Off The Record Or I'm Outta Here.

FORMER DEPUTY National Security Advisor Meghan O’Sullivan dodged a lecture she was supposed to give at Indiana University on Tuesday after student reporters refused to grant her off-the-record status.

The newspaper staff argued that the was lecture was open to the public, and therefore open to reporters who might record the session.

“(It is) a common practice for people who leave the government,” O’Sullivan said later. “I have spoken widely off-the-record and it has been respected.”

O'Sullivan was supposed to discuss the war in Iraq and other security issues.

Should the newspaper have granted her off-the-record status or did they have the right to report on the event?

Blatant Self-Promotion: Your Teacher is a Journalist.

DO YOU READ the Metro? You are their target audience.

Check it out. It is an interesting paper doing interesting things ... writing shorter stories and taking unusual angles. It's a great place to learn about Philly sub-culture: indie bands, obscure theaters, political activists and other random stuff.

But there are rumors that the paper is up for sale. And a sale could change everything.

Learn more by reading this week's cover story of the Philadelphia Weekly, written by your professor.

Journalism Starts Now. Get Involved.

IF YOU HAVE any intention of getting into journalism, you need to get your act together now.

Start writing for the Temple News.

And check out these upcoming events:

On January 30, the Temple Association of Black Journalists will hold an open house. The event starts at 5:30 in SAC 220. Network with students, teachers and professional journalists.

The Phillies are having a college media day at Citizens Bank Park on February 1. Registration has officially closed, but pester them to let you in anyway.

On February 9, there will be a workshop titled, "How to Get Your First Job In Television," at CBS 3.

Browse the blogroll on the right to see the various media outlets in the city. There is also information about jobs, internships, media resources and other fun stuff.

Get involved. Now.

Seriously? Someone Published This?

IT IS SAD BUT TRUE.

At Golfweek magazine, where the staff contains no African-Americans, they ran this cover image in regards to a story about another unfortunate racial misstep (the story is about a television host who said that other PGA golfers would have to "lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley" in order to defeat him).

The mag's editor was fired over the controversy. He told the New York Times, "Sitting in the editor’s chair in this day and age is sort of like walking a tightrope. I lost my balance and slipped off."

Of course, this follows the noose-related incidents in Jena, Louisiana and events at Columbia University and elsewhere.

Should Golfweek's editor have been fired over this? Wasn't he actually doing a story that specifically referred to lynching, an article that was meant to be racially provocative and beneficial to all in the long run?

Or was the editor just an ignorant bonehead for letting this run?

Andy Reid: The Time Is Mine

SO, ANDY REID AND his wife spoke to Philadelphia Magazine about their troubled family (You remember their sons, right? They made front page news when they were busted with guns and drugs.).

The mag has been receiving a lot of hype - the Reid's haven't spoken about their family with any other media.

"These parents have been dealing with it for five years, trying whatever seemed to make sense to help," said Robert Huber, the author of the Philly mag piece.

Getting the article came with caveats, however. First, the Reid's had their attorney present during the two hour interview with Huber. Second, the Reid's were allowed to read the story and make changes before it went to press. Third, the magazine had to make a donation of an unspecified amount to a charity of the Reid's choice.

Was this an ethical thing to do? Rarely do journalists run their stories by the subjects before publication. And journalists are not supposed to pay for stories (that falls under pandering).

Did Philadelphia Magazine do anything wrong, or did they simply do what they had to to get the story that everyone wants?

Ladies In The Locker Room.

FOX SIDELINE reporter Pam Oliver reported that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb told her that he doesn't expect to be an Eagle next year.

"His days in Philadelphia are numbered," she reported. "He sees an organization distancing itself from him."

McNabb has denied saying anything of the sort.

Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist Ashley Fox says that McNabb may have opened up to Oliver because she is a woman.

This is from Fox's column today:

"Now, as a female reporting on sports, the issue gets even trickier. Men, be it athletes or executives, often tell us different things - and tell us things differently - than they tell other men. They can be more willing to show their emotions or to let their guard down because they aren't threatened by a woman. Sometimes they think a woman is more sympathetic or less judgmental.

And sometimes, they have other motives."

Any thoughts?

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