ShopRite Says No Happy Birthday For Hitler.

THE BAKERY AT SHOPRITE refused to write "Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler" on a birthday cake for Adolf Hitler Campbell, who turned 3 on Sunday.

"We believe the request ... to inscribe a birthday wish to Adolf Hitler is inappropriate," a ShopRite spokeswoman told the Easton Express-Times.

I'm not sure there is a journalism ethics question here. But doesn't the Campbell family (who also have a daughter named JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell) have the right to choose whatever names they want for their children? Did ShopRite violate their First Amendment rights by not making the cake as ordered?

By the way, Wal-Mart made the cake for little Adolf, complete with his full name.

Bikini Journalism? For real?

A BROADCAST JOURNALIST in Chicago was fired after being videotaped at the home of a man in the news. And the reporter was in a bikini in the video.

Trying to build a relationship that might lead to an on camera interview, reporter Amy Jacobson visited the home of Craig Stebic, whose wife had gone missing. Rumors floated that Stebic was responsible for making his wife disappear.

Jacobson hung out with Stebic and his children at the family pool. Jacobson wore a bikini.

"I know I didn’t do anything improper," Jacobson tells Chicago magazine. "And that’s what I live with: knowing that my heart was in the right place and that it was for the cause of the story."

Her station fired her. She has a lawsuit pending.

Did she do anything wrong?

Are You Influenced By What You See?

PLEASE PASS ALONG your thoughts regarding Siobahn's presentation this morning, specifically the notion of imagery in media, including journalism, perpetuating stereotypes.

Can journalism and the media shape who you are?

And with that in mind, now do you think the media share some responsibility for the death of the Wal-Mart worker on Long Island?

Did The Media Kill The Wal-Mart Worker?

BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPERS in Long Island, NY crushed a man to death at Wal-Mart as they rushed the store for sale items.

A New York Times columnist now says that the media is partially responsible for the man's death:

"The willingness of people to walk over another human being to get at the right price tag raises the question of how they got that way in the first place," writes David Carr. "But in the search for the usual suspects and parceling of blame, the news media should include themselves."

Carr argues that the media, specifically newspapers, rely upon retailers for ad dollars, so the media overhypes Black Friday sales. Therefore, the media creates mass consumerism, the kind that brought about the death of Jdimytai Damour, a 34-year old seasonal worker.

Do you agree? Does the media have that much influence over people? Are we responsible for the man's death?

Or were the shoppers only interested in the 42-inch LCD HDTVs that were on sale for $598?

"We're Capturing the First Drafts of History."

WHAT DID YOU THINK of our guest, Jim MacMillan?

Here are a few things that stood out for me:

- "Wherever physical casualties occur, there will be psychological injuries," Jim said, quoting from one of his former professors.

- Don't stand under power lines at fires and crash sites.

- Jim stressed that there is a possibility of retraumatizing the audience by replaying video and sound, or by showing images, or through words in print. For instance, this picture could bring back difficult memories for those involved:
Was the image of the crying victims exploitation or good, solid journalism? Is showing images of crime perpetuating violence or helping to eradicate it?

Thoughts?

Did the Media Fall For a PR Stunt?

JON STEPHENSON told us that the images transmitted around the world of the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue were really a giant public relations stunt.

The event conveniently took place near the hotels where the media were staying. There were loads of American military around (look carefully at the image below ... there are numerous tanks) to ensure the safety of the media so they could cover the event.
What should the media do in this situation? Should they document the event and announce that it felt like a PR stunt? Or do they simply cover the event and trust that the viewers and readers will understand what was going on?

Please pass along your thoughts, as well as any thoughts on John's visit in general.

How Far Will You Go To Get A Story, Part II?

IN CASE YOU ZONED when Barry Levine mentioned the lengths his reporters went to track down John Edwards, this clip explains the event.

Did the reporters go too far in hounding Edwards through the Beverly Hills Hotel, chasing him into a bathroom? Or is that good dogged journalism?

Should Journalists Vote For Baseball Awards?

PHILLIES FIRST BASEMAN Ryan Howard finished second in the voting for National League Most Valuable Player.

The people who voted? Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Inquirer sports columnist Phil Sheridan declined to vote because, as he wrote, "It is ethically indefensible for the journalists who cover baseball to vote for official awards that have an impact on players' financial rewards."

Should the people covering the teams decide who gets the awards? Can the journalists remain objective? Aren't they just going to vote for their hometown stars?

How Far Will You Go To Get A Story?

THINK YOU'RE TOO good for tabloid news?

Do you think that the gossip rags exploit our thespians and musicians, invading their privacy for the sole purpose of titillating the Wal-Mart loving masses?

Well, what if they do?

In recent years, the National Enquirer has sold more than a million copies per week AND it has broken major stories that were then picked up by the mainstream press.

For instance, the Enquirer broke the story of former presidential candidate John Edwards having an affair (and baby!) while his wife was ill with cancer.

On Tuesday, Enquirer executive editor Barry Levine, a 1981 TU Journalism grad, will discuss celebrity journalism, the Edwards affair and how far he'll go to get a story.

Should be fun stuff (and lots of potential material for the Issues Facing Journalism paper).

Is Paris Hilton Newsworthy?

WHAT DID YOU THINK of the MSNBC clip that Byron showed you this morning?

Was the anchor wrong in refusing to deliver Paris Hilton news? Isn't it the job of the journalist to provide information that people want?

Or was she correct in refusing? Do you think that journalists should ignore (or downplay) celebrity news (and gossip), especially when there are arguably larger news stories happening?

What would you have done?

(By the way, Barry Levine, the executive editor of the National Enquirer, will speak during our next session, on 11/18).

Can You Hear Me Now?

PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA visited the White House this week and met with current president George W. Bush.

Afterward, Obama flew back to Chicago, with a pack of media folks on the plane.

At one point, Obama was on a cell phone and reporters could hear him talking.

"I am not going to be spending too much time in Washington over the next several weeks," said Obama according to the Washington Post, adding that he did not want to "go lurching so far in one direction" and wanted to come up with "some good, solid, sensible options."

Should the Washington Post and other reporters have used that information?

It was not a private moment that was declared off the record. And the man is going to be president of the country in two months. Isn't just about everything he does newsworthy?

Or should he expect some level of privacy?

Would you have used the quotes?

Is This Offensive?

THE CHICAGO READER, an alternative weekly, ran the above image as their cover of the post-election issue. And as soon as it hit the streets, people freaked out.

"Callers told me we're assuming he'll screw up because he's black," Reader editor Alison True wrote.

Is the image going too far?

And what about the image below, which would have been their cover if John McCain won the election?

"The Next President" or "The First Black President?"

RACE HAS REMAINED an underlying issue during the presidential campaign that concluded tonight with the election of Barack Obama.

But does it diminish the achievements of president-elect Obama to label him as the "First Black President?"

On one hand, it is most certainly an historic event.

On the other hand, he wasn't elected because he is African-American. He was elected because the majority of Americans believe in him and his mission.

Should the media refrain from focusing on his race? Or should they champion the progress this election represents?

UPDATE: AN OP/ED WRITER IN the 11/9 Sunday Inquirer writes:

The ritual preface of the word black in front of every achievement or breakthrough by an African American is insulting, condescending and minimizes their achievement. It maintains and reinforces the very racial separation that much of America claims it is trying to get past.

Do you agree? Disagree?

From World Series to Two Years in Jail?

THIS IS NOT ANOTHER BASEBALL POST. This is a First Amendment situation.

Today, the Supreme Court will begin hearing a case regarding the FCC and their rules on "fleeting expletives."

Essentially, the case revolves around U2 singer (and new New York Times columnist) Bono. During the 2002 Golden Globes Award ceremony, which was broadcast live, he said, "This is really, really, fucking brilliant. Really, really great."

The FCC warned NBC, who broadcast the awards, that they could be fined in the future if something like this happened again. And they could face two years in prison.

Should Chase Utley go to prison for his "fleeting expletive" during the Phillies World Series celebration? Or is the FCC just trying to ruin the new Phillies dynasty?

Chase Utley: Role Model or Potty Mouth?

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, the media are the standard bearers of society when it comes to language. What is said regularly in print, online and over the airwaves becomes commonplace in public.

So what do you think about our World Series champion second baseman who dropped an f-bomb on live television (and live radio)?

Should someone be punished for this and if so, who?

(I promise this will be the last Phillies related post for a while)

Laconic, Lasagna-Eating Fat Cat Makes Readers Feel Good.

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN. And they want their Garfield.

After the Rocky Mountain News quietly eliminated the cartoon cat from their funny pages, readers started complaining. Here is part of the paper's announcement of Garfield's return:

More than 2,000 readers wrote, e-mailed and called our comics hot line after the strip was dropped. Many Garfield fans told us that in these troubled times, they counted on the comic relief of their longtime favorite strip.

Should readers be able to have such influence over the content of the newspaper?

Politics on a Bag? No Thanks, Newspapers Say.

THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION is backing John McCain in next week's presidential election, and they are actively campaigning against Barack Obama.

So the NRA, through their political action committee, is trying to send their message to the public. One of the ways they are trying to do that is by purchasing ad space on the plastic bags that newspapers are delivered in.

But newspapers have been turning down the advertisements, mostly on the basis of ethics and balance.

"If your wrap on Election Day is portraying one particular point of view, that's going to be pretty damaging to your credibility," Kelly McBride, ethics group leader for the Poynter Institute, told the Virginia Pilot.

"I think it would be hard for voters, in that moment, to discern whether this is the paper's point of view or someone else's," she added. "You don't want to do something on Election Day that essentially alienates your readers."

Would you accept those advertising dollars?

Do you think that the public would be confused by a newspaper wrapped in a politically charged bag? Would they believe that, because of the ad, the newspaper is endorsing that candidate?

"It's Never Too Early To Start Achieving Your Dream."

WHAT DID YOU THINK of our guest, Marc Zumoff?

Here are a few things he said that stood out for me:

• Get internships.
• Network, form relationships and kiss ass.
• Make your life revolve around your passions.
• Being a good writer will make you stand out, even in broadcasting.

What stood out for you?

(by the way, if you are interested in learning about one of the voices of the Phillies, Larry Andersen, read this story)

Should The Paper Pick a President?

THIS IS THE SEASON FOR political endorsements.

Newspapers across the country are making their cases for either John McCain or Barack Obama for president.

The Los Angeles Times wrote:

We need a leader who demonstrates thoughtful calm and grace under pressure, one not prone to volatile gesture or capricious pronouncement. We need a leader well-grounded in the intellectual and legal foundations of American freedom. Yet we ask that the same person also possess the spark and passion to inspire the best within us: creativity, generosity and a fierce defense of justice and liberty.

The Times without hesitation endorses Barack Obama for president.

The Philadelphia Inquirer also endorsed Obama but, in addition, offered a dissenting voice in favor of McCain. The dissent stated:

America needs an honest president with experience, common sense, sound temperament and good judgment in the Oval Office. Those qualities will make it easy for many to vote for McCain.

Does offering their opinion on who should be president undermine a newspaper's objectivity?

(Click here to see which candidate was endorsed by your favorite newspapers across the country).

It Ain't Easy Being Funny.

IF YOU ENJOY THE DAILY SHOW, think about what makes it so enjoyable. Someone actually digs through copious amounts of news and raw data, digests it and processes it.

That man, apparently, is Adam Chodikoff, a Daily Show producer.

Here is his news diet, as reported by Women's Wear Daily:

Chodikoff reads seven newspapers a day in print, sits through hours of hearings on C-Span on a Saturday and watches Sen. John McCain grilling on Rachael Ray’s talk show.

The story continues:

But consuming everything is only half the task. The competitive advantage he gives (Daily Show host John) Stewart is having some historical memory in an amnesiac news cycle inherently more invested in the next angle than in context.

There is no question for you guys here. I just want you to appreciate the fact that being a good journalist - even in the world of humor - involves knowing what is going on in the world.

(the photo above comes from Women's Wear Daily)

Do You Run the Potentially Defamatory Ad?

TO GAIN INTEREST IN THEIR upcoming "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" event, David Horowitz and his Freedom Center tried to place ads in college newspapers across the country.

Many college newspapers declined to run the ad. According to the University of California, Santa Barbara student newspaper, the advertisement - “Stop the Jihad On College Campuses” - claims the Muslim Student Association recruits and supports speakers who “are calling for the execution of gays, the killing of Jews and support the terrorist jihad against America.”

The UCSB paper ran the ad. Penn State's paper did not.

Is it censorship if they don't run the ad? Is it promoting potentially divisive, possibly even racist beliefs if you do run it?

Would you run the ad? Be sure to read the Freedom Center's description of the event here.

(The photo of Horowitz is via the Santa Barbara Independent).

Great Time To Be a Phillies Fan. But Can You Be An Objective Reporter At The Same Time?

Warning! Snark Factor Off the Charts: Gawker on Journalism

IF YOU ARE AN ASPIRING journalist, and you want a 60 second synopsis of the state of journalism, click here for Gawker.com's analysis.

Here is a sample:

The outlook is grim. If you're just getting into journalism, the job market is already flooded with people with far more experience than you who've been laid off, and are competing for the same jobs. If you're employed, moving up is treacherous—you never know when the new job you just took could disappear for reasons unrelated to anything you did personally.

But there's still a huge news hole to be filled with crap. Somebody has to do it. It might as well be you.

Thoughts?

Note to Journalists: You suck.

KATIE COURIC ASKED Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin which newspapers and magazines she reads.

Palin responded, "I've read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media."

Couric followed, "What, specifically?"

And Palin answered, "Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years."

"Can you name a few?" Couric countered.

"I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too," Palin said. "Alaska isn't a foreign country, where it's kind of suggested, 'Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?' Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America."

In the days after the interview, the Republicans blamed the media for attempting to undermine Palin with "gotcha questions."

"It's like, man, no matter what you say, you are going to get clobbered," Palin later told Fox News. "If you choose to answer a question, you are going to get clobbered on the answer. If you choose to try to pivot and go to another subject that you believe that Americans want to hear about, you get clobbered for that, too."

My question to you is this: Are the media treating Palin poorly? Or is attacking the media a strategy used to discredit those who discredit her?

ALSO: READ about this Temple student's encounter with Palin at Tony Luke's sandwich shop in South Philly.

Is It Wrong To Take The Cash?

THE MEDIA IS SUPPOSED to remain objective, right?

Can the New York Times be taken seriously when their daily e-mail newsletters contain partisan advertisements, like the one above? Don't they look like they are supporting Barack Obama for president?

Political campaigns bring a lot of money to the media. The John McCain and Obama campaigns have already dropped $27 million for broadcast advertising in Pennsylvania this season, and we are really only hitting the stride now.

Should the media - who have been harshly criticized by the Republican party during the current campaign - abstain from taking money from political parties?

Should You Publish Military Secrets if They Seem Questionable?

IN CLASS TODAY, WE TALKED about a New York Times story that revealed a military strategy to place "bait" in certain areas where potential insurgents would find them.

After placing the bait, American snipers observed the area around it, a military official told the newspaper.

“If someone found the item, picked it up and attempted to leave with the item,” he said, “we would engage the individual, as I saw this as a sign that they would use the item against U.S. forces.” (Engage is a military euphemism for firing on or killing an enemy).

Should the New York Times have revealed this strategy?

Does the reporter seem objective?

(The photo above is by Jim MacMillan, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his war coverage in 2005. Jim is a Temple adjunct who will probably speak to our class at the end of the semester).

Satire and the Race for the Oval Office.

WHILE JOURNALISTS hold on to the old ideal of objectivity, entertainment television runs with the political satire (like the SNL clip above).

Is it fair for folks like Tina Fey to mock Sarah Palin? Should David Letterman be punished for spending more than half of a recent show making fun of John McCain?

By the way, the real Katie Couric interview with Sarah Palin is below:

Is It Good Journalism Or Ugly Racism?

FOX29 INVESTIGATED a tip that an aide to city councilman Wilson Goode was abusing her position. The tipster said that the aide regularly arrived hours late to work, and frequently left early.

When the FOX29 reporter asked the aide - who earns $90,000 per year - about the allegations, the aide said that the reporter was a racist. The aide actually held up signs during council session accusing the Fox reporter of being in the KKK.

Watch the video by clicking here. Then answer the question: is this good investigative journalism or is this a nonsense story with racial undertones?

Does This Offend You?

THIS COVER was recently honored as one of the best mag covers of the year by the American Society of Magazine Editors.

Since the majority of you weren't offended by the "Douchebag" headline, I doubt you guys would be bothered by a line pointing to the former New York governor's crotch with BRAIN in bold caps.

Anyone? Is this good journalism?

(Click here to see this year's top cover finalists).

Can Photographs Have Influence?

FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER Jill Greenberg was hired to shoot images of John McCain for the Atlantic Monthly magazine.

Greenberg, a hard-core Democrat, decided to create images of McCain that portrayed him as old and sinister. She lit him with a harsh light, and shot the image from low, creating deep shadows and intensity.

Is that wrong? Should she have made him look good, maybe retouched his red eyes? Or is it her job of the photojournalist to present the subject as the photographer believes is most fitting?

That's Crazy ... But Is It News?

A 22-YEAR OLD WOMAN was driving the wrong way down interstate 476 in Delaware County and she crashed into oncoming traffic. A 63-year old woman was killed.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's story included these details:

O'Neill (the 22-year old driver) is the sister of Sean Owen O'Neill Jr., who was released from juvenile detention in June after being held in the August 2006 shooting death of his friend. O'Neill Jr. hosted a party without adult supervision at his family's home and accidentally shot Scott Sheridan, 17, of West Chester.

Her father, Sean O'Neill Sr., was arrested in June by federal agents who said he had lied about his membership in what authorities called an Irish terrorist organization to obtain a green card. He also faces weapons charges.

Is the legal information about the family necessary? Does it reveal a feeling of suspicion from the journalist?

Or is this good background information for the piece?

A look at the Delaware County Times' story offers insight on how the reporters gathered their information: the police issued a press release.

That raises another question: just because the police provide that information, should you report it?

In Lieu of Newspapers, Use Craigslist?

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE censored a paid obit that ran in the paper.

The family of Ken Swanborn submitted an obit with the final line, "In lieu of flowers, please vote Democratic."

The paper refused to run that line. A woman on the paper's paid-death-notice desk told the Chicago Reader, "If it's considered discriminatory or offensive, they take the line out."

Do they have the right to do that?

Media and The Law: What's Right?

DURING THE RECENT political conventions, several reporters were arrested. Watch the video above. Was there justification for the arrest in this case?

An Associated Press photographer from Philadelphia was arrested while covering an anti-war protest in Minnesota. Several others were picked up there as well (see the video below) and then released later in the day without charges being filed.

Before you react, process the information. A good journalist will recognize multiple sides of the story. Did the police feel threatened? Were they abusing their powers? Were they protecting the city? Were they protecting the interests of the powerful politicians?

Can you report this fairly? Can you be objective here?

Can Journalism Harness Social Media For Good?

NEARLY ALL OF THE students who have taken the survey I requested you take said that they use facebook.

It is an amazing tool, really, far more than just a way to pass the time. Why? Because you actually learn about your friends, their passions, their interests and what they're doing online.

And now with Twitter, people have the ability to update their friends of their activities every second of the day.

The New York Times Sunday Magazine explores the social networking phenomena:

For many people — particularly anyone over the age of 30 — the idea of describing your blow-by-blow activities in such detail is absurd. Why would you subject your friends to your daily minutiae? And conversely, how much of their trivia can you absorb? The growth of ambient intimacy can seem like modern narcissism taken to a new, supermetabolic extreme — the ultimate expression of a generation of celebrity-addled youths who believe their every utterance is fascinating and ought to be shared with the world.

Do you take issue with his description of your generation?

The real question I have for you is, is there a way to harness online social networking to transmit relevant news? Can newspapers, magazines, television stations and other Internet sites use tools like Twitter to inform the public, make people's lives better?

GOP vs. The Media Elite

ONE OF THE REPUBLICAN talking points that is being repeated over and over again at the Republican National Convention is that the media are a bunch of elitists.

I love it. Don't they read the papers? Media job layoffs are announced almost daily. Elitists? The average starting salary for a 2008 grad who actually finds work is $32,000. If you can find a job, that is.

Is the media showing their elitism by pointing out that there are only 36 African American delegates attending the convention? Is the media showing their bias for Obama by reporting that only two percent of the 1087 delegates are black? Is the media creating a story out of nothing rather than simply reporting what is happening in the speeches?

(the photo above is from Getty images via the Dallas Morning News)

Gossip Mongering or Good Journalism?

RUMORS HAVE FLOATED for months that GOP VP nominee Sarah Palin is not the mother of the 4-month old she claims as her own. Some have speculated that Palin's 17-year old daughter (above, right) is the real mother.

What do you do with that rumor? Do you investigate it as a journalist?

The folks up in Alaska didn't touch it:

“I heard that rumor a long time ago,” said Pat Forgey, political reporter for the Juneau Empire, a few hours after Palin’s statement that her daughter was five months pregnant. “I probably would not have wasted any time on it.”

Is that irresponsible? Palin may become the number two person in American government. Shouldn't the media investigate if she is covering something up?

Or are families off limits, as Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said?

What would you do?

Blatant Self-Promotion: Your Teacher is a Journalist.

PEOPLE SAY JOURNALISM is dying. Newspapers are going away, TV news is a joke and magazines are watching advertising dollars disappear.

And yet here you all are. Studying journalism. Your parents must be so excited.

Well, I, for one, don't believe the industry is dying. It's simply changing.

And that makes this the most exciting time in history to be an aspiring journalist. For real.

If you want to read more, click here to read my story about "Why I teach journalism" that is this week's cover story on the Philadelphia Weekly.

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