MacMillan: "The War Tends To Follow You When You Leave."

WHAT DID YOU THINK of today's guest, Jim MacMillan?Here are a few things that stood out for me:- Journalists are first responders: when everyone is running away from disasters, journalists are running in.- The things journalists see can have an impact on their mental states.- Few places deal with journalists suffering from trauma. The Dart Center is one.- In Iraq, Jim survived two car bombs, three roadside attacks, two kidnappping attempts and he...

Football Coach to Reporter: "Go Cover Soccer."

AFTER THE UNIVERSITY of Wisconsin-Whitewater football coach read an editorial in the school paper, he decided that student journalists were banned from covering his squad. Coaches and players were not allowed to speak to student reporters for the entire 2009 season."The door is shut," the coach told the paper. "Go cover soccer."The coach was responding to an editorial that was headlined, "Spoiled athletes need reality check."Can he really shut out...

Did TV Cause Your A.D.D.?

NBC'S CHIEF WHITE HOUSE correspondent and political director, Chuck Todd, recently did a Q&A with RealClearSports.com.He mentioned that television programming is built to appeal to an audience with attention deficit disorder."ESPN, on television, has always seemed to be ahead in dealing with societies ADD issue," he said. "We’re an ADD society now. We’re entering an age in which there’s no more context."My question to you is this: does television...

Academic Freedom or Temple of Conformity?

DAVID HOROWITZ, the former liberal crusader who became a conservative activist, spoke at Temple last week."The courses at Temple are devoted to indoctrinating (its students)," he said, according to the Temple News.Specifically, he was referring to professors preaching liberal values rather than trying to teach students to think for themselves.How do you feel about your Temple education? Are you getting a well-rounded education or do you feel like...

Cops Gone Wild? Journalists Who Won't Listen?

WATCH THE ABOVE VIDEO by clicking here. Was the police officer acting properly in detaining the reporter? Or did the officer overreact? What is the best way to handle such a situati...

"I Hope You Get Short Bowel Syndrome."

EVERY SEMESTER, 34th Street magazine, a student publication at the University of Pennsylvania, runs an issue where students get to slam each other anonymously in a section called "Shoutouts."To my roommate: We all know your secret. Leaving Smokes early to call phone sex hotlines is not a substitute for the real thing.And that, to say the least, is a tame Shoutout. Other shoutouts deal with sexual encounters, annoying classmates, random stalking,...

Newspaper Calls Bull**it, Denies Coverage.

THE FOLKS AT THE Red Bluff Round Up rodeo in California weren't happy with the press coverage they received at their 2008 event. That year, a bull jumped into the stands and injured six spectators, including three children.So this year, the rodeo organizers told the media that they would be escorted by rodeo officials to ensure "proper coverage." In the case of an emergency, the media would be escorted away to a designated area.The journalists at...

"You have to be nuts to be in this business."

WHAT DID YOU think of today's guest, filmmaker Tigre Hill?Here are a few things that stood out to me:- He approached the two campaign staffs before following the mayoral candidates in 2003. The Sam Katz team allowed coverage. The John Street team never responded.- Tigre's goal was to become such a regular part of the scene that he was invisible with his camera.- A television journalist was removed from covering the mayoral race after he badgered...

A Photojournalist "Who Changed History."

APPRECIATE THE POWER and influence of the journalist, specifically photojournalis...

Sex & Sports: Is "Co-Ed = Mo' Head" acceptable?

AN INTRAMURAL, CO-ED softball team at Temple is named "Co-Ed = Mo' Head."Temple News columnist Leah Mafrica took issue with the name, and wrote about it in this week's issue of the paper:Contrary to what some may think, this is not as innocent as some might claim. This type of language is both sexist and immature, particularly when demonstrated at a function that serves to blend men and women as equals in relation to sports, a goal that has been...

“I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to take pictures."

CLASSMATE BRIAN ROMANELLI was enjoying the day when a guy started flashing his goodies at students. Naturally, Brian started taking pictures. When campus security came along and escorted the flasher off the fence along Broad Street, near J&H, Brian continued shooting. Until an officer told Brian that he had to stop.Brian said, "I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to take pictures.”The officer allegedly responded, "Not when the police tell you you can’t."Then...

Desperate Times in La La Land: What Won't They Do For Money?

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES ran a four-page spread on Sunday pimping The Soloist, a movie based upon the life of an LA Times columnist and his homeless muse.But in reality, the four-page spread was a paid advertisement made to look like a newspage. This comes only a few days after the LA Times ran an advertisement masked as an article on the front page - an ad for a new NBC television show.Last week, the Daily Bruin at the University of California at Los...

The World For $1 Per Month? What a Bargain.

YOU CAN HAVE THE world delivered to your home every month and it will only cost you $12 per year.That is how much a subscription to Conde Nast Traveler costs - about $1 per issue. If you subscribe to Newsweek, you get issues for about 47 cents each. The New Yorker is about 87 cents and Allure is about 89 cents per issue. They are all chock full of information and beautiful images. And they are dirt cheap.Mag owners are considering raising prices...

Gensler: "You Suck. I Read You Every Day."

WHAT DID YOU THINK of celebrity gossip writer Howard Gensler?Here are a few things that stood out for me:- Tommy Lee Jones dresses well but is kind of a jerk.- Eva Mendes? Also kind of a jerk.- Celebrities are public figures and publicity whores.- It's not easy being a beat writer, even on pop culture stuff. It takes knowledge of trends and history to be good at the job.- News is disposable.- Gossip news is an enjoyable break between the news and...

Celebrity News? I Want To Know!

THE WORLD IS A CRAZY PLACE. President Obama shuttles off to meet with world leaders in London and the media spends crazy amounts of time talking about how Michelle Obama had a wardrobe change ... during the flight!It's not like the London G-20 Summit was about anything of real significance (they were just trying to resolve the global financial meltdown). But wait a second. Is it really wrong to blame the media for providing stories about Michelle...

Fornicating Pirates ... But With a Plot!

STUDENTS AT THE University of Maryland wanted to show "Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge" at their student union on Saturday. Then a bunch of politicians jumped in and forced the school to shut down the show.Turns out the politicians think the film is pure pornography.Sen. Andrew P. Harris was so upset that, according to the Washington Post, he offered a budget amendment: Any public university that allowed the screening of a triple-X film would forfeit...

Whoa! I See Man Ass!

THE COVER OF THIS week's Philadelphia Weekly features writer Steven Wells in a backless hospital gown. And his bare ass is exposed to anyone who walks by a PW newspaper box on the street.The story, by the way, is about Wells' struggles with cancer.Is it wrong for his bare ass to be offered to the public in such a mann...