Paulose? Pelosi? Fox Gets Confused

Paulose or Pelosi? When Republican Mark Foley resigned during the congressional page scandal last September, Fox News three times identified Foley as a Democrat. A glance at the website of the network’s local affiliate, Fox 9, today makes me wonder if they’re at it again. Their (otherwise solid) coverage of the federal investigation into US Attorney Rachel Paulose’s office last night has a headline that just might be confusing Paulose, a Bush appointee, with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat.

Benefit of the doubt: let’s call it a typo.

Twin cities, one paper? Can Minneapolis/St. Paul support two newspapers? In a story about the lengths (or depths) Strib publisher Par Ridder went to  — and ultimately, yesterday, got punished for — seeking an advantage over a competitor, Editor & Publisher quotes industry analysts who think our days as a two-paper metro are numbered. Former Merrill Lynch analyst Lauren Rich Fine: “There should be only one paper. Think how many markets have two newspapers, and how many of those operate under a [joint operating agreement].” PiPress owner Media News already runs several of its papers that way. The local dailies, E&P predicts, “are headed for a rough battle in which only one might emerge.”

Rybak and The Rake: Early this month, Strib media writer Deborah Rybak resigned from the paper after her buyout application was apparently rejected. Now she’s got a new gig, sharing a desk (metaphorically, one would hope) with her onetime rival, former PiPress writer and current Rake media maven Brian Lambert. Is, as Lambert says, “a far hipper [Lambert to the] Slaughter” to come? Further, will that name change?

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