Would You Turn the Potential Advertisers Away?

THE WASHINGTON POST will no longer accept advertisements from massage parlors, arguing that many of the parlors are actually thinly-veiled houses of prostitution.

Many newspapers and magazines continue to run such advertising, arguing that the massage parlors have valid business licenses and are therefore, legitimate businesses in the eyes of the law.

Craigslist recently shuttered its "adult services" section, and many other newspapers - The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times, among others - quit accepting massage parlor ads several years ago.

Should journalistic outlets reject advertising dollars from businesses they suspect to be illegal?

Should the Anchor Have Revealed That He was Also a Victim of a Pedophile?

OVER THE WEEKEND, while performing an interview on live television, a CNN anchor announced that he had been the victim of a pedophile (it's in the above video around the 5:25 mark).

The anchor was discussing the case of an Atlanta bishop who allegedly sexually abused boys at his church.

After listening to a sound bite and then talking to supporters of the Bishop, the anchor said, "I have never admitted this on television. I am a victim of a pedophile when I was a kid. Someone who was much older than me."

The anchor didn't go into detail about his own experiences. But he later added, "Those are the things that they do. The language, 'This doesn't make you gay, if you do this.'"

Was it wrong for the anchor to interject his own experiences into a story? Does his admission make him biased? Can he be an objective journalist if he's an alleged victim himself?

Should the Media Set Standards for the Public?

PBS PULLED THIS skit with Katy Perry and Elmo from Sesame Street after a viewers complained about Perry's attire and the lyrics to her other songs.

The video was posted online as a teaser to the start of the 41st season of the famed show. Some viewers complained, like this person:

"Good gracious, I've never been so outraged!! Sesame Street and Elmo meet Katy Perry?! Have you seen what this woman promotes in her music and videos? I am appalled that you would let her anywhere near beloved Elmo, especially dressed like that!"

Should PBS have pulled the skit from the show? Are they giving in to a conservative minority or are they being responsible to the children? Both?

Is it the role of media to establish public standards for speech, dress and behavior?

Do You Make the Jackass Famous? Part II.

WHEN JACKASSES RUN onto the field at Phillies games, the Phillies broadcasters refuse to show the ensuing drama as it might glorify the actions of the idiot. And running onto the field is illegal (and stupid ... we're in a playoff run, jackass).

Apparently, the Atlanta station has no issues showing the interloper. That's their video above. That means the footage exists and media outlets, including Philadelphia broadcast news shows, can access the footage. Should they run it?

Should newspapers run images and/ or the name of the running fool? Is this actually a story? Or is the media just encouraging future dumbasses to go for it?

Do College Students Prefer Print?

THE POYNTER INSTITUTE reports that students actually prefer the print edition of their school newspaper over the online version.

They cite a spring 2010 study by Student Monitor that found that 56 percent of students "don't even know if their campus newspaper is available online." Around 63 percent of students classify themselves as "frequent or light readers of the print edition of the campus newspaper."

One advisor says that their college newspaper remains popular because it is free, convenient and relevant to students' lives.

Do you read the Temple News in print? Online? Why (or why not)?

What's a Female Sports Journalist To Do?

WHEN INES SAINZ, a reporter from Mexico's TV Azteca, walked into the Jets locker room on Sunday, she was greeted with catcalls and hoots from the players.

Locker rooms are awkward places for interviews in general - journalists need information as quickly as possible after games and practices, so the athletes often have cameras thrust in their faces immediately after they get out of the shower. Sometimes, the players are draped in towels. Sometimes they are buck naked.

On top of that, there is often a high-testosterone, macho mentality among world-class athletes who are celebrated multi-millionaires. And the locker room is their territory.

It can be an especially difficult environment for female sports reporters. If that female sports reporter is attractive, it can be worse - as was the case with Sainz, a former Miss Spain.

FYI: Women were actually banned from most men's professional locker rooms until 1977. Some bans remained in place until 1985. Male reporters are not banned from WNBA locker rooms (and never have been - the league was created after the gender issue in sports was a major problem).

The incident with Sainz has generated fierce reactions - from people saying that the high-testosterone behavior is the norm in a locker room and that Sainz brought on the issue herself, to people saying that her gender should not be an issue, ever.

What should we learn from this incident? What is the lesson for female sports reporters (or aspiring female sports reporters)?

To Have Or Not Have an Opinion?

Fox29 has a new format for their 10:00 pm newscast and it has invited criticism from the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Inquirer interviewed journalism educators and journalists about Fox29's new opinion and commentary initiatives that have become the focus of the show. Even the journalists who are reporting breaking news are asked for their opinions.

"We're saying if you're going to report a story, you had better know that story inside and out, and push back when people aren't telling you the truth," the news director told the Inquirer. "We'll stick with stories longer. We'll do fewer of them but report them in greater detail."

The news director and other Fox29 folks rationalize the move by saying that they need to be different from the other broadcast news outlets in town.

The Inquirer article alludes to editorializing, pandering and populist boostering.

At the same time Fox29 is being slammed for having an opinion, Jon Stewart is praised for having one.

Is Fox29 doing anything wrong? Aren't they asking their reporters to do what magazine article writers have been doing for decades?

What should news operations be doing?

(by the way, this is re-posted from the Entrepreneurial Journalists of Philadelphia blog)

Is it Wrong to Take Care of Your Own?

ON THE FRONT PAGE TODAY, the Philadelphia Inquirer ran an excerpt from a new book, Tasting Freedom. The book chronicles the life of Octavius Catto, a 19th century Philadelphia civil rights activist. It was written by Dan Biddle and Murray Dubin, two longtime Inquirer staffers (though Dubin recently retired).

Is there anything wrong with the Inquirer hyping and publicizing a book written by two of their own (Biddle is the Pennsylvania Editor for the paper)?

The article includes information about how to purchase the book (via Temple University Press). Is that ethical?

Should Journalists Ignore the Bigot?

A FLORIDA MINISTER plans to burn copies of the Koran on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The US government has pleaded with the minister not to do this, fearing it will incite violence from Muslims, putting Americans in peril.

"It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan," said General David Petraeus, the commanding officer in Afghanistan. "Were the actual burning to take place, the safety of our soldiers and civilians would be put in jeopardy and accomplishment of the mission would be made more difficult."

The minister leads a congregation of only around 50 members. But he has reached a worldwide audience with this stunt, largely because of the Internet and the media.

Should the media help tell this guy's story? Or should they ignore him?

Dude, My Private Parts Are Pictured Online!

HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE gathered in Fairmount Park on Sunday for the Philly Naked Bike Ride, then stripped down to their birthday suits and rode bicycles through the city.

Just about everywhere they went, people took their pictures and shot video of them. A lot of those pictures and videos wound up online. Some even landed on news websites.

Are people allowed to shoot images and video and publish them online? Do the riders have any say in whether their naked asses wind up all over the Internet?

How should news outlets handle this story? Can they post images and video of people in various states of undress? If people are fully exposed, is it ethical for the news outlets to show them in all their naked glory?

Photo via Phrequency.

Is the Candidate's Kid Public Fodder (And Are Journalists Allowed to Publish facebook Images)?

THE SON OF a state representative/ gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota was busted for underage drinking - while on the payroll of his father's campaign.

An alternative weekly newspaper broke the story and used old facebook pictures (above) of the 20-year old.

This is a two-part ethical dilemma:

1). Is the kid newsworthy? Just because his father is involved in politics and is a candidate to become governor, should the son also be considered fodder for the news media?

2). Is it acceptable for the media to publish images from facebook?

What's the Name of That Cee Lo Song?

CEE LO GREEN HAS an Internet sensation with the song in the above video. But it will never get airtime because of the song's title, chorus and punch line. Such language is prohibited over public airwaves (radio and broadcast TV) by the Federal Communications Commission.

Print outlets are not prohibited by the government from using such language. Still, the New York Times wrote a 1,078-word story about the song on Monday and never revealed the lyrics, let alone the title. Instead, the author described it as "a certain crude phrase."

Should newspapers run curse words if they are relevant to the story?