By Colin Campbell 5/01 10:35am

The Fourth Estate

nypost nyt

The Tabloids Tout Bloomberg’s Times Tirade

Yesterday afternoon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg fiercely condemned The New York Times for its lackluster coverage of the shooting death of 17-year-old Alphonza Bryant and its editorials critical of the NYPD’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy. “Do you think that if a white, 17-year-old prep student from Manhattan had been murdered, The Times would have ignored it?” Mr. Bloomberg sarcastically asked himself. “Me neither.”

Several of The Times competitors took notice.

“Take that, New York Times!” New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin declared in an op-ed piece prominently featuring The Times‘ logo. “And thank you, Bloomy.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 4/11 8:23am

fun with puns

(Photo: Newseum.org)

New York Post Relishes Return of Anthony Weiner

After former Congressman Anthony Weiner revealed his possible return to electoral politics yesterday, one could not help but wonder what pun-filled direction the New York Post would take. After all, during Mr. Weiner’s 2011 scandal, the tabloid simply wallowed in its own innuendos.

Today’s paper didn’t disappoint.

The Post‘s full coverage of Mr. Weiner’s potential mayoral candidacy starts with the cover, which blares “WEINER’S SECOND COMING!” and “Anthony: Erect me Mr. Mayor,” along with one of the sexual pictures that helped force his resignation. Read More

By Hunter Walker 12/03/12 12:34pm

Don't Call it a Comeback

Rep. Anthony Weiner speaks during his p

Anthony Weiner’s Writing Partner Doubts Sandy Op-Ed Is Part of a Political Resurrection

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner has kept a relatively low profile in the year-and-change since a scandal over lewd Twitter messages led to his resignation, but last week, he took to the pages of the New York Daily News to write an op-ed with Congressman Gregory Meeks highlighting the post-Sandy needs of the Rockaways. Mr. Weiner’s editorial struck many observers as a “step back onto the political stage,” but Mr. Meeks told Politicker he doesn’t think a return to the public eye was part of his ex-colleague’s motivations for writing the editorial. Read More

By Colin Campbell and Hunter Walker 11/13/12 4:16pm

Spy Vs. Thigh

8 Photos

Day Two: And the Post doubled down hard on the "shag" jokes.

How the Petraeus Scandal Played Out on the Front Pages of NYC’s Tabloids

The headline writers at New York City’s tabloids are great artisans and sex scandals are often the inspiration for their finest masterpieces. Therefore, it should come as no surprise the ongoing saga over former CIA Director David Petraeus’ affair engulfed an increasing number of outside players, it also yielded a bounty of especially hilarious tabloid Read More

By Hunter Walker 7/06/12 5:51pm

Denials

Keith Wright (Photo: NYS Assembly)

Democratic Party Boss Slams Report Board of Elections is Working to Help Charlie Rangel Stay In Office

At Congressman Charlie Rangel’s election night party outside Sylvia’s Restaurant on Malcolm X Boulevard June 26, former New York Governor David Paterson served as emcee entertaining the crowd with political patter and jokes as the results rolled in. Standing on stage with Mr. Rangel’s other longtime Harlem allies, Assemblyman Keith Wright, co-chair of the New York Democratic Party, and Assemblyman Carl Heastie, leader of the Bronx Democratic Party, Mr. Paterson declared Mr. Rangel victorious in his race against State Senator Adriano Espaillat.

“The firm of Heastie, Paterson & Wright have projected Charles Rangel the winner in the 13th Congressional District primary,” Mr. Paterson proclaimed to loud cheers and applause.

Mr. Paterson’s remarks were seemingly made in jest, however ten days after the election, there are some who fear Mr. Rangel’s cronies did hand him a victory after the initial Board of Elections result was found to have left votes uncounted in over thirty precincts and Mr. Espaillat’s campaign has gone to court with allegations of voter suppression and other “irregularities.” In this morning’s Daily News, Juan Gonzalez published a column detailing “troubling signs” that some Board of Elections officials engaged “in an all-out effort by the Democratic Party establishment to ensure a Rangel victory.”

In a conversation with The Politicker, Mr. Wright vehemently denied the various charges in Mr. Gonzalez’s story.

“It’s not true,” Mr. Wright said. “It’s absolutely untrue.” Read More

By David Freedlander 5/09/12 6:28am

The Future Is Now

Drawing by Fred Harper

Are We There Yet? Will The 2012 Campaign Get Pushed Aside For The One In Four Years?

Not long ago, the political and media cognoscenti maintained a strict code of conduct: never—except in the privacy of a late night bar stool, after all the recorders have been turned off and the stories filed—should the next presidential election be speculated upon before the current one concludes. Eventually, after the last of the ballots were counted, some poor pundit would find himself on cable news, and with the newly completed campaign season no longer able to stomach more blather, he would gamely look ahead to the campaign four years hence.

And the world, it seemed would emit a loud groan. Too soon! We are politics-sick! No more horse-race frivolity!

Not so in 2012. Read More

By Azi Paybarah 5/25/11 1:47pm

investigations

Report: Tickets ‘Fixed’ for Council Members; ‘Really Disgraceful’ Says Mayor

The Daily News had a story this morning alleging “at least three Council members had tickets fixed after they phoned friends at the NYPD.”

When asked about it at an unrelated press conference in Queens, Mayor Bloomberg said: “It is wrong,” and, “the cops shouldn’t do it.”

“It’s really disgraceful if an elected official asked them to do it,” he said.

Bloomberg said he discussed the ticket-fixing scandal during his weekly meeting with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly yesterday. The matter is being investigated by the Bronx District Attorney.