Jamie Kirchik only scratches the surface of what makes sketch writers a journalistic institution in the UK, but not the US — partisan newpapers, the adversarial character of parliament, etc — but while Hoggart does regular and occasional podcasts, he doesn’t feel obliged to dress up like a twit. And he still files four times a week.

Scahill: Blackwater still getting millions in federal contracts
BY MURIEL KANE 

Published: August 7, 2009 
Updated 13 hours ago

“The State Department announced last January that it would not be renewing Blackwater’s contract for security services in Iraq when it expired in May. According to Scahill’s latest article in The Nation, however, the Obama administration has just extended the contract through September 3. A State Department official explained, “They are still there, but we are transitioning them out.”

“Although it does not include the most recent figures, fedspending.org provides information on Blackwater contracts through the first few months of 2008. It shows the firm receiving an astonishing total of $1.2 billion for fiscal years 2005, 2006, and 2007 alone.

“The Washington Post suggested in January, “Some critics attribute Blackwater’s success to the political connections of owner Erik Prince, a big contributor to conservative and Christian causes. As the Post reported, in 2007, Prince ‘was a White House intern under President George H.W. Bush. His political donations over the past two decades total almost $263,000 to Pat Buchanan, Oliver North, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) and former senator Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvania Republican, among others. His sister, Betsy DeVos, is former chairwoman of the Republican party in Michigan.’”’

More.

And do note: The DeVos’ own Amway.

I still don’t quite understand why they threw in the towel. Guess it was just the donkey-blowing lameness, but certainly not the stupidity or ugliness. The overclass by definition can’t do comedy. But somehow they keep imagining they can.

“…those reporters who stick around the newsroom are increasingly required to become part-time bloggers, posting their stories online and them updating them throughout the day, expending their energy struggling to keep up with the twenty-four-hour news cycle rather than being able to dig in, investigate, learn, reveal.”

I guess Milbank doesn’t actually have a blog?… but maybe the mere thought of them is exhausting?

Don’t let the brown shirts be the only presence.

If anybody has an idea about a video format that might work, please let me know.

Oh, it is such hard work writing six hundred or even EIGHT hundred words. Each word has to go right after the other, and PUNCTUATION is also necesary! Of course it helps to have something to say other than serving their neo-con corporate masters.

Cillizza and Milbank are just two more phonies pretending to be journalists. But as for another format, I would suggest Singing Duo. They already are the Milli Vanilli of journalists.