Advertise with new media bloggers? Think. Again. You may recall a speech earlier this year when News Corp’s John “Occupation Journalist” Hartigan was critical of all those new media bloggers for not being real journalists, and naming Crikey and mUmBRELLA as being the prime (Australian) offenders. Guess who’s now advertising on the mUmBRELLA website with banner adverts?

Yes, it’s John Hartigan’s Australian — was his original speech a senior’s moment perhaps? — Crikey reader Glen Frost

A pedant’s blog. Crikey reader Troy has started a one-man online crusade to right the wrongs of Australian media’s bad grammar. The site, Aussie Shockers, writes that: “The standard of Australian journalism has consistently dropped year after year and I can’t stand it any longer. I don’t know if it is because of a reliance on technology, too much outsourcing to low-cost foreign types or simply lax standards, but fair suck of the sauce bottle; it’s gone too far!” We hope he’s kind to Crikey.

Photography and political manipulation. The New York Times’ David Kennerley’s whinge about the political manipulation by Newsweek of his shot of Dick Cheney with a kitchen knife in his hand looks ridiculous when compared with this 1933 effort by German photo-montage artist-activist John Heartfield. Born Herzfelt, he Anglicised his name as a protest against anti-British propaganda during WW1. A cut-and-paste job on the jolly fat family man Hermann Goering.

Needless to say he had to leave Germany not long after this appeared in the communist magazine AIZ. — Crikey reader Tony Barrell

Tania Zaetta wins newspaper payout. Television and movie personality Tania Zaetta has settled a lawsuit against the publisher of The Daily Telegraph newspaper over a report that the Defence Department was investigating claims she had s-x with troops in Afghanistan. — The Age

Obama open to newspaper bailout Bill. The president said he is “happy to look at” Bills before Congress that would give struggling news organisations tax breaks if they were to restructure as non-profit businesses. — The Hill

Journos losing jobs at three times the rate of average workers. Since the financial meltdown began a year ago, journalism jobs have gone away at almost three times the rate jobs have disappeared in the general economy, according to a report by Unity: Journalists of Color. — Editor & Publisher

The Google code still unbroken. In search of some beautiful minds, Google has been putting up signs around the MIT campus with a code that says “If you can figure this out, you may have a future with Google.” — Tech Crunch

High times for media coverage of weed. Why is the mainstream media suddenly having a Cheech and Chong moment? Perhaps the most high-profile piece comes from Fortune, whose September cover asks, “Is Pot Already Legal?” and features cover girl Mary Louise Parker of Showtime’s Weeds. — Wall Street Journal

Activists behind NY Post parody detained by police. The New York Post does not have a sense of humour about itself, it would seem. Early this morning, some 2000 activists affiliated with a group called The Yes Men handed out copies of a 32-page parody issue calling attention to climate change. But when volunteers tried to distribute copies outside the Post‘s offices, they were detained by police and their papers were confiscated, says an eyewitness. — Daily Finance

Sexy Sadie the cleaning lady. We love the Aussie ad campaign for a new toilet cleaner from Ambi Pur. Nothing gets passions flaring like the scent of pine-lime or country lavender:


[via Campaign Brief]

No croc but Roberta in frock. More often than not, there’s something special about the front page of the NT News. Today it’s the Emmy’s, the Brownlow … and Roberta Williams. Connect the dots: