The New York Times' David Kirkpatrick delivers the shocking and troubling news that Wall Street bankers are so disappointed in Barack Obama that they've started giving money to Republicans. Bankers! To Republicans!

Apparently Wall Street has long been a bastion of support for Democratic political candidates, but now that Obama has launched a campaign — unprecedented for a Democrat — to enact policies that may cut into corporate profits, some bankers are holding their noses and cutting checks to Republicans:

But this year Chase's political action committee is sending the Democrats a pointed message. While it has contributed to some individual Democrats and state organizations, it has rebuffed solicitations from the national Democratic House and Senate campaign committees. Instead, it gave $30,000 to their Republican counterparts.

The shift reflects the hard political edge to the industry's campaign to thwart Mr. Obama's proposals for tighter financial regulations.

Here's a chart illustrating that "shift" in giving, from the Center for Responsive Politics. It shows political giving from political action committees and individuals associated with commercial banking, going back to 1990. In every year since 1994, Republicans got more money than Democrats.

To make his case, Kirkpatrick cites CRP figures showing that individuals and PACs from the securities and investment business gave $89 million to Democrats in 2008, a 57% to 43% edge over Republicans. That's true. It's also true that, according to the CRP, the securities and investment sector favored Republicans over Democrats in the 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998, and 1996 election cycles. It's also true that, overall, the wider finance, insurance, and real estate industry has favored Republicans 55% to 45% since 1990. This is because people who care about money want Republicans to win elections, and always have.

But what about Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase and Obama's Chicago pal? Kirkpatrick makes much of the fact that JPMorgan Chase's PAC has "rebuffed solicitations from the national Democratic House and Senate campaign committees" and given "$30,000 to their Republican counterparts."

He calls this a "shift." JPMorgan Chase has two PACs. One of them, it is true, gave 58% of its $130,427 in disbursements in 2008 to Democrats. But the other one, which handed out $797,977 in 2008, gave 53% of it to Republicans. In fact, both PACs have favored Republicans in all but two of the last six election cycles—one being the aforementioned 2008 cycle, and the other being 2002, when one of the PACs split its money 50-50. So Chase's shift to the GOP is more of a return to the way it's always behaved and should always be expected to behave, since "Wealthy Bankers Give Money to Republicans" is sort of axiomatic.

In your Byzantine Monday media column: searching for a rich media savior, a recipe duplication scandal, the future of robot media is $1 per hour, and STEPHEN A. SMITH is back in your area code.

Simon Dumenco points out the impolite fact that "much of the best of contemporary journalism has been produced, and continues to get produced, simply because of the largess — and the emotional needs — of a small group of rich people." And where is the next crop of generous, fabulously wealthy media patrons, he wonders? Hmm. Well nothing will dissuade Jared Kushner for at least a few more months, so that's one.


Recipe scandal: Health magazine re-used some recipes from fellow Time Inc. title Real Simple! If consumers cannot be absolutely sure that no subscribers to semi-related magazines have ever prepared this particular chicken dish before us, how are we to live?


David Carr takes a look at robot "journalism" word factory Demand Media, which pays poor freelancers paltry wages to write up stories on computer-generate Google-trending topics like, oh, I don't know, "How to pick the lock of the Jersey Shore house with a Swiss Army brand pocketknife." Carr notes that after spending 20 hours on his story, "At Demand's current pay rate, I'd be making almost a buck an hour." Oh, does the New York Times pay more than that? ZING.


TERRIBLE, DECLARATIVE SPORTS COLUMNIST STEPHEN A. SMITH IS BACK TO WRITING FOR THE PHILLY ENQUIRER. HOLLER AT STEVE—IF YOU MAKE THE CUT.

The US magazine circulation figures for the second half of 2009 are in. And grim! The big losers (and a winner), below.

• Overall Newsstand Sales: -9.1%
• Biggest Newsstand Loser: W Magazine, -41.7%
• Overall Circulation: -2.2%
• Biggest Overall Circulation Loser: TV Guide, -26%
• Biggest Overall Circulation Winner: Women's Health, +21.5%

After the weekend's blindingly obvious NYT scoop that the police department fudges the crime stats for its own benefit (they showed that on the The Wire like years ago, duh), the question remains: What do New Yorkers "at churches, businesses, community meetings and along the sidewalks on a bitingly cold Sunday morning" think about all this? The paper sent lowly metro reporter and publisher-to-be A "to the" G Sulzberger Jr. to find out, mostly because it was a good excuse to send the kid out on a "bitingly cold Sunday morning." Stay strong, AG. You'll be able to fire all those editors before long.
[NYT]

Some Ultrabowl or Megabowl event dominates, but there's also the intriguing news that Obama will debate the GOP in a televised healthcare summit. Along with the usual reports of explosions, executions and road safety in Afghanistan.

The Saints' victory gets play on the front pages everywhere except the Washington Post, where it's relegated to a small picture underneath a huge section on the snowstorms and the Wall Street Journal who apparently have bigger things, like snow shovel racing, to worry about.

Other interesting and diverting stories:

• The New York Times report that Wall Street donors, unhappy with the idea of reform, are giving more to the GOP.
• The Washington Post examines the fortunes of al-Qaeda, if one title is enough for such a wide variety of terrorist groups and individuals.
• And the Wall Street Journal has the best evil leader picture ever, of Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Disclosure: I freelance write and report for newspapers that are included in this roundup. Where there is a direct conflict of interest I will make it clear.

The New York Times:lead with the news that President Obama will hold a televised summit on healthcare. Meanwhile Wall Street donors, unhappy with the prospect of financial reform, are turning to the GOP. Great. There is a story about the many different stories that have come from America's two current conflicts, and an Afghanistan story below that. There's also news of the power plant explosion in Connecticut and a report on some sporting event.

The Washington Post: is dominated by the weather, with stories on the snow here and here. They also have news of Obama's healthcare summit, and a piece on al-Qaeda's fortunes that does not really address whether it's still accurate to call a wide diaspora of extremist Islamic groups by one title.

The LA Times: runs stories about Obama's healthcare summit and local efforts to rein in bad health plans. They cover the Saints' victory, have an example of that now rare breed, the H1N1 story, and a great dispatch from Iran, which shows the value of getting reporters into that country.

The Wall Street Journal: have the best evil leader picture of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ever, a report on the Fed's plans for curbing credit, the news that former Merrill Lynch chief John Thain will join lender CIT and a piece on Canada's potential housing bubble. The fluffy story today is about snow-shovel racing.

The New York Post: clearly has some deal on flights to Nevada. After sending a reporter to cavort with a male hooker, they've now 'investigated' the NV company who will run the Aqueduct Raceway.

The Daily News: still do not want a terror trial in New York.

The Times-Picayune: have a beautifully laid out victory page. Including the exclamation point of the year.

The Times (Indiana): has the opposite atmosphere.

Today on Studio B, America's Best Newsman Shepard Smith covered the Washington DC snow emergency with his usual zeal: "I believe that 34 predicted inches requires a bear alert."

Today on Studio B, America's Best Newsman Shepard Smith covered the Washington DC snow emergency with his usual zeal: "I believe that 34 predicted inches requires a bear alert."

Tiger Woods scoop-meister Gerald Posner has admitted to copying five sentences from a Miami Herald article for a piece he wrote this week for the Daily Beast about a Miami murder. He apologized and said it was inadvertent.

The story acknowledges the act and says the sentences have been redacted. The Beast's executive editor Edward Felsenthal told Slate's Jack Shafer that Posner had committed plagarism but says the reporter will still work for Tina Brown's website. Posner, author of the book Miami Babylon: Crime Wealth and Power-A Dispatch From the Beach says that he didn't remember seeing the Herald article until after he had filed his own dispatch, but that he must have been wrong and copied it. "I am humbled by it, and it will not happen again," he said. Wow, everyone is handling this really professionally. When it comes to plagiarism we wish it were a little bit dishier.

[Image via AP]

Tiger Woods scoop-meister Gerald Posner has admitted to copying five sentences from a Miami Herald article for a piece he wrote this week for the Daily Beast about a Miami murder. He apologized and said it was inadvertent.

The story acknowledges the act and says the sentences have been redacted. The Beast's executive editor Edward Felsenthal also admits it was plagarism but says that Posner will still work for Tina Brown's website. Posner, author of the book Miami Babylon: Crime Wealth and Power-A Dispatch From the Beach says that he didn't remember seeing the Herald article until after he had filed his own dispatch, but that he must have been wrong and copied it. "I am humbled by it, and it will not happen again," he said. Wow, everyone is handling this really professionally. When it comes to plagarism we wish it were a little bit dishier.

[Image via AP]

Steve Jobs reportedly followed up his New York Times and Wall Street Journal iPad show-and-tells with a secret meeting with Time Inc. 99 cents for funnyman Joel Stein's latest musings will save journalism!