media
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A Blond Joke Behind The Podium In The White House Press Room
“She had to pause to sound out in her head how to pronounce ‘Venezuela,’” That’s not the joke… that actually happened. Today was another Romper Room moment in the Donald Trump White House. His new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, proved unable, in her first time behind the podium, to meet even the very low expectations… Continue reading
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Tom Tiffany’s Assault On Reporters From Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Strikes At The Public’s Right To Know
While Republican candidates across the nation are figuring out ways to distance themselves from Donald Trump, Wisconsin gubernatorial hopeful Tom Tiffany is angling to emulate him. Last week the newswires rang with headlines about the Tiffany campaign barring two Journal Sentinel reporters from entering a campaign event in Milwaukee, thereby escalating tensions between a public… Continue reading
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Donald Trump Embarrassed Our Nation On The World Stage, Free Press Reported It
Donald Trump’s bizarre and absurd behavior at the UN on Tuesday wasn’t just a gaffe, not just another mentally unstable moment, but rather a full‑blown showcase of how profoundly he misunderstands the basic mechanics of a free press. Confronted with a routine question from Kaitlan Collins, the kind presidents have fielded for decades without combusting,… Continue reading
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From Nixon’s Press Blacklist to Trump’s Media Bans, The Old Lessons Still Apply
On Friday, when I read that Donald Trump had banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from accessing the White House, I instantly thought of how President Richard Nixon ordered reporters from The Washington Post to be kept out of daily press briefings. I need not write that The Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl… Continue reading
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We Were All Girlfriends: Judy Markey, Much-Loved WGN Radio Personality, Dies At Age 82
In May of 2009, I wrote the following. Last week, on our way to Klein Flowers in Madison, the first thing we did when we got in the car was tune in to “Kathy and Judy” as we went shopping for flower plants. This week, on the way to my parents’ home 90 minutes north,… Continue reading
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Nancy Kassebaum Not Forgotten By Politicos And Readers Of Newspapers
Nancy Kassebaum died last Friday, and unless you’re one of the dwindling Americans who still read newspapers, you might have missed it. Television news, with its breathless devotion to storms with rain or planes that blew a tire, largely shrugged. A former U.S. senator with an amazing history passed away, and the national broadcast networks… Continue reading
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Remembering Elvis On August 16th
We pause on the anniversary of Elvis’ passing because his presence never really left us: the power of his music, the immensity of his stage command, and the quiet moral fiber that shaped him as a human being. All this still connects countless millions to the man. It is a comforting feeling, akin to anticipating… Continue reading
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A President’s Exit Should Never Leave the Press Behind; Trump Chose Wrong In Turkey
Donald Trump’s acknowledgment that he was secretly moved off Air Force One in a catering truck at a NATO summit in Turkey last month revealed far more about presidential responsibility than many at first blush might understand. There was a deeper problem that should trouble anyone who cares about journalism, presidential history, or the basic… Continue reading
