NY Observer > Maureen Dowd

Clark Hoyt Says His Column 'Was Not a Message' For Times Columnists to 'Tone it Down'

John Koblin — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:15:28 -0400

On June 22, the Times public editor Clark Hoyt had a few words for the Times’ Maureen Dowd for several primary-season columns that disparaged Hillary Clinton. "Even [Ms. Dowd], I think, by assailing Clinton in gender-heavy terms in column after column, went over the top this election season."

So two days ago, current Op-Ed columnist (and former editorial page editor) Gail Collins wrote into Mr. Hoyt’s reader's response column to respond: "When the public editor laces into an opinion page columnist for making fun of a controversial political figure, it sounds like a suggestion that all of us tone things down. I hope I’m hearing wrong. read more »

Shaheen Likes Clinton and Also Obama, and So Does Governor Lynch

Josh Benson — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:59:10 -0400

Morning Memo: Rosie's 'Mo Mo' Coo; Modo's Billets-Doux

Irina Aleksander — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:43:49 -0400

The Tribeca Film Festival annual Vanity Fair party is held at the State Supreme Courthouse because it reminds everyone about the better days of divorce and custody battles. [NY Mag]

Anna Wintour's got herself a new assistant and it's a Swanson! As in Swanson TV dinners. [Daily Intel] read more »

Use Your Allusions, Volume 1

Matt Haber — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:36:15 -0400

On March 28, Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama quipped that the primary race felt like "a good movie that lasted about a half an hour too long."

True enough, but what movie? read more »

Talking Points Memo Responds to Rosenthal

John Koblin — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:42:24 -0500

At Talking Points Memo today, Greg Sargent concedes that the whole Dowd-dateline dust-up "isn't the hugest deal in the world" and doesn't suggest any rules were broken, but asks, "If datelines are an 'anachronism' and an 'affectation,' why bother having them at all?"

He continues: read more »

Adam Clymer Defends Editor in Dowd Dateline Dust-Up

John Koblin — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 07:32:28 -0500

The former Times political reporter Adam Clymer offered his opinion on datelines in the comments section of our earlier post, in which Andy Rosenthal offered a strong defense to his critics over the Maureen Dowd-dateline row. (Clymer confirmed to Media Mob over the phone that he wrote the note.) He wrote: read more »

Obama Camp Giddy, Hillaryland Reserved

Jason Horowitz — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:25:42 -0500

Hillary Clinton began one of her last appeals to Iowa voters by lifting Barack Obama’s signature line.

"We are fired up and we are ready to go," she said in the Starlight Building of Davenport’s Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds. Later in her speech, she talked about “hopeful, hopeful programs for the future.”

Whether the imitation was a direct expression of faltering confidence or merely a fatigue-induced slip-up, even some of her genuine admirers in the crowd couldn’t help but notice that things felt a little flat.

“It was kind of a sad contrast,” said Owen Rogal, a 59-year-old English teacher at St. Ambrose University, who had seen Obama speak that morning. “He’s got people walking around in ‘fired up’ t-shirts and I sort of felt he was my high school football coach. He elicited a much more visceral response.” read more »

All That Glitters? Times Building Bash Guest List Unsurprises Many

John Koblin — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:10:54 -0500

Last night, The New York Times turned its lobby into a party space, complete with couches, at least three open bars and a band. Press was denied access, but as was most of the newsroom.

Except for those who were invited. A press release said that the building opened before a "glittering crowd" and here's who they consider glittering: Thomas Friedman was there, along with reporter Helene Cooper, Maureen Dowd, Baghdad bureau chief James Glanz, Beijing bureau chief Joseph Kahn and assistant business editor and columnist Gretchen Morgenson. They all spoke on a panel to a crowd that included Arthur Sulzberger, Bill Keller, Frank Rich, Ray Kelly and--if they made it, though the Media Mob never spotted them while peering through the glass of the lobby for about 45 minutes--Eliot Spitzer, Chuck Schumer and Michael Bloomberg.

Is NYT's Dowd Out of Ideas?

Zachary Roth — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:57:31 -0500

Most people lucky enough to be given a regular opinion column in The New York Times use it to, you know, say stuff about the things they think are important.

Not Maureen Dowd.

Last month, she handed off her column to Stephen Colbert, so he could lamely tout his new book. Then yesterday, she turned things over to SNL writer Seth Myers, to do only slightly funnier gags about the writers strike.

Maybe we don't need another pundit pontificating on the presidential campaign. But it kind of feels like she's out of ideas.

Times Columnists Dance on TimesSelect Grave

Michael Calderone — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:42:21 -0400

“If you mention the words ‘subscription’ and ‘Internet,’” said Andrew Rosenthal, “the bloggers come after you with pitchforks!”

Mr. Rosenthal, the New York Times editorial page editor, of course won’t have to deal with pitchfork-wielding bloggers, now that TimesSelect, the newspaper’s paid subscription service—complete with a op-ed columnist-shielding pay wall—has officially been killed off.

Nor will Mr. Rosenthal have to fend off the 22 opinion columnists who had been behind the paywall. read more »