For Wednesday, April 2, 2014, here are some media stories of note:
False balance is a concept that drives many journalists mad. It arises from the suggestion that there always needs to be two or more sides to a story, and that for each assertion there needs to be a counter, no matter the weight of the facts. A British parliamentary report has accused the BBC of false balance in its use of climate-change skeptics. The Independent says the report says the result was science-based facts versus opinion-based beliefs.
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Digital First Media is shutting its much-touted, mainly-praised Thunderdome digital journalism hub as it cuts costs and contemplates sales of newspapers. Ken Doctor, writing for Nieman Journalism Lab, suggests the private equity firm holding much of Digital First's paper is not getting the return it expected, so sales of assets are necessary. John Paton, the CEO of Digital First, indicates the focus will be local and that the two project leaders are leaving the firm.
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On Sunday, CBS' 60 Minutes carried a feature on Elon Musk, the engineer who owns Tesla. In featuring one of its cars, the program added audio that sounded more like a motorcycle's. It didn't go unnoticed. The Hollywood Reporter says the program has apologized for the editing and has corrected it online.
False balance is a concept that drives many journalists mad. It arises from the suggestion that there always needs to be two or more sides to a story, and that for each assertion there needs to be a counter, no matter the weight of the facts. A British parliamentary report has accused the BBC of false balance in its use of climate-change skeptics. The Independent says the report says the result was science-based facts versus opinion-based beliefs.
***
Digital First Media is shutting its much-touted, mainly-praised Thunderdome digital journalism hub as it cuts costs and contemplates sales of newspapers. Ken Doctor, writing for Nieman Journalism Lab, suggests the private equity firm holding much of Digital First's paper is not getting the return it expected, so sales of assets are necessary. John Paton, the CEO of Digital First, indicates the focus will be local and that the two project leaders are leaving the firm.
***
On Sunday, CBS' 60 Minutes carried a feature on Elon Musk, the engineer who owns Tesla. In featuring one of its cars, the program added audio that sounded more like a motorcycle's. It didn't go unnoticed. The Hollywood Reporter says the program has apologized for the editing and has corrected it online.
