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...