ShopRite Says No Happy Birthday For Hitler.

THE BAKERY AT SHOPRITE refused to write "Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler" on a birthday cake for Adolf Hitler Campbell, who turned 3 on Sunday.

"We believe the request ... to inscribe a birthday wish to Adolf Hitler is inappropriate," a ShopRite spokeswoman told the Easton Express-Times.

I'm not sure there is a journalism ethics question here. But doesn't the Campbell family (who also have a daughter named JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell) have the right to choose whatever names they want for their children? Did ShopRite violate their First Amendment rights by not making the cake as ordered?

By the way, Wal-Mart made the cake for little Adolf, complete with his full name.

Should You Hurl Your Shoes at the President?

A JOURNALIST attending a press conference in Iraq threw his shoes at US President George Bush. Throwing footwear, apparently, is a horrible insult in that culture.

I believe Principle of Journalism #11 is: Journalists should not throw shoes at people during press events.

Bikini Journalism? For real?

A BROADCAST JOURNALIST in Chicago was fired after being videotaped at the home of a man in the news. And the reporter was in a bikini in the video.

Trying to build a relationship that might lead to an on camera interview, reporter Amy Jacobson visited the home of Craig Stebic, whose wife had gone missing. Rumors floated that Stebic was responsible for making his wife disappear.

Jacobson hung out with Stebic and his children at the family pool. Jacobson wore a bikini.

"I know I didn’t do anything improper," Jacobson tells Chicago magazine. "And that’s what I live with: knowing that my heart was in the right place and that it was for the cause of the story."

Her station fired her. She has a lawsuit pending.

Did she do anything wrong?

Are You Influenced By What You See?

PLEASE PASS ALONG your thoughts regarding Siobahn's presentation this morning, specifically the notion of imagery in media, including journalism, perpetuating stereotypes.

Can journalism and the media shape who you are?

And with that in mind, now do you think the media share some responsibility for the death of the Wal-Mart worker on Long Island?

Did The Media Kill The Wal-Mart Worker?

BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPERS in Long Island, NY crushed a man to death at Wal-Mart as they rushed the store for sale items.

A New York Times columnist now says that the media is partially responsible for the man's death:

"The willingness of people to walk over another human being to get at the right price tag raises the question of how they got that way in the first place," writes David Carr. "But in the search for the usual suspects and parceling of blame, the news media should include themselves."

Carr argues that the media, specifically newspapers, rely upon retailers for ad dollars, so the media overhypes Black Friday sales. Therefore, the media creates mass consumerism, the kind that brought about the death of Jdimytai Damour, a 34-year old seasonal worker.

Do you agree? Does the media have that much influence over people? Are we responsible for the man's death?

Or were the shoppers only interested in the 42-inch LCD HDTVs that were on sale for $598?

"We're Capturing the First Drafts of History."

WHAT DID YOU THINK of our guest, Jim MacMillan?

Here are a few things that stood out for me:

- "Wherever physical casualties occur, there will be psychological injuries," Jim said, quoting from one of his former professors.

- Don't stand under power lines at fires and crash sites.

- Jim stressed that there is a possibility of retraumatizing the audience by replaying video and sound, or by showing images, or through words in print. For instance, this picture could bring back difficult memories for those involved:
Was the image of the crying victims exploitation or good, solid journalism? Is showing images of crime perpetuating violence or helping to eradicate it?

Thoughts?

Did the Media Fall For a PR Stunt?

JON STEPHENSON told us that the images transmitted around the world of the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue were really a giant public relations stunt.

The event conveniently took place near the hotels where the media were staying. There were loads of American military around (look carefully at the image below ... there are numerous tanks) to ensure the safety of the media so they could cover the event.
What should the media do in this situation? Should they document the event and announce that it felt like a PR stunt? Or do they simply cover the event and trust that the viewers and readers will understand what was going on?

Please pass along your thoughts, as well as any thoughts on John's visit in general.