Ben Stein Bitches About Getting Fired by the Times

(NEWSER) - Ben Stein has been booted from his job as a New York Times columnist for shilling for an online credit report service, Gawker reports. Stein touts the value of FreeScore.com in television commercials, but the Times’ ethics policy states “it is an inherent conflict for a journalist to perform public relations work, paid or unpaid.” More»

Gail Collins hits back at the Donald

(NEWSER) - Last week it was apparent that there's no love lost between Donald Trump and New York Times columnist Gail Collins , but this week it's all-out war. Seems the Donald responded to Collins' column, which tweaked him as a loopy birther, with a letter to the editor tweaking her in turn as a no-good hack for writing "nasty and derogatory articles about me." "Actually," Trump writes, "I have great respect for Ms. Collins in that she has survived so long with so little talent. Her storytelling ability and word usage (coming from me, who has written many bestsellers), is not at a very high level." Snap! More»

They don't make 'em like Safire anymore, writes Times colleague Dowd

(NEWSER) - Bill Safire, to use the phrase he coined, was anything but a "nattering nabob of negativity," writes his New York Times "colleague in columny" Maureen Dowd. The former Nixon speechwriter—who once told Dowd he had been frozen out by the Times' liberal writers until he saved a drowning child at a party—was always gracious, Dowd recalls, who only ever chastised her on a point of language despite their strongly opposed views on the Iraq war. More»

The odd friendship between a conservative columnist and liberal president

(NEWSER) - Nominal conservative David Brooks is one of President Obama’s unlikeliest allies, writes Gabriel Sherman for the New Republic. The New York Times columnist was on board early, publishing an op-ed titled “Run, Barack, Run” in 2006. Lately, Brooks has written more favorably of Obama than Paul Krugman has. Sherman explores the “bromance” between the prominent pundit and “the most liberal president of his lifetime.” More»

(NEWSER) - Karl Rove fired back today at Maureen Dowd for criticizing former President Bush’s frequent vacation time in Texas, Politico reports. “I think Maureen Dowd is a bitter, twisted, deranged columnist for the New York Times,” Rove told Fox News, “who misses no opportunity to show her disdain for the conservative side of the aisle.” Rove added that he likes her writing. More»