Absent Minded Ann

Cute blond girl Ann Coulter is apparently blaming liberal bias for her own unwillingness to show up in court. After repeated reminders were sent, she still didn't show up for the trial of those infamous pie throwers. Neither did the arresting cop and as a result, the prosecutor was forced to ask that the charges be dismissed, with the understanding they can be refiled. Despite her role in having the charges dropped (maybe she was out buying new shoes for her photoshoot), Ms. Coulter blames Pima County attorney Barbara LaWall.

Bicycle Accidents and The End Times

Eric Alterman comments on Bush's War on the Press in The Nation. With sections entitled Secrecy, Lies and Fake News I think you can guess that he's not pleased.

You Can't Yawn in Court

In Los Angeles, Superior Court Judge Craig Veals fined a potential juror who yawned loudly in court. After telling the Judge he was "bored", Judge Veals fined him $1000 and asked "Are you quite so bored now?" The fine was later reduced to $100, and the man paid the fine. He was not selected as a juror.

"The Romenesko Effect"

One of my very favorite online sites is Jim Romenesko's. I find the discourse intelligent and the topics important. It also gives me a better idea of how journalists see themselves. Today's Slate has an excellent article for those not familiar in Romenesko and the positive effect his site is having on the trade.

The Baddest Kid in the Sandbox

William Raspberry has an interesting column about his concerns regarding Fox News and its right wing agenda. It's not that they are preaching to their conservative base, which they clearly are, but that other news organizations might mimic FNC's style in order to grab some of the attention away from them. But what I find really interesting is that FNC's ratings aren't that great when compared to other outlets. Why then would others want to emulate a format which isn't as successful as what they already have?

Ventura: Journalists are Pedophiles

Former Gov. Jesse Ventura was speaking at St. Olaf College on April 4th when he pointed to the reporters in the front row and called them "pedophiles".

Why? Apparently because of the stories a couple of years ago about the drunken parties held at the Governors mansion, hosted by Jesse's son Tyrel, who was 22 years old at the time.

This latest outburst has caused Kate Parry some concern, not only because of the wholly offensive and over-the-top rhetoric from the ex-gov, but because it highlights a recent trend of bashing journalists who report stories regarding questionable ethics and possible abuse of power.