Howard Kurtz Quotes (22 Quotes)

Nobody wanted to be out there with a prediction that turned out to be wrong,

These conventions are staged for television, but it's not very good television, and most people are watching more interesting programs. I think a lot of people are going to form their impressions on how the party did by front-page headlines, by the pictures on the front page, by some of the analysis. By what's in the paper.

There have been Pew ratings indicating that Fox's audience is more conservative, and CNN's audience is more split, ... There does seem to be a trend of people gravitating toward programs they believe, which agree with their view of the world.

Journalism seems to have recovered its reason for being.

You have the hints of nods and winks -- 'If you sign with us, we'll make things happen at other parts of the company.'

The delay in the public ceremony -- a private funeral had been held for family and close friends -- allowed the initial shock to wear off, making the event as much a celebration of Jennings' life as a mourning of his death.

To take a step like this -- to out someone associated with the CIA when it's clear that the motives of those providing the information were to get even with her husband, who is an outspoken critic of Iraq policy -- it's hard for me to understand what the argument is on the other side, why this information was so important that it needed to be published,

Even by the standards of modern media excess, there has never been anything quite like the way the press is embracing, extolling and flat-out promoting this retired general who has never sought public office.

Bush used a version of the same technique 'I heard somebody say, well, maybe so-and-so is not patriotic because they disagree with my position. I totally reject that thought.' Somebody So-and-so Who could he be referring to

There are numerous images of the World Trade Center attacks in these ads and that is already drawing questions about exploitation of 911, ... Reliable Sources.

Some industry experts believe a natural affinity exists between the Web and talk radio. Talk radio and the Web have two very important things in common, ... They're an alternative message-delivery system that appeals to folks who aren't necessarily wild about the mainstream media. And both have the key element of interactivity. You can talk back, whether it's through the phone or the modem.

Media Notes, Still Free of Charge.

There's no question in recent years Lou Dobbs has been on a crusade on the trade issue, and now CNN is marketing him that way, ... What you get from Dobbs, when he's on his pet issues, is a different animal than what you get from, say, anchor Wolf Blitzer on 'Late Edition.'

It's kind of like letting people inside the newsroom. They can see the raw process. They can see the judgments that different networks make -- some being cautious, some being not so cautious, and they can make up their own minds about who's right, who's wrong and what remains to be seen.

Media Backtalk.

It's a brave new world.

Why does an administration not known for being fond of the press put so much effort into cooperating with Bob Woodward.

Leaks have been around since Jefferson was complaining about newspapers and what they were doing to him. The difference now is you have so many more media outlets and a 24-hour digital world so that the leak can instantly go around the globe. You don't have to wait for the newspaper to be delivered on horseback.

It's pretty clear that Dan Rather faced a very unpalatable choice. ... His contract had at least two more years to run. Should he step down now before the outside investigative report, commissioned by CBS News expected in the next few weeks about his botching -- and the network's botching -- of that story about President Bush's National Guard service Rather decided today that it would be better for him to step down on his own terms.

We're all very anxious to have more of a conversation with readers, and that's way overdue. But no one has quite figured out how to handle the waves of obscene, nasty and intensely personal attacks that seem to be an element in this new era of Web feedback.

McCain has always been a conservative, anti-abortion, pro-military Republican who took more moderate positions on a few key issues. If he runs, he could well win the White House, shutting out the Democrats for the third straight election. And that is rallying the pundits of the left.

But if this is the tip of the iceberg, in other words, if there are more moments in debates or other interviews, where he seems not to have a grasp, sure, that could be a major problem, ... But that will depend on whether this sort of thing ... resonates