Category: Media Watch

* “Russians and Ukrainians are one people.”–Russian President Vladimir Putin.

* “It is hard to know what is more depressing: that (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu went for the gutter in the last few days in order to salvage his campaign … or the fact that this seemed to work.”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times.

* “If you cross her, you end up dead. … There’s a whole list of alpha males who thought they would get her out of the way, and they’re all now in other walks of life.”–Former U.S. ambassador to Germany John Kornblum, speaking about German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

* “Less and less does multiculturalism look like the wave of the future.”–Pat Buchanan, Creators Syndicate.

* “For six years the right has told America we made a mistake hiring a one-term senator for president. So it is going to be awfully hard to say the GOP should nominate a one-term senator. That’s just the truth.”–Conservative blogger Erick Erickson, on a Marco Rubio candidacy.

* “You’re not going to hear me speak ill of Jeb. He’s a friend of mine. … I just think voters are going to look at this and say, ‘If we’re running against Hillary Clinton, we’ll need a name from the future–not a name from the past–to win.'”–Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

* “You couldn’t pick two more resonant issues for Republican primary voters than immigration and Common Core. … Jeb says to them, ‘Not only do I not agree with you, I don’t agree with you at all–and I don’t really respect your views on it.’ That’s not a starting point for dialogue with conservative voters. That’s more like a middle finger.”–Tucker Carlson, Daily Caller editor-in-chief.

* “The political leadership of Florida is going to be with Jeb Bush.”–State Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater.

* “I am the only one who can make America truly great again.”–Donald Trump, in announcing plans to form a presidential exploratory committee.

* “Hillary Rodham was a young staffer on the House Judiciary Committee investigating Nixon (Watergate). She saw. She learned. Today you don’t burn tapes. You delete emails.”–Charles Krauthammer.

* “If everybody voted, then it would completely change the political map in this country.”–President Barack Obama.

* “It’s a matter of time. It’ll be lifted and we’ll have normal relations. We should have done it a long time ago.”–John Block, former agriculture secretary under President Ronald Reagan, on the Cuban embargo.

* “The only thing I’d like to do is to be able to go out one day without anyone recognizing me and go get a pizza.”–Pope Francis.

* “Our infrastructure’s on life support. It’s falling apart because we haven’t made the investments. We haven’t got the money.”–Ray LaHood, former U.S. transportation secretary.

* “I strongly urge Congress not to raise the federal gas tax or any tax and instead come up with innovative solutions to fund priorities as we have done in Florida.”–Gov. Rick Scott.

* “As the planet heats up, Florida faces sea level rise on our coasts, increased salinity in our underground drinking water supplies, dying coral reefs and flooding along our populated coasts. We know this. … Climate change is coming and telling people not to utter the words won’t make it go away.”–David Hastings, professor of marine science and chemistry at Eckerd College.

* “If a state has a climate-denier governor that doesn’t want to accept a (FEMA disaster-preparedness) plan, that would risk mitigation work not getting done because of politics. The governor would be increasing the risk to citizens in that state.”–Becky Hammer, attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council’s water program.

* “Can’t we just ban the term ‘Rick Scott’?”–The Nightly Show’s Larry Wilmore.

* “It has not worked. Secondary enforcement of this (texting and driving) ban has not been effective at stopping the loss of lives.”–Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach.

* “It will be eye-opening for investors and capital. As we continue to make the Riverwalk the focus of our downtown, it presents opportunities that have never existed before.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

* “I still believe in the area, more so than the people in baseball, more so certainly than national media. I believe in it and I want to make it work. But it’s got to be in the right spot.”–Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg.

* “I’d really like to see less cronyism and more democracy at City Council.”–Tampa City Council member Mary Mulhern.

* “We see Evan (Longoria) as our Derek Jeter, with that kind of commitment to lead the team.”–Darcy Raymond, Tampa Bay Rays marketing director.

* “The lasting defeat of this brutal group (ISIS) can and will be accomplished.”–New Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.

* “I think all the families will feel closure and relief  once there’s a bullet between his eyes.”–Bethany Haines, daughter of British aid worker David Haines who was beheaded by “Jihadi John,” now identified as Kuwait-born, Britain-educated Mohammed Emwazi.

* “The human failing I would most like to correct is aggression.”–British theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking.

* “This is clearly the most dysfunctional relationship between an American and Israeli leader.”–Aaron David Miller, vice president of the Washington-based, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

* “We do have an economy that, fortunately, appears to be recovering and we have to be forward-looking in setting monetary policy, but I want to assure you that we do want to see that recovery continue.”–Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

* “It’s an irrefutable reflection of the principle that no one–whether government or corporate–should control free, open access to the Internet.”–Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, on the FCC’s vote to approve net neutrality rules that allow for the federal regulation of broadband Internet providers.

* “Like the Clintons, the Bushes drag the country through national traumas that spring from their convoluted family dynamic and then disingenuously wonder why we concern ourselves with their family dynamic.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.

* “The simple fact is, there is no plan to deport 11 million people. We should give them a path to legal status where they work, where they don’t get government benefits, where they learn English, and they make a contribution to our society.”–Jeb Bush at the recent CPAC gathering.

* “Imagine, if we had a president who doesn’t travel the world bad-mouthing America. After all, that’s the U.N.’s job.”–Sen. Marco Rubio at CPAC.

* “If I can take on 100,000 (Madison) protesters, I can do the same across the world.”–Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker at CPAC.

* “Campaign finance and money in politics is constantly changing. There’s an incentive to innovate, and the law has been a moving target over the last several years. We can thank the Supreme Court for this, and it’s not just Citizens United. By saying there can’t be limits on spending by these outside groups, they’ve opened the floodgates, and it becomes very difficult to regulate.”–Ohio State University election-law expert Dan Tokaji.

* “If you look at the trend lines, you can see there is a movement stirring across our nation. It is about putting families first. It is about creating a 21st-century economy for 21st-century families.”–Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a Silicon Valley speech.

* “He’s looking at this as showing he still can be king of the hill, because we don’t have the votes to override.”–Sen. Jim Imhofe, R-Ok., responding to President Obama’s veto of the Keystone XL oil pipeline bill.

* “New research shows marijuana is by far the least dangerous recreational drug. Studies have shown again and again that it leads to virtually no recreation. That’s how safe it is.”–Seth Meyers.

* “Fox News has a market; the market is people who don’t trust the news media.”–Jay Rosen, New York University journalism professor.

* “I think it will be very difficult to make the arithmetic work, and I’ve shared that with the governor and his senior staff. We’re not going to be able to get everything done that’s been promised.”–Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, who chairs a Senate budget panel that will determine education spending.

* “I would disagree that allowing students to have guns would bring those (rare shooting) situations under control more quickly. I think it would create chaos. True control comes from people who are trained to handle dangerous situations. Not with everyone running around waving guns.”–USF assistant police Chief Chris Daniels.

* “When you had 600 people living downtown and 300 were in the Morgan Street jail, the trains were not a factor. (Now) it is a problem.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn on Tampa landing a $1.35 million Florida Department of Transportation grant to help create a downtown “quiet zone.”

* “In order to compete and win, we have to continue to invest in this county-owned facility. It’s incumbent on us to come up with a long-term strategy.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan on splitting the $25 million renovation cost of county-owned Amalie Arena with Lightning owner Jeff Vinik.

* “We have to be the voice of Tampa Bay’s technology ecosystem. We have to grab a megaphone and shout from the rooftops that we are a tech hub…. We are here and already on the national scene with world-class talent addressing world-class problems right here in Tampa Bay.”–Daniel James Scott, executive director of the Tampa Bay Technology Forum.

* “The Lights on Tampa display is showcasing everything we’ve been working to do. These types of events are what make us cool. There is more happening in downtown Tampa than has happened in two decades.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

I saw where rapper Chuck D gave a lecture last week at Eckerd College. The media referenced him as “the founder of the iconic rap group Public Enemy.”

Anyone else taken aback by the societal reality that we now have a mainstream, “iconic” rap group reference?

Maybe it’s generational. Maybe it’s cultural. Or maybe it’s just the most recent Exhibit A for linguistic dilution: “Iconic,” arguably, is the new “awesome.”

* That was a cheap shot that Gasparilla recently took from “The O’Reilly Factor.“ In the on-the-street interviews segment called “Watters World,” producer-interviewer Jesse Watters asks questions to elicit embarrassing reminders that we have a lot of clueless, ill-informed people in this country. Indeed, we get that, but it shouldn’t require going to a place where a bunch of inebriated, partying millennials are being asked to identify (former Taliban captive Bowe) Bergdahl and Gitmo (Guantanamo).

Frankly, Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” around Hollywood intersections and asking current-events questions was more entertaining–and more to the point that there are major informational deficits beyond pop-culture. Plus, sober ignorance is valid.

* This happens too often. President Barack Obama, in the name of going to alternative media to connect with constituencies, belittles his office. We’ve seen him on “Comedy Central,” “The View” and YouTube with GloZell Green. Now where?

How about a video posted on “BuzzFeed’s” Facebook page that shows the president making silly faces and using a selfie stick to capture them? The video had two ostensible aims: showing the president in a more casual light and reminding viewers to sign up for health insurance. Too bad the aims were not: combating the image of an Amateur Hour Administration and not talking down to a constituency in need.

* Whether it’s about ISIS or Ukraine or Venezuela, we frequently see State Department spokespersons briefing the media about the U.S. position. Most recently it was the State Department’s Marie Harf who was providing ISIS context to Hardball host Chris Matthews on MSNBC. After acknowledging that we were, indeed, killing a lot of ISIS fighters, she went on to note that the real issue was economic conditions in the home countries of the disaffected who morph into ISIS jihadis.

“We need to help them build their economies so they can have job opportunities for these people,” Harf explained. Matthews was so taken aback by the answer that he didn’t even interrupt. Eventually he referenced those observers and religious scholars–and The Atlantic’s Graeme Wood–who see an ISIS commitment to cherry-picking the Koran and returning civilization to a 7th-century legal system and ultimately bringing about the apocalypse.

It obviously wasn’t part of her talking-points prep and she came across as frustratingly facile. Which brings up another point. The Obama Administration doesn’t need any more Amateur Hour optics. But sending out what appear to be graduate students and recent interns to mouth Administration positions and rationales is discouraging to witness. Harf is no anomaly.

* “SNL 40” was a big ratings success. Two take-aways: Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey and Billy Crystal were the most talented, versatile cast members in some of the most memorable skits. John Belushi was the most overrated cast member in some of the least entertaining, although well-referenced (“Samurai”) skits and Adam Sandler wasn’t funny, then or now.

* Among those taking advantage of (licensed) opportunities to travel to Cuba: TBS talk show host Conan O’Brien. He was there over Presidents Day weekend taping segments to be shown on Wednesday, March 4. Promos refer to it as a “a rare glimpse into the daily life of a country not often seen by American viewers.”

Before long, that will no longer be the case.

* Norman Lear’s book, “Even This I Get To Experience,” revealed that Mickey Rooney was originally under consideration for the role of Archie Bunker in “All in the Family.” Mickey Rooney over Carroll O’Connor? Did no one see Rooney in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s?”

* “We are not at war with Islam. We are at war with people who have perverted Islam.”–President Barack Obama.

* “The Greeks have always been able to capitalize on their claim to be more significant than their size and their economy warranted.”–Jonathan Eyal of the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank.

* “Everybody is online, and everybody is vulnerable.”–President Barack Obama, during a White House cybersecurity summit at Stanford University.

* “If Democrats aren’t ready to fight back, the new radical majority in the Senate could undo all of our accomplishments and ruin the last two years of President Obama’s term. … In 2016, Republicans will have to defend 24 Senate seats. … If we win back five seats, we win back the majority.”–U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

* “New Jersey looks better under Chris Christie, but it’s still a big-tax, big-regulation place. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker–who has accomplished more in his own left-leaning state–will have fun pointing that out.”–Kimberley Strassel, Wall Street Journal, on what Chris Christie could face with a conservative primary electorate.

* “Scott Walker has to win Iowa or he’s out. Jeb Bush loses New Hampshire, he’s done. … People sometimes run for president other than being president. I think that might be what he’s (Marco Rubio) doing right now.”–Democratic strategist James Carville.

* “I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America. He doesn’t love you. And he doesn’t love me. He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country.”–Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

* “Despite the Brian Williams lying scandal, NBC News led in the ratings last week. Although I should note that the figures were reported by Brian Williams.”–Conan O’Brien.

* “Look around and you will find–no one’s really color blind.”–FBI Director James B. Comey, quoting from the song “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” from the Broadway musical “Avenue Q.”

* “There is no such thing as perfect legislation, but we try not to let perfect be the enemy of good.”–Ben Pollara, executive director of United for Care, the group behind the 2014 medical marijuana amendment.

* “I’m a big believer of promoting from within unless I sense that the culture is broken. There’s nothing broken about TPD.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn on assessing the appointment of Police Chief Jane Castor’s successor.

* “This board has moved from a collegial board to a political board.”–Hillsborough County School Board member Carol Kurdell.

* “Elections matter.”–Former Hillsborough County School Superintendent MaryEllen Elia.

* “We’re proceeding with the (Fortune 500 corporate headquarters) designs and plans because we want to be permit-ready.”–Bob Abberger, managing director of development for Jeff Vinik’s Strategic Property Partners.

* “There’s a lot of academic merit as well as economic merit to moving the medical school and the heart health institute downtown.”–USF President Judy Genshaft.

* “I don’t appreciate the fact that I’m getting feedback from citizens that I am somehow not in support of it. In fact, I take great exception to that.”–Hillsborough County commissioner Al Higginbotham, on the issue of high-speed ferry service.

* “We’ve to stop treating the Rays as our prisoner, and we’ve got to start treating them as a partner.”–St. Petersburg City Council member Darden Rice.

* “We’ve got a lot of great pieces, and I think this is the density component that we’ve all been looking for to give that big economic push for Seminole Heights.”–Developer Wesley Burdette at the groundbreaking for Warehouse Lofts on North Florida Avenue.

* A recent front page tease in the Tampa Bay Times noted that “Ashton Carter, 60, is President Barack Obama’s sixth Pentagon chief. He is approved by a vote of 93-5.”

That was a reminder of how challenging a coherent foreign policy has been for this administration–six secretaries of defense in a six-year period. But, oops. Under Obama, there have actually been four–not six–SODs: Robert Gates, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel and now Carter. Of all papers to be careless with fact-checking, how ironic it’s the Times.

* Speaking of the Times, Steve Pearsall’s review of “Fifty Shades of Grey” was a journalistic frolic and a teasing read. Spank you very much.

* That was a cheap shot that Gasparilla took from the O’Reilly Factor last week. In the on-the-street interviews segment called “Watters World,” producer-interviewer Jesse Watters asks questions to elicit embarrassing reminders that we have a lot of clueless, ill-informed people in this country. Indeed, we get that, but it shouldn’t require going to a place where a bunch of inebriated, partying millennials are being asked to identify (former Taliban captive Bowe) Bergdahl and Gitmo (Guantanamo).

Frankly, Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” around Hollywood intersections and asking current-events questions was more entertaining–and more to the point that there are major informational deficits beyond pop-culture. Plus, sober ignorance is valid.

* This happens too often. President Barack Obama, in the name of going to alternative media to connect with constituencies, belittles his office. We’ve seen him on Comedy Central, The View and YouTube with GloZell Green. Now where?

How about a video posted on BuzzFeed’s Facebook page that shows the president making silly faces and using a selfie stick to capture them? The video had two ostensible aims: showing the president in a more casual light and reminding viewers to sign up for health insurance. Too bad the aims were not: combating the image of an Amateur Hour Administration and not talking down to a constituency in need.

* “SNL 40” was a big ratings success. Two take-aways: Dan Aykroyd was the most talented, versatile cast member in some of the most memorable skits. John Belushi was the most overrated cast member in some of the least entertaining, although well-referenced (“Samurai”) skits.

* Norman Lear’s book, “Even This I Get To Experience,” revealed that Mickey Rooney was originally under consideration for the role of Archie Bunker in “All in the Family.” Mickey Rooney over Carroll O’Connor? Did no one see Rooney in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s?”

* “There is still time to avoid catastrophic warming, but not within the rules of capitalism as they are currently constructed. Which is surely the best argument there has ever been for changing those rules.”–Naomi Klein, author of “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate.”

* “It is not the authorization of another ground war, like Afghanistan or Iraq–but the flexibility we need for unforeseen circumstances.”–President Barack Obama on the anti-ISIS Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) request he sent to Congress.

* “Our enemies and our allies need to know that we speak with one voice.”–Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

* “Mine is a vote of no confidence in the national security decisions of this administration.”–Mark S. Kirk, R-Ill, explaining his no vote in the Senate confirmation (93-5) of Ashton Carter as the new Secretary of Defense.

* “The Islamic State has reacquainted us with the pure physicality of killing, bypassing our carefully constructed defenses–media protocols, government euphemism–that have kept the effects of war and torture at a discreet and safe distance.”–Phillip Kennicott, Washington Post.

* “The entire world is waiting to see whether the situation moves toward de-escalation, weapons pullback, cease-fire or … spins out of control.”–Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, upon arriving in Minsk, Belarus, for eastern Ukraine negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.

* “The Greeks have always been able to capitalize on their claim to be more significant than their size and their economy warranted.”–Jonathan Eyal of the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank.

* “Everybody is online, and everybody is vulnerable.”–President Barack Obama, during a White House cybersecurity summit at Stanford University.

* “If Democrats aren’t ready to fight back, the new radical majority in the Senate could undo all of our accomplishments and ruin the last two years of President Obama’s term. … In 2016, Republicans will have to defend 24 Senate seats. … If we win back five seats, we win back the majority.”–U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

* “New Jersey looks better under Chris Christie, but it’s still a big-tax, big-regulation place. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker–who has accomplished more in his own left-leaning state–will have fun pointing that out.”–Kimberley Strassel, Wall Street Journal, on what Chris Christie could face with a conservative primary electorate.

* “The great challenge for the Paul campaign is for people to really get to know Rand Paul, so that you don’t have the assumption that he is just the ‘mini-me’ of Ron Paul.”–Steve Munisteri, chairman of the Texas Republican Party.

* “I just think it’s going to be difficult (for Jeb Bush) to win over grass roots conservatives.”–Sen. Rand Paul.

* “The debate has started that will have monumental consequences for Muslims. The old establishment won’t accept change easily, but I think gradually it will happen as women assert themselves…Women cannot play second fiddle anymore.”–Aslam Abdullah, the imam and director of the Islamic Society of Nevada.

* “Despite the Brian Williams lying scandal, NBC News led in the ratings last week. Although I should note that the figures were reported by Brian Williams.”–Conan O’Brien.

* “Look around and you will find–no one’s really color blind.”–FBI Director James B. Comey, quoting from the song “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” from the Broadway musical “Avenue Q.”

* “There is no such thing as perfect legislation, but we try not to let perfect be the enemy of good.”–Ben Pollara, executive director of United for Care, the group behind the 2014 medical marijuana amendment.

* “When all factors are considered in the evaluation of professional sports facilities, one can conclude that supporting sports venues through performance-based incentive programs is a positive investment for the state and integral to enhancing the quality of living of Florida residents.”–Tony Villamill, principal of the Washington Economics Group and formerly Florida’s Director for Tourism, Trade and Economic Development.

* “I’m a big believer of promoting from within unless I sense that the culture is broken. There’s nothing broken about TPD.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn on assessing the appointment of Police Chief Jane Castor’s successor.

* “This board has moved from a collegial board to a political board.”–Hillsborough County School Board member Carol Kurdell.

* We’re proceeding with the (Fortune 500 corporate headquarters) designs and plans because we want to be permit-ready.”–Bob Abberger, managing director of development for Jeff Vinik’s Strategic Property Partners.

* “We’ve got a lot of great pieces, and I think this is the density component that we’ve all been looking for to give that big economic push for Seminole Heights.”–Developer Wesley Burdette at the groundbreaking for Warehouse Lofts on North Florida Avenue.

Tampa Theatre, as we know, went the better part of two months with its showing of the Oscar-worthy “Imitation Game.” Such long-term runs don’t happen often, but when they do, they tend to overlap the Christmas holidays. Same was true with “The King’s Speech,” “Anna Karenina” and “The Artist.”

“With a movie like ‘The Imitation Game’ and a distributor like The Weinstein Company, we had to agree to a longer-than-normal run if we wanted to get the movie at all,” explains Tampa Theatre spokeswoman Jill Witecki. “It was a calculated risk … but definitely worth it to have the incredibly strong Christmas and January weeks.”

“Twerk” and “selfie” are so, well, 2013. We now know that 2014’s consensus “words of the year” are “photobomb” and “overshare.” The early 2015 leader has to be: “drunken-droning.”

Brian Williams.

He’s both the anchor and the managing editor of the “NBC Nightly News.” He’s the avatar of what network news needs to cling to relevance: a likable, quick-witted, serious-news-and-show biz hybrid. He is largely responsible for his network topping its rivals in Nielsen ratings. There’s a reason why he makes the sort of money normally associated with sports, cinema and social media icons.

But now Brian Williams is also “Lyin’ Brian,” trying to survive a fusillade of criticism and scrutiny over not being truthful about his personal involvement in one or more news stories he has covered. Everyone from cartoonists and tabloid editors to cable-TV satirists and late-night talk-show hosts has been piling on. NBC did its own in-house investigation and has determined that a six-month suspension is warranted.

There’s no lack of irony here.

Williams had no lack of media expertise to call upon. So it was shocking that he didn’t make a more credible “apology” last week about falsely stating that he was on a military chopper in Iraq that came under enemy fire. No public relations novice would have suggested he say he “misremembered.” You don’t “misremember” that which is self-promotional. That’s insulting to your audience. Or that he simply conflated one war zone helicopter ride–one that was traumatic, one that was not–with another. There are no re-takes on heartfelt apologies.

When your credibility is on the line–as it sure in hell should be in the “news” business–you don’t nuance your way through a mea culpa. This isn’t George O’Leary resume-padding at Notre Dame.

If you want to be taken as sincere, you flat-out say you made it up and regrettably yielded to the temptation to “brand” yourself instead of just covering the news, however it breaks. Then hope viewers and bosses accept it and put it into context: You’ve been a first-rate correspondent–from Tahrir Square to presidential one-on-ones–and a ratings-ginning presence as the versatile face of NBC news for the last decade. That should count.

Just a hunch, but there might also be this touch of irony as well. Williams had–or has–it all. The reporting chops, the correspondent cred, the looks, the voice, the grace under fire, the wry wit. He could report from Havana, Cuba or “slow jam the news” with Jimmy Fallon. He could do “30 Rock,” “Letterman” or the GOP National Convention in Tampa.

Williams is the perfect hard news-soft shoe combo for today’s devolving news tastes. But just maybe he really wants to be chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel, who doesn’t have to make anything up. He has six months to figure it out.