video If you are a watcher of the nightly network newscasts you probably noticed that the all the networks had got their teams on the ground in Haiti in order to be able to broadcast live from there last night. NBC not only sent Brian Williams but also Ann Curry and Al Roker from the Today Show team (video below) who took turns reporting back to Lester Holt last night from a scavenged satellite phone a television camera (via the generosity of Reuters) that did not sync up (there is something weirdly affecting in this day and age to see even the most advanced media outlets struggle with technology). Obviously up until sometime yesterday afternoon CNN owned the coverage, primarily because reporting breaking news is what they do best and they were able to get on the ground before anyone else. (more...)

Photos! Anyone who works in media these days — especially online — knows that it can be an all-consuming lifestyle, caught up in the immediacy of the 24-7 news cycle and very much given to being swept up by the wildly fluctuating highs and lows of the moment. That's why it's so nice to step back and enjoy an evening with friends and colleagues, and remember why you like your job in the first place. Last night's party at the Plaza, sponsored by Mediaite's partner Bing, was a night for just that, as our founder Dan Abrams and his father, the esteemed First Amendment lawyer Floyd, along with his lovely wife Efrat, welcomed a convivial array of guests from across the mediasphere to a really fun gathering to celebrate the growth of Mediaite. (more...)

In a week-long prank battle dubbed "Today Gets A Laugh," the hosts of the popular morning show traded tricks in order to playfully embarrass the unsuspecting. So with mischief in the air, you'd think the cast would be a tad wary when TV Guide Magazine booked a photo shoot for the Today stars, claiming to have crowned them "The Greatest Television Cast of All Time." Preposterous, no? (more...)

video No matter what, Hillary Clinton always seems to be answering questions regarding the powerful men around her. Not to get to MoDo on the subject, but it must get tiring. Then again, she's not the Secretary of State for nothing. Despite plenty of humorous (and not so humorous!) speculation about both of the Clinton's response to President Obama's surprise Nobel Peace Prize win last Friday, Sec. of State Clinton was nothing if not diplomatic in her response to Ann Curry regarding whether she thinks Obama "deserved" to win and join the ranks of "Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, and Nelson Mandela." (Not to put too fine a point on it!) (more...)

It's no secret that we're obsessed with competition and we get our kicks from big movement on the Power Grid. Recently sickness has been responsible for much of the movement in the rankings, as Dr. Sanjay Gupta -- who recently announced he had swine flu -- jumped from #12 to #4 in the rankings among TV pundits, with his Google buzz peaking at #1. The third search result? "I went to Afghanistan and all I got was H1N1." (more...)

Ann Curry revealed via her Twitter feed earlier today that her return flight from Iran was forced to make an emergency landing today because of an oil leak. Curry was returning from Iran where she interviewed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran (video inside). While her interview with the Iranian leader had some dramatic moments, things got much dicier on Curry's flight home. (more...)

video Ann Curry sat down with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday for his first interview since the Iranian elections and the unrest in Iran — and got some revealing non-answers from him. Did he steal the election? "I don't know what you mean by that." Was there was any scenario under which Iran would develop nukes? "We do not see any need for such weapons." Were Iranian dissidents tortured? "It's possible. I don't have such information." What did he think about the death of Neda? "We're treating this as a suspicious death and we are very sorry about this. And I'm sure that the truth will come to light." And then there was this: "I don't know what you mean by 'no.'" (more...)

We have one full week left of summer. Headlines this past month have been dominated by coverage of rowdy town hall meetings (which arguably began as headline fillers and then took on a life of their own), and this past week by Ted Kennedy coverage, which will conclude tomorrow with Kennedy's funeral and burial. However, yesterday's horrific revelations that child kidnapper Phillip Garrido had not only been keeping Jaycee Dugard prisoner in his backyard for the last 18 years, but had also fathered two children with her, looks to be the story that will dominate headlines in the coming days. (more...)