Reporters hype—then waste—Biden’s first press conference

Last week, when the White House announced that Joe Biden would hold his first formal press conference as president on March 25, the pre-game hype began. Reporters excavated the history of White House press conferences, then shared their questions for Biden with the public, and each other. There was coverage of Biden’s prep—involving “three-ring binders and fourteen-point font”—and, because this is Joe Biden, his potential to commit “gaffes” and his staff’s presumed terror at the prospect. The event was framed, in some outlets, as a president who talks much less than his predecessor shedding his invisibility cloak, even though Biden sat down for a network interview just last week, and taped a prime-time address the week before. Many journalists needled Biden for waiting longer to hold a presser—sixty-five days into his term—than any president in a century. (That criticism was not universal, however. “Presidential press conferences are almost never about the public,” as Politico’s Jack Shafer noted. “They’re about letting the press preen a little.”) Given the anticipation, one might have expected White House reporters to use their time with Biden wisely. Some did, asking specific questions on consequential topics such as troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and tariffs on China. On the whole, though, the questions were a flop. Some were misframed: Biden was asked, based on the worthless word of Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, if he had “rejected bipartisanship”; a... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-03-26 11:54:27 UTC ]
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Skyhorse Acquires Upstart Conservative Publisher All Seasons Press

The acquisition of All Seasons Press follows Skyhorse’s December 28 blockbuster deal to acquire Regnery, one of America’s best-known publishers of conservative authors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Soho Press Debuts a Horror Imprint, Hell's Hundred

The Manhattan-based independent press has launched its fourth imprint, which will publish two new horror titles this year, including the latest from Soho Crime stalwart Stuart Neville. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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15 Small Press Books You Should Be Reading This Winter

Solstice has come and gone, but in addition to the returning of the light, we can also herald another excellent small press publishing season. What I love about these titles is the richness of imagination and inquiry, leading to inventive plots in fiction and deep emotional honesty in... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-01-15 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Audible reportedly lays off over 100 employees

If you thought Big Tech’s dreadful year of layoffs would be confined to 2023, you’re (sadly) mistaken. Audible laid off around five percent of its employees on Thursday, which Variety reports is “just over 100 staffers.” The cuts in the audiobook division are part of parent company Amazon’s most... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-01-11 22:00:11 UTC ]
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East Coast, Southern, and Chain Bookstores Report Strong Holiday Sales

Stores on the East Coast, in the South, and two chains, Half-Price Books and Kinokuniya, reported strong sales over the holidays and through much of 2023. Romantasy, prize winners and nominees, and books promoted on social media continue to dominate. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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At Generous Press, Two Poets Fall for Romance

Generous Press, a new imprint of indie Row House Publishing devoted to romance with BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disability-focused content, will mark its debut with 'Someplace Generous: An Inclusive Romance Anthology' in May. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Midwestern Booksellers Report a Strong Finish to the 2023 Holiday Season

Thanks to mild weather and a strong economy, December sales at bookstores across the Midwest were up, with booksellers reporting increases ranging from 13% to 31%. Adult fiction and political nonfiction were popular, as were children's picture books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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OverDrive Reports Another Record Year for Digital Library Circulation

Library users worldwide borrowed some 662 million e-books, digital audiobooks, and digital magazines, OverDrive reps announced in a release this week, with 152 library systems reporting more than a million digital checkouts in 2023. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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For all the hype in 2023, we still don’t know what AI’s long-term impact will be | John Naughton

As with the printing press and the dotcom boom, initial frenzy and speculation obscures the lasting legacy of new technologies“Innovation,” wrote the economist William Janeway in his seminal book Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy, “begins with discovery and culminates in speculation.”... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-12-30 16:00:37 UTC ]
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Apple is reportedly looking to team up with news publishers to train its AI

Apple has been noticeably missing in the list of companies with their own generative AI product, but based on a new report by The New York Times, it's looking to change that real soon. In recent weeks, Apple has reportedly started negotiating with major publishers and news organizations to ask... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-12-23 07:43:48 UTC ]
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Hachette Book Group Delivers Mixed Environmental Report for 2023

This year, 100% of Hachette Book Group's overall paper usage came from Forest Stewardship Certified and Sustainable Forestry Initiative fiber. Use of recycled fiber, however, fell. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Lerner Acquires Gecko Press

Lerner Publishing Group has acquired Wellington, New Zealand–based children’s book publisher Gecko Press. The acquisition involves approximately 200 titles, including 18 to 20 new titles planned for 2024. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Roy Gainsburg, Former St. Martin's Press President, Dies at 91

Roy Gainsburg, president of St. Martin's Press from 1987 to 1997, died on December 9. He was 91. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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New PEN America Report Documents 'Scarlet Letter' Effect of Book Bans

PEN America has released "a cumulative data summary" of nearly 6,000 book bans in public schools, finding that shared lists of targeted books by organized political groups have led to books and authors being targeted in multiple communities across the country. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Librarians Gear Up for Second In-Person LibLearnX Conference

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Telling tales: Zimbabwe’s Weaver Press celebrates 25 years of championing truth-telling fiction

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[ The Guardian | 2023-12-07 07:00:02 UTC ]
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The Taunton Press Sold to Active Interest Media

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Books That Travel: A Report From the 2023 Nairobi International Book Fair

All photos courtesy of e-Kitabu. In 1993, I was a teenager, volunteering to work with street children in Kibera, the largest “slum” on the continent of Africa. I held babies, played hokey-pokey and Swahili versions of patty cake with grade-school kids, fielded requests for money by street... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-04 09:48:58 UTC ]
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Indie Presses Tout Titles for the Holiday

With the holiday season is in full swing after a year of ups and downs for publishers, a number of indie presses predict how their final sales push of 2023 is shaping up. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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All Seasons Press Sues Mark Meadows over Alleged Lies in Memoir

The upstart conservative publisher is pulling the former White House chief of staff's book, 'The Chief's Chief,' from the market, and suing to claw back a $350,000 advance—and for millions in damages. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
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