The buzz around BuzzFeed opening a Washington bureau is true. Political Editor Ben Smith confirms to FishbowlDC that the LOL-laden site is shooting to bring on new blood by summer to get the cat pic operation up and running. Will he poach from his former stomping ground of Politico where he still writes a column? “I’m aiming to hire a talented, heavyweight player-coach as bureau chief, someone hungry and well sourced to do great original reporting on the Hill, and to send a reporter or two down after the campaign to cover the new, or continuing, administration,” Smith told FishbowlDC. “They’re going to be some of the great jobs in DC, because it’s going to be all about original reporting. Hoping to do the hiring ... Continue reading →

On the day that Began in '96 hit a major milestone, a short note to all of the site's contributors and readers: A thank you from Began in '96 And check out some of our best work to date: Storybook,... Continue reading →

Statement from the Chairman Regarding Recent Losses. We have lost two billion words. There is no way to sugarcoat this situation. Two billion words are gone. We noticed worrisome signs earlier in the year: first, hundreds of words missing from a history text or poetry collection; then, thousands gone from dozens of titles. At the time, we believed that the words would return. They did not. Losses deepened and broadened until they reached a million, ten million, a hundred million, and then finally the far more serious levels of today. We see now that our belief in the reappearance of the words was misplaced. What occurred was negligence plain and simple. This was a terrible, egregious mistake, and we now feel it is our responsibility ... Continue reading →

brianstelter 710 photos · 4912 followers “I could write 1,000 words about #facebookIPO media coverage. Or I could post this photo. #cnbc” Continue reading →

You remember the Baltimore Bohemians, the upstart minor league soccer team playing its games in Charm City while wearing some uncommonly swagged-out uniforms. Joe Tirabassi, one of the Bohs founders (and designers of that awesome kit), will be keeping a diary of the Bohemians inaugural season for us. His first entry is here. We have entered into the phase of our operation that can be qualified as the "Asses in the Seats" stage. No one likes to play to an empty house. It's not a good look, especially for your inaugural game. The bad news on this front: we probably picked the wrong Saturday. The first game the Baltimore Bohemians ever play is going head-to-head with myriad sporting diversions of which fans in the Baltimore ... Continue reading →

“That pitcher Carlos Zambrano is even a part of the Marlins’ rotation, much less serving as its cornerstone, is the result of a series of setbacks, disappointments and last chances.” — The man driving the Marlins’ May turnaround is in the midst of his own recovery, the latest in Began in ‘96’s series View the discussion thread Continue reading →