Yahoo's D.C. Bureau Chief Fired After Romney Remark

"David Chalian, the Yahoo News Washington Bureau chief, has been fired after getting caught on a hot mike telling a fellow host on an live ABC News web show to 'feel free to say' that 'they' — Mitt Romney and his fellow Republicans — 'are happy to have a party with black people drowning,' Rachel Weiner reported Wednesday for the Washington Post.

"The implication: that Republicans' decision to continue with their convention despite the hurricane hitting New Orleans means they don’t care about black people."

Chalian's firing came during an online broadcast from the GOP convention in Tampa, Rebecca Shapiro reported for the Huffington Post. The conservative media watchdog NewsBusters was first to post audio of the incident. Politico broke the news of his firing, Shapiro wrote.

"During the broadcast, Chalian can be heard saying that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann were 'not concerned at all' and 'happy to have a party with black people drowning.' Chalian seemed to be referring to the simultaneous occurrence of the GOP convention convening in Tampa and Hurricane Isaac hammering its way across the gulf coast and through New Orleans.

"A Yahoo spokesperson released a statement regarding the company's decision to fire Chalian 'effective immediately:'

" 'David Chalian's statement was inappropriate and does not represent the views of Yahoo!. He has been terminated effective immediately. We have already reached out to the Romney campaign, and we apologize to Mitt Romney, his staff, their supporters and anyone who was offended.' "

Chalian apologized on his Facebook page on Wednesday evening, Peter Ogburn reported for FishbowlDC. He said, "I am profoundly sorry for making an inappropriate and thoughtless joke. I was commenting on the challenge of staging a convention during a hurricane and about campaign optics. I have apologized to the Romney campaign, and I want to take this opportunity to publicly apologize to Gov. and Mrs. Romney. I also regret causing any distraction from the exceptional coverage of the Republican convention by Yahoo News and ABC News."

Chalian served as political director at ABC News between 2007 and 2010, winning an Emmy for his role in producing ABC's coverage of President Obama's inauguration, Dylan Stableford reported for Yahoo News last year when Chalian was named to the Yahoo job. He was then the political editor at "PBS NewsHour."

Gwen Ifill, senior correspondent of the NewsHour, tweeted Wednesday, "One mistake does not change this. @DavidChalian is God's gift to political journalism. #IStandwithDavid"

Hurricane Isaac Destroys Melissa Harris-Perry Home

"Hours after Hurricane Isaac hammered its way through New Orleans on the seven-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Melissa Harris-Perry tweeted that her new home had been destroyed by the storm," Rebecca Shapiro reported for the Huffington Post.

"Harris-Perry and her husband closed on the purchase of what one could fondly describe as a 'fixer-upper' (the house lacked all four walls) just last month. She excitedly announced that she and her family planned to restore the New Orleans property that was destroyed and abandoned during Katrina.

"On her Sunday MSNBC show, Harris-Perry acknowledged the anniversary of Katrina by giving viewers a tour of what she called her 'extreme home makeover.' Harris-Perry described the ripped-apart home as a safety concern and the 'site of crime' in the neighborhood. . . ."

The Times-Picayune reported Wednesday night, "Though downgraded from a hurricane status this afternoon, Isaac continues to drop heavy rains between 7 and 14 inches along its path — with isolated accumulations of up to 20 inches — and has sustained wins of 60 mph . . . "

Disconnect Between GOP and Latino Journalists

"The Republicans wanted to talk about the economy. The press wanted to talk about immigration," Bryan Llenas wrote from Tampa Tuesday for Fox News Latino.

"In the first Republican National Convention daily briefing for Latino press, the RNC and campaign of presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney stressed the need to revitalize the economy.

"But members of the Spanish-language media pressed the issue of immigration, and tried to challenge Texas Rep. Francisco 'Quico' Canseco and [former] New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu — the two surrogates who appeared on behalf of the RNC — on the GOP's push for strict enforcement.

"Canseco and Sununu spoke of the 'American Dream,' a 'bankrupt economy,' and the confidence that Romney can offer 'laws,' enduring solutions to the immigration system that would improve programs involving guest workers and visas.

"Their focus, to be sure, was unmistakably the economy.

"But members of the press wanted to focus on undocumented youth, what they characterized as the harsh immigration rhetoric by GOP candidates, and a Republican party platform that recently incorporated calls for tough enforcement of immigration laws.

"For critics, the bilingual press conference on a rainy Monday epitomized the 'disconnect' and divide between Romney and Latinos."

"We Built It" Speaker Received $2 Million in SBA Loans

"The Republican National Convention opened by smacking President Obama with the theme 'We Built it,' " columnist Nicholas D. Kristof wrote Tuesday for the New York Times.

"To pound that message, Republicans turned to a Delaware businesswoman, Sher Valenzuela, who is also a candidate for lieutenant governor. Valenzuela and her husband built an upholstery business that now employs dozens of workers.

"Valenzuela presumably was picked to speak so that she could thunder at Obama for disdaining capitalism.

"Oops. It turns out that Valenzuela relied not only on her entrepreneurial skills but also on — yes, government help. Media Matters for America, a liberal watchdog group, documented $2 million in loans from the Small Business Administration for Valenzuela's company, plus $15 million in government contracts (mostly noncompetitive ones). . . "

• A. Peter Bailey, TriceEdneyWire.com: A Race About Race: Get Whose Country Back?
  
  
• Wayne Bennett, the Field Negro: Going nuts in Tampa, and CNN has a major fail.
  
  
• Marcus Feldman, Media Matters for America: NY Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof Exposes Discredited Fox Narrative
  
  
• Ron Fournier, National Journal: Why (and How) Romney is Playing the Race Card
  
  
• Caitlin Ginley, Media Matters for America: Fox Skirts Issue Of RNC Speaker Receiving Millions In Aid For Small Business
  
  
• Merrill Knox, TVNewser: Jorge Ramos on the Univision-ABC News Channel: 'Either we do it, or somebody else is going to do it'
  
  
• La Opinión: Jorge Ramos to GOP: Where Is the Party of Reagan?
  
  
• Pew Research Center for the People & the Press: Paul Ryan in a Word: 'Conservative,' 'Intelligent'
  
  
• Jeff Poor, Daily Caller: MSNBC abandons GOP convention during every speech by a minority
  
  
• Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone: Greed and Debt: The True Story of Mitt Romney and Bain Capital
  
  
• Joseph Torres, Free Press: Presidential Debate Commission Turns Blind Eye Toward Race
  
  
• Marisa Treviño, Latina Lista: Boehner's remarks about black and Latino voters serve to disenfranchise voters of color
  
  
• Marisa Treviño, Latina Lista: "Isolated incidents" widening the gap between GOP and Americans of color
  
  

Syracuse, Harrisburg Papers to Cut Back Print Editions

"Newhouse Newspapers, which earlier this spring announced that it would stop printing a daily paper at The New Orleans Times-Picayune and its Alabama newspapers, said it would end the daily distribution of two more of its newspapers, The Post-Standard in Syracuse, and The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa.," Christine Haughney reported Tuesday for the New York Times.

"The papers will merge their content with local news Web sites and deliver the printed newspaper only three days a week.

"Starting in January, The Post-Standard will publish on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The Syracuse Media Group, the company formed to oversee The Post-Standard, is still considering whether to publish a newspaper that it would not deliver to homes and businesses on the other four days."

"The news prompted more than 100 comments by readers on the Web site Syracuse.com who expressed their concerns about life without a daily newspaper."

• Kai Ryssdal, "Marketplace," Public Radio International: Facing Isaac, Times-Picayune looks to digital to cover hurricanes

Journalists Shift in the Way They Cover Colombia

"Here are two headlines from two decades apart: A headline 20 years ago in the Milwaukee Journal — Who's in charge: Colombia or Escobar? A July 2012 headline in USA Today — Colombia gets its first W hotel," Justin D. Martin reported Wednesday for Columbia Journalism Review.

"For many years Colombia was a byword for drugs and dysfunction. Today it signifies a country that has fought through terrorism and years of warfare, a country once known for merciless militias that is, while not [guerrilla]-free, a frequent topic of brighter discussions.

" 'Global media have shifted significantly in the way they cover Colombia,' Michael LaRosa and German Mejia wrote in a 2012 history of the country. 'Stories focusing on tourism, restaurants, Colombian tennis stars, and positive reviews of literary works…suggest the US media's perception of the Andean nation is evolving away from the myopic, one-dimensional view that marked earlier portrayals of the country.'

"And as for domestic journalists and their perceptions: It's easier for reporters to focus on a country's positives when they aren't being murdered. For years, Colombia was a country in which a journalist would get dead every couple of months. Cesar Gaviria, the country's president from 1990-1994, has seen acquaintances, as well as his sister, killed for political reasons. Before he won the Colombian presidency in 1990, three other candidates were murdered, one of which was his colleague. Yet he gives much credit to his nation's journalists for reporting through the risks. In Colombia, Gaviria told me in his Bogotá office in August, 'Journalists take all the risks. Many have been killed, but this country has not been intimidated. . . .' "

• Monica Campbell, Committee to Protect Journalists: Venezuela's private media wither under Chávez assault
  
  
• Committee to Protect Journalists: Colombian Supreme Court drops suit against columnist
  
  
• Committee to Protect Journalists: In Venezuela, a media landscape transformed

Ethiopia Frees Editor Arrested After Premier's Death

"The International Press Institute (IPI) on Tuesday welcomed the news that charges against Ethiopian editor Temesgen Desalegn have been withdrawn, and called for Ethiopia to reform its stance toward the media and free all journalists who are currently in jail for their criticism of official policies, and cease its harassment of Feteh newspaper," Naomi Hunt reported for the Vienna-based press freedom organization on Tuesday.

"Prosecutors sent a letter to the 16th Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court saying that charges against Desalegn had been dropped to allow time to further investigate, the Ethiopian Reporter said. IPI was told that the journalist had been released from Kality Prison.

"Temesgen Desalegn, editor of the critical weekly newspaper Feteh, was arrested last week just after the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was officially announced, according to reports. He was charged with inciting the public to overthrow the constitutional order, defaming the state, and spreading false rumours to incite the public against the government, a legal expert in Ethiopia told IPI.

". . . With the passing of strong-arm leader Meles Zenawi, who ruled Ethiopia for over twenty years, Ethiopia has an opportunity to review policies that crushed human rights and democratic principles as much as they promoted economic development."

"Gentleman's Agreement" Ends, NAHJ Enters L.A.

Pilar Marrero of La Opinion, Art Marroquin of the Daily Breeze, sports broadcaster and new KPCC host A Martinez, Edwin Tamara of Associated Press, Victoria Infante of Huffington Post, Agustin Duran of latinocalifornia.com and Kris Fortin of eastsidestreetsblog.org were among those who met last Thursday to form the first Los Angeles chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Adolfo Guzman-Lopez reported Tuesday for Los Angeles public television station KCET.

Ruben Vives, whose stories helped the Los Angeles Times win this year's Pulitzer Prize for public service, was the featured guest.

". . . The SAG-AFTRA union co-sponsored the mixer. Union representative Ray Bradford said . . . there was a gentleman's agreement between the NAHJ and the older, California-based Latino journalist group," the California Chicano News Media Association, which preceded the formation of NAHJ. "And so while NAHJ prospered around the country building chapters across the country we as NAHJ needed to support CCNMA's continued growth in Southern California,' he said.

"During the 2000s CCNMA's activity in L.A. tapered off.

" 'I think it would be wrong for us to depend on one organization, bring on two, bring on three, as long as we all have a unified mission of equality and respect, and quality journalism bring it on," Bradford said.' "

In reporting on the development, Kevin Roderick of LAObserved included this curious paragraph:

"Now the two groups can contend to see which survives, if either. Or is the idea of ethnicity-based professional organizations fading, especially among younger and more digitally oriented journalists?"

U.S. Appeals Court Strikes Down Texas Voter ID Law

"A federal appeals court in Washington Thursday struck down the Texas voter ID law requiring photos for voters at the polls, calling it racially discriminatory," CNN reported.

"The decision is a major victory for the Obama administration and its Democratic allies, which had challenged the law.

"Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott promptly announced the state will appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.

"Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed the voter ID measure into law last year, but it had yet not gone into effect because the federal Voting Rights Act requires changes in Texas voting laws to be pre-cleared by the U.S. Justice Department. Voter ID law goes to court

"Attorney General Eric Holder denied the pre-clearance of the measure in March, concluding that Texas failed to show the law will not have 'the effect of denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race.'

"The three-judge panel agreed."

Meanwhile, "A federal judge on Wednesday said he was prepared to grant a permanent injunction that would block controversial restrictions on voter registration groups passed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) last year," Nick Wing reported Wednesday for the Huffington Post.

"Federal Judge Robert L. Hinkle had earlier put a temporary hold on the measure, declaring that it put 'harsh and impractical' restrictions on civic groups focused on registering new voters. In his latest order, Hinkle stated that he intends to permanently block the law, pending the case's dismissal from a Court of Appeals. The plaintiffs and the state of Florida have reportedly agreed not to appeal Hinkle's ruling."

In Ohio, "A federal judge ruled Friday that Ohio must allow in-person voting on the weekend before the presidential election, a victory for Democrats who claimed Republican efforts to close down early voting were aimed at discouraging voters most likely to support President Obama," Robert Barnes reported for the Washington Post.

• Chris Kromm, Institute for Southern Studies: Voting Rights Act key to rolling back new voting restrictions in the South
  
  
• Suevon Lee, ProPublica: Voting Rights Act: The State of Section 5
  
  
• Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star: Voter ID laws: Will Republicans succeed with Jim Crow lite?
  
  
• Adam Shah, Media Matters for America: George Will Attacks The Voting Rights Act for Helping "Government-Approved Minorities"

British Paper Finds Paul Ryan's Black Ex-Girlfriend

Just when the buzz had ebbed about Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., having had a black girlfriend in his younger days, Britain's the Daily Mail found out her name, tracked her down and on Thursday, published an interview with her. The website TMZ quickly followed in the United States on Friday.

"The cheerleader who Paul Ryan dated in college and helped forge his uncompromising opposition to racism says that she may not be a Republican but still supports the 'nice guy'," began the 2,600-word story by the Mail's Belinda Robinson, Emily Anne Epstein and Toby Harnden.

"Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Deneeta Pope said she met the future vice presidential candidate through friends at Miami University some 20 years ago.

"Pope, 40, said: 'Paul is a very nice guy, a kind guy and a family guy. He's very approachable and a very likeable person.'

"The relationship and the negative reaction he said he suffered from his so-called friends were a formative experience in the political evolution of the VP pick who described himself as a 'big, big fan' of Martin Luther King and is a staunch advocate of civil rights."

On Sunday's "Reliable Sources" media show on CNN, host Howard Kurtz asked Keli Goff of theRoot.com, who wrote a column Aug. 20 on the interracial relationship, why it mattered.

". . . I think it's fascinating," Goff replied. "He's the first major presidential party ticket candidate to have admitted to interracially dating.

"It says something about being part of Gen-X. It's a fascinating anecdote, just like being — him liking Rage Against the Machine. So I'm surprised people found it offensive or uncomfortable."

Goff later participated in a "confab" on theRoot.com with Staff Writer Jenée Desmond-Harris, Contributing Editor David Swerdlick and Assistant Editor Akoto Ofori-Atta "about whether it's racist to discuss Paul Ryan's black ex-girlfriend."

On NPR on Tuesday, Karen Grigsby Bates took a broader view. "With the rise of interracial relationships in the past 20 years, everything from marriage to trans-racial adoption, the news that Paul Ryan says he had a black girlfriend really is non-story. The question a lot of people, especially people of color, have is does having had a relationship with someone of another race or ethnicity make you more sensitive to those cultures," Bates said.

She continued, ". . . Edgy comedians long have poked fun at liberal white folks who offer the lone black friend as testimony to their open-mindedness. Lenny Bruce did it in the '50s and Chris Rock is doing it today."

TMZ picked up the Daily Mail story on Thursday and then interviewed Pope on Friday.

"We spoke with Pope a few minutes ago and she could not have been clearer — she does not want to become an issue in the election," TMZ reported.

"Pope said, 'I'm not interested in talking. I don't know why everyone is calling. I'm newly married and would just like to be left alone.' "

• Wayne Bennett, the Field Negro: Women of color in a strange place.
  
  
• Ryan Chittum, Columbia Journalism Review: The Wall Street Journal lets Paul Ryan go all but unchecked
  
  
• Salvatore Colleluori, Media Matters for America: Toledo Blade Covers For Small Business Owner Who Didn't "Build It" Alone
  
  
• Michael H. Cottman, blackamericaweb.com: Going Nuts
  
  
• Davey D blog: Reporting Live From Tampa the RNC Wrap Up: Clint Eastwood Steals the Show in a Bad Way
  
  
• Eric Deggans blog, Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times: The GOP + Clint Eastwood + 15,000 social media snarkers = a boatload of bizarre at RNC in Tampa
  
  
• Gene Demby, HuffPost BlackVoices: At The Republican National Convention, Many Black Faces On The Stage, But Few On The Floor
  
  
• Peter Eisner, worlddesk.org: #Romney and #Ryan: "Don't Know Much About History."#RNC
  
  
• Robert Gehrke, Salt Lake Tribune: Edits scrub mention of race in Mia Love's speech
  
  
• Emil Guillermo blog, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund:  Eastwood's chair: People of color as invisible as Obama at the Republican National Convention
  
  
• Stephen Henderson, Detroit Free Press: RNC platform confirms party's rightward lurch
  
  
• Nat Ives, adage.com: Newsweek's Anti-Obama Cover Set to Be a Newsstand Hit
  
  
• Allen Johnson blog, News & Record, Greensboro, N.C.: Off-stage ugliness in Tampa
  
  
• Susan Jones, cnsnews.com: Fox News's Juan Williams Calls Ann Romney a 'Corporate Wife'
  
  
• Bill Keller, New York Times: Lies, Damn Lies and G.O.P. Video
  
  
• Bryan Llenas, Fox News Latino: Republican National Convention: Fox News Latino Reporter's Notebook
  
  
• Myriam Marquez, Miami Herald: Balancing the GOP tripwire on immigration
  
  
• Caroline May, Daily Caller: Former RNC chairman Michael Steele 'annoyed' by employer MSNBC's racism charges at the GOP
  
  
• Rod McCullom, ebony.com: HATER PLAYER: Artur Davis, GOP Black Gold
  
  
• Aaron Morrison, Loop21.com: It's Hard Out There for (Young) Black Members of the GOP
  
  
• Askia Muhammad, Washington Informer: Who's Playing 'The Race Card' Now?
  
  
• Askia Muhammad, Washington Informer: Republican Political Delirium is Deceptive
  
  
• Ruben Navarrette Jr., Washington Post News Media Services: One subject Ryan could help milk
  
  
• Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune: Romney's tin ear for humor
  
  
• Pew Research Center: Romney in a Word: 'Honest,' 'Businessman,' 'Rich' — His Image Changes, but Remains More Negative than Positive
  
  
• Rem Rieder, American Journalism Review: A Watershed Moment for Real-Time Fact-Checking
  
  
• Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press: Chris Christie announces for 2016 race . . . Oh, and he endorses Mitt Romney, too
  
  
• Geraldo Rivera, Fox News Latino: Clint Eastwood and Marco Rubio Are Not Enough
  
  
• Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: Chris Christie's failed advertisement
  
  
• Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: The GOP's steady diet of whoppers
  
  
• Hayley Tsukayama, Washington Post: President Obama hits Reddit on 'Ask Me Anything'
  
  
• Erik Wemple, Washington Post: CNN nuts incident and 15,000 useless reporters
  
  
• Elon James White, theRoot.com: Condoleezza Rice Addresses Us Like We're Adults
  
  
• DeWayne Wickham, USA Today: Romney's opportunity to clarify his brand

On Wednesday, before Hurricane Isaac was downgraded to a tropical storm, the disruption was so great that the Univision crew had no satellite from which to transmit. (Video)

How Univision Reported From Storm Without Satellite

"We've been bringing you daily updates from our crew in New Orleans. We followed their trip from Florida to [Louisiana] as they chased hurricane Isaac, their first encounter with the storm and their adventures as they report from the ground," Conz Preti wrote Wednesday for Univision News.

"Today the storm is so strong our crew has been left without a satellite to transmit from. Ricardo Arambarri shows us in the video . . . how they are able to get footage into the air."

• Andrew Beaujon, Poynter Institute: As Hurricane Isaac hits New Orleans, Times-Picayune prints in Alabama
  
  
• Eugene Kane, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Katrina's racial, political lessons linger as Isaac arrives
  
  
• Bob Ray Sanders, Star-Telegram, Fort Worth: Isaac conjures memories of Katrina and Texans' caring spirit

Gabriel Escobar Returning to Philadelphia Inquirer

After a little more than a year as an editorial writer at the Dallas Morning News and a journalism instructor at Southern Methodist University, Gabriel Escobar is returning Tuesday to the Philadelphia Inquirer as deputy managing editor for news, Escobar said on Friday.

In a memo to the Inquirer staff, Editor William K. Marimow said, " . . . Gabe will oversee the City, South Jersey and Pennsylvania suburban staffs, the online breaking news team and also manage our recruiting and internship programs. Gabe spent four very successful years as Metro Editor here at the Inquirer before joining The Dallas Morning News in August 2011.

"While in Dallas, Gabe has been an editorial writer and blogger for the state's largest paper and also a journalism instructor at Southern Methodist University under a joint appointment with Belo Corp., the parent company of the Morning News.

"At SMU, he taught the 'West Dallas Beat' class, pairing journalism students with nonprofit organizations; the nonprofits then introduced students to life in the largely Hispanic and African American neighborhoods across the Trinity River from downtown Dallas. Students profiled neighborhood leaders, explored the challenges posed by development and learned how to use local resources to advance and illuminate reporting."

Escobar told Journal-isms, "It's been a short but wonderful ride here in Dallas." He saidthat his job in Dallas had no time limit and that he was leaving to take advantage of the Philadelphia opportunity.

"Obviously we are disappointed because he had made a significant impact on the students in the reporting class he taught with us," Tony Pederson, the Belo Distinguished Chair in Journalism at SMU, told Journal-isms by email.

Keven Ann Willey, vice president and editorial page editor at the Dallas Morning News, said she was seeking a replacement. "Of particular interest is a skilled critical thinker with special expertise in Latino issues, ranging from education to immigration. Sound judgment, persuasive writing skills and digital dexterity required," she said by email. She urged those interested to send a bio and three or four examples of commentary as soon as possible to bonnieb (at) dallasnews.com.

Marimow explained that Mike Leary, the Inquirer's deputy managing editor for metro and investigations, left last month to become senior vice president and editor of the San Antonio Express-News. "So Gabe is succeeding Mike in the metro arena, and Gabe will also have some responsibilities that Mike did not have. In effect, he's succeeding Mike, but not in each and every way," Marimow said.

Court Rules Newspaper Can Sue Sheriff Arpaio

"Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio might want to get ready to spend more time in court defending himself," Elise Foley reported Wednesday for HuffPost LatinoVoices.

"The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that two news executives for the Phoenix New Times can sue the Maricopa County sheriff's office for their 2007 arrests.

"The men, newspaper co-owners Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin, were arrested at their homes in the middle of the night after their publication reported the sheriff's office planned to use a subpoena to figure out who was talking to journalists about Arpaio. Arpaio's allies drafted subpoenas that 'demanded that the paper reveal its confidential sources as well as produce reporters' and editors' notebooks, memoranda, and documents' related to stories about Arpaio, according to the court ruling. The New Times refused, leading to misdemeanor charges against Lacey and Larkin of disclosing grand jury inner workings. The charges were dropped the next day."

Dennis Wagner, JJ Hensley and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez reported Friday for the Arizona Republic, "Federal prosecutors closed an exhaustive four-year FBI criminal investigation and grand-jury probe targeting Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, former County Attorney Andrew Thomas and their top deputies, saying there will be no indictments.

". . . Ann Birmingham Scheel, acting on behalf of U.S. Attorney John Leonardo . . . listed the allegations that were investigated — civil-rights violations, misuse of public money, perjury — and said prosecution was declined because of a lack of evidence or an insurmountable burden of proof."

Incoming Knight Fellow "In a Real Fight for His Life"

Kevin Weston, a new media entrepreneur in Oakland, Calif., who was about to start a journalism fellowship at Stanford University, has been diagnosed with acute leukemia and is "in a real fight for his life," Sandy Close, executive editor and director of New America Media, told colleagues on Friday.

"NAM's long-time colleague Kevin Weston is in the ICU at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara, fighting a very severe bacterial infection in his throat called necrotizing fasciitis," Close wrote in an email. "In the course of diagnosing and treating the infection, the doctors discovered Kevin has acute leukemia. All this comes on top of his diabetes. So he is in a real fight for his life. With the love of his partner, Lateefah Simon, their daughter Lelah, his mother and his many friends, he has a powerful will to live. He reached out to grab my hand when I saw him late last night, and nodded his head to let me know he could hear me.

"I know that many of you will want to share your thoughts and prayers with Lateefah directly or through us. Please know we'll carry your messages to the hospital room. Kevin was soaring when this illness struck, about to start his Stanford Knight Fellowship and building his own [501(c)3] youth hub in Oakland. Jim Bettinger and Dawn Garcia at the Knight Fellowship at Stanford are providing tremendous support.

"Send any emails or questions to Sandy Close [sclose (at) newamericamedia.org] or Dana Levine [dlevine (at) newamericamedia.org] directly. Here's the additional information you may want to have:

"Kaiser Permanente, 710 Lawrence Expressway, Santa Clara, CA 95051, Room 2302 of the ICU, 408-851-1000."

"Maybe It's No Surprise Time's Culture Rejected Me"

". . . Now, eight months after leaving my job, there's no use pretending everything's fine," Steven Gray, Time's last African American correspondent, wrote Monday for salon.com. "For much of the year, I've been among the roughly 8.2 million Americans considered 'part-time employed.' My world seemed rich with possibility only a couple of years ago. In August 2009, I was promoted to be bureau chief on a high-profile project. Time Inc., one of the world's largest publishers, bought a six-bedroom house near downtown Detroit that'd become an office, conference space and living quarters for visiting executives, editors and reporters from the company's very autonomous magazines – Time, Fortune, Sports Illustrated.

". . . the project succeeded, and brought me to the attention of John Huey, the company's editor-in-chief. A Southerner who came of age in the civil rights era, Huey has for years fought to break up Time's very white, very Ivy League fraternity. As a reward for the Detroit assignment, Huey gave me a one-year contract to report from Washington for Time.

"It was complicated. Projects of mine that were quickly green-lit in Chicago and Detroit suddenly weren't taken seriously — in one case, until a new, white reporter pitched the Washington bureau chief a similar idea. When I felt excluded from covering politics, I didn't complain — it's so easy to be labeled a whiner, especially when you're black. It's tricky challenging a seemingly omnipotent bureau chief — especially when you're on a contract. So I kept my head down, hoped to break through a rough patch by writing about topics no one else was covering, including race. Then, I was reminded of an editor's warning: To succeed at Time, don't write about race, or what it means to be black.

"Part of my issue, surely, was the transition from field to office work. Some of the people who'd promoted my career had left. The last straw came last year, when the magazine announced the team that would cover the 2012 presidential campaign — a reason I'd agreed to take the job. I wasn't on the list. The team included a 20-something who'd been an unpaid intern the previous summer. Last December, the managing editor, Rick Stengel, hosted a lunch in the Washington Bureau's glass-walled conference room to discuss plans for covering the campaign. As the former intern stumbled through her idea, I got up, and walked out of the room. An advertising executive who watched part of the episode emailed, 'Everything okay?' I wrote back that it was like a 'country club.' Maybe it's no surprise that Time's culture rejected me. . . ."

In June, the National Association of Black Journalists awarded its 2012 Thumbs Down Award to Time magazine "for its lack of diversity within its reporting corps."

. . . The Story Is the Fragility of the Black Middle Class

Steven Gray's essay for salon.com weaves his personal story into a larger one: the status of the black middle class.

"On the night of Barack Obama's election, I was reporting in the crowd of Chicago's Grant Park, and like many Americans felt hopeful that our country was finally ready to deal with the vexing matters of race," it begins. "Obama's election was an incalculable accomplishment, and the arrival of a middle-class black family in the White House seemed to tell the world that the American Dream is alive, that our country's establishment has successfully absorbed a people it once enslaved, and unapologetically marginalized.

"And yet, when the Obamas moved into the White House, the country's economy was already in free fall, and its fragile black middle class was, to put it simply, vanishing. Between 2005 and 2009, the year the Great Recession officially ended, the average black household's wealth fell by more than half, to $5,677, even as their white peers held about $113,000 in assets. Nearly one-quarter of African-Americans have no assets besides a car, and roughly the same share have lost their homes, or they're close. The African-American unemployment rate hovers around 14 percent, and according to a Pew report released in July, nearly 70 percent of blacks raised in families at the middle of the wealth ladder fall to the bottom two rungs as adults. The exodus of blacks from cities like Washington, Atlanta, New Orleans and even Detroit is driving a sense of eroding political power. Perhaps most depressingly, one in three black boys can expect to be incarcerated at some point in his life. . . . "

Gray told Journal-isms by email, "I'd been trying to do this story since I was in Detroit for Time, but the magazine wasn't interested. Nevertheless, I kept gathering string after moving to DC. The statistical evidence was mounting, and I was living a lot of this stuff. When I left the magazine, I knew this was one of the projects I wanted to pursue. It was luck/good timing that Barbara Ehrenreich was developing the [Economic Hardship Reporting Project].

"I spent about a month reporting the story proposal, and then we shopped it around to a couple outlets, starting with the NYT Magazine. Thankfully, Salon took the piece. In total, it took about five months finish the project — including some time in Louisiana going through family property records."

• Wayne Dawkins, NABJ Journal, National Association of Black Journalists: Black Journalists are Left and Right at Political Conventions
  
  
• Mike Green, Huffington Post: Will Romney's Run Expose Lack of Diversity in Private Capital Industry?
  
  
• Eugene Kane, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jobs dialogue will remain in focus
  
  
• Donna Ladd, Jackson (Miss.) Free Press: Flipping the 'Race Card'
  
  
• Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press: Black delegates sing, pray, prepare to fight for Obama
  
  
• Rod Watson, Buffalo News: The gulf between God and the GOP

Melissa Harris-Perry said on her MSNBC show, "What is riskier than living poor in America?" (Video)

Harris-Perry Explodes in Discussion of the Poor

"Melissa Harris-Perry had what was probably her most passionate and intense television outburst ever when she delivered a fiery monologue about being poor in America on her Saturday show," the Huffington Post reported on Sunday.

"The moment occurred during a long segment on what Harris-Perry felt was the demonization of welfare recipients as 'undeserving' of aid. She clashed repeatedly with guest Monica Mehta, labeled by the show as a business and finance expert.

"Harris-Perry's frustration with Mehta rose perceptibly when Mehta said that welfare payments should not be 'limitless.'

" 'Limitless?!' Harris-Perry shot back. 'The limits currently ... established under a Democratic president are appalling.'

"A few minutes later, Harris-Perry, referring to the debate about welfare recipients 'deserving' aid, said, 'I just feel like, from the bottom, you have to be able to say, "I deserve the ability for class mobility." '

" 'Which is funded by public education, by low-cost health care,' guest Nancy Giles said. 'Which is enabled by taking risks,' Mehta cut in.

"Slamming her hands down on her desk, Harris-Perry exploded:

" 'What is riskier than living poor in America? Seriously, what in the world is riskier than being a poor person in America? I live in a neighborhood where people are shot on my street corner. . . . ' "

• Crunk Feminist Collective: At the Risk of Sounding Angry: On Melissa Harris-Perry's Eloquent Rage
  
  
• Alessandra Stanley, New York Times: How MSNBC Became Fox's Liberal Evil Twin

Teresa Wiltz Joins Essence as a Deputy Editor

Teresa Wiltz, who has been a reporter or editor at the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post and theRoot.com, starts work Tuesday as a deputy editor at Essence magazine, the Time Inc. publication for black women plans to announce Tuesday.

"Wiltz will be responsible for management, conceptual planning, development and top editing the News and Culture department, as well as center-of-book features," a spokeswoman said by email.

Wiltz worked in the Tempo section of the Tribune from 1991 to 1999, then worked in the Washington Post Style section as a writer or editor until 2008. She was a senior culture writer and senior editor at theRoot.com until 2011.

The Essence editorial team is led by Constance C.R. White, editor-in-chief; Vanessa K. Bush, executive editor; Greg Monfries, creative director; and deputy editor Rosemarie Robotham.

Bradley Bennett Leaves Newspapers to Save the Planet

Just three months ago in this space, we were writing about Bradley C. Bennett, a member of the inaugural class of the Maynard Media Academy who was in the Middle East as senior editor at the National, an English-language broadsheet based in the former desert fishing village of Abu Dhabi.

"I would encourage more black journalists who are seeing fewer opportunities in America to spread their wings a little, and try for a job in the Middle East or the Far East, where newspapers are generally thriving," Bennett said.

On Monday, Bennett posted his message on his Facebook page:

"Yesterday, after 22 years of working as a writer and/or editor in the newspaper business, I left the industry to join the corporate communications department at Masdar, a renewable-energy company that strives to make life on our planet Earth more sustainable. May God continue to bless me and my family in my exciting new career!!!"

Bennett explained in a message to Journal-isms:

"I was enjoying my job at The National, and I wasn't really looking for this opportunity. Masdar approached me through a headhunter via my LinkedIn profile. So I can tell you it's a good thing to always keep that updated! I was then presented with the choice between remaining in newspaper journalism, which has a precarious future at best — especially in the States — and renewable energy, which has a very bright future and is growing exponentially. The choice was clear. I can now use my writing and editing skills to help protect the future of our planet for my children and, eventually, my children's children."

Bennett is a former assistant city editor of the Miami Herald's Broward Edition who left the Herald in 2007 to become executive editor of the Broward Times, a black weekly later renamed the South Florida Times.

He and his family left for Abu Dhabi in 2010.

Former N.Y. Times Co. Papers End Endorsements

The former regional newspapers of the New York Times Co. will no longer endorse candidates, on orders of new owners the Halifax Media Group, the newspapers told readers over the weekend.

Halifax closed a deal in January to buy 16 regional newspapers from the New York Times Co. for $143 million. They are primarily in the Southeast and in California.

In an editorial Sunday, the Press Democrat in Santa Rosa, Calif., noted, "The Oregonian recently told readers that it would not make an endorsement in this year's presidential race. The Chicago Sun-Times announced in January that it would stop recommending candidates, noting, 'our goal ... is to inform and influence your thinking, not tell you what to do.'

"These changes are founded on the belief that endorsements fuel a perception that newspapers are biased, and the best solution is for newspapers to stick to what they do best — giving readers the information they need to make decisions for themselves.

"Halifax Media Group, which acquired The Press Democrat in January, has had a no-endorsement practice for its flagship paper in Daytona Beach, Fla. The company has now decided to adopt this policy for all of its member newspapers, including The Press Democrat.

"For most of these publications, it will mean no change. The majority of these newspapers, including some that were previously part of the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group along with The Press Democrat, already had removed political endorsements from their list of editorial offerings. We were one of those that still offered recommendations on candidates."

In June, Halifax bought from Freedom Communications eight daily and 11 weekly publications in Florida and North Carolina.

Sun Myung Moon, Washington Times Founder, 92

"The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the Korean evangelist, businessman and self-proclaimed messiah who built a religious movement notable for its mass weddings, fresh-faced proselytizers and links to vast commercial interests, died on Monday in Gapyeong, South Korea," Daniel J. Wakin reported Monday for the New York Times. "He was 92.

". . . Building a business empire in South Korea and Japan, Mr. Moon used his commercial interests to support nonprofit ventures, then kept control of them by placing key insiders within their hierarchies. He avidly backed right-wing causes, turning The Washington Times into a respected newspaper in conservative circles."

Hyung-Jin Kim reported Monday for the Associated Press that Moon "leaves behind children who have been groomed to lead a religious movement famous for its mass weddings and business interests — if family feuds don't bring down the empire."

• Erik Wemple, Washington Post: As the Rev. Moon goes, so goes the Washington Times?
  
  
• Cheryl Wetzstein, Washington Times: Rev. Moon, Times founder, dies at 92
  
  

Kansas City Fears Google Will Add to Digital Divide

"Google is poised to stumble into Kansas City's racial past, entangled in the historic boundary between black and white that is Troost Avenue," Mary Sanchez wrote Thursday for the Kansas City Star.

"Sept. 10 is the day of reckoning. That's the day after Google's deadline for people to pre-register for its ultra-fast Internet service.

"Predictions of a backlash that Google neither fathomed nor intended are being voiced this week in community meetings with company representatives.

". . . The maps tell the story. The demarcation line of Troost is stark.

"Areas shaded green, with enough pre-registrations to be wired with the new service, lie west of Troost. Areas to the East remain yellow and are not meeting goals set by Google.

"Not enough pre-registrations could mean there won't be wiring to those neighborhoods' schools, community centers, police stations, libraries — a range of public buildings that Google promised free access if goals were met.

"Few schools east of Troost have hit the percentage of pre-registrations of surrounding homeowners that Google deemed necessary to trigger the free hookups. Low-income areas of Kansas City, Kan., also are struggling."

Are Americans Better Off Than in '08? It's Semantics

On Monday, Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan told a campaign rally audience in North Carolina that "the president can say a lot of things, but he can't tell you you are better off," the staff of NPR's "Fresh Air" said on Wednesday. "Later that day in Detroit, Vice President Joe Biden responded 'America is better off today than they left us.' "

David Leonhardt, the New York Times Washington bureau chief who won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary last year for his columns on economics, was asked about those comments on "Fresh Air" Wednesday. He said that both Ryan and Biden are right: It's partly semantics.

"The country itself is better off," Leonhardt told host Terry Gross. The economy has stabilized since the recession in 2008, which was "a little bit worse than 1929. And yet, of course, we don't have anything that looks like the Great Depression. As bad as the economy is, we don't have unemployment at 20 percent."

But, Leonhardt said, when looking at measures such as household income and median wealth, "a typical American household is worse off than it was four years ago."

Financial crises inflict their damage "over many months and then there are long, slow, disappointing recoveries," he said.

"Ultimately, it is difficult to evaluate Ryan's and Biden's assertions, Leonhardt said, because the Republicans might have acted differently from the Democrats in the wake of the recession," the show summarized.

• Michael Cottman, blackamericaweb.com: Will You Be Better Off?
  
  
• Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune: The Obama years: Better off today? Don't ask
  
  
• Dennis D. Parker and Larry Schwartztol, HuffPost BlackVoices: The Economic Crisis Isn't Colorblind

Courant Scraps Embarrassing Google Translate

The Hartford Courant late last week stopped using Google Translate to translate its pages into Spanish, and instead has developed Noticias, "a 100-percent Spanish language news site produced by our newsroom," Gary Weitman, spokesman for the parent Tribune Co., told Journal-isms on Wednesday.

The Courant had started using free software developed by Google to translate its stories into Spanish.

In July, former Courant columnist Bessy Reyna compiled some of the gaffes that resulted.

"It's hard to imagine that the Courant, the oldest continuously-published newspaper in the country, would think so little of its readers as to publish a poorly worded computer generated translation, without anyone verifying that the versions are grammatically correct," Reyna wrote. "Or does the paper think that Latinos are going to be ever so grateful to have to guess the meaning of the news in Spanish?"

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists added its voice last month, and offered to help the Courant better reach Spanish-speaking readers.

As Andrew Beaujon first reported Wednesday for the Poynter Institute, Weitman said, "The Courant has also hired a part-time local editor, Marysol Saldana-Knipper, who will assist in translating Courant-produced stories into Spanish. The Courant also recently launched Mi Comunidad, produced by Courant Photojournalist Patrick Raycraft, it's a multimedia news package highlighting stories from our growing Latino community. Patrick is fluent in Spanish and his stories will be appear regularly on Noticias."

Weitman added for Journal-isms by email, "In addition to locally produced content, Noticias will also feature Spanish written national and international stories that will primarily come from news feeds provided by Tribune papers in Florida and Chicago. Our new video partner, NDN, also offers a Spanish language video service we're using as well."

Weitman said, "This was a local decision made in Hartford."

In an email message written in lower case, NAHJ President Hugo Balta told Journal-isms, "i am encouraged by the changes the hartford courant has implemented. it's a positive step in the right direction in not only producing content that meets the journalistic standards of the newspaper, but also reflects the needs of the latino community. i look forward to further positive progress."

[Reyna messaged on Thursday, "I think they finally did the right thing. I am sure they would not have gotten the message without Poynter's and NAHJ's involvement in supporting my blog. I am very happy they will provide this service to the Latino community in the professional manner it should have had from the beginning. . (and, by the way, Courant never contacted me about the change, even though I had spoken with the person in charge of the Espanol web.)"]

Joaquin Castro, right, introduces his twin brother, Julian, Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention (Video)

Former Columnist "Proud" to Be With Castro Twins

Last October, Cary Clack left his hometown paper, the San Antonio Express-News, where he had been a columnist for 17 years, to become communications director and senior adviser for Texas State Rep. Joaquin Castro's congressional campaign.

This week, Clack is at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., where Joaquin and his twin brother, Mayor Julian Castro of San Antonio, created buzz Tuesday as Julian became the first Latino  to deliver a DNC keynote.

"Things are going great," Clack told Journal-isms Wednesday by email. "When I left the paper, it was a gamble because Joaquin was in a tough primary fight and if he'd lost I would have been without a job.

"Now, he's the prohibitive favorite (and has been since December) and Julian delivering the keynote and Joaquin introducing him was something that was thought about a year ago. It was surreal to be on the floor last night and see both of them on stage and on the big screen. I've never regretted leaving the Express-News. I owe so much to them — they made my career — but I've never regretted leaving. I'm touched immensely that three days don't go by without someone saying or writing how much they miss me. I wasn't expected to be missed this long but it was time.

"But I must say that this is the first big event I've been to which I wasn't covering and, instinctively, I find myself framing columns and stories in my head. But I'm proud to be associated with one of the big stories this week: the stepping onto the national stage of Julian and Joaquin Castro. They are as good and real as they appear."

• Associated Press: Julian Castro VS Marco Rubio, Mexicans VS Cubans, a Political Fight for the Ages
  
  
• Elaine de Valle, voxxi.com: Democratic National Convention lacks Latino luster
  
  
• John W. Gonzalez and Richard Dunham, San Antonio Express-News: After keynote, Julian Castro's political future still unwritten (Sept. 6)
  
  
• Elizabeth Llorente, Fox News Latino: Democratic Convention: Reactions to Julian Castro's Keynote Address
  
  
• Janell Ross, HuffPost LatinoVoices: Julián Castro Delivers DNC Keynote, Prompting Comparisons To Ted Cruz, GOP Rising Star
  
  
• Marisa Treviño, Latina Lista blog: In attempt at praising Latinos, MSNBC's Chris Matthews delivers condescending critique
  
  
• Julio (Julito) Ricardo Varela, latinorebels.com: My Six Big Picture Thoughts About Julián Castro and His Keynote Speech

Reporter Says Question to Jarrett Got Him the Boot

An independent journalist wrote Wednesday that authorities threw him out of the media section at the Democratic National Convention after he asked presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett, who had just concluded a television interview, about the Obama administration's use of drone strikes. Jarrett told him to schedule an interview.

Michael Tracey, who writes for salon.com and the American Conservative, told Journal-isms by telephone, "My assumption was that her staff and the event staff were working in concert" when he was thrown out.

However, Clo Ewing, director of constituency press, who was present during the incident, told Journal-isms by telephone that calling the authorities "was not something I asked to happen." Nor did Jarrett, Ewing said, adding that she was still trying to determine what had taken place.

Tracey posted his account on theamericanconservative.com. Salon spokesman Liam O'Donoghue told Journal-isms by email, "I've been informed that Mike Tracey is not attending the DNC as a representative or correspondent for Salon."

Tracey's piece began, "Top Obama aide Valerie Jarrett's staff called the cops to kick me out of a media area last night when I questioned her about drone strikes.

"As I sat up in the rafters listening to some Democratic National Convention speech — I don't even particularly remember which one — Jarrett suddenly appeared to my right. She was being interviewed on camera by some television hack; I don't even particularly know whom. So I rose from my seat and observed. There was an unnerving coldness about Jarrett's demeanor — naturally, she laughed and smiled for the camera, bantering obligingly. But callousness underlain this guise of mainstream jocular propriety. I could see it in her eyes. . . ."

Jack Mirkinson of the Huffington Post cited the Tracey incident Wednesday under the headline, "Journalists Confronted By Police, Undercover Agents While Covering The DNC."

". . . In a post on Tuesday night, Kevin Gosztola, a journalist for the Firedoglake blog, wrote about the police intimidation that he and fellow journalist Steve Horn had encountered during one of several protests that have been carried out by undocumented immigrants over the course of the convention," Mirkinson wrote.

• Jo Becker, New York Times: The Other Power in the West Wing
  
  
• Dylan Byers, Politico: Media: Obama is egotistical, selfish, dull
  
  
• Michael Calderone, Huffington Post: At The 2012 Conventions, 15,000 Journalists Search For A Story
  
  
• Andrew Cohen, theAtlantic.com: Why Do Americans Hate the Media? Just Watch the Conventions
  
  
• Eric Deggans, Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times: One reason journalists may loathe 2012 campaign; their power to set agenda has never been lower
  
  
• Eric Deggans, Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times: What we media types learned at the RNC
  
  
• Jon Friedman, MarketWatch: How Obama can win back the media
  
  
• Dana Milbank, Washington Post: A media lovefest in Charlotte

Writer Gains Access to Karl Rove Fundraiser

"On the final morning of the Republican National Convention, Karl Rove took the stage at the Tampa Club to provide an exclusive breakfast briefing to about 70 of the Republican Party's highest-earning and most powerful donors," Sheelah Kolhatkar wrote Friday for Bloomberg Businessweek. She was the only reporter in the room.

What emerged from focus group data, Rove told the donors, "is an 'acute understanding of the nature of those undecided, persuadable' voters. 'If you say he's a socialist, they'll go to defend him. If you call him a "far out left-winger," they’ll say, "no, no, he's not." ' The proper strategy, Rove declared, was criticizing Obama without really criticizing him — by reminding voters of what the president said that he was going to do and comparing it to what he's actually done. 'If you keep it focused on the facts and adopt a respectful tone, then they're gonna agree with you.'

" . . . Rove spoke almost exclusively about defeating Barack Obama and retaking control of the White House. There was sparse praise for Mitt Romney — either as a candidate or as a future leader and policy maker."

Michael Calderone wrote for the Huffington Post, "Kolhatkar's piece about the Rove breakfast — published the following day by a business magazine rather than any of the myriad non-stop news sites and broadcast outlets — stood out amid reams of convention reporting, punditry, and Clint Eastwood-related tweets. It was an out-and-out scoop, an important window into Rove's role as the Republican Party's Daddy Warbucks, and the only piece Kolhatkar wrote before flying back to New York the next day. "

" 'I think it's an important reminder of what's really driving this entire election," Kolhatkar said. 'It gave us a real look at how these guys talk and how they see this whole thing, which is almost a big game they're very determined to win.' "

MSNBC Wins Cable News Race on DNC Opening Night

'MSNBC president Phil Griffin is a happy man," Michael Calderone wrote Tuesday for the Huffington Post.

"On Wednesday afternoon, Griffin learned that MSNBC was the top-rated cable network for the opening night of the Democratic National Convention, a first in its 16-year history and a validation of the network's progressive shift in recent years. . . . "

• James Poniewozik, Time: What We're Learning from the Convention Ratings (Or Lack Thereof)

Ryan to Fact-Checking Critics: "Read the Speech"

"Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan aggressively defended himself Tuesday against allegations that his GOP convention speech last week stretched the truth, saying that opponents and fact-checkers accusing him of false or misleading statements should 'read the speech,' " Jerry Markon and Felicia Sonmez wrote Wednesday in the Washington Post.

"Democrats are seizing on Ryan's remarks, seeking to link them to his earlier errors about his personal marathon time and whether his congressional office sought economic stimulus dollars. On the campaign trail this week, Ryan also misstated the number of bankruptcies filed during President Obama's tenure. . . ."

• Wayne Bennett, the Field Negro: Mitt's fabulous flood tour, and Paul's nose keeps growing.
  
  
• Editorial, La Opinión: La Opinión on the RNC: Lying as a Political Strategy
  
  
• Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies: Joint Center Reports on African American Voters and the Republican Party
  
  
• Gregory J. Krieg, ABC News: Paul Ryan: Fact Check Fury Could Threaten Political Brand
  
  
• Ruben Navarrette Jr., syndicated: The GOP's perception problem
  
  
• Pew Research Center for the People & the Press: RNC Highlights: Romney Shares Top Billing With Eastwood: Fewer Watch Convention Coverage than in 2008
  
  
• Romney for President: Romney for President Announces Black Leadership Council
  
  
• Jay Rosen blog: #presspushback
  
  
• Mark Trahant, Indian Country Today: Elections 2012: Making a Difference in the Polls
  
  

Pundits Swoon Over Michelle Obama Speech

"Members of the media immediately praised First Lady Michelle Obama's 2012 Democratic National Convention speech on Tuesday night," Rebecca Shapiro wrote Wednesday for Huffington Post. "Obama, who stunned in a custom Tracy Reese dress, took the stage just after 10:30 p.m. EST.

"Across the cable news networks, pundits swooned over Obama's delivery. There seemed to be some mixed reviews over the strength of the speech itself, but the media seemed to agree that Obama nailed the performance."

• Mary C. Curtis, "She the People," Washington Post: At DNC Charlotte, taking the 'war on women' seriously
  
  
• Glen Ford, blackagendareport.com: What Obama Has Wrought
  
  
• Keli Goff, theRoot.com: Mrs. Obama at the DNC: 8 Best Moments 
  
  
• Emil Guillermo blog, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund: Diversity alive and well at DNC as Michelle Obama, Julian Castro star
  
  
• Peter Hart, Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting: Newsweek: Obama Needs to Be Clinton 
  
  
• Rick Horowitz, YouTube: Paul Ryan's Problem
  
  
• Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies: Joint Center Reports on African American Voters, Democratic Party
  
  
• Jodi Kantor, New York Times: The Competitor in Chief: Obama Plays to Win, in Politics and Everything Else
  
  
• Pew Center for the People & the Press: Biden in a Word: 'Good,' 'Idiot'
  
  
• Elizabeth Wellington, Philadelphia Inquirer: Michelle Obama's Tracy Reese dress was out of sight.
  
  
• Joseph P. Williams blog: The Stiletto
  

ESPN Names New Team for "Numbers"

"Numbers Never Lie will get a new look on Monday, September 10, when ESPN commentators Jalen Rose and Hugh Douglas join host Michael Smith in fulltime roles," ESPN reported on Wednesday. "The show, which launched in September 2011, offers lively debate and roundtable discussion with quantifiable answers. Numbers Never Lie has one host, two athletes, three opinions, but the analytics will end the debate."