Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"A media environment of round-the-clock news shows and a seemingly insatiable demand for talking heads is creating new opportunities for media trainers," writes the New York Times.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
New York Times ombudsman Daniel Okrent has critiqued the practice by his newspaper and others of relying on information from "expert analysts" without informing readers that many of the experts represent the interests of their financial sponsors. "Bad reporters find experts by calling up university press relations officials or brokerage research departments and saying, in effect, 'Gimme an expert,'" he writes. "Really bad reporters, paradoxically, work a little harder: knowing the conclusions they want to arrive at, they seek out experts who just happen to agree with them.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
A quiet revolution in journalism is taking place, according to Mark Glazer, with the emergence of "hyperlocal online publications that promise to publish nearly every article, opinion and photo that any Joe Blow might submit. In a small corner of small Bakersfield, California, a bold publisher launched the Northwest Voice online and in print in May and has already had nearly 500 people submit articles or photos.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
The Committee of Concerned Journalists, a consortium of reporters, editors, producers, publishers, owners and academics, has surveyed its own membership about the quality of election campaign coverage this year, and the results aren't pretty. Nearly three quarters of respondents gave the press a C, D or F grade, and only 3% gave an A. By large majorities they felt the news media has become sidetracked by trivial issues, has been too reactive and has focused too much on campaign strategy rather than substance.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
A new weblog, "Regret the Error," is devoted solely to reporting on newspaper errors.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"Hardly a day goes by without someone sending me a link to a video, Flash animation, or MP3 file related to the U.S. political campaign," obsserves Steve Yelvington. "It's the first time that multimedia files have been so thoroughly woven through the national political conversation. JibJab's hilarious animations, "This Land" and "Good to Be in D.C.," have been widely covered, but there's much more.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
The Sinclair Broadcast Group, the single largest operator of local television stations in the United States, has gained notoriety after ordering its 62 local stations to preempt prime time programming to broadcast an anti-Kerry film a few days before the November 2, 2004 general election.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Juan Cole reports that Omid Memarian, an Iranian writer, journalist, weblogger and social activist has been arrested, making him the fourth journalist to be arrested in an apparent Iranian crackdown on reformist journalists and webloggers who are seen as enemies of the regime. Cole urges people to complain to the Iranian government or their interests section in Washington, DC.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
The U.S. Education Department paid $700,000 to the Ketchum public relations and marketing firm, to produce two video news releases and to rate newspaper coverage according to how favorably reporters described the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind law in 2003. Democratic Senators Frank R. Lautenberg and Edward M.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Alhurrah, the U.S.-funded Arabic-language TV channel, offers a more pro-U.S. version of the news than other Arabic channels but is having a hard time reaching many viewers because of the perception that it is American propaganda. Mouafac Harb, Alhurra's news director bristles at this claim. But as U.S. Rep. José E. Serrano (D-N.Y.) said at a hearing in April, that's exactly why Congress is funding it.
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