Fox News slips up on video again, while Daily Show welcomes Lou Dobbs and explains Palin-hatin'

The Sarah Palin book tour continues to be the gift that keeps on giving for media watchers.

First, Fox News had to apologize today for telling viewers Wednesday that video from a campaign appearance by Palin last year before adoring throngs was footage from a recent book tour stop.

The flub highlights the ongoing controversy over whether outspoken conservatives such as Palin are widely popular or appeal to an excited niche. And its the second time in as many weeks that Fox had to apologize for leading viewers to believe old footage was new.

It also highlights something I said Sunday on CNN. The problem with having opinionated news networks isn't necessarily showcasing opinion, it's the lack of transparency and accuracy when programmers are actively and deliberately bending reality to fit their preconceived ideas.

I actually think this was an honest mistake -- mostly because Palin is drawing crowds at her book signings, so deception wasn't necessary (in fact, as I write this, MSNBC is broadcasting from a crowded Palin book signing). But when you've had your finger on the scale in the past, it's hard to argue innocence in the future.

The Daily Show also had several great segments Wednesday; particularly a bit where host Jon Stewart explains that critics object to Palin because her positions on issues are mostly conservative-friendly code words and phrases strung together in rambling sentences which sometimes don't even make sense. 

Later, he complimented former CNN host Lou Dobbs for his consistency in upholding abhorrent and wrong views.

Check some of the video below:

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Lou Dobbs' CNN departure brings media bias argument to the forefront

Ever try to get a word in edgewise when two siblings are fighting?

Then you know how I felt on Sunday morning, trying to get in-between Baltimore Sun TV critic David Zurawick and CNN staffer-turned-conservative talk radio guy Chris Plante on Howard Kurtz media show for CNN, Reliable Sources.

The subject at hand: The reasons behind and meaning of "advocacy journalist" Lou Dobbs' resignation from CNN last Wednesday. Plante brought the conservative media party line -- that Dobbs was undone by a liberal media and liberal activists who couldn't abide his conservative stands on illegal immigration.

(If the New York Post is right, and Dobbs got $8-million from his $12-million deal to walk away, I wish the liberal media would conspire against me like that. No wonder he says the split was "amicable.")

Zurawick brought the appropriate response -- are you crazy? -- and proceeded to pronounce Dobbs a "disaster" for CNN's long-established brand as a hard news haven.

I was stuck in the middle, trying to have a reasoned discussion between two guys yelling at each other and interrupting everyone (I'm a huge fan and friend of David Z., by the way, but when he goes on cable TV, this mild-mannered journalist turns into a tiger).

I was struck by a bunch of things during this bit of TV theater:

  -- It's always odd to discuss media stories involving CNN on a CNN media show. I kept wondering why Kurtz didn't have CNN/U.S. president Jon Klein or some other CNN executive on to tell us directly what was going on with Dobbs. And how weird was it to ask me about Dobbs successor, John King, who just happened to be anchoring the show which surrounded Reliable Sources, State of the Union?

-- Plante conveniently overlooked the most important issue at hand; Dobbs consistently aired false or misleading information to buttress his point of view, which just happened to be that hordes of illegal immigrants from Mexico are bringing untold ills to America. Such work is shoddy journalism at best and racist at worst; if you're going to call yourself an advocacy journalist, you've got live up to both sides of the term.

-- In a media world where consumers have more choice than ever, cable channels' move toward creating "news" channels which bend and manufacture facts to echo their viewers' worldview only makes sense, at least economically. But that is directly contrary to the role of journalists, whose job often requires digging up stories which challenge conventional wisdom and the assumptions of the audience. Journalists are also required to follow the facts wherever they lead, even if the resulting story doesn't fit a preconceived mold.

-- Conservatives have essentially challenged many of the notions journalists use to define news, insisting that they betray a liberal bias. But replacing those criteria with ideas that bend toward conservatives' biases -- America is always a great nation, government is usually bad, etc. -- doesn't produce better journalism. It just produces reports which affirm what the audience wants to believe. And we have seen in our economic meltdown and how federal disaster response fell apart after Katrina, how objective facts have a way of obliterating how we'd like to see life.

-- In a telling interview replayed on NPR's On The Media, Dobbs justified his approach by essentially saying he was experienced and accomplished enough that he deserved to have a level of autonomy on CNN that no other anchor had. But even the best writers need editors, and any justification which says 'I'm great, so by definition anything I do is great,' is mostly a recipe for problems.

I wrote a story for Sunday's newspaper on the implications of Dobbs' departure, particularly how it reflects on the growing confluence between politics and media.

Dobbs will appear on Fox News Channel host Bill O'Reilly's top-rated show The O'Reilly Factor tonight; it will be interesting to see what these two, very smart guys, who have built empires on pandering to ideologues, have to say to each other. 

Check the video of my Sunday appearance below:

Should CNN replace abruptly departing Lou Dobbs with Rick Sanchez?

As Latino groups began to step up their protests against CNN "advocacy anchor" Lou Dobbs, the one time business expert and last remaining anchor from the newschannel's earliest days abruptly announced he was leaving the channel, effective today.

In a long statement, Dobbs told his audience about the move during his 7 p.m. show, saying "some leaders in media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond my role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem-solving, as well as to contribute positively to a better understanding of the great issues of our day.  And to continue to do so in the most honest and direct language possible."

This was not the first time Dobbs had left CNN; an anchor at the newschannel since its 1980 inception, he departed for two years in 1999 to join the Web site Space.com. (Citing unnamed sources, the Web site AllYourTV.com says Dobbs is considering a run for political office, perhaps president)

Dobbs has faced criticism from various groups over statements expressed on his CNN show and his radio show, from suggestions that the issue of President Obama's birth in the U.S. may be an open question to his refusal to correct mistaken reporting about illegal immigrants spreading leprosy in America.

Dobbs turned resistance to illegal immigration into a cornerstone of his programs, drawing heated criticism from Latino groups which accused him of demonizing Hispanics and spreading misinformation about the negative impacts of illegal immigrants.

(I experienced his wrath firsthand a few years ago, when I had to end a 2006 interview after he questioned my intelligence and abilities three different times; the situation was so combative, a CNN public relations staffer called me back after the interview ended to apologize)

A group called BastaDobbs.com -- which says it is a Latino-led grassroots coalition of several organizations urging CNN to fire Dobbs -- released a statement earlier today announcing a digital "sit-in" on the newschannel's iReport service. In this protest, members would send thousands of anti-Dobbs personal messages into CNN's Web site devoted to citizen journalism. The group had also protested during CNN's launch of its Latino in America series, arguing that the newschannel could not be fair to Latinos if it kept Dobbs on its payroll.

None of this was mentioned directly in statements released by Dobbs and CNN tonight. And despite the anchor's talk of moving on, no specific reason was given for the anchors abrupt departure -- announced without fanfare or a successor named (The New York Times quotes a spokesperson from Fox saying it has not had discussions with Dobbs for the Fox News Channel nor Fox Business Network).

Given the damage Dobbs punditry has done to its brand with Latinos, perhaps CNN will consider replacing him with Rick Sanchez, the former Miami anchor who has turned their 3 p.m. hour into a showcase for his Twitter-fed reporting and occasional opinionating, often on issues affecting Hispanics.

It would certainly be a delicious irony. And there's not nearly enough of that in the media game these days.

Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch agrees with star Glenn Beck; says President Obama made racist statement

What a difference an election can make.

In May 2008, News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch sang Barack Obama's praises, calling him "a rock star" and the likely winner of November's presidential contest. That was an endorsement which meant something, given Murdoch's reputation as a supporter of conservative politics and bankroller of both the right-friendly Fox News Channel and New York Post newspaper.

Back then, punditizers like me figured Murdoch had read the tea leaves, expected Obama to win, and wanted to make sure the new administration didn't immediately take on his lengthy list of American TV stations and media outlets.

So what to make of Murdoch's recent statement agreeing with Fox News superstar Glenn Beck when he calls the president a "racist....with a deep seated hatred of white people and white culture."

(UPDATE: A spokesman for News Corp. has told Politico Murdoch does not think the President is racist.)

Murdoch made the statement in an interview with an Australian broadcaster -- which he, by the way, owns a piece of -- where he also talks about charging consumers for online content -- also an about-face for a mogul who initially tried to take down the Wall Street Journal's pay wall after he bought the company.

Slate's most-excellent media columnist Jack Shafer points out that Uncle Rupert has a long history of lying in public statements when it serves his interests, and the only thing you can really trust, is his actions.

So I'm expecting him to walk back these comments the next time he needs some kind of government exemption to keep his TV empire intact here in America.

Check out his words here; comment comes at about 18 minutes:

George Lopez brings a glitzy street party to late night talk on TBS

If Wanda Sykes' new show was a funky, televised sit-down with a few friends, comic George Lopez went the other direction for his late night talk show -- bringing a giant-sized, raucous street party on a stage outfitted like a neon-trimmed boulevard, backed by some of the biggest names in show business.

Promising to bring change to late night, Lopez offered a debut show Monday filled with energy and gentle jokes about race and culture (one segment asked audience members to guess if people off the street fit certain stereotypes, including asking if an Asian man was, um, well endowed).

It was a bit of a change -- the only white performer to appear on Monday's show was comic Ellen DeGeneres, who made a surprise appearance in pajamas and slippers to greet the crowd -- with jello shots.

Months before the show's debut, Lopez cited long-gone talk host Arsenio Hall as his inspiration. Looking at Monday's show, you could see the influence -- as Lopez took Hall's vision of a funky good time and blew it up to enormous proportions, filling his studio with hundreds of guests who seemed to remain standing for most of the show.

Lopez's monologue felt like a snippet pulled straight from his standup act, with references to his tough mother and love life. A joke about shirtless rapper 50 Cent's new cologne was the most topical reference, with the comic cracking: "I hear it smells like illegitimate children and gunpowder."

Otherwise, Lopez offered a standard, if entertaining hour, with sit-down interviews featuring longtime showbiz buddies such as Eva Longoria Parker (he pulled out a stripper pole for her to strut on, referencing a bet they made when she appeared on one of his test shows) and Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant. But the chats weren't about much, beyond all the cool events Parker and Lopez visit together and how cool Bryant was for even deigning to stop by.

The evening's standout may have been a performance by rock guitar legend Carlos Santana, who offered blistering versions of Oye Como Va and Marvin Gaye's The World is Rated X,  backed by Lopez's band, which features several members from Michael Jackson's backup band in the film This Is It. 

It's a formula nearly old as TV itself, tweaked to serve Lopez's animated, multicultural style.

But if a successful talk show is a relentless marathon, this was a good first step, serving notice that a new voice had come to late night -- even if he was just reiterating what's been said before with a different flair.

Check my words of wisdom on the issue, tapped by National Public Radio:

Wanda Sykes debut shows possibilities and pitfalls in new late night scene

This may not sound like high praise. But comic Wanda Sykes' debut Saturday of her new late night talk show on Fox was distinguished mostly by the fact that it didn't suck out loud.

If you've watched any other new talk show debut -- Jay Leno's new 10 p.m. show and Jimmy Fallon's new 12:30 a.m. show this year come to mind -- you know that's a bigger feat than it might seem. Successful talk shows most often are a painful, public trial and error exercise; a slow march from mediocrity to something more, as the performer and the format evolve over time to their fullest potential.

Debuting Saturday with a pre-taped piece making fun of conservative pundit Ann Coulter's ridiculously long eyelashes, the show's first 10 minutes offered a machine gun-quick sample of the show's strongest assets; Sykes' taste for amusing taped bits (later, she would try to recycle her used sex toys), an explicit-yet-somehow not seedy sense of humor and an unerring standup comedy style which saved a lot of borderline moments.

Noting that Obama didn't start illegal wars or torture detainees in a secret prison, Sykes promised to be the "first person on Fox not to pick on President Obama," comparing people who accuse the president of doing too much to bosses on a union job.

Later, after showing a montage of pundits downplaying the Dow Jones average crossing 10,000 points, she told them exactly what to kiss, cementing her status as the self-appointed "tell people where to go and what to kiss czar" for the Obama White House.

What worked: Sykes's monologue, the pre-taped bits -- which end when the joke is made, unlike Leno's -- Sykes' own comfort onstage and ability to segue between a blizzard of segments.

What didn't work: Sidekick Keith Robinson, who I have seen open for Sykes on tour and know is a really funny standup comic, could not find his voice, mostly looking like a lame safety net; the panel discussions with Sykes' friends at the "Wandabar," which were centered on trite topics and didn't give participants (Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan, Brothers star Darryl Mitchell and 24 co-star Mary-Lynn Rajskub) room to be funny; handing drinks to panelists, because you always think things are funnier than they are when you're tipsy -- unless the TV audience gets drinks too, it's rarely a good idea.

But Sykes made a powerful, interesting start, even getting New Adventures of Old Christine co-star Julia Louis Dreyfus to show for a quick scene. Now the challenge is to keep the party going every week, getting better enough that this debut looks like a pit stop on the way to a classic late night series.

Check it for yourself below:

Why are so many more people watching pro football this year?

I teamed up with feature writer Michael Kruse last week to take a look at one interesting component in the National Football League's significant jump in ratings this season: A rise in Hispanic viewers.

But there's also been a jump in overall viewers. And when you ask the folks whose job involves telecasting the games about football’s recent popularity, they use the same line:

Sports is the ultimate reality TV show.

“It’s the ultimate appointment viewing,” said Leah LaPlaca, vice president of programming for ESPN, where viewership for the cable sportschannel’s first six Monday Night Football games were up between 18 and 22 percent from 2008 in every major male demographic category and every major age category. “People want to be part of the shared experienced. It’s DVR-proof.”

In other words, at a time when people are using digital video records to save their favorite CSI episode or Mad Men installment, football games and sporting events are the last programs many viewers insist on seeing live, as it happens.

 Doesn’t hurt that the sport has seen some of its most compelling moments in a long while. Brett Favre leading the Minnesota Vikings to victory over his former Green Bay Packers scored the most-watched show in cable TV history.

Michael Vick’s return to play after his dog fighting scandal. The Dallas Cowboys’ debut in a glittering new $1.2-billion stadium. The hapless struggle of perpetually losing teams such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Washington Redskins.

Even when Monday Night Football aired against Game Four of baseball’s National League Championship Series on TBS Oct. 19, the Denver Broncos vs San Diego Chargers pigskin matchup drew more than twice the ratings.

The NFL’s popularity has also led to big ratings locally. At Tampa NBC affiliate WFLA-Ch. 8, ratings for viewers aged 25 to 54 – a group advertisers covet – is up 7 percent from 2008 for the first five Sunday NFL games. Ratings for adults aged 18 to 49 and total viewers are both up by 11 percent.

Jennifer Yarter, WFLA’s research director, blames the current recession. “In this recessionary age where people do not have discretionary income to attend many live sporting events, people will turn to their comfortable favorites – events like televised pro football games,” wrote Yarter in an email to the St. Petersburg Times. “Families can gather around the television, have a good time, and need not spend a dime.”

Ironically, Yarter also cites the poor play by the hometown Buccaneers as a possible boost to ratings for other teams’ games. When they play badly, she theorized, Tampa Bay area fans who hail from elsewhere – which is a great many – wind up rooting for teams from their previous hometowns.

Not so fast, say executives at WTVT-Ch. 13, where the Fox affiliate airs Buccaneers home games. They said the season’s first six games have attracted an average 41 percent of adults age 25 to 54 watching TV, just a 1-percent drop from the year before.

And while that isn’t the double-digit increases WFLA may be seeing from its network broadcasts, it isn’t much of a decline for a team experiencing the worst start in recent franchise history.

“In our world of high tech measurement, anything plus or minus 10 percent could be affected by prior year weather, the times of the games or the matchups,” said Bill Schnieder, general manager at WTVT. “From our perspective, we’re looking at 41 percent of the audience engaged. And we appreciate that level of audience.”

Deggans talks Balloon Boy on NPR and Fox 13 while digging the best Tracy Morgan interview ever

This is how ironic modern media has become: I'm appearing on two broadcast shows this week to talk about whether the media is too obsessed with Falcon "Balloon Boy" Heene.

On Wednesday, I appeared on the Philadelphia public radio station WHYY's talk show Radio Times with an old pal, Syracuse University professor Robert Thompson (to hear it, click here). We basically talked about what I have already written many times in this space and in the newspaper: That the structure of a media focused on immediate reporting, a fractured, easily distracted audience and stories which resonate across many cultural hot buttons, makes itself vulnerable to the type of hoax allegedly perpetuated by the Heenes'

I also noted how Colorado police's admission that they lied to the press in order to gain the Heenes' trust seemed significant. if you work in Colorado media, how are you supposed to trust anything those knuckleheads tell you in the future?

I expect to cover a lot of the same ground Friday on WTVT's "Your Turn" noontime talk segment. Host Kathy Fountain enjoyed my Wednesday story on the subject and wants to take a closer look at it all. If  you want to see me say the stuff I've been writing on this blog for the past week, please tune in at 12:35 p.m. Friday.

I also want to pass along the coolest, craziest interview I've heard in a long time:

He may be crazier than a sack full of Kirstie Alley, but Tracy Jordan delivered an awesome interview on NPR's Fresh Air today -- sounding wise and barely sane all at once.

He nearly loses it when talking about the father who he helped care for as he was dying of AIDS, but his analysis of the tough transition black comics have to make in learning how to make white audiences laugh explains a lot about many folks' careers.

Check out this self-described "short dumpy guy with bad feet who is just passionate."

MSNBC confused by black leaders; mistakes Jesse Jackson for Al Sharpton

There may be no better evidence how interchangeable cable TV news outlets see some black leaders.

During an interview yesterday, MSNBC anchor Contessa Brewer introduced the Rev. Jesse Jackson as Rev. Al Sharpton, presumably because she was reading a script prepared by a producer who had mistakenly put Sharpton's name instead of Jacksons.

It's a mistake which unfortunately evokes all the awful stereotypes about black folks looking alike. But beyond that, it also references cable TV's reflexive habit of going to the same, attention-getting black activist celebrities whenever they talk about certain issues.

It was something I experienced during the controversy over shock jock Don Imus' stereotypical comments about Rutgers University's women's basketball team.

In many interviews, I was asked by radio and TV hosts why Sharpton, who led the criticism against Imus, was anointed a spokesman for what black people found offensive in media.

I asked them to ask their producers why they felt compelled to constantly feature these guys when they complained about something.

If cable TV would pay attention to other black leaders when they talked about problems, then Sharpton and Jackson wouldn't be seen as the only black activists who can get the media's attention.

Far as I can remember, no one ever actually had that conversation on air.

Here's the video of Brewer's gaffe:

The key to success for late-night TV's newly diverse lineup of hosts: being themselves

Because I write so often about diversity and media I'm often asked: Why this is so important?

For example, comic and actress Mo'Nique is about to notch a historic first Monday evening.

She'll be the first black woman to host a late-night talk show when her program for Black Entertainment Television debuts.

She'll also be the leading edge of an effort to bring more diversity to that area, with late-night shows hosted by George Lopez and Wanda Sykes coming in November.

I wrote a column for Monday's newspaper trying to explain how  these hosts can turn their groundbreaking status into success -- basically, they need to reflect their culture in a way that is compelling and unique for all viewers.

.

Check out the story here.