Does The World Need Another Sex Columnist?

The story above is a college sex columnist's narrative about having sex all around the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. It raised a bit of a fuss (read the comments below the story) as sex columns often do. Talking about sex, it seems, is always rather controversial.But let's make this about more than this particular story. Is there a need for sex columnists in general? Are we wasting our journalistic resources by over-covering this...

Is Black Friday A News Event?

Across the country last week, print, online and broadcast journalists documented the Black Friday shopping phenomenon as though it was a presidential election.Some outlets revealed where the best deals could be found and when. Other outlets harkened back to previous years when Black Friday shoppers became unruly and sometimes even violent.Is Black Friday a news event? Are the journalists providing a service to their audiences or are they just promoting...

Denise James: "The Words Provide Context to What You See."

Denise James testified before city council when she was a teenager growing up in Detroit. The area newscasts covered the event and she wound up on air."They didn't get me," she remembered as she spoke to class on Tuesday.She felt the newscast misrepresented her sentiment. And that sparked an idea in her mind."I could do that and I could be a more clear megaphone for people," she said. "I could assist people and get their voices out there more accurately."She...

New Funding Idea for Journalism.

The student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists at Arizona State University is holding a fundraiser. They are selling copies of a calendar featuring male students from the journalism department there.Is this a good id...

Stay Inside During Storms. Unless You Are a Journalist.

This ia a montage of reporters covering Hurricane Sandy from a CNN story.I present it to you without comment. But I'm interested in your thoughts.(FYI ... the video originally posted here was removed from YouTube. This one is quite simila...

Anderson Cooper: In Order to Be a Success, You Need to Outwork Everyone Else.

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The Big Story: I Rescued A Dog!

An Ohio news anchor found a stray dog outside the station, and she rescued it.Is that news?Don't people find and rescue dogs every day? Isn't she essentially calling herself a hero?Or, is this a positive way to connect with the community? Isn't she just helping an animal in need?What do you thi...

Is It Good Journalism To Report What You Find on Facebook?

When two wedding parties clashed at a Society Hill hotel and the rumble was caught on video, the story went global. Demand for information was intense.When the families involved refused to speak, the Philadelphia Daily News went to the social media networks to find information about the two wedding parties. The paper reported that one of the brides' page on Pinterest "shows that she'd been contemplating a wedding with elements of love and beauty,...

Is A Person's Criminal Past Newsworthy When They Are The Apparent Victim?

By now you have probably seen the above footage of a woman being punched in the face by a Philadelphia police officer during the after party of the Puerto Rican Day parade.The woman was charged with disorderly conduct though charges were later dropped. The police officer is on 30-day suspension and the police chief announced that the officer will be fired.A few days after the incident, the Philly Post - the online component of Philadelphia magazine, reported that the woman punched in the face had a criminal record. She was busted for a DUI and...

Do You Believe What You See On The Interwebs?

Is satire acceptable?In recent years, there have been many people attempting be humorous in the media ... and they are sometimes taken seriously by other media outlets who perpetuate their satire. But when the other media outlets republish the material, they print it as fact.Take the image at right, for example (click on it to see it larger). It is a clip from an Iranian news site that doesn't understand, apparently, that The Onion is one big joke.The...

Flyers' PR Chief Zack Hill: "Accuracy is Top Priority."

A big part of Zack Hill's job as senior director of communications for the Flyers is putting out fires. Like the time reporters said that Eric Lindros bit an opposing player's ear (even though he didn't). Or the time a Flyers player was accused of using a racial slur ... except that he didn't. Or the time when Charles Barkley said, "This is a game that if you lose, you go home and beat your wife and kids." Except that Charles was joking."Check your...

Can You Call It "Pink Slime" If Everyone Else Does?

Last week, a defamation lawsuit was filed against ABC News, anchor Diane Sawyer and ABC correspondents Jim Avila and David Kerley because they did a series of stories about a meat process that develops what, apparently, someone has dubbed "pink slime."The company that filed the lawsuit, Beef Products Inc, also sued the microbiologist who coined the term, and several other people. Beef Products says that the the end result is not "pink slime," but lean, finely textured beef.Many other organizations did stories about the meat and the process,...

Eric Newton: "Are You an Engine of Change or The Caboose Being Dragged Along?"

The job of a great school of media and communications, Eric Newton said, is to deal with the shrinking professional journalism field and figure out what to do with the gigantic screaming echo chamber that is social media.Journalism, he said, has been turned upside-down and inside-out because of the digital age. Where readers, viewers and listeners were once the audience, we are all now a part of a giant community, where news and information goes...

Can a Football Team Ban Reporters From Tweeting?

Before new Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer held his first weekly press conference of this season, his PR staff announced to the attending media that they were not allowed to tweet during the event. And that no twitter rule extends to every Urban Meyer press conference.A writer from the Akron Beacon-Journal wrote in response:"Want to ban your players from using Twitter? Fine. Want to keep the coaches off it? That’s their prerogative. But attempt...

Is a Hurricane in The Gulf Region News in Philadelphia? Or Around The World?

News outlets around the world have been reporting on the potential impact of Hurricane Isaac in the Gulf region.Some of the interest is because there was potential for the hurricane to disrupt the Republican Convention in Tampa (which it didn't). Now, the focus seems to be on whether the hurricane will damage the region devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.Should the reporters be speculating on the potential damage? Does that protect people who...

Great Photo. Would You Run It?

During the Phillies game in St. Louis tonight, a bare-naked dude ran across the field. AP photographer Jeff Roberson captured this fabulous image.Can you run this online, in print or over the airwaves (on TV)? Should you?By the way, during broadcasts when streakers hit the field, the TV stations do not show the streaker on air. They don't want to give publicity to clowns interrupting the game.(AP image via Deadsp...

Are Politicians' Dog Tales Newsworthy?

For some reason, the story about Mitt Romney taking a family vacation and strapping his dog in a pet carrier on the roof of the car has not gone away. And the vacation in question was in 1983.Now, it was a 12-hour drive to Canada the Romneys embarked upon. But it was a long time ago.The story has seen new life in the wake of the news that Barack Obama ate dog meat as a child growing up in Indonesia. He did that a few times ... in, like, 1970.Are...

Are Journalists Perpetuating the Bigotry?

JAPANESE BASEBALL SENSATION Yu Darvish is now playing with the Texas Rangers. He was roughed up a bit during the first inning of his MLB debut last week but he came back to earn the win against the Mariners.The game was somewhat marred by a collection of racist events. First, the Rangers commissioned a new hot dog in Darvish's honor - the Yu Dog. It comes with a fortune cookie.Then, a TV analyst called a hit by Ichiro a "chinker."Finally, there were...

This Post Was Brought to You By The Good People of JUMP, The Mag For Cool People.

THESE DAYS, PEOPLE in journalism are getting creative about generating revenue. Advertising is simply not raising the cash it used to.Philly.com, the website connected to the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News, is experimenting with sponsored tweets. A company can pay to say that a headline posted by philly.com was "brought to you by ..."Is there anything wrong with that? Does this deceive the reader? Or is this the same as an advertisement...

April Fools? Can Journalists Make Jokes?

A BLOGGER FOR FORBES.COM posted a story yesterday about Mitt Romney dropping out of the presidential race. The story continued:The move shocked observers, including Senator Santorum, as Governor Romney seemed poised for a decisive victory in Wisconsin.The governor, however, said he concluded that he has “no chance” to win the general election in December and that a Santorum candidacy in 2012 would be in the “best interest of the party.”He explained,...

Get Your Camera Away From Me, Dog.

A REPORTER AND PHOTOJOURNALIST were covering a murder story when a friend of someone involved in the story approached the news team. He wanted the crew to leave, and he didn't want to be videotaped."Get your camera away from me, dog," he said as he slapped the camera away.Then he walked back to his car and brandished a pistol.The news crew turned this into a story. The lead story for the 5:00 PM newscast.Is this news? Watch the video above. Is it good TV or good journalism, or bo...

Porsha Grant: The Architect of the Newscast.

PORSHA GRANT WAS DOING an internship at a newscast in Georgia when she noticed a woman quietly sitting in the corner. Porsha learned that the woman was the newscast producer, the architect of the show. So she shadowed the woman and learned about the job. Pretty quickly, Porsha's dreams of being an on-air reporter were gone. She realized that she wanted to run a show."You're in charge," Porsha, who now produces for the 4 PM show on 6abc, said yesterday...

David Brown: "There is a Right, Wrong and a Whole Lot of Shades of Grey."

AN ENRAGED GUNMAN mistook David Brown as the person who stabbed his friend. The gunman found David, then just a teenager from West Philly, and pointed a gun at him. When he tried to shoot, the gun jammed. And David ran.Then he wrote about the experience, and that got him interested in journalism. He began writing for the school newspaper at Central High, and continued while attending Duquesne University. One day, while playing football, a medical-transport...

Should The Atheist Be Allowed To Voice Her Opinions?

A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT in Tennessee had her story in the school newspaper killed by school administrators who thought her views on atheism were potentially disruptive.The student, who is the editor of the paper, an honors student and an atheist, wrote, "Why does atheism have such a bad reputation? Why do we not have the same rights as Christians?"The school, which is predominantly Christian, has prayers offered at the start of many sporting events,...

"America Has Always Been Fascinated By The Outlaw."

COVERING ORGANIZED CRIME isn't always the most important story of the day, both George Anastasia and Dave Schratwieser admitted yesterday. But there's great drama, like a soap opera. Especially in the modern era of the Philadelphia mafia."This is the most dysfunctional time in mob history," Anastasia said. "The Philadelphia mob are like The Simpsons of the underworld."Anastasia, who graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in French Literature,...

Student Journalists Explain How To Get Your Groove On.

THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII student newspaper published a Valentine's Day edition, and offered sex tips. Unlike other newspapers (student or otherwise) that have regular sex columns, the Hawaii newspaper, Ka Leo, printed illustrations that visually portrayed the sex positions the writer describes.Find the story online here. See it in print above on page 16.Is this responsible journali...

Paul Bomberger: "You Have The Ability To Be Whatever You Want To Be."

DAYS AFTER GRADUATING FROM Temple, Paul Bomberger took a job at his hometown newspaper, the Intelligencer Journal, filling in for a staffer on maternity leave. He was supposed to be at the job for about 9 months. He stayed 15 years."You can't beat the newspaper platform for the thrill of a big story," Bomberger said in class yesterday.At the Intelligencer Journal, he developed a specialty covering business, which eventually landed him in the position...

Can Perception Taint The Journalism?

FORMER PHILADELPHIA MAYOR and Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell is among a group of investors who are considering the purchase of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and their website, philly.com. Is there any danger in that?Journalist Paul Davies wrote: "Under that proposed ownership model, the Fourth Estate in Philly will essentially cease to exist as a serious journalistic enterprise. Instead, the newspapers will be viewed as a direct extension...

Is Vagina Acceptable? And is "Vajajay" Sexist?

Apparently, usage of the word vagina has become rather commonplace on broadcast television. Is that acceptable?"One of the great things about broadcast television is nobody really knows what's appropriate anymore," a CBS producer told Philadelphia Daily News reporter Ellen Gray. "It's a floating target."As we evolve as a society (or devolve, depending upon your point of view), should the accepted standards change? Also consider this: references to male goodies have long been sitcom fodder, with the word penis fairly normal on television for decades....

How Much PhotoShop is Too Much?

BARACK OBAMA AND MITT ROMNEY did not have an actual fight and chances are, they've never looked as bruised and battered as they did on this recent cover of New York magazine.Is it wrong to represent them in this way?Clearly, it is a photo manipulation. But are they taking too many liberties with the truth? Should a media outlet manufacture an image to represent the emotion of a story? Or should they rely upon reality, even though it may not appear...

Open Marriages and Noisy Audiences?

TO OPEN THE GOP presidential debate over the weekend, CNN's John King asked Newt Gingrich about the allegations by his former wife regarding Gingrich's request for an "open marriage."Is that an appropriate question to ask? Is that good journalism?The audience went wild with Gingrich's response. During the next GOP presidential debate, the studio audience was asked to remain silent during the event. The rationale was that the audience would act like a laugh track, telling the viewing audience when to laugh, cry, smile, boo, etc.Should the audience...

Baby Photos For Sale!

JESSICA ALBA SAYS that celebrity couples who sire a child should sell the rights to the first images of the child to the highest bidder. Rather than deal with paparrazi stalking her, Alba sold the rights to the first pictures of her baby to OK magazine for a reported $1.5 million.Think about this from the journalism angle - is it acceptable for the media to buy the rights to the images? Is it ethical? If it is acceptable to pay for these images,...

Should a Newspaper Run a Photo of a Dead Man?

A TEENAGER ON her way to school in Connecticut saw this man, dead on the street. So she snapped a photo, which the local newspaper obtained.Is it acceptable for the newspaper to run a photo of a dead man on the sidewalk like this? It is a rare sight - most of the time, the police or other emergency crews cover bodies so the public does not see victim (and to preserve the privacy of the victim and his/ her family).The editor of the paper argued that...

Principle of Journalism: It Must Provide a Forum for Public Criticism and Compromise.

Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel wrote a book called The Elements of Journalism in which they outlined the principles of journalism. One of the principles they offered was "the news media are the common carriers of public discussion."Not sure the above video is what they had in mind.A reporter doing a live shot warned people to be careful as the icy conditions on a hill where people were sledding had become worse. Apparently, the police evacuated the hill, stopping people from sledding there. So one of the sledders shared her thoughts during the...

Give It Up For Me!

A reporter on the morning news in Toledo, Ohio actually pole-danced during a live broadcast.Is this journali...

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