Media - Mahony Partners

May

2014

Defending Arthur Sulzberger, Jr.

It’s been a rough few days for Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., the publisher of the New York Times. Firing Jill Abramson unleashed a torrent of ugly press coverage, and Mr. Sulzberger soon was cited as a case study in “poor manage... Read More

Feb

2014

Thank You, Tim Armstrong

Crisis, Media, Taking & Managing Risk

Give Tim Armstrong credit for doing what President Obama could not. In just one day he managed to humanize the healthcare debate and make it topic number one in nearly everyone’s conversation. (more…) Read More

Feb

2014

Learning from Twitter’s Mistakes

Media, Taking & Managing Risk

The first earnings announcement for a newly public company is often traumatic. Just ask Dick Costolo and the team at Twitter, which saw the company’s shares plummet 20% after announcing results yesterday. A glorious IPO a few months ago made being a public company seem so easy. Now what? Read More

Jan

2014

And Good Luck to You, Ezra Klein

Media, Taking & Managing Risk

The big news in the media world this week was Ezra Klein’s decision to start his own media property, jumping from the Washington Post, where he found fame as creator of its popular Wonkblog. As he gets busy running a business and not just writing a blog, Mr. Klein should remember two words: Michael Arrington. Read More

Nov

2013

More Bad Headlines at Bloomberg News

Media, Taking & Managing Risk

Bloomberg News has landed in an unusual place: the front page of the New York Times, in an article saying Bloomberg pulled back on a controversial story to avoid angering China’s leaders. Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief Matt Winkler denied it, but the Times ran the pi... Read More

Oct

2013

The Future of News is Local

Media, Taking & Managing Risk

It’s not easy to be in the news business today. Reuters said recently it will cut its newsroom staff by five percent – a sharp turnabout from two years ago when it was boldly hiring talent from rival news organizations. There are bright spots in the business, but they happen to be far ... Read More

Aug

2013

Bloomberg Survives its Terminal-Peeping Crisis

Crisis, Media

News and data giant Bloomberg LP deserves high marks for a thorough and candid report on its data security and editorial practices – and for the way it was communicated. (more…) Read More

Aug

2013

The Art of the Takedown

Financial Services, Media, Taking & Managing Risk

Readers of the Sunday New York Times found a scowling, unshaven Larry Summers on the front page, accompanying an article that questioned his fitness to lead the Fed given his close ties to Wall Street. The article was a first-rate takedown – a savaging that was thi... Read More

Aug

2013

Is Jeff Bezos the New Steve Jobs?

Media, Taking & Managing Risk

The passing of Steve Jobs left a big gap. Since his death nearly two years ago there hasn’t been a CEO with Jobs’s combination of brilliance, mystery and breathtaking commercial success. But with his surprise purchase of the Washington Post, Jeff Bezos might be stepping into the role Jobs left behind. Read More

May

2013

The Many Ironies of Bloomberg’s Terminal-Peeping

Crisis, Media

The Bloomberg terminal-peeping scandal is rich in irony. It has launched a media feeding-frenzy that could run for a while - and prove difficult for the company to manage. (more…) Read More