The NYT Mag Gets Trolled

Hey, Matt Schwartz has an enormous article about Internet trolling in this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine. It even mentions an hero! And weev from livejournal! Here’s the best part:

Zeno of Elea, Socrates and Jesus, Weev said, are his all-time favorite trolls.

There’s also a character who shouts racial slurs at white people on the street! The article’s actually pretty interesting, though it is still a long story about the Internet. But at least it wasn’t the one from the previous week about how we should try to lose the war in Afghanistan just so we can say we were tough on drugs.

Malwebolence [NYT]

‘NYT’ Continues To Debase Philadelphia

Okay, not really. But check out this correction in today’s New York Times:

An article in Business Day yesterday reported on a growing trend among large newspapers to accept some circulation declines because of the high expense of attracting and keeping new subscribers. The article was illustrated with a photograph of a delivery truck for The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News and a caption that said “Big American newspapers sell about 10 percent fewer copies today than they did in 2000.” The Inquirer’s circulation, like those of other newspapers, has declined from its 2000 levels, but since new owners took over last year, its daily circulation increased almost 7 percent from September 2006 to March 2007, compared with the previous six-month period. The Philadelphia Daily News’ circulation also increased by slightly more than 1 percent in the same period.

Raise your hand if you think Brian Tierney complained to the Times himself. Okay, you can all put them down. But really: Way to run a photo of a newspaper whose circulation was actually up recently, Times! Didn’t you see the “Pigs Fly” supplement?

Corrections 10.02 [NYT]
Archives: Pigs
Thanks, Matt

Leftovers: Goodbye, Olympic Bid

• Breaking: Philly dropped from Olympic contention. Shocker, we know. Houston also dropped. Details TK. Update: Here are the aforementioned details from KYW 1060 and the Inky.

• Philly Future says that if they’re sold, they’ll be sharing the profits with you, the user! They also say “Driving an Hyundai like myself bub?” Ahh, yes, I can see the venture capitalists lining up to buy Philly Future any day now, and with Karl sharing the dough, Her Alter Ego will have enough bolding and capital letters to last a lifetime. [Philly Future]

• The New York Times loves City Hall! Add it to the list of things that the NYT hearts about Philly — that’s hipsters, the Liberty Bell, the Art Museum, Pat’s Steaks (probably), etc. — STAT! (Related: A very angry comment on Phillyist.) [NYT]

• The head of the prison guards’ union agrees with the lawsuit filed that claims poor conditions in Philly’s jails. So you know it’s bad. [Metro]

• Oh, and that stripper with the human hand in a jar? She skipped her court date today. Why are we (and the Daily News, and 50 other local blogs) writing about this even though it’s not really anywhere near Philly? Oh, right: She’s a stripper with a human hand in a jar. [AP/Philly.com]

Breaking: Conservative Group So Incompetent It Manages To Get Out-Argued By ‘Inquirer’

In yesterday’s Inquirer, the editorial board launched a scathing attack on conservative media watchdog groups — specifically, the Media Research Center — who say reporting that the government tracks terrorists’ finances is treason. (These media groups are in stark contrast to liberal media watchdog groups, those that blast the very same media organizations for being conservative lovers, if you’re scoring at home.)

Here’s a little excerpt of the Inquirer’s editorial:

Sometimes lies should be called what they are.

“Since publishing a highly controversial story about a secret U.S. program that monitors financial transactions as a tool to fight terrorism, New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller… has admitted that the liberal press is not ‘neutral’ in this war on terror.

“Indeed, the track record proves the New York Times and Bill Keller are not ‘neutral’ but grossly biased against the U.S.-led war against terrorism.”

So fulminated conservative propagandist Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center last week. His statement was part of an anti-Times frenzy whipped up by Republican strategists, then echoed ad nauseam by Pavlovian talk shows and blogs. [...]

But how can citizens of a democracy debate such principles and nuances if they have no clue what their government is doing in their name? If it were up to President Bush and Vice President Cheney, you would know nothing about flaws in WMD intelligence, torture in American-run prisons or NSA snooping. Journalists exposed all that.

But, oh ho ho, the Media Research Center has responded — via Tim Graham — saying that, well, what Brent Bozell said was, uh, well, okay, it doesn’t answer that, and concedes that point, but it says “liberal media elite” a lot! Here’s some of it:

The liberal media elite assumes the word of Bill Keller descends from Mount Olympus, and that no one can question his newspaper’s quite obvious political agenda. No, they are not “neutral” in the War on Terrorism. No one would say they’re for terrorist victory. But they have found large chunks of this war to be illegal, unconstitutional, unacceptable, reckless, repulsive, discriminatory, and most importantly, emanating from an administration they paint as a rogue regime that has no check or balance against its excesses – except for the “thoughtful, reasonable,” utterly nonpartisan New York Times. That’s a nice myth if you can sell it.

Indeedy. No one would say the press is for terrorist victory except for, oh, I don’t know, the founder of the Media Research Center:

“Mr. Keller said it himself: The press is not neutral in the war against terrorism. The liberal media are opposed to this war and will do anything, including disclosing U.S. national security secrets, to stop the war and hand America’s enemies a victory.”

But, y’know, who ever heard of anyone reading a press release from last Thursday before they sent out a new one?

Editorial | Government and Media [Inquirer]
MRC responds to Inquirer editorial [Romenesko]
NYT Leak Sparks Lawsuit and Investigation of U.S. Anti-Terrorist Program [MRC]

Rick Santorum Is The Candidate Who Keeps Your Colon Cancer-Free

The New York Times covers Rick Santorum’s senate campaign and how the current senator is handling being down 18 points in one poll.

Aside from the usuals — blaming the media, blaming liberals, etc. — Santorum has come up with a pamphlet featuring a list of “Fifty Things You May Not Know About Rick Santorum.” Here’s Santorum’s greatest achievement (emphasis mine):

Mr. Santorum, the third-ranking Republican leader in the Senate, distributed a brochure this week as he worked a sweltering round of town hall meetings and Fourth of July parades: “Fifty Things You May Not Know About Rick Santorum.” It is filled with what he called meat and potatoes, like his work to expand colon cancer screenings for Medicare beneficiaries (No. 3), or to secure money for “America’s first ever coal to ultra-clean fuel plant” (No. 2).

Just wait until the attack ads: Bob Casey actually wishes colon cancer on Medicare recipients. Casey only wants your colon for liberal gay sex! I’m Rick Santorum, and I approve this message.

Running Hard, Senate Power Seeks a New Image [NYT]