Category:

January 21, 2014 media notes: an apology from Grantland, smartwatches and journalism, return of big and rich media

1/21/2014

Here are some media stories of note for Tuesday, January 21, 2014:

Grantland editor Bill Simmons has written an extensive explanatory note, with an apology, following the site's publication last week of a story about a golf club inventor who was discovered to have exaggerated credentials and hidden her birth as a man. She took her life as the story was being researched. The reporter revealed her transgender to an investor.

Simmons takes us through the development of the story, its stops and starts, and backs the journalism in general, but notes that someone from the transgender community should have read the piece before it appeared because Grantland's team was unsophisticated in how it handled the topic.

One of Simmons' editors, meanwhile, has written a far more critical piece (with his blessing) of the site's conduct. Christina Karhl says the episode is an excellent example of how not to treat a human being.

---

Alastair Reid, writing for journalism.co.uk, examines the evolution of smartwatches and their potential impact on the production and consumption of news. His reporting points to greater flexibility technically and much more of a stand-alone purpose to smartwatches. He believes they'll be complementary to tablets and smartphones.

---

Michael Wolff, the veteran media columnist, writes for USA Today that last week's U.S. court ruling on net neutrality stands to recreate the natural order of things in which the big companies run media. The ruling will make it harder to break in to digital media, but will fortify the big firms and help ensure their viability.

media notes 11.27.13

11/27/2013

For Wednesday, November 27, here are some media stories of note:

When CBS News placed Lara Logan and her producer on a leave of absence, it followed the completion of an internal report on their discredited 60 Minutes segment on the attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya.

That report by CBS' Al Ortiz, the executive producer for standards and practices at CBS News, found several disconcerting issues in the reporting and an inherent conflict for Logan that should have been avoided. Among other things, Ortiz concluded the program had the means to verify that the principal source of the segment, British security contractor Dylan Davies, was not telling the truth about what he witnessed the night of the attack. There were enough signs of trouble in the research to stop the report, but it sailed through the vetting process and aired.

Eric Wemple of the Washington Post examines the report and the CBS response to it. Among his five points: CBS and 60 Minutes don't work together, a leave of absence is meaningless, the CBS chairman/60 Minutes produce should also be penalized, it's problematic to investigate the boss, and CBS would have been wise to release the report on the holiday weekend. Brendan Nyhan, writing for Columbia Journalism Review, also criticizes how CBS News handled the controversy, including the scrubbing of the content from the Internet.

---

A photographer has been awarded $1.2 million after a court ordered two news agencies to pay for images he took and they used without attribution from Twitter. The court concluded there were violations of the Copyright Act when images he took of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti were redistributed without appropriate compensation. Even though Twitter appears to be a public forum, the court indicated there remain in place requirements should anyone reuse content without permission. Guardian media columnist Roy Greenslade says the case has the potential to set an important precedent, but notes it is subject to appeals.

---

In recent days USA Today and the McClatchy group of newspapers in the U.S. have clarified that they are not going to use handout photos from the White House (unless they are of significant news value). Andrew Beaujon, writing for Poynter, notes their moves follow a dispute in which the White House restricted access for press photographers. News organizations protested the move.

media notes 11.12.13

11/12/2013

For Tuesday, November 12, 2013, here are some media stories of note:

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert had at 60 Minutes Monday about its end-of-show apology Sunday for using Dylan Davies as a principal in its segment on the attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi. Michael Calderone of Huffington Post notes that the program didn't get to the bottom for its audience on how it was duped by Davies, how it vetted (or didn't) his assertions, and whether it even bothered to check with the FBI if its segment was congruent with what he had told them. The segment and the tepid apology raises more questions, he asserts, including those about CBS News' leadership. Lloyd Grove, writing for The Daily Beast, reports that media ethics experts believe 60 Minutes needs to do much more than apologize. They argue it needs to demonstrate how it will avoid such blunders in future.

As anyone who has dealt with the International Olympic Committee can attest, the issue of copyright is no small burning matter. The IOC owns lock, stock and barrel the rights to anything that smacks of Olympics and is vigilant, to say the least, in according opportunities to share its spoils. Which is why it is a surprise that an IOC spokesman has said that Instagram's short-form video and all other social media photography will be permitted from accredited photographers at the Sochi Games in three months' time. USA Today reports on the clarification of the guidelines and how they are social-media friendly.

David Carr's latest Media Equation column for The New York Times looks at Contently, the next-generation version of the much-reviled content farms that produces well-paid, well-researched journalism for corporate websites. Carr wonders if this is a site/sight of things to come in journalism: writers creating solid content, with some boundaries on editorial independence, for those who want to reach audiences directly without using public relations.

media notes 11.01.13

11/1/2013

In the days ahead this blog will become more personable. My contractual arrangement in the last year with CBC, and for that matter in the two years preceding as its ombudsman, was respectful of its boundaries around journalist impartiality. At least until my next venture, I will share more of my views as part of the mix of content in the blog.

Meantime, here are some media stories of note for Friday, November 1, 2013:

The phone-hacking trial in England is in the phase of prosecutorial assertion, so in the absence of testimony, the public is hearing the extent of the case that will be waged against top editors Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, whom court heard yesterday were in a relationship for several years and thus were likely to have known what each other knew about the phone-hacking activities. In today's hearing, court was told that Coulson was told by a reporter he could face criminal charges if they were caught paying police for the royal phone book. Yesterday court heard that private investigator Glenn Mulcaire earned 400,000 pounds in his work to secure information for News of the World.

Governments are often not above putting their media on a short leash, and in Kenya that appears to be an imminent threat. A bill passed today in its Parliament, but which still must receive presidential approval, creates a new oversight committee that can impose fines (up to about $234,000) for violating a restrictive code of conduct and bar some journalists from working. Journalists are calling the measures draconian and an attack on free expression.

USA Today is touting significant circulation growth arising from the latest Alliance for Audited Media data. While it is clear that its audience level is high, what isn't so clear is how that compares to earlier times. That's because certain data on tablet and smartphone audiences were being tabulated but not counted toward the total, until now. Poynter's Sam Kirkland interviews USA Today publisher Larry Kramer on this, while the typically illuminating Alan Mutter examines the throttling of newspaper metrics and the decision by the Alliance to stop reporting one key data point: the revenue streams for the industry. Mutter also notes that, in some cases, newspapers are reporting those who view the content on several platforms as different readers and not as one reader across different platforms.

media notes 10.24.13

10/24/2013

Here are some media stories of note for Thursday, October 24, 2013:

A new Pew Research Center study suggests Facebook is a common but incidental way Americans get news. Its poll found most American adults don't go to Facebook for news, but find news while on Facebook for other purposes. Only 4% said it was the most important way they get news. Still, Facebook appears to provide news to people who otherwise might not get it. Those who receive news on Facebook are highly engaged users and news consumption doesn't appear to displace their other Facebook activities.

Glenn Greenwald, in his first extensive interview since announcing his departure from The Guardian for a new journalism venture financed by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, argues that a revolution is taking place in how news organizations cover government and institutions. Secrets will not be viable if they involve activities that run counter to the consciences of any of the extensive number of people with access to the data. That, in turn, will alter the power dynamic. Journalism will find opportunities in this context. Newsweek, now an online-only organization, reports on his views from Brazil.

The Columbia Journalism Review decided to examine the coverage of surveillance in four major U.S. newspapers (The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times) following recent revelations, and it found a "remarkable" result: The media tilted to the right on the issue. The survey examined the use of certain key words that indicate a pro- or anti-surveillance stance: terrorism and surveillance on the one side, liberty and privacy on the other. While the stance was not overt, it suggests media remain reluctant to appear soft on terror, the Review concludes.

The debate continues on whether journalists need to learn how to write code and whether journalism schools should teach them how. In recent days journalist Olga Khazan sparked the debate by suggesting her time would be better spent learning how to report well instead of code badly. But Meranda Adams, writing for 10000 Words, argues (and uses data-wise journalist and professor Robert Hernandez to support her) that at the very least a modern journalist should know some basics about HTML and CSS or what they're discussing when they pitch the idea of a data project.

media notes 10.14.13

10/14/2013

Here are some media stories of note for Monday, October 14, 2013:

A new Pew Research Journalism Project report highlights the clout of cable news in capturing American audience attention. The report explores how television news dominates and how cable dominates television news. While larger numbers watch network news, those who watch cable (38%) watch it a lot.

New Nielsen research data encompasses the digital video recorder numbers. USA Today reports it suggests 12 network series gained four million viewers on the basis of delayed viewing. That is an enormous shift and bound to help those series stay alive and attract advertisers. Surprisingly, older viewers are among the biggest time-shifters.

Amy Davidson, writing for The New Yorker blog, says journalists should get ready for government scare tactics, wild stories and secrets, now that Edwards Snowden's vault of material is in the hands of media. She looks back at a German episode a half-century ago and finds similarities in the handling of revelations.

A Philly.com report notes how many prominent newspapers are turning to streaming video to increase their digital audiences and impact. Several now house studios and sets to interview guests and host programs throughout the day.

media notes 09.26.13

9/26/2013

For Thursday, September 26, 2013, here are some media stories of note:

Rem Rieder, the media columnist (now features editor) of USA Today, examines the need for philanthropic support for non-profit journalism in an age of for-profit cuts. He concludes that many non-profits will not become self-sustaining but that they will be needed (and needed to be supported) in an age of strained journalistic resources.

Alan Mutter, in his latest post for Reflections of a Newsosaur, questions the viability of online paywalls. He looks at the data and concludes precious few are paying and that "publishers counting on an enthusiastic reception for paid digital news may want to recalibrate their expectations." Meantime, the digital chief for The Nation writes on its new experiment with paywalls. Katelyn Belyus notes that the financial viability is essential to furthering its editorial mission and that its readers and not its advertisers count first.

Gerald Baker, the managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, describes native advertising as a "Faustian pact" publishers make with advertisers that will not work. He believes sponsored content confuses readers, which ultimately diminishes their trust, which in turn defeats the purpose of the content commingling with journalism. He thinks it's a phase that will run its course.

media notes 09.25.13

9/25/2013

For Wednesday, September 25, 2013, here are media stories of note:

Popular Science has decided to close its online content to public comments. It explains that its decision was not taken lightly, but believes that even a small cohort of fractious, politically motivated commenters can reshape public opinions about content, which in turn changes perceptions about public policy, which in turn changes which research gains public funds. Mathew Ingram, in a response on paidContent, writes that Popular Science should try to fix comments instead of closing possible avenues of serious debate about science.

Egyptian authorities have raided, seized equipment and closed the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood newspaper in Cairo. Al Jazeera reports that this week an Egyptian court ruled that the Brotherhood had fomented violence and terrorism, so the country has moved to suspend its activities and an associations.

The Guardian reader editor examines the newsroom's decision to publish government surveillance secrets leaked by former security employee Edward Snowden. Chris Elliott, in a lengthy account for the Comment is Free blog at The Guardian, notes that readers have raised concerns about the content of the stories but not about the Guardian's decision to publish. He observes that some of the organization's best stories have been about campaigning journalism.

Larry Kramer, the publisher of USA Today, believes newspapers need to be conversation-starters with more original content that permits journalists to have more of their own voice. Unique content and a sense of discovery are keys, with the latter quality also helpful in retaining advertising.