Questions, comments or suggested links? Contact me at: Ralph.Hanson@mail.wvu.edu Mass Communication: Living in a Media World, a new text for Introduction to Mass Communication classes.

December 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

Monday - Dec. 20, 2004

I am on break for the holidays. This blog will be updated on occasion over the next couple of weeks, but don't expect to see regularly scheduled entries until after New Years.

• University Discovers Collection of 'Race' Movies
  The 1930s, 40s and 50s saw a number of African-American films made that were for showing in the segregated movie theaters of the old South. A collection of these has been found and put into a DVD set. An interesting look at an under-covered section of American movie history. (Washington Post)

Friday - Dec. 17, 2004

• WP Photo Editor Chats Online
  Joe Elbert, assistant managing editor for photography at the Washington Post, chats with readers about ethics, digital retouching, choosing photos, and just about everything else.
• When the News Gets Personal
  It's always easier to cover news that's remote than news that's close to home. That's what the reporters at the Oakland Tribune found when they covered the story of a woman jumping off their building recently. (Thanks to SPJ's Press Notes for this item.)
• CBS MarketWatch.com: Howard Stern is Transforming Radio
  MarketWatch's Jon Friedman argues that Stern is more than just a potty mouth, he's transforming what radio is. With Stern's move to satellite radio, the new medium may take it's place alongside subscription television as a force of change in media.
• Desperate Housewives Set to Visit NBA
  Remember all the fuss over the Desperate Housewives promo that ran on Monday Night Football? Well, the next edition will run on Christmas Day during the Miami Heat - L.A. Lakers game. (NY Post)
• Mindless Gossip I'm Really Ashamed to be Posting Dept. - Survivor's Jeff Probst Dating Julie Berry of Vanuatu
  OK, I know, items like this just don't belong here, but I can't help myself. And it ran in the Washington Post, so it must be news, right?

Thursday - Dec. 16, 2004

• Cancer Can Be Funny Dept. - Baltimore Radio Host Laughs About His Own Illness
  Today is the second anniversary of my own diagnosis of cancer (melanoma, operated on early and successfully, thank you very much), so I find it hard to believe that there is anything funny about cancer. And yet, we can find humor in just about anything. Baltimore radio newsman and talk show host Bob Lopez, known simply as Lopez on the air, has managed to find laughter in his own battle with the Big C. Lopez is fighting lung and brain cancer, and makes his fight part of his daily on-air banter with his colleagues. While some have found the cancer jokes offensive, Lopez tells the Washington Post that the offensiveness is what makes it funny: "The basis of humor is everything that's taboo. Race, sex, death, disease. They're all verboten topics."
  • Cyberlopez Page
  • Lopez Even Has His Own 'Laugh Hard' Bracelets
  • dcrtv.com - Weblog on DC/Baltimore Broadcasting

Wednesday - Dec. 15, 2004

• Media Law: When Does It Become "Reckless Disregard" For The Truth?
  A libel case in Massachusetts raises the question of how far can reporters go in criticizing public officials. This story from the Washington Post looks at how a judge is Massachusetts was portrayed in the newspaper and on television, and how he is now fighting back.
• DVD Double Dipping: How Can You Get Consumers to Buy The Same Film Twice?
  Double dipping isn't just an ethical dilemma on Sienfeld any more, it's a standard way of marketing DVDs. First you release a standard edition, then you release the special edition, and then you release the super-dooper-deluxe edition. (Washington Post)
  • Speaking of Which... Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Special Extended Edition
  • How Many Ways Can You Repackage LOTR:ROTK?
• Housewives v. Survivor
  Forget Alien v. Predator (it really isn't that difficult to do, after all), take a look at the ultimate battle: An episode of Desperate Housewives v. the Survivor finale. (Hint: The housewives kicked the survivors' butts....) (WP)

Tuesday - Dec. 14, 2004

• CBS Report On Rather Memo Story to be Delayed
  Peter Johnson, in his Media Mix column, reports that the independent panel investigating the story Dan Rather did about President Bush's military service based on controversial memos will likely be delayed until January. (USA Today)
• Press Think's Jay Rosen Talks About How CBS Should Replace Rather
  Rosen was one of the main sources for Johnson's story. Read the e-mails Rosen and Johnson exchanged on the topic.
• Rosen also talks about Dan Gillmore's plans for grassroots journalism project.
  Think yesterday's entry may be about a whole new trend! One can only hope.
  • Dan Gillmore's Blog
  • News from Romenesko on Need to Talk to Readers

Monday - Dec. 13, 2004

Getting in Touch With Ordinary People
One criticism of the media that I think has a lot of validity is that the press is seriously out of touch with ordinary people. I'm not talking Red/Blue issues here, though they certainly apply. I mean that the press spends all of its time looking at well-educated, well-paid people in positions of power. When they do step out of their isolation, journalists travel to where there is tragedy and woe. But reporters spend little time looking at the world of ordinary people. To which journalists reply, "What ordinary people do isn't news!" True, but maybe it should be.

The Washington Post has been dealing with this issue over the last couple of years in a number of ways. For example, the paper's Sunday magazine has had an ongoing feature called "The Adventures of ..." The series spends several weeks (or even months) looking at the day-to-day life of interesting, yet normally non-newsworthy people. Most recently the series just finished up a five month run on restaurant owner and manager Frank Connell. The latest subject for the series is Maggie Lonergan, the women's basketball coach for Catholic University. The paper's Style section also has a long-running feature called "Life is Short: Autobiography as Haiku" in which readers send in brief stories (100 words or less) about themselves.

The WP isn't the only place thinking about these issues. Today, press reporter Howard Kurtz writes his first post-election vacation story about a website called backfence.com devoted to covering community newspaper stories such as soccer scores, schools, and local meetings. The innovative part of the site is that the reporting will be done by volunteer ordinary people within the community rather than by professional journalists. It's a whole new idea in community journalism -- essentially local blogging. The interesting thing is that the publishers actually hope to be able to make money with this new project. I wish them well.

Friday - Dec. 10, 2004

Journalists Going to Jail
This has been a tough year for journalists having to decide between going to jail or testifying in court. Today's entry is devoted entirely to this issue. And as I write this on Thursday night, television reporter Jim Taricani has been sentenced to six months home confinement, Time reporter Matt Cooper is facing a jail sentence, and NY Times reporter Judith Miller is also facing jail time.

• Taricani Sentenced to Six Months House Arrest
  Jim Taricani, a Rhode Island television reporter has been sentenced to six months home confinement for refusing to reveal who leaked a copy of an FBI surveillance tape to him. Taricani violated no law by accepting and airing the tape. Thanks to my colleague and former AP reporter George Esper for updating me on this story. (Committee to Protect Journalists)
  • AP Story From Boston Globe on Taricani Sentence
  • Statement by Taricani from Nov. 18
  • Statement by Taricani from Dec. 1
• Washington Monthly - Bob in Paradise: How Novak Created His Own Ethics-Free Zone
  Robert Novak is the columnist who outed CIA agent Valerie Plame, but Cooper and Miller are the ones facing jail time. A profile of the media industry that is Robert Novak from Washington Monthly.
• NPR Audio Story: Confidentiality and the Press
  Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff talks about the recent attempts to get reporters to testify about confidential sources. (Isikoff is the reporter who really broke the Clinton/Lewisky story.)
• NPR Audio Story: Reporters Face Contempt Charges in CIA Leak
  U.S. Court of Appeals hears arguments from Miller and Cooper in contempt of court case.
• USA Today Editorial: Why Reporters Need Anonymous Sources
  The reporters who are facing confinement all have refused to give up the names of anonymous sources. USA Today discusses why these sources are so important to journalists.
• C-SPAN Founder Brian Lamb Says Sending Reporters to Jail "Is Crazy"
  Commentary from the calmest man in television news.

Wednesday - Dec. 8, 2004

• No Static At All Dept. - Toyota to Offer Both XM and Sirius Satellite Radios
  FM radio first became popular when FM receivers started being put in cars, and now that trend is repeating itself with satellite radio. Toyota has announced that it will allow customers to order either XM or Sirius satellite radios for its cars and trucks starting next year. (USA Today)
• Last Lost Till January
  I'm not a bit network TV fan, but ABC's bizarre and wonderful adventure drama Lost has had me absolutely enthralled this fall. It's a combination of Gilligan, Fantasy Island, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The last new episode until January airs tonight. If reruns start next week, check it out! (USA Today)
• Housewives and Lost Take Sweeney Top of Hollywood Women 'Power List'
  After years of nothing but cop shows and dumb comedies, TV is finally showing some interesting new shows this year (see above item). And Disney's Anne Sweeney has earned the honor of "Hollywood's Most Powerful Woman" based in large part on her championing of innovative shows at ABC like Desperate Housewives and Lost. (Washington Post)

Tuesday - Dec. 7, 2004

• Zits & Condoms: Comic Strip Pushes New Boundaries
  Last week I was taken somewhat by surprise by a pretty funny edition of the comic strip Zits that featured a character covering a pencil with a condom to protect himself from cold and flu germs. I wondered at the time if it was creating any sort of a fuss. A quick Google didn't show anything at the time, but Monday's Boston Globe ran this story on the general topic of offensive material in comic strips. And a search today found several letters protesting the strip. Also a story from the Comics Reporter notes that the Omaha World-Herald declined to carry the strip that day.
• Tom Wolfe - In Depth on C-SPAN
  Novelist and new journalist (and sartorial icon) Tom Wolfe did three hours of live call-in on C-SPAN II's Book TV. The author of The Right Stuff, The Bonfire of the Vanities, and most recently I Am Charlotte Simmons discussed everything from his latest novel to narrative realism in journalism. Not to be missed. (RealPlayer streaming video)
• Napster Creator Shawn Fanning: Saving the Music Industry From File Sharing????
  Shawn Fanning created Napster as a teenager and brought music file sharing to the masses. Now he's written software that would allow copyright holders to charge for music that's traded through the services. No, I don't quite understand it either. (NY Times)

Monday - Dec. 6, 2004

• Beef Producers Go To Court Over "It's What's for Dinner" Ads
  The Livestock Marketing Association and other cattle producers are going to court over the "Beef -- It's What's for Dinner" advertising campaign. Their beef? (Sorry, couldn't help it!) That fees they are paying is promoting beef generically (including grass-fed imported beef) rather than promoting American-raised grain-fed beef. They claim that the ads by the U.S. Department of Agriculture violate their First Amendment rights. (Washington Post)
• Advocacy Groups Produce Movies and Newspapers to Promote Their Point of View
  Can't get your story across in the mainstream media? Why not create your own newspaper instead? That's what the U.S. Chamber of Commerce did when they created a newspaper to just run stories about what they considered to be lawsuit abuse. Where is the line between legitimate advocacy and propaganda? Or is there one any more? (WP)
• Anime Becoming a Global Force
  The Japanese animated films and television shows known as anime have moved out of the domestic market to become a major force in the world's culture. It's even managing to challenge the ever-popular Disney creations. (WP)

Friday - Dec. 3, 2004

• Don Wycliff: How Should Reporters Identify Sources?
  How should reporters identify potentially controversial sources in their stories? Do they need to give the source's entire resume? The ChiTrib's ombudsman takes a thoughtful look at a difficult question.
• CBS and NBC Accused of Bias for Rejecting Church Ads
  CBS and NBC have rejected a commercial from the liberal United Church of Christ that calls for religious tolerance. The church accused the networks of fearing reactions from conservative political and religious groups. The networks say they rejected the commercial because they don't allow advocacy ads. BTW, Fox network ran the ad; ABC didn't run the ad, but they don't run any religious advertising. (Washington Post)
  • Commentary by UCC Minister From LA Times
  • Leonard Pitts: A Church Member Reacts To Network Refusal
    Pulitzer Prize winner Leonard Pitts comments on the networks' refusal to run the United Church of Christ ads from the point of view of a church member.
  • Extended Coverage of Story from NPR
    Includes a video link to the controversial commercial.
  • NY Times Coverage of Story

Thursday - Dec. 2, 2004

• The Art of Asking the Right Question
  When reporters actually get the chance to ask President Bush a question, they need to make sure they make the most of the opportunity. Finding the question that will actually get an answer but still provide some real information is more art than science. (Washington Post)
  • But Wonkette Wasn't Impressed...
• Covering Values, Faith and Politics
  Poynter's Kelly McBride takes a look at how reporters are making progress in covering the interelationship between religion, morality and politics.

Wednesday - Dec. 1, 2004

Recent Media Stories From NPR
It's been awhile since we've had an NPR Audio Weekend here, especially since we no longer have weekend entries... At any rate, here's a round-up of audio news stories from NPR:

• Changing Standards of Decency at the FCC
  The FCC has been cracking down on broadcast indecency as of late, but advocacy groups are at odds as to whether this is a good thing.
• Would You Really Want a Camcorder Recorded Version of a Movie?
  One of the big ways that movies get pirated is by people smuggling in camcorders into theaters and then taping the movie. But just how bad of quality would that be? I'll buy my movies from Amazon, thank you very much.
• SpongeBob SquarePants Speaks Out
  Fresh Air's Terry Gross talks with Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants.
• Pee-Wee's Playhouse Out on DVD
  Another great Gross interview with Paul Reubens, better known as Pee-Wee Herman. Reubens talks about how he got started in comedy and how he created his most popular character. (HINT: It was vengeance for not getting a slot on SNL!)
  • But You Can Skip the Interview With Madonna
    I'm sorry, she's just plain vacuous.