The immediate media reaction to the “not guilty” verdict presented to Casey Anthony yesterday has been one of utter disbelief– how could the jury and the media not see eye-to-eye from the same evidence? On today’s Thom Hartmann Radio Show, Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher argued the disconnect lay in what evidence was permissible in a court of law versus the court of public opinion, but that a responsible media cannot be expected to shield potential jurors from their own reporting.

As a nation sat agape at Casey Anthony being found not guilty of killing her young daughter Caylee, many in the media who had no public doubt of her guilt railed against the jury. But as Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher explained to host BC Thomas on WBGN’s The Sports Guys, the legal burden of proof for murder is far higher than the standards required of responsible journalism.

Obama impersonator Reggie Brown‘s appearance at the Republican Leadership Conference reignited concerns about what constitutes appropriate racial humor and whether there is a double standard over what cannot be said on the left and the right. On last night’s The Big Picture on RT America, Mediaite Political Editor Tommy Christopher chatted with host Thom Hartmann about Brown’s performance, racial humor, and the difference between Eric Bolling and Bill Maher.

Since the revelation Friday that the sources known as “Betty,” “Veronica,” and “Mrs. Betty” are not who they represented themselves to be, a lot of questions, speculations, and criticisms have arisen. As the reporter who broke the story, vigorously defended it, and helped to discover the deception, it’s reasonable for people to expect some answers to those things. While I don’t have a lot to add to what we published on Friday, I will do my best to apply that information to these questions, speculations, and criticisms.

One of the strangest parts of the whole sordid affair surrounding the downfall of Rep. Anthony Weiner has been the differing accounts of this story, and how that engendered speculation and misreporting. Initially, the way the story was reported predictably fell along partisan lines, with many on the left immediately believing Weiner’s account of being hacked. Mediate countered speculation by highlighting alternate fact patterns and all of our reporting we stand by. It turns out, however, that the sources that we reported to be underage participants in the Weiner saga are not at all who they represented themselves as. The material facts of the entire story, though, remain unchanged.

The decision not to release photos of slain terrorist Osama bin Laden has been met with both bipartisan support and bipartisan opposition, so it isn’t that remarkable that liberal commentator Alan Colmes, left-leaning comic Jon Stewart, conservative icon Sarah Palin, and I agree that the photos should be released. What is somewhat remarkable, though, is that we have each offered separate, distinct, and compelling arguments for doing so.

Update: Wonkette has deleted the post, and replaced it with this message: (h/t Little Miss Attila) Rude Post Deleted By Editor; Author Apologizes A post on this page satirizing Sarah Palin using her baby as a political prop was very badly done and sounded like the author was mocking the child and not just Sarah Palin/Sarah [...]

Conservative site Newsbusters is going after Wonkette for a recent post the liberal political humor site published about Trig Palin, the youngest son of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

Newsbusters prefaces its story by asking “What has become of today’s liberalism that makes it acceptable to attack the mentally handicapped if they or their parents are conservatives?”

During a discussion of Glenn Beck‘s departure from Fox News’ air on Sunday’s Reliable Sources, progressive radio host Bill Press joined host Howard Kurtz in pushing back against the idea that MSNBC’s opinion personalities are somehow equivalent to Beck. While Press and Kurtz were correct in their overall assessment, Press’ declaration that MSNBC hosts are “not calling anyone Nazis” is only true because Keith Olbermann is no longer at the network. Oddly, though, Olbermann’s record of Nazi references only reinforces the contrast between Beck and MSNBC.

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.”

As the fall out from attention-loving, Koran-burning Pastor Someone McImnotsayinghisname continues in the Middle East, everyone is having their say on the situation. Today on his radio show, Rush Limbaugh gave his two cents, pointing out that Muslims should remember that they burn Korans just as much during their little suicide bombings. Oh, thank you, Pastor Whatever McPleasegoaway, for getting this big locomotive of cultural sensitivity started down the tracks.

Bill Press is a left-of-center radio host who is also a member of the White House Press Corps. Tommy Christopher is the White House correspondent for Mediaite, and readers familiar with his columns know that he is not afraid to admit his liberal tilt as well. Press had Christopher on as guest this morning to talk about the news of the week, particularly Donald Trump’s odd boast that he’d screwed Gaddafi over a land deal of some sort, but perhaps a more interesting bit was their candid appraisal of the new White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.

During an appearance on Fox News this weekend Sarah Palin was asked about comedian Kathy Griffin and her frequent jokes/attacks on not just Palin, but her daughter’s as well. The former Alaskan Governor called Griffin a “50 year-old adult bully”before requesting that Griffin “leave (her) kids alone.” Well Griffin visited Howard Stern this morning, and made clear that she has no intention of leaving Willow Palin out of her “cross-hairs.”

As journalists, we just don’t cover suicides. It’s a rule. But as I learned early on as a reporter, there are always tons of exceptions. Oh, the person is threatening to jump from a highway overpass? We cover that. It affects traffic. Oh, the suicide was the son of the police chief? Um, I think we cover that. Hang on, let me check.

The suicide “rule” boils down to something like this: we don’t cover suicides (unless they’re visual, interesting, or we find some other compelling argument for doing so.)

While protests have become the latest global media trend, it is with those closest to home, in Wisconsin, that they have the most wiggle room in their coverage (and spin). Mediaite Political Editor and White House Correspondent Tommy Christopher visited S.E. Cupp on her new program today to evaluate media bias in the Wisconsin story, from MSNBC’s budget analysis to Fox News’ claims doctors are giving protesters a likely illegal hand.

During his final White House press briefing today, a slightly choked up Robert Gibbs said he didn’t like talking about himself. If that’s the case, then he chose a perfect day for his exit (“a boring day in the White House” Gibbs joked) to be overshadowed. Still, while there was plenty of important news to talk about, Gibbs got a chance to take his bow and President Obama even made an appearance to celebrate his “great friend.”

Writing for ABC’s “Political Punch” blog, the network’s senior White House correspondent, Jake Tapper, reports on how how President Obama signed the much-discussed START nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia this morning – without allowing any reporters or TV cameras to witness the historic signing.

The woman who interrupted the reading of the US Constitution on the floor of the House of Representatives Thursday to shout “birther” protestations has now been identified, by Capitol Police, as Theresa Cao, a colorful DC resident who often haunts the sidewalks of Pennsylvania ave outside the White House.

As it turns out, I knew her when. Almost exactly a year ago, I ran into TC, and videotaped a brief interview that I never ended up using. Here, for the first time, is that interview, and the story of our encounter.

The New Year is here, and with it, the annual exercise in futility that is the New Year’s Resolution. As you stare into the abyss of another 365 days in which to improve yourself, it might help you to know that the figures who make Mediaite go ’round have some things to work on, too. Here’s what we think some of them are saying into the mirror this morning.

So, before you try to shake off that Cold Duck and Four Loko hangover and blearily search for a gym membership you can get out of when you get tired of it after 3 sessions, why not check out our list  of New Year’s Resolutions for Everyone Else?

As 2010 draws to a close, it’s time to take stock of the year that was, and since we in the White House press corps might not have him around much longer, I think it’s important to look back on Year Two of Press Secretary Robert Gibbs‘ tenure. While it was a bumpy year for the Obama administration, Gibbs was out there every day, taking the heat and giving some back. As a fourth-row witness to Gibbs’ tumultuous year, here are my selections for the Top Ten Robert Gibbs Moments of 2010.

‘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 [...]

Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher pressed Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on whether Virginia federal judge Henry Hudson, a Bush-appointee had a conflict of interest that should have prevented him from deciding yesterday’s healthcare case. The alleged conflict relates to the judge’s investment in a Republican consulting firm that worked against health care reform. Gibbs, surprised at how narrowly the case was decided was confident the decision would have “no practical impact at all as states move forward in . . . implementing the law that Congress passed and the President signed.”

Time Magazine has released its list of the Top Ten Twitter Moments of 2010, and at least one member of the Twitterati isn’t happy. Mediaite columnist and White House reporter Tommy Christopher, who nearly gave his life in a bid for Twitter celebrity, bitterly rejected the magazine’s snub via his Twitter account. I reached out [...]

For a little over a week, an eternity in news cycle dog years, the uproar over TSA pat-downs has dominated the media landscape like the bastard spawn of Rod Blagojevich, Sarah Palin, and Balloon Boy. Heading into the Thanksgiving weekend news dead zone, there seems little chance its momentum will slow, but The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz may be ushering in the most welcome phase of this story’s arc: the inevitable backlash against the TSA backlash.

Seeking to make hay out of Willow Palin‘s Facebook misadventure, among other things, Bonnie Goldstein, Editor of Politics Daily’s “Woman Up” blog, writes that the Palin teens “lack supervision,” and that “Sarah Palin may want to budget a companionable nanny for the older children.”

While we predicted that some would level this attack, it seems counterintuitive that a blog devoted to women’s issues would not only see the Palin kids as fair game, but would then perpetuate the sexist notion that parenting is the sole purview of the mother. Todd Palin’s name never comes up.