Friday, November 20, 2009
Our school is perfect, a place where nothing wrong happens
It must be. How else to explain why administrators at one Illinois high school prevented the distribution of the school's newspaper because it contained stories that were not consistent with the school's image.
The Chicago Tribune also reports this controversial issue was not the first one published by the school's newspaper staff.
As Oprah prepares to say "see ya,"...
...local television stations wonder how the queen of daytime television will be replaced. And more importantly what will her removal from daytime mean to their ratings?
Because of the business relationships their parent companies have with Oprah, CBS and ABC are expected to be especially hard hit by Ms. Winfrey's decision.
And her decision is a bit of a gamble for Ms. Winfrey; she's expected to move her program to a cable network she is forming. But will her loyal audience move with her from (guaranteed to see) over-the-air, local television to (not everyone gets) cable?
Local stations could turn to their most lucrative programming, local news, in an effort to make up for the program. But in an era of newsrooms already stretched too thin, will there be issues of quality?
Intriguing questions, and none can be answered immediately.
A military base opens up...to the media
Why in the world anyone at Fort Bragg thought it would be a good idea to bar the media from covering Sarah Palin's visit to that military facility is beyond me.
A reverse of decision has been announced, and the media will be allowed in.
Bad sportsmanship wins out
Today's decision by soccer's international governing body, FIFA, that it will not allow a replay of the controversial France-Ireland World Cup qualifying match is unfortunate.
My argument here is not that the French have benefited from the handball by one of its star players. No, my point is that sportsmanship has taken a hit. The player in question has admitted to illegally touching the ball with his hand, a decision that ultimately led to a goal that pushed the French past the Irish and into the World Cup.
Of course, FIFA is correct in arguing that its rules state that decisions made by the on-field referee are final. But this begs the question: what happens the next time a player breaks a rule that leads to his team winning a game?
I've already heard many people argue that FIFA ought to institute video replay, akin to the various systems in place in professional sports in North America. Really? I can only imagine the arguments that would take place as the various national governing bodies, the referees' representatives and FIFA hashed out what circumstances would allow for a video replay.
In this case, let's for now acknowledge two realities: A French player broke the rules and got away with it. FIFA is not willing to break its rules to assist in making amends for that error.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
O, no!
O, yes.
Oprah Winfrey reportedly has decided that her popular day-time show that bears her name will end in 2011.
The move is not surprising, as Ms. Winfrey is launching her own cable network that year.
Do the right thing
There's no question what should happen in this case -- the important World Cup qualifying match between France and Ireland should be replayed.
End of story.
Here's your bill -- and it's up by 32 percent
Another blow to the national reputation of the University of California higher education system -- tuition will go up next year...by 32%.
Sphere: Related ContentSen. Lieberman is holding firm...
...and he knows that by doing so he might get tossed aside in 2012.
I find Sen. Lieberman refreshing, and someone who appears comfortable not simply siding with one political party because he's supposed to. It certainly took some form political conviction to show up at the 2008 Republican National Convention, where he endorsed the presidential bid of his long-time friend and Senate colleague, John McCain.
Now, Lieberman is tweaking Democrats again, telling them that any attempt to force through the so-called "public option" into a health-care reform bill will lead him to filibuster it.
Palin and Prejean -- one in the same?
I've been uncomfortable with the media's fascination with (and in my opinion multiple bashings of) Sarah Palin and Carrie Prejean. But one cannot deny that each is using the media to advance whatever personal or professional agendas they have.
And so this Financial Times editorial is well worth your time. I think it compels you to ask if the criticism being heaped on them is perhaps more justified than you might have first believed.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Uh, oh. Did someone get the story...wrong?
This blog was one of many that noted its frustration with Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's requirement that he get to approve any story connected to a school newspaper's coverage of his visit.
But...
It looks now as if there was a significant misunderstanding. I'm going to give Justice Kennedy the benefit of the doubt on this one; I think his years of service on the bench and his recognition of the importance of a free press demonstrate that he would not seek any authorization for reporting connected to his visit.
President Obama's conundrum
The following excerpt comes from Mike Allen's Politico.com "Playbook." He is quoting New York Times' reporter Matt Bai, whose full report will be in the newspaper's Sunday Magazine:
'Public support for each of Obama's signature initiatives, including health care, remains lower than support for the president himself. In other words, without a sustained sales pitch to the voters, Obama has yet to convert his personal good will with the electorate into corresponding enthusiasm for his agenda. And as anxious congressmen study poll numbers and look toward their own re-election campaigns next year, that's bound to become a more pressing problem for the White House. Lawmakers may yet be persuaded to enact the president's ambitious agenda, coattails or not, but only if he gives them something else to which they can cling.'
He won't back down
Nor should he.
Northwestern's David Protess, whose being asked to turn over student and other records to the Cook County district attorney's office, says there is no way that will happen.
Mr. Protess and the prosecutor's office began butting heads after an investigation by some of Mr. Protess' students into the conviction of an Illinois man.
Too much...too fast
That's the message Democrats are hearing from many Independent voters (see, we DO matter). What the party must consider because of those concerns is how to adjust its political program in 2010 and beyond.
Sphere: Related ContentTuesday, November 17, 2009
11 people...1 book
Depending upon your political perspective, FOX News' report highlighting the Associated Press' decision to use 11 people to fact-check all 432 pages of Sarah Palin's book "Going Rogue" is either an example of good journalism or just more of the same ol' thing.
Sphere: Related Content
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