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UPDATE: Sources close to Arianna Huffington are claiming just that. Arianna Huffington is currently on book tour for her new political tome Right Is Wrong: How The Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded The Constitution, And Made Us All Less Safe, in which she goes after Tim Russert (and justifiably so). 
She’s booked all over CNN, ABC, and CBS (but not Fox News Channel because she chose not to go on there). And NBC? Well, one insider says she was booked on Keith Olberman and Morning Joe to talk about her tome — and then unbooked. “These are shows that call her regularly to come on. And then the word came from on high that she had to be cancelled.” Arianna’s accolytes are pointing the finger at Tim Russert, well known to be ridiculously thin-skinned, for blackballing her internally at NBC and not permitting her on any of the NBC network or cable outlets.
It’s certainly possible, considering how much clout the Washington bureau chief wields at the company (not to mention how much profit his Meet The Press yields for the company). NBC did confirm to me that Arianna Huffington won’t be booked on any of the NBC network or cable shows past or present or future for her book. (Interestingly, a Knopf source says the publisher was never given a definitive no. “We were just told to ‘Call back tomorrow.’ There was never any explanation.”) Granted Right Is Wrong is only #209 on Amazon.com, but Huffington pals are arguing to NBC it’s a big book tour by a big name. “We get pitched countless books, and most of them don’t make it on the air. And this one didn’t,” the network news spokesperson told me. The spokesperson points out that Huffington has had nasty things to say about Russert “for years” through HuffPo’s RussertWatch but she’s still been booked on NBC shows. “Arianna must be dialing for dollars again,” the spokesperson snarked. Meanwhile, the respected Columbia Journalism Review just announced it will pick up HuffPo’s RussertWatch as a regular online feature.
So what does Huffington say about Russert in her tome?
– Russert’s July 1, 2007, Meet The Press interview with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff “was about as priapic a display as you’re ever likely to see outside of a porno film or the monkey cage at the zoo, with Russert desperately trying to get Chertoff to pump up the panic meter…”
– Russert’s Meet The Press has been the Bush-Cheney “administration’s top choice for push-back as its lies about Iraq were unraveling, because the White House could ‘control’ the message more easily there.”
– Russert is “one of the temple guards of conventional wisdom” and “a conventional wisdom zombie”.
– A 7-page scathing analysis of Russert and Meet The Press, based on this premise: “The reason the conventional wisdom survives no matter how many times its lies are exposed is that shows like Meet The Press allow their guests to go unchallenged.”
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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She’s probably not invited to his birthday party either.
Russert’s a troll.
Ironically, NBC’s obstruction of Huffington proves her point about the deterioration of the Constitution and the lunatic fringe (the lunatic fringe exists on both ends of the spectrum.)
Russert loses ALL credibility, using the press to satisfy his own personal gripes.
NBC cannot afford to lose any more face.
During debates, he looked like he was going to lunge across the table and claw Clinton’s face off.
The more that comes out about this guy, the more loathsome he proves to be.
nikki–what does huffington go after russert for?
So…she trashed Russert/NBC in her book, then acts surprised when neither wants to give her airtime to plug said book? How is this surprising, or newsworthy, at all?
And like that, Tim Russert’s application to write a “Gay S&M And You” column for the Huffington Post was tossed into the circular file.
I don’t understand what she’s complaining about.
There’s no “constitutional right” to go on NBC. This isn’t about free speech; she published the book.
So if she attacked Russert, and he wants to keep her off, that’s entirely his privilege – just as it’s entirely her privilege to moan about this in order to get herself more publicity, which is the only thing she’s really interested in.
Let’s be adults and grown ups about this: If you insult letterman, you’re not getting on the show. If you piss on the New York Times, they’re not going to review your books. (See Hannity, O’Reilly, etc.) And if you ridicule the head of the NBC Washington bureau, you suffer the consequences.
Again, it’s not free speech. Commercial book promotion on television is not guaranteed by the US gov’t.
Of course… Tim Russert, former Chief of Staff to Democratic Senator Daniel Moynihan is another member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (c)
My guess is the reason Huffington wasn’t booked on the show is the same reason she’s not sitting in the Governor’s office in Sacramento… nobody cares what she thinks.
Whatever faults Tim Russert has — which are many, to be sure — let’s not go to the other extreme and buy into the deification of Arianna Huffington. For those who are interested, do a little googling about Arianna Huffington and you will find such interesting goodies as the fact that she made her living prior to her ill-fated marriage to Michael Huffington and the founding the Huffington Post by being nothing more nor less than a rank, intentional plagiarist — politely speaking, an intellectual thief — whose publisher(s) have had to pay very, very big bucks, not “nuisance-value” payments, to settle significant plagiarism lawsuits filed against her. Moreover, with a little investigation one can find on the internet the fact that this great liberal, populist Ms. Huffington showed that she stood lockstep and heart-and-soul with the little people she so avidly supports by one year making more than $900,000 in income but paying way, way way less than 10% of that in taxes. I don’t believe I do Ms. Huffington any injustice by saying that she seems only interested in advancing the greater glory and self-deification of Arianna Huffington.
Russert’s bias is a shame for him and an insult to his profession, but he’s not alone. Newspapers can pick and choose what they cover; it’s their First Amendment right. Broadcasters, however, are licensed to operate in the public interest, not to promote private agendas. (The fact that they do is the failing of the FCC and, of course, of the public’s tolerance of their corruption). Not all venues are alike: Letterman is entertainment; “Meet the Press” is news; the FCC defines them differently. In the broader view, a newspaper’s, a TV station’s, or a radio station’s legitimacy is defined by its ability to cover stories objectively regardless of the personal likes or dislikes of the people who run each. Clearly NBC’s alleged boycott of Ariana’s book — just as all three networks boycotted Ken Auletta’s 1991 book “Three Blind Mice,” which was about their corporate myopia — is further proof that the mass media add to the problem rather than the solution.
Russert has had a fine career as a journalist, Arianna is an absolute joke, about as intellectually deep and coherent in her beliefs as a Vassar freshman with a nasty bipolar disorder. Who buys her stale Champaign Socialist schtick is beyond me. But she’s in LA and gives much cooler parties (all that Michael Huffington loot!), so of course Nikki runs with this big (yawn) story.
Some of you are missing the point. She’s not only being kept off Russert’s show, which would be understandable, she’s also being silenced on the entire network because of that right wing jackass.
Arianna Huffington Versus Tim Russert? That’s what cops would call “No Humans Involved.” But at least Russert is amusing. Arianna almost bored me to death at last year’s LA Times Festival of Books.
“Lunatic fringe”, Arianna IS the lunatic fringe.
Her and Russert should make up and have a lunatic fringe tea party.
LETTERMAN IS NOT A JOURNALIST. THAT’S A STUPID ANALOGY.
DUH.
Inevitably, anyone who uses the term “grow up” and “be an adult” as the basis of their argument has no valid point to make.
Moreover, it’s one thing for Russert not to feature the book [though a true journalist with backbone would feature it and discuss it[, but it is entirely another when a whole network blackballs a book.
We rely upon the news outlets, utilizing public airwaves, for the flow of information. A network and a “journalist” having a personal hissy fit and obstructing free and open debate are whom the person above should be directing to “grow up.”
Huffington disses Russert and then doesn’t understand why they won’t book her? And to promote such a bat shit crazy book?
kudos ms huffington. kudos.
As usual, Nikki is right on.
Media news program showing bias.
The news here is what, exactly?
Nikki defending Arianna? What is this, Bizarro World? I seem to recall an article written by Nikki essentially eulogizing the Huffington Post before it started.
Actually, I too thought the Huffington Post was going to be a vanity project that would implode. Alas, it’s a vanity project that’s actually succeeded if you judge it in terms of clicks. I go by it once or twice a day because it has some good bloggers and links to news articles.
As for Tim Russett, he’s another one of those self-loathing media liberals who feels he needs to bash Democrats in order to prove to the rabid right that “See! I’m fair! I went after that feeble little lefty. Please accept me!” all the while letting right wingers run roughshod over domestic and foreign policy for fear they might be called *gulp* “liiiiiberrrralllls” if they ask relevant, tough questions. Of course, if you’re a liberal in the mainstream media who constantly hammers the right you’re liable to get canned, like Robert Scheer at the LA Times.
And this spurning of Adrianna isn’t a First Amendment issue. It has nothing to do with the federal government subjugating freedom of the press. It’s just about a wuss at NBC who can’t stand incisive criticism. It’s one thing to not allow her on that Sunday morning bukkake fest “Meet the Press” but to ban her from appearing on MSNBC is the height of sensitivity.
The less we see of Huffington in the media, the better off America is. Can HBO wake up and get rid of Bill Maher will we’re at it??? Pretty please?
Since when has Russert been a right-winger? Are you serious? I’m no conservative loon… but it’s pretty common knowledge that (besides Fox News) television news is dominated by the liberal media. Why do you think Tucker’s show got the axe and poor Joe Scarborough has a winning 5 a.m. time slot? It isn’t because MSNBC is part of the vast right-wing conspiracy. Some of you California libs need to get in touch with the real world. That means you too Nikki…
Whaaaa? Did I miss something. Tim Russert grills the hell out of his guests. In fact, he holds every guest, be it Left or Right, to everything they’ve ever said in their entire life. How many times have we seen him ask a guest a question (the set-up) wait for an answer, and then roll video footage from said guests elementary school graduation telling his home room teacher the exact opposite of what he just told Russert? Point is, the guy does his homework and is one of the most prepared interviewers I have ever seen.
Huffington is only where she is because of her ex-husbands money. Without that, she’s just a screeching loon. To accuse Russert of being a tool for the conservatives is absurd to the point of mindlessness. Of course Nikki would side with her, they are all part of the beautiful people crowd living the dream of promoting a dream in which they are all dreaming.
It’s about time BOTH the right wing and left wing fanatics get off our airwaves. They foster hate, confusion and lies. What the American people need is the truth and honest reporting of the facts (think Joe Friday, just the facts, please). We are one people being torn apart by both the left and the right fringes.
Enough is enough.
This is so typical Arianna. She is constantly trashing people and then complains if they won’t go along with her agenda. And Arianna ALWAYS has an agenda. Her web site is becoming a joke because it’s the world according to Arianna which basically means it’s an anti-Clinton/ pro Huffington world. As an avid TV viewer I’m grateful that she’s being denied more time on the air. We’ve heard emough from her. She should take the advice she is so fond of giving when it comes to Hillary Clinton and she, Arianna, should just shut up and go away.