If you've been following the news media over the past two weeks, then you know the big stories inside and out: an Alaskan woman wrote a book and some elected officials are working on making new laws. Or so we've heard. You've seen endless consideration given to Sarah Palin's Going Rogue and heard debates about health care lasting well into the weekend (even at nighttime!), and if you have spent any time at all on this very site, then you've seen tons of analysis of that very concentrated news coverage. To be frank, it's all very exhausting. But the effects of these stories have a reach that extends well into the media world, even tickling the Mediaite Power Grid, leading to a little bit of rearrangement. (more...)

Last week, Jake Tapper's potential facial hair (and high profile interviews) made him a big gain on the Power Grid -- all the way up to the #2 spot behind MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. Poised to strike, Tapper made the most of an increased profile this week, challenging White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and the White House's attack on Fox News. (more...)

When you're a television reporter, you make news any way you can -- then, you see how it affects your Power Grid ranking. ABC White House Correspondent Jake Tapper has a friendly rivalry with his NBC contemporary Chuck Todd, and in the heat of the baseball playoffs facial hair is on the line. That's right -- two of the most important TV journalists have made a bet: "Jake wagered Chuck that if the Philadelphia Phillies win the National League Championship, Todd must shave his goatee, and if the L.A. Dodgers win, Tapper must grow one." (more...)

A look at the Power Grid this week reveals a few fixtures that never waver: Oprah Winfrey, Rupert Murdoch, Anna Wintour -- these are media gods and little can upset that balance. But just behind them in the rest of the top ten all it takes is a big scoop or scandal to send ripples through the rest of the rankings. Here are the big shake-ups from the past week and a look at what caused them: (more...)

Though the Power Grid is often a lesson in maintaining influence over time (see: Anna Wintour), due to its automated algorithm, movement in the ranks can often be traced directly to a piece of news or media event. In this sense, it serves as a barometer for any given category, and it's not the movement that is interesting in and of itself, but the reasons behind it. (more...)