October 2004 Archive
Note that some of these links are short term and will expire after two weeks. If you have access to Lexis-Nexis at your college or university library, you can retrieve many of the stories that are no longer on the web.
Main Archive List
Friday - Oct. 29, 2004
- Karen Ryan's VNRs are Back in the News
You may recall the fuss last spring over a video news release produced by the Karen Ryan group that kicked up such a stink over whether video news releases were crossing the line in pretending to be actual news stories. Well, Karen Ryan had produced a similar video for the Department of Education in 2003. Here's coverage from the Associate Press, as well as a link to a streaming copy of the VNR. (Boston Globe)
- O'Reilly Sexual Harassment Suit Settled
Fox commentator Bill O'Reilly has reached an out of court settlement for his sexual harassment suit and extortion countersuit. Tawdry details from a tawdry site... (Wonkette)
- Too Many People Using BlackBerries
If you ever doubted that the world is going wireless, this photo from the Washington Post says otherwise. The Blackberry wireless E-mail device is the hot accessory in D.C. these days, and use of them is so addictive they are referred to frequently as CrackBerries. Seriously, wireless everywhere E-mail is getting more and more prevalent. Thanks to Wonkette for pointing out the photo.
- Alternatives to Copyright
The rarin' librarian takes a look at alternatives to traditional copyright in an interview she has with Matt Haughey of the Creative Commons Project. The discussion is interesting at a time when college students seem to have an absolute disregard for traditional notions of intellectual property.
- Pioneering BBC Rock DJ Passes
John Peel, who helped bring rock 'n' roll to BBC Radio for four decades died Oct. 25 of a heart attack. He exposed listeners to punk, reggae and hip hop, and brought live bands into the studio. Includes links to BBC and NPR tribute shows. (Blog of Death)
Thursday - Oct. 28, 2004
Media News from the Washington Post
Found enough media news today just at the Washington Post. And for once it isn't all political media news! (Though it is mostly....)
- Howard Kurtz: Bush's Debate Press Coverage Was Largely Negative
But before you yell "Bias!" (too late, you did), keep in mind that there was a similar level of negative coverage of Al Gore's debating style in 2000.
- Media Notes Extra: Why Do the Candidates Not Say Things That Matter?
Why does media coverage of the campaign keep looking for a candidate who can do everything? Neither man is superman, says Kurtz.
- Howard Kurtz: Inside the World of 527 Ads
The independent political groups known as 527s are flooding the airwaves with ads this fall. Who is writing, producing and paying for all these ads? And are they having any effect?
- William Raspberry: Why the Web is Worthless for Political News
Ruh roh...Raspberry has put on his curmudgeon hat...
- Who Are The Voices on All Those Political Ads
If you've watched television in the last few weeks, you've seen and heard dozens of political ads. My students, who are analyzing the ads running in the Morgantown market, are seeing as many as 50 political messages a night! Wonder who does the voice overs for these ads? Wonder no more. The WP tells all.
- Howard Stern Calls in to Radio Talk Show to Confront FCC Chief
The king of raunchy talk called in to a San Francisco radio show to give the head of the FCC a piece of his mind. Given Stern's difficulties with the FCC as of late, the conversation was not cordial.
- Filter: Apple Music News, Including the iPod Photo
News about Apple's killer mp3 player, from Cynthia L. Webb's blog at the WP.
Wednesday - Oct. 27, 2004
- Was That 'Live,' 'Live-Live' or 'Milli Vanilli Lives' Music?
In my Intro to Mass Comm class Tuesday morning, I asked my students to think about reasons why CD sales have been down in recent years. File sharing and piracy are certainly possible answers. But might the real answer be that the music record companies are turning out is processed and plastic that no one thinks that it's worth paying for? Speaking of pop singer Ashlee Simpson... Simpson appeared as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live last week and started singing without moving her mouth or holding up her microphone. (Link above is to iFilm's Viral Vault, which is currently hosting the SNL video clip.) Surely she wasn't lip-syncing on a live program? Horrors. Where's Martha Wash when you need her?
- Chicago Tribune: Bush Losing the Newspaper Endorsement Race
Kerry leads Bush in editorial page endorsements, and several traditionally Republican papers have opted not to endorse either candidate. (The Trib did endorse Bush.)
- CJR Campaign Desk: Why Are Truth Squads Not a Part of Every Campaign Story?
Campaign Desk asks: If our presidential candidates are lying to us on a regular basis, why are these distortions saved for special truth squad articles? Why aren't these lies routinely reported as such in the regular news columns.
- A Political Halloween
A great assortment of Halloween-themed political cartoons from Daryl Cagle's site
Tuesday - Oct. 26, 2004
- Boston Herald: When is a News Photo Too Much?
On Friday, the Boston Herald ran a large cover photo of a Boston Red Sox fan who died as a result of injuries she received when police fired pepper pellets into a crowd following the Sox victory on Thursday night. Since then the journalism world has been full of debate as to whether the photo, and an even more graphic one inside the paper, should have run. Here's a round up of coverage on the story. (Thanks to John Bolt of the AP for suggesting this topic.)
- Jon Stewart Beat
Jon Stewart's mauling of the folks at Crossfire, along with the general media reaction, continues to make the host of The Daily Show the flavor of the month. Links from Romenesko.
Monday - Oct. 25, 2004
- Big Brother Knows What Radio Stations You Are Listening To
Well, not exactly big brother.... But the MobilTrak company is using boxes attached to utility poles to detect what station your car radio is tuned to. Drivers are among the most important radio listeners in urban markets, and MobilTrak's scheme helps retailers better tell who is listening to their commercials. (Washington Post)
- Record Labels May Face New "Pay for Play" Charges
The New York State attorney general may be turning his eye to record promoters who are running in essence pay-for-play schemes that resemble the payola scandals of the 1950s and 60s. (NY Times)
- Product Placement Hits Cartoons
The NY Times ran an article last week noting that product placement was starting to move into cartoons. Knock, Knock. Hello! Does anyone at the Times have children? Did no one there ever see He Man? Care Bears? Yu Gi Oh!? A high percentage of children's cartoons are one long product placement.... (I know, I know, what the Times is talking about is paid outside product placement, but still...) (Did you know there is gambling in Las Vegas? ) (BTW, Jon Stewart says product placement in cartoons is bad.)
- Is News About the Media Replacing News About Candidates and Issues In Election Reporting?
USA Today's Peter Johnson talks with media critics on whether election news is too focused on the media itself. A nice summing up of all the fall fussing.
Friday - Oct. 22, 2004
- Viacom & Disney Fined for Violating Limits on Ads During Kiddie Shows
Viacom and Disney, owners of the Nickelodeon and ABC Family networks, are being fined up to $1 million for violating FCC rules on how many ads can run during children's programming. (Washington Post)
- Don Wycliff: Why Chicago Tribune Made Presidential Endorsement
Last Sunday the Chicago Tribune endorsed President Bush for re-election, and the paper's ombudsman has been hearing about it ever since. Don Wycliff explains why and how the Trib made the endorsement. An interesting discussion on the role that political values play in running a newspaper's opinion page.
- Balance in Campaign Coverage at the New York Times
Last week Daniel Okrent, the public editor at the New York Times, argued that the Times is not systematically biased n its coverage of the presidential election. This week, in his column, he gives responses from two authors: Todd Gitlin and Bob Kohn. Despite the Times reputation as a liberal paper, Gitlin says that the Times has systematically omitted or buried negative stories about the Bush administration. Kohn, on the other hand, argues that the Times liberal social orientation colors all of the coverage of the presidential race. While I would not take a stand on this, it is interesting to note that Gitlin's and Kohn's arguments do not contradict each other. One argues that the paper failed to report certain stories, the other argues that the paper spent too much time on a different set of stories.
- Baseball Makes Deal with XM Satellite Radio
You may or may not remember that the Fox network became a force to be reckoned with once it got the broadcast rights to the NFL. I can't help but wonder whether the deal XM Satellite Radio just struck with Major League Baseball will do the same thing. The contract will give XM the rights to carry the local broadcasts of virtually every game in the MLB season. (WP)
- The Daily Show Scores on Big Guns of Television
At the risk of being self referential, here's my take on the Jon Stewart / Crossfire fuss. (Charleston Daily Mail)
Thursday - Oct. 21, 2004
Wednesday - Oct. 20, 2004
- An Emotional and Expensive Political Ad
The conservative activist group, Progress for America Voter Fund, is spending $14.2 million to run an ad showing President Bush consoling a teen age girl whose mother died in the 9/11 attacks. The ad will run primarily on cable stations in nine key states. The number of political ads running now is enormous. I have a group of students analyzing the ads running here in West Virginia. Some evenings there are as many as 37 political ads run on a single station between 6 p.m. and midnight! Thanks to my student Brad Pedersen for alerting me to this story. (USA Today)
- Oscar Ad Season Gets an Early Start
It's hard to believe there are any issues in the media outside of politics right now, but advertising for the Oscar race is starting up, four months before the statues will be awarded. Wait a minute - Oscar campaigning? Maybe there isn't anything but politics in the news! (NY Times)
- Update on the Sinclair Anti-Kerry Broadcast
For those of you who joined our story late... The Sinclair Broadcast Group is going to show portions of an strongly anti-Kerry film on 40-some of their stations two weeks before the election, which has brought wide spread criticism to the nation's largest individual owner of television stations. Here's links to two groups of stories on the subject from Romenesko. There's a lot here. For example, one of the company's top reporters criticized Sinclair's decision to air the film and was promptly fired.
- When Nudity Becomes Political Commentary
In general, when people say that nudity is part of protected political speech, I have to raise an eyebrow. But a St. Louis alternative weekly paper ran a cover this week that featured 57 naked women arrayed as a human peace sign. Reportedly several St. Louis residents and police officers were not amused. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) BTW, the alt weekly in this case is the River Front Times, published by the alternative weekly chain New Times.
Tuesday - Oct. 19, 2004
Monday - Oct. 18, 2004
- Jon Stewart Lectures CNN Crossfire Hosts on Journalistic Ethics (Transcript)
OK, Jon Stewart is a comedian with a show that features fake news, right? But this fall he has been lionized as the man whom young people turn to for reliable political information. He's gotten the best of Bill O'Reilly in an interview, he gets more mentions in the press than Ted Koppel, and now he's lecturing the folks on Crossfire about trivializing the political debate in this country!
- Counting the Votes is Hit Show in Afghanistan
Afghans are watching a new show this fall on television - the tallying of the votes from the country's recent presidential election. The program is part of a project to make Afghans feel as though they are a part of the election process. An interesting look at how television can be used in developing nations. (Chicago Tribune)
Friday - Oct. 15, 2004
What's the Big Story?
Two stories about legal issues surrounding prominent journalists are breaking right now.
The sexual harassment lawsuit and countersuit surrounding Fox's Bill O'Reilly and the possibility of Time reporter Matt Cooper going to jail for refusing to testify about the names of confidential sources.
Guess who is getting more ink? I'll tell you. My Google searches, linked to above, yielded about 125 on Matt Cooper magazine, and 350 about Bill O'Reilly as of Thursday morning. I am sorry, but in my mind the biggest political story right now is that a U.S. prosecutor is seeking to put at least two journalists in jail as part of a political investigation.
Thursday - Oct. 14, 2004
- Is Music Propaganda, Should I Boogie, Rock 'n' Roll? Dept. -- Rock and Politics
- Thursday Morning Truth Squad
There's an old joke that is worth retelling:
Q: How can you tell when a politician is lying?
A: His lips are moving.
Cynical? Perhaps. Truthful? Well....
This joke illustrates a serious problem for reporters. How do you fairly report what politicians say when what they say are lies? Here's how several news outlets truth squaded last night's debate. Keep in mind that in general the news media ran stories that reported what the candidates said without a lot of commentary. But they ran separate stories analyzing the truth of what was said. How does the truth score card come out? As I read it, neither candidate seemed to care whether he gave fair statements of his opponent's position.
- Attacks Misleading and Out of Context (WP)
- Debate Referee (WP)
- Under Pressure, Mischaracterizations and Misstatements (NYT)
- Debate Fact Check (Fox News by way of the AP)
- Fact Check (Chicago Tribune)
- C-SPAN Coverage of Debates
Video and transcripts of all of this year's debates plus much more.
- Did You Know That Politicians Can Lie in Their Ads to Their Hearts' Content?
And that's the truth! Interesting analysis from FactCheck.org.
- And finally...
Wonkette's summary of the debate:
Kerry closing speech: "Sound bite, sound bite, aspirational sound bite, hand gesture, God bless America, kill terrorists."
Bush closing speech: "God, education, sound bite, blink, compassion, pander, blink, pander, God, terror, blink, blink, liberty, God, terror, I rock."
Wednesday - Oct. 13, 2004
Tuesday - Oct. 12, 2004
One More Time: Where is the Uniform Media Bias?
If I hear one more claim of a uniform liberal/conservative bias in the news media, I will scream. First of all, what the heck is "the media"? The New York Times? Clear Channel Radio? Infiniti Broadcasting? The Wall Street Journal? Time magazine? FoxNews? CNN? C-SPAN? The Washington Post? Can anyone out there really show a consistent conspiracy? Does anyone see a consistent political bias that transcends individual news outlets? Consider the following stories:
Monday - Oct. 11, 2004
Are Reporters Allowed to Have Thoughts?
As I've mentioned here previously, my ethics students have been dealing with the issue of standards of truth in journalism and mass comm. Among the issues that we've been talking about is how much journalists have to disclose about themselves in the name of honesty. And on the other hand, if they tell the public how they personally feel about issues, does that make them unqualified to report on it? I.E. If you don't talk about your feelings, can we presume that they don't exist?
This issue has come to the forefront lately with an E-mail that's making the rounds written by a reporter for the Wall Street Journal that talks about how tough it is to be a reporter in Iraq right now. Some have praised Faranz Fassihi for telling the truth about conditions in Iraq. Others have charged that the E-mail clearly shows she is biased against the war and is therefore not qualified to report on it.
The WSJ can hardly be accused of being a member of the "liberal media elite," having one of the most conservative editorial pages in the mainstream media.
I think that this case provides a good starting point for a discussion on the issue of bias, fairness, objectivity, and what we expect of journalists. Here are a number of links to readings on the case.
Friday - Oct. 8, 2004
Living in a Media World will not publish this Saturday.
- NYT Reporter Judith Miller Heading to Jail for Refusing to Testify
NY Times reporter Judith Miller was found in contempt of court and ordered to jail for refusing to testify before a grand jury about the leak of covert CIA agent's name to columnist Robert Novak. Miller is currently free on bond while the Times appeals the decision. Miller is one of a series of reporters who have been threatened with jail if they did not testify in the case. (Washington Post)
- Even the WP can be Fun
With all the serious news breaking around us, it's sometimes hard to remember that newspapers have at least two functions - provide news and provide entertainment. You doubt the second? Try leaving the crossword puzzle out of your paper sometime, and you'll see exactly what readers value. Blow a story, you'll get two or three calls. Leave out the puzzle and the phone will ring all day long. (Don't ask me how I know this...) At any rate, even serious papers like the Washington Post have an entertainment function. Example? Take a look at the Reliable Source for Thursday. Nothing earth shattering, no scandals, but a lot of fun for people who follow politics and the media. For example, Rush Limbaugh is dating a member of the "liberal media elite" at CNN.
- Practicing Good PR: Codewords In Politics
Politicians (and others!) need to be careful that the statements they make never go too far, crossing an imaginary "line" between civility and rudeness. The WP's Mark Leibovich looks at where the line has been drawn in the current presidential campaign.
- Terry Gross vs. Bill O'Reilly
Speaking of civility... NPR's Terry Gross has been in an on-going spat with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly ever since she had him as a guest on her show Fresh Air to talk about his book Who's Looking Out for You. The two had a spirited exchange that ended with O'Reilly walking out of the interview. Although Gross stands behind her interview, the NPR ombudsman had criticism of how the interview went.
Well, turnabout is always fair play, so a week or two ago Gross was a guest on The O'Reilly Factor to promote her book All I Did Was Ask. The talk was again spirited (codewords!), though no one walked out this time.
Thursday - Oct. 7, 2004
- UPDATE: Truth? You Can't Handle the Truth Dept. - What Happened with Factcheck.com
There's been a lot of talk about what happened after Veep Cheney mentioned factcheck.com during the debate Tuesday night. This is, as near as I can tell, the most accurate explanation of what happened. A little convoluted, but reality tends to get complicated quickly. (MediaPost)
- Metrosexuality in Advertising
With the infamous Fox "metrosexual" parody, (which is what polite media are calling the phony story that appeared last week on Fox's web site) a term that many of us hoped would go away is back in the news. In his Ad Report Card, Slate's Seth Stevenson takes a look at ads for Old Spice Red Zone body spray, and places it in the context of the metrosexual. (Stevenson gives one of the most interesting definitions out there of what is a metrosexual - "Metrosexuality, as best I could tell, was about straight guys deciding it was cool to use poncey beauty products—because it would help them nail hot chicks.")
- Howard Stern Moving to Sirius Satellite Network in January of '06
The controversial and outspoken "king of all media" will be moving from broadcast radio to the Sirius satellite radio service as of January 2006. Stern has been under intense fire from both the FCC and some of the station owners who have carried his program in the past. Stern's program has drawn millions in fines from the FCC, it has also made many more millions for Viacom-owned Infinity Broadcasting, that produces his program. Stern follows shock jocks Opie & Anthony, who went to rival satellite service XM. (Which, oddly enough, is the new home of the mild mannered Bob Edwards, who recently left NPR.) (CNN Money)
Veep Debate in Review
How has Tuesday's vice presidential debate played out in the news? Some surprising (and absolutely predictable) results:
Wednesday - Oct. 6, 2004
- UPDATE: Check Your Facts Dept. - That Site Was factcheck.org, Not factcheck.com!
During Tuesday's debate, Vice President Cheney referred viewers to an excellent non-partisan web site run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the site he mentioned was factcheck.com; the site he meant to say was factcheck.org. So what's the big deal? Well.... factcheck.com is not an existing web address, so billionaire Bush opponent George Soros bought the address overnight and has it point to his anti-Bush www.georgesoros.com website! (Wonkette)
- What Does factcheck.org have to say about the debate?
As long as we're discussing factcheck.org, what do it actually say about the debate? Follow the above linke for an extensive analysis of the truth claims by both Edwards and Cheney. (factcheck.org) BTW, don't be surprised if you have trouble getting onto the site. The factcheck.org server was overwhelmed by demand this morning.
Commentary from Ombudsmen
Today's entry is a roundup of several ombudsmen's columns from around the United States.
Tuesday - Oct. 5, 2004
- CJR's Campaign Desk
Columbia Journalism Review is running a blog covering campaign coverage. Whiles some consider the folks there a bit too serious, it is a good source of news about the campaign media. Here's a sample of interesting recent items.
- What Are Reporters Really Like? Ask the Flight Attendants Who Know!
If you want to know what reporters on the campaign trail are really like, ask the people who know them best... the flight attendants on the campaign planes. Their assessment of the reporters covering Kerry Edwards? Easier than NBA stars, needier than NASCAR drivers.
- Fact Checking
How good of a job is the news media doing of fact checking politicians' rhetorical claims? ABC, CNN, NBC, the Washington Post and the NYT are all examined. Funny, they didn't look at Fox's and CBS's fact checking....
- How Undecided Are Those Undecided Voters?
While there is no question that there are still undecided voters out there, is there anyone who would have something worth saying about the presidential race who hasn't made up his or her mind? The news media have been looking for undecided voters to interview, and they are oftentimes coming up with some folks who actually are firmly committed to one campaign. Somebody isn't doing their homework!
Actually, what's going on is that reporters act under the assumption that people are telling them the truth when they go into an interview. Not always a safe assumption! What did the Gipper used to say about the Soviet Union? "Trust, but verify!"
- And a Rather Snarky Comment about Campaign Desk From Wonkette
Assuming, of course, we're all hip enough to know what "snarky" means...
Monday - Oct. 4, 2004
- Fox News Fabricates Kerry "Metrosexual" Quote
The Fox News website, and possibly a commentator on Fox, reported that John Kerry supposedly said, "Didn't my nails and cuticles look great? What a great debate! ... I'm a metrosexual -- he's a cowboy." And who wrote the story with the fabricated quotes? Carl Cameron, who is Fox's chief political correspondent. (I learned about this story from Romenesko. The story initially broke on the Talking Points Memo weblog.
Watch the news today to hear how much traction this story (and the Communists for Kerry interview fiasco) has.
Here's a question I asked in a paper as a graduate student: Is it any different to engage in journalistic misconduct in the name of parody than in the name of serious news?
- Richard Avedon Remembered
Photographer Richard Avedon died Friday of a brain hemorrhage. He was known for his work in fashion, celebrity portraits and portraits of ordinary people.
Saturday - Oct. 2, 2004
Presidential Debates as News
It's not my intent to cover the presidential campaign in this blog, but I would like to look at how the news media handled Thursday's initial presidential campaign debate as I suspect that many journalism and mass comm classes will be looking at issues surrounding it.
Friday - Oct. 1, 2004
Media Technology
- Senate Bill Would Punish Creators of File-Sharing Software
The recording and movie industry doesn't really like suing their customers over file sharing. They just want them to stop doing it. So the entertainment industry is behind a bill before the Senate Judiciary Committee known as the Induce Act. This proposed bill would make it a crime to induce people to share files. The problem with it is that it would ban software that also has legitimate uses. (NY Times)
- What is the Future of the Web?
We've had the Web now for about 15 years, and the biggest challenge with it is probably finding the information you want. This article from USA Today predicts that the next big thing on the Internet will be information finding you, instead.
