For Monday, August 26, here are some media stories of note:
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers has written the British government to criticize its attempts to destroy sensitive leaked documents in the possession of The Guardian. It calls the move an act of "intimidation" and a "deeply regrettable" attempt to chill journalistic pursuit of important information about mass surveillance. It further called the detention last week of David Miranda, the partner of Guardian contributing columnist Glenn Greenwald, "outrageous and deeply disturbing." The Guardian has in recent days shared some of its documentation with The New York Times to circumvent any possible interference of its reporting in Britain. The New York Times' media columnist, David Carr, notes that the war on leaks is simply pitting journalist against journalist.
The ESPN ombudsman has weighed in with his observations about the decision last week by ESPN to back out of its collaboration with PBS on a two-part documentary on NFL head injuries. The move raised concerns that the NFL pressured ESPN to sever the joint investigative project. But Robert Lipsyte said it's not quite clear what happened, but partly it may reveal a naïvety at the network about the consequences of its journalism. "At best we've seen some clumsy shuffling to cover a lack of due diligence" about those consequences. " At worst, a promising relationship between two journalism powerhouses that could have done more good together has been sacrificed to mollify a league under siege. The best isn't very good, but if the worst turns out to be true, it's a chilling reminder how often the profit motive wins the duel."
Two major profiles on media leaders this weekend provided some insights into their views on content, journalism and corporate politics. A Business Insider "unauthorized biography" on Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo, traces her career to the top of what is now the most-viewed news site. A New York Magazine profile of Mark Thompson, the CEO of The New York Times, examines the dynamics of the Times as he attempts significant overhaul.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers has written the British government to criticize its attempts to destroy sensitive leaked documents in the possession of The Guardian. It calls the move an act of "intimidation" and a "deeply regrettable" attempt to chill journalistic pursuit of important information about mass surveillance. It further called the detention last week of David Miranda, the partner of Guardian contributing columnist Glenn Greenwald, "outrageous and deeply disturbing." The Guardian has in recent days shared some of its documentation with The New York Times to circumvent any possible interference of its reporting in Britain. The New York Times' media columnist, David Carr, notes that the war on leaks is simply pitting journalist against journalist.
The ESPN ombudsman has weighed in with his observations about the decision last week by ESPN to back out of its collaboration with PBS on a two-part documentary on NFL head injuries. The move raised concerns that the NFL pressured ESPN to sever the joint investigative project. But Robert Lipsyte said it's not quite clear what happened, but partly it may reveal a naïvety at the network about the consequences of its journalism. "At best we've seen some clumsy shuffling to cover a lack of due diligence" about those consequences. " At worst, a promising relationship between two journalism powerhouses that could have done more good together has been sacrificed to mollify a league under siege. The best isn't very good, but if the worst turns out to be true, it's a chilling reminder how often the profit motive wins the duel."
Two major profiles on media leaders this weekend provided some insights into their views on content, journalism and corporate politics. A Business Insider "unauthorized biography" on Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo, traces her career to the top of what is now the most-viewed news site. A New York Magazine profile of Mark Thompson, the CEO of The New York Times, examines the dynamics of the Times as he attempts significant overhaul.
