For Wednesday, October 2, 2013, here are some media stories of note:
Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Actually, an old dog might learn more easily than a pup, suggests a South African study on the newsroom. The World Association of Newspapers site reports that the State of the Newsroom survey indicates that older journalists might adapt more swiftly because they are less prone to be overwhelmed and unsupported than their younger colleagues. Age is not necessarily the determinant in adaptability, it concluded.
BuzzFeed features the curious story of MintPress News, the Minnesota-based news service that fights a lonely battle in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It reports on a mysterious ownership, possible connections to Iran, and the effort to provide another perspective (at times unverified) of the Syrian strife, most recently through its assertion that chemical weapons were in fact unfurled by rebels and not the regime.
Mick Hume, writing for the Columbia Journalism Review, explores the threats to press freedom in his native United Kingdom and in the United States. He argues that less visible, unopposed threats are emerging in more mundane areas of journalism to thwart freedom of expression. There is an "illiberal liberalism" on display and an intolerance for uncomfortable opinion.
Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Actually, an old dog might learn more easily than a pup, suggests a South African study on the newsroom. The World Association of Newspapers site reports that the State of the Newsroom survey indicates that older journalists might adapt more swiftly because they are less prone to be overwhelmed and unsupported than their younger colleagues. Age is not necessarily the determinant in adaptability, it concluded.
BuzzFeed features the curious story of MintPress News, the Minnesota-based news service that fights a lonely battle in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It reports on a mysterious ownership, possible connections to Iran, and the effort to provide another perspective (at times unverified) of the Syrian strife, most recently through its assertion that chemical weapons were in fact unfurled by rebels and not the regime.
Mick Hume, writing for the Columbia Journalism Review, explores the threats to press freedom in his native United Kingdom and in the United States. He argues that less visible, unopposed threats are emerging in more mundane areas of journalism to thwart freedom of expression. There is an "illiberal liberalism" on display and an intolerance for uncomfortable opinion.
