"We see ourselves as not tied to the specific political moment in the sense of just focusing on sort of an oppositional approach to who's in power at the moment," he said.
Write on. I call it Resistance.
I really appreciate TPM.
I was wondering about what motivated Josh to say something so demonstrably untrue.
Maybe he knows how bend and warp time, because he's obviously still in opposition to GOP not to those in power "at the moment".
As far as TPM driving out female workers, I think it's time for UAW-style unionizing at TPM, with 5 weeks vacation, overtime starting at half-week and lifetime pension benefits.
You think that the TPM office is rough you should be at our blog headquaters.
Times are tough, the best I can pay Murry is one new chewy a month. We communicate by him pulling on my fuzzy rabbit slippers when he has a scoop, and whining when it time for my walk.
My wife gives me just enough to cover my health insurance and one visit to the In-And-Out Burger a month. Murry thinks I should strike for two.
Seriously, I think TPM is missing out by not having its editors linking some of the best reader blogs of the day to the front page. Considering all the talent, here and what we get paid it's great writing and a real bargain. Besides where do you think a lot of those 625,000 unique hits come from.
Gotta go, you know who is chewing on my bunny slipper. Bo said what!...
I agree there are some very talented writers here. :)
I'm a newbie here, so I learned a lot about TPM in that article. I was wondering, too, why the TPM bloggers (known as "readers" here for some reason) weren't even mentioned. I have to admit that I tend to read them first before going to the "real" articles. And yes, there are some very good writers among them.
I agree that without them there wouldn't be nearly as many hits. I must come here at least 10 times a day to see what's new and I know I'm not alone.
But overall, I'm happy to see Talking Points Memo get the recognition. They work hard at this and it shows. It's a site unlike any other, and I'm happy to see more and more people discovering it.
I think the article was exclusively about TPM, not TPM Cafe.
So that's what happened to Elana!
Congrats TPM on the best blog award
I was wondering about Elana as well and thought maybe I missed an explanation for her departure.
Man, wish we could have Elana back and trade in Moe.
kgb999: Respectfully disagree kgb... She's really on to something with the Pension Funds swindel of the last 10-15 years. Take a gander at her recent posts... Seriously good reporting.
What's happened to Elana?
Could it be the old boys club? She was very very good, and I am sorry she's gone. Anyone know where?
I have been a TPMer since near the beginning. I do believe that the work Josh has done building the site has pointed the way toward a new and better journalism that is intelligent, has a point of view but is honest and worth reading. To all of you at TPM: keep up the good work!
Cosign!
Hey! Why no props for Eric? He kicks serious ass and seems to work harder than anyone (he's the only one who does anything on the weekends for example).
Agreed. Eric rules. And he's got wicked awesome hair, too.
I'm not thrilled that TPM seems to be so underfunded though. How about we aggressively hit up Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins for at least a $1,000,000 dollar donation to a TPM trust fund? (The 347+ votes that their blind support of Ralph Nader cost Al Gore in Florida is surely worth at least that much, right?)
Seriously: Where are the Angel Investors for Journalism?
Hey Melissa, good find. Anything good for TPM is good for me as far as I am concerned.
Sure, there are going to be shakeups. But TPM is cited on cable all the time. Reps appear on cable.
Thank you for this.
You're quite welcome. :)
From the article, it seems TPM is in a minor funk.
I would suggest Josh spend just a little less time focusing on politicians and political parties - especially moribund ones - and a bit more time focused on the other organs of power in our society: the media organizations, the think tanks, the corporations, the foundations, the military, some religious organizations. There are incestuous, establishmentarian ties among all these organizations, and most of the major decisions get made behind the scenes, before they ever get to the public political level. I would really appreciate a broad journalistic effort to pull back the curtain and help us see what is going on.
From time to time I have tried to find out who is supplying the money behind some think tank operations. There is no where to go for this information. Who owns are society? Who directs its course? Let's get into it.
The article sheds a little light on the of the "issues" I have with TPM. I think it is a mistake for the site to continue to operate as at least two distinct sites: TPM and TPM Cafe. It's a false distinction.
The information about female writers leaving because of the "clubby, all-boys" nature of the site is not lost on me. TPM is a clique. I have noticed and written about a certain lack of diversity among the staff. That they have difficulty keeping women on the TPM side now makes sense. They do not reach out women and minorities freely. In a city as diverse as New York, that is disturbing -- there are plenty of talented writers, bloggers, journalists who deserve a shot, but don't get a foot in the door. (I've been looking, and I have not found anything to lessen my suspicions.)
For TPM to grow beyond Bush-bashing, they need people with access to a variety of newsmakers. There is something disappointing about a group of writers sitting in the same room NOT TALKING to one another, or communicating by IM or Skype. I would rather see TPM take the time write longer more intelligent stories than some of the tripe we're getting now. Breaking news is not their forte. And the political blog arena is getting more and more crowded. First there was HuffPo and now the Daily Beast and Politics Daily (AOL's new offering which isn't half bad. They've got Lynn Sweet among other notables.)
The Calderone story makes mention of "guest-blogging" being a steppingstone to joining the staff. But, that opportunity does not seem to be offered to many people. (And guest-blogging is part of TPM Cafe, so suggesting there is no linkage between the two is really accurate.)
I suspect Matt Cooper will be leaving soon, too. Perhaps he had a non-compete clause in a former contract, or just needed a few bucks while he wrote his book.
I agree with Murry and Steve Katz (He needs a blog called Katz and Dog.) I'd at least like to see the listing of All Reader Posts or Rec'd Reader Posts make the front page. The one thing the TPM readership has going for it is a diverse and pretty damn smart group of avid readers and commenters.
Okay, I've vented. Thanks for the link, as I had given up Politico once the election was over. I couldn't take them any longer.
Thanks for the link!
May 2, 2009 11:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
"We see ourselves as not tied to the specific political moment in the sense of just focusing on sort of an oppositional approach to who's in power at the moment," he said.
Write on. I call it Resistance.
I really appreciate TPM.
May 3, 2009 7:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
I was wondering about what motivated Josh to say something so demonstrably untrue.
Maybe he knows how bend and warp time, because he's obviously still in opposition to GOP not to those in power "at the moment".
As far as TPM driving out female workers, I think it's time for UAW-style unionizing at TPM, with 5 weeks vacation, overtime starting at half-week and lifetime pension benefits.
May 3, 2009 9:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
You think that the TPM office is rough you should be at our blog headquaters.
Times are tough, the best I can pay Murry is one new chewy a month. We communicate by him pulling on my fuzzy rabbit slippers when he has a scoop, and whining when it time for my walk.
My wife gives me just enough to cover my health insurance and one visit to the In-And-Out Burger a month. Murry thinks I should strike for two.
Seriously, I think TPM is missing out by not having its editors linking some of the best reader blogs of the day to the front page. Considering all the talent, here and what we get paid it's great writing and a real bargain. Besides where do you think a lot of those 625,000 unique hits come from.
Gotta go, you know who is chewing on my bunny slipper. Bo said what!...
May 3, 2009 8:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree there are some very talented writers here. :)
May 3, 2009 9:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm a newbie here, so I learned a lot about TPM in that article. I was wondering, too, why the TPM bloggers (known as "readers" here for some reason) weren't even mentioned. I have to admit that I tend to read them first before going to the "real" articles. And yes, there are some very good writers among them.
I agree that without them there wouldn't be nearly as many hits. I must come here at least 10 times a day to see what's new and I know I'm not alone.
But overall, I'm happy to see Talking Points Memo get the recognition. They work hard at this and it shows. It's a site unlike any other, and I'm happy to see more and more people discovering it.
May 3, 2009 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the article was exclusively about TPM, not TPM Cafe.
May 3, 2009 7:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
So that's what happened to Elana!
Congrats TPM on the best blog award
May 3, 2009 8:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
I was wondering about Elana as well and thought maybe I missed an explanation for her departure.
May 3, 2009 9:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
Man, wish we could have Elana back and trade in Moe.
May 3, 2009 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
kgb999: Respectfully disagree kgb... She's really on to something with the Pension Funds swindel of the last 10-15 years. Take a gander at her recent posts... Seriously good reporting.
May 3, 2009 1:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's happened to Elana?
Could it be the old boys club? She was very very good, and I am sorry she's gone. Anyone know where?
May 3, 2009 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
It appears Elana is now at the Washington Independent. Here's the link: http://washingtonindependent.com/author/schor/
May 3, 2009 4:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks!
May 3, 2009 6:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the heads up!
And BRAVO for TPM's success!
I have been a TPMer since near the beginning. I do believe that the work Josh has done building the site has pointed the way toward a new and better journalism that is intelligent, has a point of view but is honest and worth reading. To all of you at TPM: keep up the good work!
May 3, 2009 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cosign!
May 3, 2009 12:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey! Why no props for Eric? He kicks serious ass and seems to work harder than anyone (he's the only one who does anything on the weekends for example).
May 3, 2009 12:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. Eric rules. And he's got wicked awesome hair, too.
May 3, 2009 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not thrilled that TPM seems to be so underfunded though. How about we aggressively hit up Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins for at least a $1,000,000 dollar donation to a TPM trust fund? (The 347+ votes that their blind support of Ralph Nader cost Al Gore in Florida is surely worth at least that much, right?)
Seriously: Where are the Angel Investors for Journalism?
May 3, 2009 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey Melissa, good find. Anything good for TPM is good for me as far as I am concerned.
Sure, there are going to be shakeups. But TPM is cited on cable all the time. Reps appear on cable.
Thank you for this.
May 3, 2009 3:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're quite welcome. :)
May 3, 2009 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
From the article, it seems TPM is in a minor funk.
I would suggest Josh spend just a little less time focusing on politicians and political parties - especially moribund ones - and a bit more time focused on the other organs of power in our society: the media organizations, the think tanks, the corporations, the foundations, the military, some religious organizations. There are incestuous, establishmentarian ties among all these organizations, and most of the major decisions get made behind the scenes, before they ever get to the public political level. I would really appreciate a broad journalistic effort to pull back the curtain and help us see what is going on.
From time to time I have tried to find out who is supplying the money behind some think tank operations. There is no where to go for this information. Who owns are society? Who directs its course? Let's get into it.
May 3, 2009 7:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
The article sheds a little light on the of the "issues" I have with TPM. I think it is a mistake for the site to continue to operate as at least two distinct sites: TPM and TPM Cafe. It's a false distinction.
The information about female writers leaving because of the "clubby, all-boys" nature of the site is not lost on me. TPM is a clique. I have noticed and written about a certain lack of diversity among the staff. That they have difficulty keeping women on the TPM side now makes sense. They do not reach out women and minorities freely. In a city as diverse as New York, that is disturbing -- there are plenty of talented writers, bloggers, journalists who deserve a shot, but don't get a foot in the door. (I've been looking, and I have not found anything to lessen my suspicions.)
For TPM to grow beyond Bush-bashing, they need people with access to a variety of newsmakers. There is something disappointing about a group of writers sitting in the same room NOT TALKING to one another, or communicating by IM or Skype. I would rather see TPM take the time write longer more intelligent stories than some of the tripe we're getting now. Breaking news is not their forte. And the political blog arena is getting more and more crowded. First there was HuffPo and now the Daily Beast and Politics Daily (AOL's new offering which isn't half bad. They've got Lynn Sweet among other notables.)
The Calderone story makes mention of "guest-blogging" being a steppingstone to joining the staff. But, that opportunity does not seem to be offered to many people. (And guest-blogging is part of TPM Cafe, so suggesting there is no linkage between the two is really accurate.)
I suspect Matt Cooper will be leaving soon, too. Perhaps he had a non-compete clause in a former contract, or just needed a few bucks while he wrote his book.
I agree with Murry and Steve Katz (He needs a blog called Katz and Dog.) I'd at least like to see the listing of All Reader Posts or Rec'd Reader Posts make the front page. The one thing the TPM readership has going for it is a diverse and pretty damn smart group of avid readers and commenters.
Okay, I've vented. Thanks for the link, as I had given up Politico once the election was over. I couldn't take them any longer.
May 3, 2009 9:33 PM | Reply | Permalink