National Review Online contributor Kevin D. Williamson called Media Matters for America “hysterical ninnies” in a January 31 post on NRO's Media Blog responding to a column by Media Matters senior fellow Eric Boehlert. Noting that Boehlert's column was reprinted by Salon.com, Williamson wrote: “Salon.com, now reprinting verbatim reports from the hysterical ninnies over at Media Matters, is predicting a tough year for Rupert Murdoch & Co. True, the Fox Business Network is off to a slow start, but I remember when all the smart people thought Fox News would turn out to be a failure.” In addition to Fox Business Network's “anemic ratings,” Boehlert listed “CNN's resurgence as the go-to cable destination for election coverage,” the “incredible shrinking candidacy of Fox News' favored son,” Rudy Giuliani (who suspended his Republican presidential campaign the day after Boehert's column appeared), Democratic presidential candidates' “blanket refusal to debate on Fox News during the primary season,” and Fox News host John Gibson's controversial comments about deceased actor Heath Ledger among the other reasons he predicted Fox News will have a “very rough 2008.”

From Williamson's post on National Review Online's Media Blog:

Salon.com, now reprinting verbatim reports from the hysterical ninnies over at Media Matters, is predicting a tough year for Rupert Murdoch & Co. True, the Fox Business Network is off to a slow start, but I remember when all the smart people thought Fox News would turn out to be a failure. I'm not sure I'd bet against Rupert Murdock [sic] -- especially if I worked for Salon, a company that has seen its share price decline from a high in the $300 range to $1.64 and which is currently losing $1.17 per share. News Corp's gross profit for 2007? $10 billion. (Salon's performance does make me feel better about those $22 Journal Register Co. stock options mouldering away in my sock drawer.)

Meanwhile, the big news from Fox Business is the fact that they will be able to use WSJ reporters.