Thursday, September 27, 2007
President Bush on the witness stand?
It could happen...and the person who might cause it to happen might surprise you.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Network news and the war in Iraq
An interesting statement from a network anchor can be accessed here.
The president...race...and NPR
Perhaps the large, overall and critical question associated with this story is -- would you turn down a chance to air an interview with the President of the United States?
A promise to invade???
A Spanish newspaper reports it has the transcript of a private meeting between President Bush and the Spanish leader about Saddam and Iraq.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Race, identificaton and crime
Often this is a difficult bridge to cross. One California newspaper is considering reviewing its policies.
Congress is calling for a task force
Skeptical? Perhaps you shouldn't be...the topic appears worthwhile.
I-ran...but I couldn't get away!
Let's put this politely -- the president of Iran had a few critics waiting for him when he spoke yesterday in New York. The summaries come from a variety of sources, including the New York Times... the AP ... Christian Science Monitor ... and the Washington Post.
Now this is politics!
Here's the deal -- write a piece that airs some dirty laundry, and lose access to a former president. What choice did the magazine in question make?
When you are involved with the mayor...
...and your bosses don't know about it...well, you can expect something like this.
Is it time to MoveOn?
The simmering controversy about The New York Times and the controversial MoveOn.org ad that it ran is at the heart of this newspaper's commentary.
Friday, September 21, 2007
More on the Dan Rather lawsuit
A variety of perspectives, including...why he thinks the lawsuit is necessary...what the larger issue is...and at least one opinion that suggests Rather is going to lose something more valuable than any amount of money can replace.
Media ownership hearings in Chicago
Needless to say, FCC members received a strident and direct message yesterday -- do something about media consolidation!
Delaware State, 1
The initial reports out of Delaware State University...where another university shooting is being investigated.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Knock 'em dead, Robin Roberts!
Good luck is extended as she prepares for the next phase in her battle against breast cancer.
Is one GOP presidential candidate running a campaign that is...
..."done for"? That's what one of his colleagues says. Who is it?
My university has a Fulbright Scholar from Iraq
And we're rather proud of her! I think after reading this, you will be, too.
Sometimes an acronym just doesn't work
Consider Fox Business News, which some are dubbing "fibbin." That and more in this story.
Is indecency about to be enforced more closely?
It appears the answer is yes...if this bill becomes law.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Where in the world is...
...Stephen A. Smith? Yes, it might not sound as cool as Waldo...but it is more intriguing.
If five Democrats are opposed to something...
...no, that's not the opening line for some joke. It does pertain to opinions about media ownerhsip rules, however.
The latest act in the CBS vs FCC legal battles
In case you've forgotten, this case stems from the fine CBS received for the Super Bowl halftime fiasco involving Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Walter Cronkite is back in television...
...and, yes, that's the way it is! Not to mention the way it should be.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
So nice to see that our former U.S. Attorney General cares about the First Amendment
John Ashcroft was in Missouri last night...and his appearance demonstrated his apparent contempt for the media. Read on...
Here's the local paper's editorial followed by the news story.
The News-Leader, September 13, 2007
MSU errs in limiting media role
Decision doesn't fit with public affairs mission.
The following transcript of yesterday's speech by former Attorney General John Ashcroft at Missouri State University is brought to you by the father of the Patriot Act:
What? It's blank? There's nothing there?
That's what the public gets — nothing — when a public university allows an important speaker to dictate how the media will — or will not — cover his speech.
That Ashcroft, who now makes a living giving such speeches, wants to control the dissemination of his words, is not surprising, nor is it particularly offensive. That's par for the course in the public speaking circuit. Speakers make a living off of their words, and how they're delivered, and when they get paid by corporations or others to rally the troops at conventions, they want to have complete control of the message.
But public universities, particularly those with a public affairs mission, should have a different standard, particularly when the speaker played such a key role in our nation's recent history.
So when MSU signed a contract with Ashcroft that allowed him to disallow television cameras or even recording devices — a basic tool in any reporter's tool kit these days — the university shirked its role as a key player in the arena of public discourse.
As associate professor Andrew Cline lamented:
"We have a public affairs mission that we are quite proud of and yet we do this?"
Ironically, Ashcroft agreed to no such requirements earlier this year when he spoke at Evangel University and there are apparently no such requirements in place for his speech today at Drury University.
It's great that MSU is bringing in a speaker of Ashcroft's caliber, but in the future, MSU should make it clear that speakers do not have the ability to dictate how or if the media will cover their appearances.
News story:
Ashcroft focuses on Patriot Act
Former attorney general uses speech at MSU to defend the act he helped author.
Linda Leicht
News-Leader
Former Attorney General John Ashcroft's message of balancing protection and privacy hit a high note for Tony Nuber of Springfield last night.
Nuber, 21, and the rest of his military science class attended Ashcroft's speech on "Today and the Future of Homeland Security" at Missouri State University.
Ashcroft spoke at Juanita K. Hammons Hall where there were more empty seats than those filled by students and visitors on the first night of the seventh annual Accounting Education Conference.
While most of the audience appeared to be supporters — based on the standing ovations — at least one person was not. A bright yellow flier that challenged Ashcroft and the Patriot Act was passed around. Resources on the flier included the ACLU and MoveOn.org.
Ashcroft's appearance was sponsored by the Accounting Club, College Republicans and the Young Americans for Freedom.
Ashcroft filled his speech with jokes and gentle jabs, some at himself, but the point of the talk was a defense of the Patriot Act, which he helped author after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
"We learned six years ago (Tuesday) that our system was not equipped to handle" the threat of terrorism, he said.
He described the country's intelligence system before Sept. 11 as set up to respond to attack. "Response itself was inadequate," he said. "We've got to be in the business of prevention."
He admitted that the challenges to freedoms in the Patriot Act have created tensions in the culture, but insisted that surveillance and information collection actually safeguard freedom rather than erode it.
Nuber, who will be activated in the Army next spring, agrees. "In my field, the new focus is on information flow."
Ryan Hogan's Army-green T-shirt sported a simple message: "Got freedom?" Also a military science student, Hogan, 21, of Ozark admitted that not all people see freedom in the same way.
"But I am sworn to uphold the Constitution," said Hogan, who will also be activated in the Army in the spring.
Not everyone got the answers they were hoping to hear from Ashcroft.
Keya Karmakar, a graduate student in accounting, hoped to hear about how security efforts affect legal immigration to the United States.
Karmakar and her husband, Kartik Ghosh, a professor in the physics department at MSU, had to wait five years to get their green cards, despite having met all the legal requirements. The lack of the needed papers meant her husband was unable to travel to professional conferences, she was unable to get a job outside of the campus and they could not travel to visit family in India and Bangladesh to introduce their 3-year-old son.
"As an international student, I hope he will talk about legal immigration," she said before the speech.
Most of the people who made their way to the microphones after the speech didn't get their questions answered either, and neither did the woman who asked Ashcroft why it has been so difficult to find and catch Osama bin Laden.
"I am confounded by it," he admitted. "I thought we would have captured him."
Here's the local paper's editorial followed by the news story.
The News-Leader, September 13, 2007
MSU errs in limiting media role
Decision doesn't fit with public affairs mission.
The following transcript of yesterday's speech by former Attorney General John Ashcroft at Missouri State University is brought to you by the father of the Patriot Act:
What? It's blank? There's nothing there?
That's what the public gets — nothing — when a public university allows an important speaker to dictate how the media will — or will not — cover his speech.
That Ashcroft, who now makes a living giving such speeches, wants to control the dissemination of his words, is not surprising, nor is it particularly offensive. That's par for the course in the public speaking circuit. Speakers make a living off of their words, and how they're delivered, and when they get paid by corporations or others to rally the troops at conventions, they want to have complete control of the message.
But public universities, particularly those with a public affairs mission, should have a different standard, particularly when the speaker played such a key role in our nation's recent history.
So when MSU signed a contract with Ashcroft that allowed him to disallow television cameras or even recording devices — a basic tool in any reporter's tool kit these days — the university shirked its role as a key player in the arena of public discourse.
As associate professor Andrew Cline lamented:
"We have a public affairs mission that we are quite proud of and yet we do this?"
Ironically, Ashcroft agreed to no such requirements earlier this year when he spoke at Evangel University and there are apparently no such requirements in place for his speech today at Drury University.
It's great that MSU is bringing in a speaker of Ashcroft's caliber, but in the future, MSU should make it clear that speakers do not have the ability to dictate how or if the media will cover their appearances.
News story:
Ashcroft focuses on Patriot Act
Former attorney general uses speech at MSU to defend the act he helped author.
Linda Leicht
News-Leader
Former Attorney General John Ashcroft's message of balancing protection and privacy hit a high note for Tony Nuber of Springfield last night.
Nuber, 21, and the rest of his military science class attended Ashcroft's speech on "Today and the Future of Homeland Security" at Missouri State University.
Ashcroft spoke at Juanita K. Hammons Hall where there were more empty seats than those filled by students and visitors on the first night of the seventh annual Accounting Education Conference.
While most of the audience appeared to be supporters — based on the standing ovations — at least one person was not. A bright yellow flier that challenged Ashcroft and the Patriot Act was passed around. Resources on the flier included the ACLU and MoveOn.org.
Ashcroft's appearance was sponsored by the Accounting Club, College Republicans and the Young Americans for Freedom.
Ashcroft filled his speech with jokes and gentle jabs, some at himself, but the point of the talk was a defense of the Patriot Act, which he helped author after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
"We learned six years ago (Tuesday) that our system was not equipped to handle" the threat of terrorism, he said.
He described the country's intelligence system before Sept. 11 as set up to respond to attack. "Response itself was inadequate," he said. "We've got to be in the business of prevention."
He admitted that the challenges to freedoms in the Patriot Act have created tensions in the culture, but insisted that surveillance and information collection actually safeguard freedom rather than erode it.
Nuber, who will be activated in the Army next spring, agrees. "In my field, the new focus is on information flow."
Ryan Hogan's Army-green T-shirt sported a simple message: "Got freedom?" Also a military science student, Hogan, 21, of Ozark admitted that not all people see freedom in the same way.
"But I am sworn to uphold the Constitution," said Hogan, who will also be activated in the Army in the spring.
Not everyone got the answers they were hoping to hear from Ashcroft.
Keya Karmakar, a graduate student in accounting, hoped to hear about how security efforts affect legal immigration to the United States.
Karmakar and her husband, Kartik Ghosh, a professor in the physics department at MSU, had to wait five years to get their green cards, despite having met all the legal requirements. The lack of the needed papers meant her husband was unable to travel to professional conferences, she was unable to get a job outside of the campus and they could not travel to visit family in India and Bangladesh to introduce their 3-year-old son.
"As an international student, I hope he will talk about legal immigration," she said before the speech.
Most of the people who made their way to the microphones after the speech didn't get their questions answered either, and neither did the woman who asked Ashcroft why it has been so difficult to find and catch Osama bin Laden.
"I am confounded by it," he admitted. "I thought we would have captured him."
Spying is a real problem in...
...China. That's what senior political leaders say. And here's what they say is causing it.
Imus update -- no lawsuit
A Rutgers player who had planned to sue him has changed her mind. Here are the details.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Once again, the power of the citizen journalist...
...is being seen. This time, it comes from today's earthquake in Indonesia.
Isn't this something we already knew?
Those who use the web for news often don't turn to the mainstream media.
In this corner...
...and in this corner...are aligned powerful people and forces working for and against the XM-Sirius merger.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Memories of 9-11
Can it really be 6 years since the events of Sept. 11, 2001? A variety of links to consider, including one about storing memories for the generations to come...what, in one person's opinion, the attacks meant to and for Americans...an assessment of whether New York and Washington might again face attack...the always tricky question of when and how to move forward...another analysis of how safe the country is...and a report that indicates Osama Bin Laden will use today's anniversary to deliver a video message.
Monday, September 10, 2007
A university student is told to stop doing her job
By whom and why are the intriguing sub-plots to this story.
A libel judgment against TIME
The curious things about this story are where the judgment was made...and against whom.
When is breaking news NOT necessarily breaking news?
When you lack the video to substantiate the story. CNN found itself in that predicament last week.
Friday, September 07, 2007
What does a college newspaper's newsroom look like these days?
The answer is...overwhelmingly _________.
Is it time to rethink radio ratings?
New technology tells us what we previously thought people listened to...well, it might not be correct.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Katie's "mission" in Iraq
She's trying to earn her boots, so to speak. On a serious note, I cannot remember anotehr anchor ever facing the scrutiny that Couric has. On one level, I understand that being a "pioneer" of sorts ensures that media attention would follow her. Moreover, the media saturated environement that exists today also was a guarantee that Couric's every move would be dissected.
But wow, this woman has got to be pretty tough. She's been cut up, down and sideways over the past year.
But wow, this woman has got to be pretty tough. She's been cut up, down and sideways over the past year.
As promised...the initial reaction to Fred Thompson's decision to run for president
Varied opinions and reports...including from Politico, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Washington Post...and one report from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that makes clear that at least here in Pennsylvania Thompson has some catching up to do.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Yup, he's running
The suspense is over. Fred Thompson is running for president. Let's see what the reaction of the media is over the next few days.
Shhh! Don't tell anyone...the president is traveling to Iraq
Here's how some news reporters found out about it. And pay attention also to who was also invited on the trip. This report makes clear that many White House correspondents weren't thrilled by the logisitics associated with the trip.
Some positive news for proponents of a la carte programming
But the news about the FCC is not all positive. Read more here.
The Radio Club of America prepares to honor a broadcast legend
You might say "that's the way it is," in summarizing this story.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Hillary Clinton has an important engagement...
...and this story suggests it could go a long way in determining whether she has a realistic chance of being the next President of the United States.
Did a (citizen) journalist cross an ethical line?
And if the answer is yes, what are the lessons here?
You call this an anniversary?
The calendar says she's been on the job for a year. And what a tough one it's been.
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