The Glamorous Life of a Journalist (WashTimes / FT / Weiner Dept.)

On the day Rep. Weiner resigned, I mentioned the press release I received from a PR firm. The sender, whose name I didn't give, was Jess Todtfeld, and he offered his insights on Weiner:

>>Are you looking for quotes on the Anthony Weiner resignation?

As a "Media Consultant," I have plenty to add on the topic....

Here are a few things I can say:
-Can he repair his image? He can never truly get past this story. He has mortally wounded his political career. But, that doesn't mean he can't star in a reality show or host a program on CNN.<<

I have therefore noted with admiration coverage of Weiner's chances in the Washington Times:

>>"Can he repair his image? He can never truly get past this story. He has mortally wounded his political career. But that doesn't mean he can't star in a reality show or host a program on CNN," says former Fox News producer Jess Todtfeld, now president of Success In Media, a Manhattan consultancy.<<

And in the Financial Times too:

>>"He can never truly get past this story," said Jess Todtfeld, president of Success In Media, a consultancy. "He has mortally wounded his political career. But that doesn't mean he can't star in a reality show."<<

Maybe I should start paying more attention to these press releases. Thanks to reader MV.

Update: for a different approach, see how Al Kamen of the Washington Post handled the press release. Today turns out to be my "admiring the WaPo" day.

Update-update: In response to a query, what exactly is my point? When a news story contains direct quotes, with the word "said," the implication is that the reporter talked with the person being quoted and got the info first-hand. If a press release is interesting enough, usually a reporter would call or email the source to get more information, or at least a new version of the quote. Sometimes it's not practical to do that -- but in those cases you'd expect to see "XX expert said, in a release sent to reporters" or "in a press release" or "according to a statement." Therefore, the WashTimes and FT stories apparently written off a press release, without saying so, are surprising.

James Fallows is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and author of the newsletter Breaking the News.