the Clinton administration." But why? Scaife’s history is revealing. In the 1960s, he financially supported Robert Duggan as a candidate for district attorney. The two men angrily parted company after Duggan came under investigation for corruption. To make matters worse, Duggan then eloped with Scaife’s sister, Cordelia. A few months later, Duggan was found dead, apparently by suicide. But the shotgun used was found several feet away from Duggan’s body, and it had no fingerprints.
Another interesting site:
http://www.spiritone.com/~gdy52150/steve.htm
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