Honduran President Just Sitting Around Hoping A Reporter Will Visit

In your Friday-like Thursday US media column: Howard Kurtz types many words for no good reason, Rupert Murdoch denies wanting to own the NYT, the WaPo can’t stop distancing itself from that sellout email, and journalism is practiced in Honduras.

Howard Kurtz wonders: Can black ladies cover Michelle Obama fairly, or might they be biased for her, because… you know. You know. Howie himself is careful to prove that the premise of this story that he wrote is stupid. Another wasted day, Howie.

Rupert Murdoch says he is categorically not thinking about buying the New York Times. This rumour originated with Michael Wolff, so we’ll believe Rupert for the time being. OR WILL WE? We will.

Here’s how ABC News reporter Jeffrey Kofman landed the first US network interview with the president of Honduras, just after the coup: He “walked right up to the presidential palace in Tegucigalpa… [showed] his ID and about five minutes later, he entered the inner sanctum and sat down for an interview with Micheletti.” Journalism! Who knew?

The very latest on the Washington Post’s disastrous email offering cheerful access to editorial staff to corporate sponsors for the low price of $US25,000: the paper’s cancelled these proposed ‘Salon’ events, the ombud calls it a “public relations disaster,” and the newsroom says it was entirely in the dark until the scandal broke this morning. Still to come: much, much crowing from Politico, ad nauseum.