In the usual absence of any real, meaty (not a pun, thank you) political stories each summer, it’s usually something completely absurd, wild and/or scandalous that captures the attention of the media and the general public. Summer of ’11 has, so far, been a Summer of Weiner. The so-called “Weinergate” scandal has been the gift that keeps on giving, as far as many media outlets have been concerned, and it’s interesting to see how each has managed to put its own spin on the story. Let’s take a look at how they (and, yes, we) managed it, shall we?

We at Mediaite have long been proud of the garden of commenters that we have grown over the years. We deeply appreciate those of you who take the time to post intelligent, thought-provoking comments. You are the flowers of our lush, if cacophonous, garden.

However, we’ve recently noticed (as I’m sure you have) an influx of weeds (and not the good kind). These weeds are choking our garden. When you post inappropriate comments, you not only destroy the platform for intelligent conversations, but scare off people who would have made comments that contribute positively to the site.

We get that a lot, actually. Gawker‘s Jeff Neumann took a shot at Mediaite Thursday morning over the length and girt of our coverage of “Weinergate,” noting that “other stuff is happening that might be considered so newsworthy,” and laying the blame at the feet of Mediaite founder and publisher Dan Abrams. While we’re glad [...]

Editor’s note – Greta Van Susteren recently published a post that was critical of a Mediaite ratings post that pointed out that her recent (and historic) live broadcast from North Korea did not garner great ratings in demo. She called the post “so un-Dan Abrams” and appeared to be frustrated by Mediaite’s lack of coverage of her historic trip (which we had actually covered earlier.) Following is a response from Mediaite founder Dan Abrams to Van Susteren’s critique.

CNN contributor Dana Loesch and Mediaite’s own Frances Martel got into a Mother’s Day fracas that demonstrates how somewhat below-the-radar new media can trump their dinosaur forebears, at least in entertainment value. They appeared on Breitbart TV Editor in Chief Larry O’Connor‘s Stage Right webcast to debate Loesch’s Mother’s Day post at Big Journalism, and the sparks flew quickly. Martel told Loesch, “You’re a little bit drunk,” and Loesch called Frances a “b*tch” because, she explained, “You are a b*tch.”

Earlier today, we reported that right-wing radio giant Rush Limbaugh completely bungled the task of reading Tommy Christopher‘s critique of a Hardball segment comparing the Qu’ran to the Bible. Later in his show, Limbaugh corrected himself, and apologized to Christopher. Mr. Christopher tells Mediaite, “I’m glad Rush corrected the record, and I forgive him, but I cannot accept his apology.”

Are you looking to hire someone new, but unsure of where to find qualified applicants? Have you been searching for a new job, only to grow frustrated at the number of positions that don’t meet your needs? Mediaite is here to help. If you’re an employer, post jobs with us FOR FREE. If you’re a job-seeker, upload your resume and start your path to a new or better job.

Mark this moment, everyone. This is the second that the Mediaite team stops being faceless names on a screen and finally becomes fully-fledged people. How is this possible? Well, Mediaite has joined up with the great, new service VYou, which will enable you all to communicate with our writers and editors in a brand new way! Yes, reader, here in The Future you will now be able to hear us and see what we look like!

I know. Gross.

ABC News president Ben Sherwood has announced that Mediaite founder Dan Abrams, the longtime chief legal analyst at NBC News and MSNBC, has joined ABC, with a variety of assignments at the network, including legal analyst at Good Morning America. “I’ve known Dan since the start of his successful network career. An insightful lawyer, he is also a high-impact broadcaster, commentator, analyst and entrepreneur,” said Sherwood in a memo announcing the move to ABC News staff.

On Glenn Beck‘s radio show today–without Beck, who’s off to the doctor–Stu Burguiere and Pat Gray discussed a recent Mediaite story by Matt Schneider about Beck’s defense against what he sees as a “hatchet job” on him by The New York Times.

Burguiere and Gray–and this makes us somewhat uncomfortable–seem to think Mediaite’s “fair,” and Beck’s team read extensively from Schneider’s article, which, oddly enough, includes a reference to Beck himself reading on-air from the Times article “in humorously ominous voices, as they mocked what they perceived to be elements of poor journalism.”

The speculation over Keith Olbermann‘s future after MSNBC continued tonight on Anderson Cooper 360º, where our own Managing Editor Colby Hall joined host Anderson Cooper and the New York Times’ Bill Carter to discuss Olbermann’s latest tweets, what went on behind the scenes at MSNBC, and what the former Countdown host has in store for the upcoming months.

The recent decision to return the controversial classic Huckleberry Finn to classrooms in a censored editor that removes the 219 instances of the n-word has garnered some outcry from both those who considering the editing detrimental to education and those who prefer the book not be taught at all. Mediaite Managing Editor Colby Hall visited WPIX to discuss what he calls a “dangerous precedent” for troublesome history.

On Wednesday night, Mediaite’s Frances Martel wrote a lengthy, thoughtful piece of media criticism centered around Princeton Professor Melissa Harris-Perry‘s appearance on The Rachel Maddow Show, concluding that Harris-Perry’s point about the historical context of the Michael Vick story was “lost in translation.”

‘Tis the season to be jolly, but ’tis also the season to fill dead news space. Luckily, you’re also probably looking for something to do after you sleep off the eggnog, glance nervously at your now-bone-dry tree, and try to remember if you really just paid twelve bucks to see Little Fockers. Whether you celebrate [...]

Earlier today, Mediaite Managing Editor Colby Hall appeared on Fox News’ Studio B with Shepard Smith to discuss Mediaite’s Ten Worst Media Disasters of 2010, and after running down the titular list, Smith gave a boost to the site’s street cred. Not only did Smith correctly pronounce the name of our site (unlike Rush Limbaugh), but went on to observe “It’s not like you guys are always wonderful to us, but I always enjoy reading it.”

Reality isn’t always wonderful to them, either, but it is to Fox News’ credit that they aren’t afraid to acknowledge criticism, and still engage with the source of it.

Mediaite is looking for editors to help us launch a brand-new site — one covering titans of industry in tech, media, and other fields. To succeed at this editorship, you must be obsessed with the lives and business dealings of the moguls who run the most important and high-profile businesses in the world. Steve Jobs, Barry Diller, Ralph Lauren, Jay-Z, the Grahams, the Murdochs — you should be able to reel off a list of dozens more that you feel are ripe for coverage.

I’ll be honest—each month, as we see record numbers at our young sites, I worry. I fear that the next month can’t possibly rival the previous one, that it will be nearly impossible to beat those numbers in the near future. After all, our staffs are about as lean as they get (some sites have just 2 employees), we don’t have a corporate entity or venture capital firm behind us, and we have already vastly exceeded any and all expectations. Yet here we are again.

Mediaite is looking for an editor to start a new desk — one covering titans of industry in tech, media, and other fields.

To succeed at this editorship, you must be obsessed with the lives and business dealings of the individuals who run the most important and high-profile businesses in the world. Steve Jobs, Barry Diller, John Malone, the Grahams, the Murdochs — you should be able to reel off a list of dozens more that you feel are ripe for coverage.

Mediaite’s Dan Abrams appeared on the TODAY Show this morning to talk about the trial of college student Amanda Knox, which starts up again this week. Knox was convicted for the murder of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, while abroad in Italy. This week, Knox and her legal team will be appealing against that conviction. Abrams, as NBC’s Chief Legal analyst, offered perspective on what to expect from the trial.

Say what you want, just pronounce our name right, Rush.

Radio giant Rush Limbaughspent some time on his radio show Wednesday chuckling over a Mediaite story by Tommy Christopher that says this of El Rushbo: “(he) is not only a race-baiter,
he is a coward.“

I am thrilled to announce that Mark Joyella, a five-time Emmy winning reporter joins Mediaite today as the new TV Editor. Mark has worked as a reporter and anchor at television stations across the country including Miami and New York and has been honored by the Associated Press, and the Radio-Television News Directors’ Association.

Our editors and reporters are responsible for writing, assigning and editing stories, and for working with the editor-in-chief to keep the site humming along on a day to day basis.

Mediaite’s Editor-at-Large Rachel Sklar appeared on CNN’s Reliable Sources this morning with the New York Times‘ David Carr and host Howard Kurtz to discuss the impact of last week’s Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally and cable news — and the recent suspension of Keith Olbermann by MSNBC.

As you may have already heard, today is election day. Citizens across this great nation are considering which candidates for whom they will cast their ballot (or, at least those who have not yet let cynicism and apathy ruin their lives.) Since the mainstream media has strangely decided to cover the elections with a strange and comprehensive mix of hyperbole and apocalyptic fury, Mediaite will be there to hold your hand all the way, with extensive coverage throughout the day.

Its hard for me to believe but once again, all four of our wholly owned sites Mediaite, Geekosystem, Styleite and Sportsgrid, hit all time traffic highs. Each time we celebrate new records, I keep fearing the best may be behind us, but alas, the teams outdo themselves again.

According to web traffic assessment site Quantast.com the Abrams Media Network is ranked at number 204, right behind long time stalwart’s like The Wall Street Journal’s, WSJ.com (200) and just ahead of Usmagazine.com (215) and Newsweek.com (216). I am so proud of all the teams that have made this happen.