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.

Should You Hurl Your Shoes at the President?

A JOURNALIST attending a press conference in Iraq threw his shoes at US President George Bush. Throwing footwear, apparently, is a horrible insult in that culture.

I believe Principle of Journalism #11 is: Journalists should not throw shoes at people during press events.

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?