Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

What do My Little Pony, Transformers, Battleship and G.I. Joe all have in common?
They are all toys from Hasbro that all became major media entertainment properties under the leadership of CEO Brian Goldner, who died Tuesday of cancer. Goldner had been with the toy giant in one position or another since 2000. Hasbro’s products include Monopoly, My Little Pony, Transformers, the board game Battleship and the early action figure G.I. Joe. Back in 2012, Goldner told the NY Times that turning toys into entertainment franchises was a “core-brand strategy. Our four movies made $3 billion at the box office, but we made $1.6 billion in sales of merchandise because we own the I.P. [intellectual property] and all the merchandising rights.”

CNN’s Brian Stelter asks: Why isn’t there a New York Times of the right?
On his media news show Sunday evening, CNN media news reporter Brian Stelter raised an interesting question:

“Why aren’t there massive American newsrooms dedicated to journalism from a conservative point of view, a reality-based conservative point of view? Why isn’t there a New York Times of the right?”

An excellent answer to this question comes from the Washington Post’s media critic Erik Wemple who says, “The ‘New York Times of the right’ is … The New York Times.”

Wemple points out how Fox News host Tucker Carlson continually trashes the NY Times on his show and then goes on to frequently reference stories in a positive light from the Times. And as is his usual practice, Wemple provides specific dates and stories. (Examples are from Aug. 134, Aug. 21, Sept. 17, Sept. 20, Sept. 28, and Oct. 4.  All of these praised stories from the Times.) Wemple then goes on to give a long list of other NY Times stories referenced as positive examples by Fox News hosts.

So, Fox News likes to have it both ways – trashing the New York Times and other “mainstream” news outlets while simultaneously depending on these news outlets for important reporting.

And finally – Where have you been, Distracted Boyfriend?