Things we learned about Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn as Washington Post staff live-blogged their viewing of “Mad Men” Sunday night:
- Smoking: “Sally Quinn says that her husband, Ben Bradlee, smoked three packs a day while executive editor of the Washington Post,” wrote Cory Haik. “He started in the Navy, where everyone smoked. ‘He quit smoking because I told him he was going to kill himself. I smoked Vogue cigarettes. They came in pink or blue with gold filters. I quit when I was trying to get pregnant.'”
- Safety: Quinn, quoted by Washington Post search editor Justin Bank: “Do you have any idea how scary it was to put pins inside your child’s diapers?” And quoted by UX director Yuri Victor: “There were no seatbelts back then. You put your hand in front of kids when you stopped.”
- Shaving: “’Ben used to use those shaving brushes,’ says Sally Quinn.”
- Sleep: Bradlee thought the show was “boring” and went to bed.
Somewhat related: Post ombudsman Patrick Pexton says the paper has no immediate plans for a paywall: “The Post doesn’t think that its core of loyal readers is large enough yet to consider a paywall, but it hopes to get there in a year, maybe two.”
Definitely related to that somewhat related item: The Guardian won’t rule out a paywall. Editor Alan Rusbridger says it’s also possible that readers could volunteer to do shifts moderating comments.
Wisconsin journalists who signed recall petitions against Gov. Scott Walker violated Gannett values, say their papers in letters that, as Jim Romenesko pointed out yesterday, are remarkably similar. Compare for yourself: Nhia Yang, The Sheboygan Press; Genia Lovett, The Post-Crescent in Appleton; Richard Roesgen, The Reporter in Fond du Lac; Kevin Corrado, Green Bay Press Gazette. || Related: Bonnie Porta is a bundler for President Obama’s reelection campaign. Her husband, Robert C.S. “Bobby” Monks, is a minority owner of MaineToday Media and was a bundler for Obama’s 2008 campaign.
Walker’s supporters have tried to capitalize on the news with a fundraising email. “The liberal powers that be in the news media and the judiciary [Some judges signed the petitions, too] are determined to do whatever they can to empower liberal and leftist causes, ideals and candidates …Â We simply can’t let ethically challenged judges or journalists defeat us in the fight to save our country.” Interestingly, the email links to a site called CampaigntoDefeatObama.com, not CampaigntoDefendWalkerAgainstLiberalMediaandJudges.com.
James Murdoch has resigned from Times Newspaper Holdings’ board.
Howard Kurtz and his “Reliable Sources” guests want to know why Al Sharpton is covering the Trayvon Martin shooting, in which he’s become a player, on his MSNBC show. “It’s not so much that people don’t know what Al Sharpton is,” said Eric Deggans. “The problem is that MSNBC has to cover this as a news organization.”
How a local shooting became national news: Brian Stelter notes that many of the journalists who covered the story are black, “which some journalists and advocacy groups say attests to the need for diversity in newsrooms.” Poynter’s Kelly McBride follows the story down a slightly different path, including a petition on Change.org, and also talks with the Orlando Sentinel about its coverage. || Related: David Carr on “hashtag activism.”
And finally, an important question from Elana Zak:
How is @JimCameron seemingly live-tweeting his solo dive to the deepest place in Earth? I can barely get reception in my bedroom.
— Elana Zak (@elanazak) March 25, 2012
