Category: Reporting

media notes 12.18.13

12/18/2013

Here are some media stories of note for Wednesday, December 18, 2013:

Two major reports are out on the threats to journalists worldwide.

The Committee to Protect Journalists notes that 2013 has been the second-worst year on record for jailing. Some 211 were jailed. Turkey (which for the second year in a row led the way), Iran and China are the three top countries locking up journalists.

And Reporters Without Borders notes 71 reporters have been killed this year in connection with their work. Meanwhile, there was a 129-per-cent growth in abductions (87, up from 38 in 2012).

And a new Gallup poll ranks journalists low in honesty and ethics. Kristen Hare, writing about the poll for Poynter, notes only 20 per cent ranked television reporters and 21 per cent ranked newspaper reporters as highly honest and ethical. Only 14 per cent said the same of advertisers.

media notes 07.18.13

7/18/2013

Here are some media stories of note for Thursday, July 18, 2013:

Thomas Kent, the standards editor and deputy managing editor at Associated Press, takes on the assertion that journalism as we know it is on its last legs. Kent, writing for Huffington Post, does not believe journalists are being usurped or left with only the roles of analysis or commentary. He argues that fact-finding, analyzing and presenting remain integral in professional work, that the audience still depends on these qualities and is not as social media-active as it may seem, and that networked journalism (as opposed to corporate-driven journalism) is highly susceptible to manipulation and authoritarian control.

The judge in the case of U.S. Army Private Bradley Manning (who divulged military secrets to WikilLeaks) today ruled in mid-trial not to drop the charge of aiding the enemy. The New York Times noted the connection to journalists during the trial: that it may give rise to similar prosecutions when there are leaks to media organizations. The Freedom of the Press Foundation today indicated the ruling has possibly profound implications for journalism.

Feminista Jones, the prominent social commentator writing in this instance for Salon.com, chronicles the rise of Twitter as a modern equivalent of the Underground Railroad of African American activism. She identifies the adoption of Twitter as a focal point for African America to mobilize protest and to effect policy change. In recent weeks those efforts have included concerns about comments by television host Paula Deen, the Texas anti-abortion legislation, and the George Zimmerman verdict. "They prove that 140 characters can be all it takes to spark a movement," Jones writes.

In recent days it has been reported that Google is reaching out to television networks to create an Internet-driven delivery system that would rival cable. The effort is Google's latest into this realm, and at the moment the speculation is that it will not succeed. Brian Stetler, writing in The New York Times, looks at rival Apple's latest efforts and contrasts its comparable successes at partnerships with those of Google. While Apple's grand strategy for television remains secret, it is at least holding hands with the existing players as it moves in on them.

Stephen J. Ward on the ethics of reporting suicide

9/14/2011

News organizations approach the subject of suicide in different ways. Some exercise great restraint, some don't. Some provide context, some don't. Some avoid the topic.

In his latest post on ethics, journalism scholar Stephen J. Ward (head of the Center for Journalism Ethics at University of Wisconsin-Madison) counsels the fullest possible reporting in cases involving public figures.

He acknowledges there are substandard ways to approach the matter, but suggests there is much to be learned in circumstances of tragedy. Journalists discharge their public obligations by reporting the matter. There were opportunities for a wider understanding of depression and other social issues in the recent deaths of hockey players, he notes.

As painful and uncomfortable as it is, he writes, journalists should lean toward full reporting. They should be cautious about accepting guidelines, even though they should be sensitive to minimize harm.

"Deaths in any society should be a matter of public record. No exceptions," he notes. "The release of this information should not be in the hands of family."

Rather than treat the matter sensationally, Ward counsels: "The guiding principle should be: publish uncomfortable facts where such information is necessary for a clear public understanding of the event and to indicate what social responses might be necessary."

Slate shows long-form journalism can work online

7/14/2010

The conventional wisdom is that digital journalism doesn't linger; it delivers data swiftly, starts a conversation, invites interaction, but gets out of the way of the busily-clicking audience. Other conventional wisdom: People won't spend time online to read long-form journalism. Maybe they'll print it out, but you're better to reserve the depth for the newspaper or magazine.

Along has come Slate.com to prove the pack wrong. Nieman Journalism Lab profiles its success in commissioning long-form pieces that have proven highly successful in securing readership.

Not just any readership, of course. A long-form journalism readership is --- conventional wisdom you can more readily bank on --- a smart readership. With that smart readership comes higher-end advertising support. In other words, it's just the sort of model one needs upon which to build a business.

Slate hasn't spent a lot of money on the pieces, but it has afforded them time. It has each of its staff writers identify a theme about which he/she is passionate and encourages four to six weeks of research and writing. Not many newsrooms can afford that luxury in one bite, but for Slate, it is yielding very strong stories that differ from its daily digest of reporting and commentary.

media notes 12.18.13

media notes 07.18.13

Stephen J. Ward on the ethics of reporting suicide

Slate shows long-form journalism can work online

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