Harry's a Hero But What Are the Journos?

PRINCE HARRY, third in line from the crown of Great Britain, has been fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. While the British media have known about this since he reported for duty there in December, no one in Great Britain reported the story. In fact, the British media, in a rare moment of non-competitive solidarity, all agreed to withhold the story until the prince was done serving his duty.An American blogsite, the Drudge Report, broke the news...

Even Fabricators Deserve Proper Treatment.

MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA are not perfect. We make mistakes all the time.There is no acceptable excuse.Craig Silverman, the blogger behind Regret the Error, reports, "Overall, the research suggests that between 40 and 60 percent of newspaper news stories have some type of error, be it factual or something of a more subjective nature. So that's the frequency. But here's the other part of the equation: Research from Maier published this year found that...

Is The NY Times Trying to Sink McCain?

LAST WEEK, the New York Times ran a story about Republican presidential candidate John McCain's connections to lobbying firms.McCain has spent a great deal of his Senate tenure trying to rally Congress from relying so much on lobby groups and their potential ills.But the Times story story went one step farther. They hinted the McCain, a married man, had an affair with lobbyist."A female lobbyist had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, visiting...

How Come We Don't Have Guests Every Day?

BY ALL MEANS, please continue commenting on the John Street post.But here is a quick teaser for our next guest, Larry Mendte, who is scheduled to speak in class on March 4.Mr. Mendte is an anchor and reporter for CBS3. His wife, Dawn Stensland, is an anchor on FOX...

Don't Start with a Conclusion, says Street.

WELL? WHAT DID you think of Mayor John Street's presentation? I will not cloud your judgment with my thoughts. So please click on the comments button below and speak your mind. Have a voi...

The Mayor and The Media.

DON'T FORGET THAT FORMER MAYOR John Street will be visiting our class next Thursday, February 21 (the same day that your next homework assignment is due!). This is an amazing opportunity to learn about the impact of journalism from a genuine newsmaker. We will discuss the relationship between government and the press, journalism's impact on community building, and bias and the media, among other topics.In the meantime, watch the video above where Mayor Street talks about media coverage of crime. Think about questions you might want to ask him next...

Don't Tase Me, Bro!

THE GUY IN THE CENTER is a reporter from Tyler, Texas.He allowed himself to be pepper-sprayed and tasered for a sweeps story about police tactics.Is this good journalism or is this blatant sensationalism?Watch the full video here and decide for yourse...

Do I Make You Randy, Baby?

ARE YOU PEOPLE obsessed with sex or something?The Temple News editors seem to think you are. In this week's issue, there are at least five stories dedicated to having safe sex, not having sex at all or dating multiple people.The image of condoms above is actually on the front of the paper, above the fold. Oh, and they have a sub-headline on one story that reads: A tour of South Street's best sex shops and their whips, lubes and lingerie.I know it's...

Censorship Or Common Decency?

THE SEATTLE TIMES declined to run this advertisement for the Vagina Monologues, the 12-year old play that has been performed around the world - in major theaters, at Catholic universities and even in high school auditoriums."The artwork was something we didn't feel was appropriate for our audience," a Times' VP of advertising told the Seattle Weekly.Sponsors of the show, including the Seattle branch of the National Council of Jewish Women, are baffled....

LA Times Staff: No Porn Unless Its for a Story.

AFTER A LOS ANGELES TIMES writer opined that owner Sam Zell's use of foul language should be reflected in the newspaper's pages, a memo was sent to the staff. The memo says the fundamental rules of decorum and decency still apply. And it also adds this odd little line: Looking at pornography on the job, unless in pursuit of a story, also is not good judgment.Uh, ok. Are they implying that Zell is a porn surfer as well a man who likes to curse? Zell,...

Excuse Me While I Take This Call.

THIS VIDEO IS NOT EXACTLY an ethical issue. But it is funny.WXII 12 news anchor Margaret Johnson actually took a phone call on air during the noon news in Winston Sal...

If Katie Smiles, Vote Obama.

ARE YOU ALL FIRED UP about Obama? Crazy about Clinton? Ready to run with McCain?Have any idea why?The media has influenced you. You get that by now, right? Well, the media may have more influence on you than you realize: Elisha Babad, a Hebrew University social psychologist, says that even the non-verbal actions of television interviewers may have an effect on your decision making.Babad will be speaking at the Tech Center, room 111, on Wednesday,...

Big Pimpin' On the Campaign Trail?

HILLARY CLINTON HAS employed her daughter, Chelsea, to make campaign calls to celebrities and other donors.Not surprising, right?Well, MSNBC anchor David Shuster asked on air, “But doesn’t it seem like Chelsea’s sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?” The Clinton campaign freaked out, writing a letter to the head of NBC News, Steve Capus (a 1986 Temple alum)."I would urge you to look at the pattern of behavior on your network that seems...

If People Curse, Do you Publish Their #!@!! Curse Words?

WHEN SAM ZELL, the owner of the Tribune newspapers, cursed at an Orlando Sentinel staff photographer last week, the Los Angeles Times (another Tribune paper) wrote that Zell threw a "two-word obscenity" at her. A "two-word obscenity?" How lame is that?Now, an LA Times writer is saying that the paper should reflect the ownership. Contributing editor Arellano wrote:Hey, Zell: I hear you love to curse. How about making this paper reflect your saltiness,...

The City Needs Your Help ...

THE NEW MAYOR AND his new police chief say they need your help tracking down people suspected of rape, murder and armed robbery.So the city released the names, images and last know addresses of 150 criminal suspects."We want all Philadelphians to know who these individuals are, the crimes they've committed," Mayor Michael Nutter said at a press conference.Should the media run these images? Should the media run this information? These people are considered...

You Have Duty To Read The Newspaper.

AND NOT JUST BECAUSE there will be current events questions on the first exam.You need to read the NEWSPAPER (not just the online version) to help ensure the future of the craft. Like Sam Zell says below, the realities are that journalism is a business. And you need to buy into the system.How do you convince people that they need to pay for journalism when journalism is free online?Well, how about this for an argument: if media companies can't afford...

Journalistic Arrogance or Journalistic Responsibility?

SAM ZELL, THE OWNER of the Tribune newspapers, met with the staff of the Orland Sentinel recently. He fielded questions about his journalistic philosophy.Zell answered one question by saying that the journalists must provide the information people want, not the information journalists think the public needs. Then he said to the person asking the question, "F**k you."Watch the video. Who is right in this situation? Was the journalist obnoxious? Or is Zell out of place talking about business to journalis...

Blatant Self-Promotion: Your Teacher Is A Journalist

HERE'S ANOTHER plug for you guys to check out a story I wrote. It's a fun one - about a new brewing company that was created after the break-up of the Yard's Brewing company ownership group.But the story is about more than just beer. It's about a company that cares about the community it exists ...

How Much Information Do You Publish?

A TEMPLE UNIVERSITY STUDENT now stands accused of raping two female students over the weekend of January 27.Police arrested and formally charged the 21-year old suspect. Temple University has since suspended him.As a journalist, do you have an obligation to the community to publish the name and image of the suspect?Or do you have an obligation to the suspect, to not further damage his life unless he is proven guilty in a court of l...

Just Between You and Me ... Not!

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES travel with the media in tow, even on airplanes. And the candidates frequently walk to the back of the plane to chat with the journos.When Illinois Senator Barack Obama walked to the back of the plane recently, he noticed the reporters had their voice recorders on and they were taking notes. Obama wasn't happy. He asked that the conversations remain off the record.Can he, or any other presidential candidate, make such a request?Can...

A Blue Sky Would Have Been Much Prettier.

AN ADVISOR at the University of Denver's student newspaper, The Clarion, suggested that the photo above would have been better with a bluer sky. And the advisor suggested that the photojournalist who created the image - at an MLK rally - digitally manipulate the sky to make it prettier.How many of the principles of journalism would that violate?Or, is it an acceptable thing to do? After all, magazines manipulate images frequently and nearly every...