Politico

Former Lethargic Politico Labor Reporter Whines About Work Load
By P.J. Gladnick | September 17, 2015 | 4:59 PM EDT

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. No, just make that the worst of times. That is how the vivid imagination of former lethargic Politico labor reporter, Mike Elk, paints his Dickensian visions of working conditions at that organization. Never mind that Elk wrote a grand total of five stores in his ten months at Politico, the last six of which were simply a paid vacation since he had no writing output during that time. In his mind the working conditions were horrible and the only solution is to unionize. 

Let us join Elk as he spins his fairy tale of working conditions hell for Pacific Standard magazine:

Media Yawns as Fox Reports That FBI's Investigation Into Hillary Clinton Is Focusing on Espionage Act
By Tom Blumer | August 29, 2015 | 12:53 AM EDT

The establishment press is all over revelations by Fox News Friday morning that the investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails involves a "section of the Espionage Act is known as 18 US Code 793," and that "the focus includes a provision of the law pertaining to 'gathering, transmitting or losing defense information,'" according to "an intelligence source." ... Just kidding.

The only reaction I've seen thus far is at the Friday evening version of "The 2016 Blast" collection by Henry C. Jackson at the Politico. The fifth item covered — after a snippet on "John Kasich's Aerial Attack" and three snoozers on Mrs. Clinton's predictable dissembling — reads as follows (bolds and italics are theirs):

That Time Derek Jeter Hustled Our Golfer-in-Chief
By Dylan Gwinn | August 25, 2015 | 2:18 PM EDT

Apparently, Iran’s mullahs aren’t the only ones swindling Barack Obama.

Admittedly, the guy declares victory after allowing Iran to police its own nuke program isn’t the toughest mark you could choose, but it doesn’t make this story any less awesome.

Walker Campaign Accused of Restricting Reporters' Phoned-in Questions
By Randy Hall | August 20, 2015 | 6:50 PM EDT

Scott Walker's 2016 presidential campaign “is quickly building a reputation as the most press-averse group in the Republican field,” wrote Dylan Byers, a media reporter for the Politico website, this week.

“On Tuesday,” Byers stated, “Walker's policy team held a press call with reporters to discuss the Wisconsin governor's health-care plan, as well as his intention to repeal and replace ObamaCare.”

“But when reporters tried to submit a question, they were greeted by a press aide who demanded to know what question each reporter intended to ask,” he stated.

Lethargic Labor Reporter Apparently Fired by Politico
By P.J. Gladnick | August 20, 2015 | 4:17 PM EDT

It isn't completely official yet but when an employee has been removed from a company's list of staff bios, is publicly badmouthing his bosses, and is threatening to sue his employer, it is almost a sure sign that he has in fact been fired. Such is the case with lethargic labor reporter Mike Elk who has apparently (probably) been fired by Politico. New York Magazine lends Elk a sympathetic ear yet he still comes off as a rather nasty piece of work:

 

Defending Hillary, Politico's Gerstein Changes a Quote, Allows Defense Based on a 1974 Document
By Tom Blumer | August 19, 2015 | 11:18 PM EDT

You rubes. Don't you understand that the entire problem Hillary Clinton is facing over her use of a private server to process government communications is the fault of thousands upon thousands of people who don't know how to classify documents?

That's essentially the argument Hillary Clinton's spinmeisters are now employing. This evening, Josh Gerstein at the Politico was all too ready to relay such arguments, even to the point of cleaning up what one of her defenders said to advance the cause.

Not News: StemExpress's Thursday Courtroom Setback Against Center For Medical Progress
By Tom Blumer | August 14, 2015 | 11:50 PM EDT

As Spencer Raley at NewsBusters noted earlier this evening, StemExpress, "the now infamous biomedical company which allegedly bought fetal tissue from Planned Parenthood for profit, is breaking off its relationship with the nation’s leading abortion provider." Raley referenced a Politico item by Jennifer Haberkorn with a mid-afternoon Friday time stamp. As far as I can tell, it is the only establishment press outlet to note this development.

No establishment press outlet has noted a key courtroom development yesterday which may have been what really drove StemExpress to make its move — a move which, by the way, has not been announced in the "news" section at the company's web site, even though it has posted five other items during the past month relating to the Planned Parenthood fetal tissue outrages.

Biotech Firm At The Center Of Abortion Scandal Abandons Planned Parenthood
By Spencer Raley | August 14, 2015 | 6:18 PM EDT

StemExpress, the now infamous biomedical company which allegedly bought fetal tissue from Planned Parenthood for profit, is breaking off its relationship with the nation’s leading abortion provider reports Politico. 

Readers School Politico Writer on Real Reason for Sanders BLM 'Problem'
By P.J. Gladnick | August 11, 2015 | 12:51 PM EDT

Sigh! Once again we are going to have to apply the Koch brothers test when it comes to journalists covering "grass-roots" protests. Here's how it goes: if the Koch brothers were financing an organization that was loudly protesting against candidates opposed by the Koch brothers, wouldn't that fact be highlighted in any story about such protests? Therefore, how can Politico's Daniel Strauss write a story about the Black Lives Matter not only protesting and disrupting Bernie Sanders events but even causing the cancellation of one of his speeches without any reference at all as to who is financing BLM and why. 

Fortunately, the readers of his Politico article were quick to point out that which Strauss deliberately ignored. It is the very inconvenient fact of the financial backing of BLM by George Soros who is also (surprise! surprise!) supporting Hillary Clinton. First let us watch Strauss plunge into this story with eyes wide shut before his own readers school him on what he refuses to notice:

Video Flashback: The Media’s Goofy Liberal Questions to Past GOP Debaters
By Rich Noyes | August 5, 2015 | 1:59 PM EDT

The 2016 presidential debate season officially begins Thursdy night. A look back at the last several GOP presidential primary battles finds that, even though these debates are supposed to be for the benefit of GOP primary voters, journalists — especially those working for liberal news outlets — will hit them with left-leaning questions aimed at fulfilling an anti-conservative media narrative.

Lethargic Politico Labor Reporter Whines About Job to Bernie Sanders
By P.J. Gladnick | July 31, 2015 | 2:17 PM EDT

Wow! Suddenly this week Politico reporter Mike Elk shook off his cloak of extreme lethargy and became like the Energizer Bunny. Gone was his PTSD and STSD (Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder) which he claims inhibit him from working. Despite not having done a bit of work for six months, there he was front and center at a press conference asking Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders questions.  So what was the subject of Elk's inquiry? It was about how badly treated he is at his employer Politico because they haven't approved card check in voting on whether to form a union shop.

Politico Sees ‘Silver Linings’ for Hillary Amid Planned Parenthood Scandal
By Kyle Drennen | July 30, 2015 | 12:48 PM EDT

In article on Thursday entitled “Clinton’s Planned Parenthood ties run deep,” Politico reporters Annie Karni and Anna Palmer touted “opportunities for the Democratic front-runner” despite the scandal swirling around the abortion provider: “And while Republicans seized on the scandal to attack Clinton – demanding that she return the group’s campaign contributions – some Democrats were quick to see some silver linings.”