The Journolist mailing list

Summary (posts follow):

The Journolist mailing list was a private discussion forum for hundreds of liberal reporters, commentators, bloggers, academics, and so on. It was started by Ezra Klein before he joined the Washington Post and a good part of the low-level commentariat and reporting class appears to have been on the list.

Recently, some emails have come to light; see the posts below for specific examples. Certainly, to a small extent this whole issue is tawdry. However, the people on the list were among the front line troops in creating how politics is represented, at least on the liberal and "non-partisan" side of things. And, what they said on the list isn't really that much of a shock; it's just a confirmation of what others have long suspected.

Last modified Jul 22, 2010

Discussed in (click each link for the full post):

Did Jonathan Stein reveal the Journolist "conspiracy"? - 07/22/10

... the following excerpt from the Journolist mailing list ([1]). The date is August 29, 2008 - the day that Sarah Palin was selected as John McCain's running mate - and those on the list were discussing how to oppose her: Suzanne Nossel, chief of operations for Human Rights Watch, added a novel take: “I think it is and can be spun as a profoundly sexist pick. Women should feel umbrage at the idea...

Joe Klein of Time got anti-Sarah Palin talking points from Journolist - 07/22/10

... journalists and commentators on Journolist swung into action, trying to figure out the best way to oppose her ([1]). One of those listening in was Joe Klein of Time Magazine: Joe Klein of Time stopped by with an update on the latest from his magazine: "We're reporting that she actually supported the bridge to nowhere. First flub?" ...Klein, who displayed an independent streak in other...

Eric Alterman on "F*cking Nascar retards" who he didn't have to listen to after McCain loss - 07/21/10

... began a thread on the private Journolist mailing list asking others to name those who they were "grateful we no longer have to listen to". Several others joined in, including Eric Alterman of The Nation (formerly of MSNBC and Media Matters for America). Eric Alterman's choice of those he was glad not to have to listen to? "Fucking Nascar retards…" As the Daily Caller points out, Alterman is also...

Sarah Spitz of KCRW admits she'd cheer a Rush Limbaugh heart attack (UPDATE: apologizes) - 07/20/10

... [1]: In a post to the list-serv Journolist, an online meeting place for liberal journalists, (NPR producer Sarah Spitz) wrote that she would “Laugh loudly like a maniac and watch his eyes bug out” as (Rush Limbaugh) writhed in torment [from a heart attack]. In boasting that she would gleefully watch a man die in front of her eyes, Spitz seemed to shock even herself. “I never knew I had this much...

Jonathan Zasloff of UCLA wanted government to take Fox News off the air (+John Judis of TNR) - 07/20/10

... professor - said in a posting to the "Journolist" mailing list that the federal government should take Fox News off the air. (You can contact him through law.ucla.edu/home/index.asp?page=768). From [1]: “I hate to open this can of worms,” [Jon Zasloff wrote in a posting on Journolist], “but is there any reason why the FCC couldn’t simply pull [Fox's] broadcasting permit once it expires?” And so...