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?

We Are the Champions!

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?

Vertigo? Or Angel of Harlem?

DO YOU CARE about what Bono thinks?

Well, the New York Times announced that the U2 lead singer and activist will write opinion pieces for the paper starting in 2009.

Thoughts?

"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).

All the Mavericks in the House, Put Your Hands Up.

THERE IS NO journalism connection here. But I'm curious what you think of this.

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?

CLEARLY, ON THE day after the Phillies topped the Dodgers 3-2 in the National League Championship Series, it is an excellent time to be a Phillies fan.

Tyler Kepner, a New York Times sports reporter, wrote about his love for the Phillies in the Times a few days ago:

If you could relive the happiest moment of your childhood, what would it be? I’m lucky, I suppose, because I never have to think twice.

It was Oct. 8, 1983, a quarter of a century ago Wednesday. I was 8, and nothing mattered as much as the Philadelphia Phillies. My hero was Steve Carlton. My favorite place was Veterans Stadium. That night, Carlton pitched the Phillies into the World Series at the Vet.

There were almost 65,000 fans in that concrete bowl, chanting “Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!” all game long. Never has a cheer been so impassioned without the use of a profanity.

The question I have for you is this: with Kepner's undying love for the Phillies now broadcast to the world, can you trust his daily reporting on the NLCS to be fair and balanced? Do you think the folks in Los Angeles read Kepner's stuff with mistrust?

Should reporters put their opinions out there for the world to see? Or should they simply report?

(photo is by Reuters via the NYTimes)

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?