What is “citizen journalism”? I like Jay Rosen’s definition:
Here’s the problem: This concept freaks out some professional journalists (professional in this case meaning they get a paycheck to do it).
There’s this idea floating around that many people — these citizen journalists — think they can replace professional journalists, [...]
Do I need to explain why white people should not use the word “nigger“?
Does anyone really not understand why some segments of African-American culture use it?
Some conservatives understand. And that’s entirely expected because they have built a truly powerful and efficient message machine over the past 40 years. Here’s [...]
I could write this same post everyday.
Don’t hate yourself because, having tuned into the Tiger Woods drama and the Salahis comedy you’ve found that you can’t tune them out. And don’t blame CNN or TMZ or even the New York Times for making the yarns as [...]
This news should trouble every American.
Repeat this until it sinks in: American journalists have 1st Amendment rights because they are Americans, NOT because they are journalists.
That word “press” in the 1st Amendment does not refer to the profession of journalism as we understand it today. The word wasn’t even [...]
Check out Story Lab — a show-your-work (aka. meta-reporting) project of the Washington Post. Here’s what Marc Fisher, enterprise editor for local news, had to say about it in an interview on Nieman Storyboard:
Story Lab is a way for us to enter the world of crowdsourcing and [...]
Today is Black Friday.
But for me, today is No-consumption Day — the day I refuse to spend money.
My only nod to this orgy of consumption is that I’ll check CNN this morning to see how many people have been shot or trampled to death.
Technorati Tags: Culture
[...]Following our discussion in my Introduction to Journalism class of Jay Rosen’s ideas for rebooting the news system in the age of social media and Clay Shirky’s idea of “filter failure,” I asked my students to answer this question on their blogs:
What kind of filter do you have [...]
Clark Hoyt’s public editor column today in The New York Times quotes Andrew Rosenthal at length about “a columnist’s license.” I like what he has to say. For example:
First, the similarities. A columnist is subject to the same standards of factual accuracy as any writer in The Times, on [...]
Sean Hannity apologized for his show’s poor editing of a story that lead to a misrepresentation of the facts. The misrepresentation was pointed out by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.
My questions: Where was the press? Why is Jon Stewart doing journalism’s job?
I’ve heard a lot of people bristle at [...]
Stewart, again, nails it.
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c Indecision 2009 – Reindecision 2008 And Beyond www.thedailyshow.com Daily ShowThe idea that any media/political pundit knows what this ragtag collection of election results “means” for 2010 and beyond [...]
I’m guilty of blurring the line between bias and propaganda. While I make the distinction clear in my chapter in 21st Century Communications, I’ve been less clear on my widely-read Media/Political Bias page.
While I’m in general agreement with Greg Sargent’s blog post today, I’m not happy with [...]
The various codes of ethics you’ll find in journalism are very clear: Journalists should not accept freebies from news sources (that also ought to include those press box hot dogs at ball games, but never mind).
What about freelance writers? Are they, or should they, be subject to the codes of [...]
Is fact-checking a journalistic function?
That depends on what the meaning of the word “is” is. Does the question ask for a descriptive answer or a prescriptive answer or both.
IMO, the descriptive answer is “no” and the prescriptive answer is “yes.” Both should be “yes.”
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon [...]The FTCÂ will start enforcing a rule in December that bloggers must disclose information about paid reviews.
A couple of issues:
1. I believe ethical blogging demands transparency. So bloggers should disclose such information if they hope to build, maintain, and defend integrity and credibility.
2. Bloggers ought to publish personal codes [...]
It’s happened again!
I picked up a copy of Media Bias: Finding It, Fixing It only to discover that I have been referred to without my prior knowledge. Not by name this time but a reference to my media bias page on Rhetorica.
I found this part from the introduction [...]
Jon Stewart: Television news has “time to kill but none to reflect.”
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c Five Easy Pieces www.thedailyshow.com Daily ShowTechnorati Tags: Journalism, Media Ethics
[...]A few weeks ago I chastised the news media for not calling bullshit sooner on the “death panel” canard, which drew a question from a long-time Rhetorica reader: “How does ‘a poor job of calling bullshit’ and ‘call[ing] bullshit inconsistently’ relate back to a ‘rhetoric beat‘?” Here’s [...]
I have two questions re: this situation:
1. Is the President ever “off the record.” (Note: I do not mean to indicate “is” in the sense that Bill Clinton questioned it.)
2. Is it OK for the President to call someone a “jackass”?
An answer to #1: No. President’s must assume every [...]
My schedule is starting to settle down a bit, so I’ll be finishing these projects soon. While you wait, here’s a bit of funny business that makes an interesting point about journalism practiced on television.
I mentioned in my Introduction to Journalism class last week that a given medium will [...]
As long-time readers of Rhetorica know, I get a rather perverse enjoyment out of writing headlines that promise far more than the post beneath them will deliver. There’s a good reason for that.
The headline on the lead story of the Springfield News-Leader this morning declares Obama Speech Shows ‘Polarized’ [...]
The second week of school began today. The first week was busy, and the second week will be more of the same — typical fits and starts of getting a new semester under way (plus new service duties now that I have tenure).
Things I’m working on that will appear soon:
1. [...]
Reporters must make a choice: Be a reporter or be a stenographer. And they must make this choice despite the very real economic pressures that constrain their work. They must make the right (ethical) choice in order to try to fulfill the primary purpose of journalism: To give citizens [...]
One of my big frustrations with the concept of meta-reporting (aka. show-your-work journalism) is that I cannot simply teach it to my students as good journalistic practice. The reason is simple: It is not now much of a journalistic practice at all. It is troublesome because it exists outside [...]
The term “idiot” has been a bit over-used of late — especially in book titles, even song titles — although I’m cool with Green Day’s use of it.
But it is a great word with a crisp sound and three flexible syllables that allow you to inflect it multiple ways [...]
If there were any journalists left at MSNBC, I suppose they would be appalled by Lawrence O’Donnell’s thuggish behavior and his lack of cogent interviewing skills.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
The rhetorical tactics we see displayed here are thought to be [...]
A hardware malfunction with my server provider recently caused the last entry (Minute 4:40) and a few comments to be lost. Everything is working fine now. So onward and upward!
[...]Funny is good. But what begins at minute 4:40 is not funny (although it’s satire that gave me the uncomfortable chuckles). This is just spot-on media criticism.
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c PR www.thedailyshow.com Daily ShowThe jab [...]
Where are the custodians of fact?
On the one hand, journalism should report citizens’ experiences with governance as a normal part of political reporting. On the other hand, journalists have a moral obligation to choose their sources wisely, be transparent about their criteria (i.e. show your work), and defend [...]
School starts in about two weeks. I’m busy now working on my syllabi and other class preparations. August blogging will be a bit slow around here.
I’ll be continuing the series on journalism’s codes of ethics. My plan is to finish that work by the time my two ethics classes begin [...]
I think the idea of journalists publishing personal statements about their ethical standards is a good step toward transparency. Individuals should take responsibility for “oughts” and “ought nots” of their work. For an excellent example of this, check out Walt Mossberg’s personal ethics statement at the Wall Street [...]
Former WUSA anchor Mike Walter made a documentary film called Breaking News, Breaking Down about “journalists who believe they are the eyes and ears of society, never imagining what that might do to their minds.” The film examines the emotional trauma that can occur after witnessing (i.e. being a [...]
Memo to Howard Dean:
Stop. Just stop.
–Rhetorica
As you can see, Howard Dean is just completely talentless as a television host. There’s no shame in that.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
There used to be shame in the idea that a politician would be [...]
Codes of ethics such as the SPJ’s are lists of normative values. Do these things. Don’t do these other things. Seek these outcomes. Avoid these other outcomes. Even though a very low percentage of professional journalists (i.e. they get a paycheck for doing it) belong to SPJ, they are [...]
Cline, Andrew R. (2009) “‘Losers’ and the Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis.” Poverty & Public Policy: Vol. 1 : Iss. 2, Article 6.
Technorati Tags: Journalism, Politics, Rhetoric
[...]The following video is (a tiny bit) related to yesterday’s post on partisan news media. Jon Stewart considers coverage of Obama’s ceremonial first pitch at the All-Star game.
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c Obama’s All-Star Pitch www.thedailyshow.com Daily ShowEvery now and then I find myself thinking that American journalism would be better off with an openly partisan news media similar to what we see in the UK.
Partisan news organizations are not necessarily unreliable. Journalists working for such organizations can operate as custodians of fact with a [...]
What is a code of ethics for?
Over the next couple of weeks I’m going to examine the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists. My goal is to come to a reasonable answer to the question above using “for” in the senses of utility and principle.
I use [...]
A journalist’s first loyalty is to the public. That’s the only way to meet the ethical demands of the primary purpose of journalism: To give citizens the information they need to be free and self-governing.
Andrew Alexander, ombudsman for the Washington Post, examines the paper’s recent influence-peddling scandal — [...]
Paul Krugman asks: Who makes these decisions? The answer is simple: journalists. And the answer isn’t even the least bit surprising. Making editorial decisions — specifically what counts as news and what doesn’t, and who counts as a source and who doesn’t, and what counts as knowledge and what [...]
Journalism (i.e. providing the information citizens need to be free and self-governing) has been suspended today for the Michael Jackson memorial. Even CNN Headline news is covering it live, which seems to me 1) redundant, and 2) waaaay off purpose. Check back tomorrow — for more coverage and commentary [...]
You’ll notice that I’ve changed the description of this web site under the Rhetorica banner and changed the name of the blog from Press-Politics Journal to Media Ethics and Rhetoric Journal. I’ve also begun making some changes to the blogroll to reflect the changing emphasis of Rhetorica.
Yes, it’s time for [...]
I like this part:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. –That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among [...]
I’m late getting to the Milbank v. Pitney dust-up, largely because I find it so unremarkable. But I’ve decided to mention it because, contrary to the headline here, I do not think this is New Media v. Old Media. Let’s review:
Here’s the blog post Dana Milbank wrote and [...]
So I was watching Countdown with Keith Olbermann on Tuesday evening; the show included the following segment. Two lines spoken at about 4:30 minutes prompt this writing.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
At this point the Sanford story was still just [...]
Michael Miner covered the Chicago Media Future Conference for Chicago Reader and offers a report that IÂ recognize as the thinking of some of my students:
If the old guard perceives the collapse of the MSM as a disaster out of which just maybe some good might come, the [...]
First, read The Newspaper Suicide Pact at Xark!
Next, read this column from publisher Tom Bookstaver in today’s Springfield News-Leader — a Gannett newspaper.
Wow.
Technorati Tags: Journalism
[...]These are not secrets: 1) The business of news organizations is selling eyeballs and ears to advertisers, and 2) The eyeballs and ears show up for the news content, not the advertising. From these two truths (and a few others) comes a long-established ethic in journalism, as stated by the [...]
Allow me to state the obvious: Sound-bite media driven by sound-bite culture (or is it the other way around?) create(s) sound-bite thinking. Sound bites are enthymemes — truncated arguments that require the audience to supply the missing logic and/or information. Sound-bite thinking is the construction and maintenance of ideas [...]
I just returned from vacation, and I am now planning my summer of ethics coverage that I hinted at earlier (yes, I forgot to post the cat-in-the-hammock photo before leaving).
I’ll be giving a presentation on “Media Ethics for the 21st Century” at the annual conference of the Southeastern Outdoor [...]
I have no idea what the future of journalism will be. I’m not even prepared to speculate about what it won’t be. But I have been telling students for five years now exactly what Josh Marshall told students at Columbia University:
Despite the financial and, perhaps, existential crisis journalism is [...]
How do you make a first-class idiot out of yourself in a hurry in journalism?
OK, yes, there’s actually a long list of answers to that question. The reason is that journalism is a tough craft to practice well, and it is subject to all manner of human foibles and failings.
The [...]
Spot on, Jon. As usual.
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart M – Th 11p / 10c The Pageant of the Christ thedailyshow.com Daily ShowStewart calls it the “predictable dance” — the enevitable escalation of nothing into news caused in part by a nexus of [...]
So they held the White House Correspondents Dinner over the weekend.
Any news organization that allows its reporters, anchors, and editors attend this thing ought to face some serious questions about ethics. Such fraternization with important and powerful politicians should be completely off limits to members of the press for [...]
Jack Shafer criticizes NPR Senior News Analyst Cokie Roberts for offering four minutes of nothing on her Morning Edition segment:
I can think of no comparably sized media space that’s as void of original insight and information as Roberts’. Her segments, though billed as “analysis” by NPR, do little but [...]
This is “Everybody’s a Press Critic” week in my Introduction to Journalism class. One effective way to teach anything is to provide good models for students to emulate. I showed the following two videos in class on Wednesday because I think they provide a good model:
The Daily Show With [...]The semester is almost over. And that means I’m busy with all the usual end-’o-the-semester stuff. Posting here will be light for another two weeks.
This summer I’m going to be thinking a lot about the various entanglements between rhetoric and ethics as a way to begin pushing forward a new [...]
Can or should government help save newspapers? The question is interesting to me because I think government would kill journalism by sticking its fingers into that pie. Government cannot do journalism because it cannot fulfill the primary purpose: to give people the information they need to be free and [...]
Like most of my posts that begin with “rhetoric of” headlines, this one will deliver far less than the headline suggests (or far more in terms of questions). That statement, BTW, is a rhetorical maneuver.
One other maneuver: I’m about to get all traditional on you.
The rhetorical maneuvers of mainstream journalism [...]
Let’s suppose you want make the public aware of a particular situation. And let’s further suppose you think the local newspaper is the proper venue for creating that awareness. You have limited choices: write a letter to the editor or write a longer “voice of the day” type column.
But there [...]
High-tech tools are great for modern reporting. I love ‘em. There’s much you can do with a computer that could not be done just 30 years ago.
But it’s never a good idea to give up on certain basic tools just because the you have new tools. A nail driver [...]
So the problem is this: If local a newspaper dies, what will replace the lost coverage? Jay Rosen asks an interesting, preceding question:Â What are local papers producing now that will need to be replaced:
Once we know in a ballpark way what the newspaper journalism, replacement level is, we [...]
Long-time readers of Rhetorica may remember a time when a group of bloggers would meet for beers at the Patton Alley Pub. We called ourselves the Springfield Bloggers. And I often posted podcasts of our “meetings.” The agenda was always the same: drink and adjourn.
About a year ago that era [...]
Facing the future is better than sticking your head in a hole or wishing for a return to the past. Xark! today offers to yank you’re head up and prop open your eyes with an interesting and cogent exercise in predicting the future of news.
The future is always a [...]
It’s always good to get it in writing. And that paper has arrived. I have achieved tenure and promotion at Missouri State University (pending approval by the Board of Governors). Rhetorica has played an important role in this achievement by offering me a popular outlet for my thinking, a good [...]
Robert Bianco, of USA Today, has some advice for Jim Cramer, re: his less-than-confidence-inspiring performance last week on The Daily Show:
1. Choose your friends wisely.
2. Know your enemy
3. Know when to shut up.
Actually, this is just good advice all around. It’s soild enough regarding Jon Stewart’s intellectual mugging [...]
I was not disappointed. Jon Stewart hit all my hot buttons last night in his “interview” with Jim Cramer of CNBC — especially the one about the proper stance of news organizations to sources and news makers. Stewart: “Who are you responsible to?” Answer for true journalists: The public. [...]
Two stories deserve your attention today:
As Cities Go From Two Papers to One, Talk of Zero
CNBC’s Cramer to spar with Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is, according to former students in my media ethics class, a “medialitical infotainer,” i.e. someone who uses satire to deliver entertaining analysis of [...]
I’ve quoted this dozens of times: The primary purpose of journalism is to give citizens the information they need to be free and self-governing. I believe this. I act “as if” in my teaching in regard to it. And I know that journalism as currently practiced by the corporate [...]
I’ve quoted this dozens of times: The primary purpose of journalism is to give citizens the information they need to be free and self-governing. I believe this. I act “as if” in my teaching in regard to it. And I know that journalism as currently practiced by the corporate [...]
KSMU recently interviewed me for its Missouri State Journal program. Topic: Changes in the news media.
Technorati Tags: Journalism
[...]You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on that part of the site (other parts, too, but let’s not get into that right now). My goal for this weekend is to create [...]
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on that part of the site (other parts, too, but let’s not get into that right now). My goal for this weekend is to create [...]
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on that part of the site (other parts, too, but let’s not get into that right now). My goal for this weekend is to create [...]
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on that part of the site (other parts, too, but let’s not get into that right now). My goal for this weekend is to create [...]
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on that part of the site (other parts, too, but let’s not get into that right now). My goal for this weekend is to create [...]
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on that part of the site (other parts, too, but let’s not get into that right now). My goal for this weekend is to create [...]
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on that part of the site (other parts, too, but let’s not get into that right now). My goal for this weekend is to create [...]
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on that part of the site (other parts, too, but let’s not get into that right now). My goal for this weekend is to create [...]
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on that part of the site (other parts, too, but let’s not get into that right now). My goal for this weekend is to create [...]
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on that part of the site (other parts, too, but let’s not get into that right now). My goal for this weekend is to create [...]
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on that part of the site (other parts, too, but let’s not get into that right now). My goal for this weekend is to create [...]
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on that part of the site (other parts, too, but let’s not get into that right now). My goal for this weekend is to create [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
UPDATE (9 March): I’ve begun rebuilding the blogroll. Links will not be complete until the end of the week. Please leave suggestions in the comments.
You may have noticed a few “cobwebs” in the Rhetorical blogroll. That’s because it has been a long time since I did much routine maintenance on [...]
There’s not much challenge in piling on a bad situation. But there’s also nothing to be gained ignoring the interesting aspects of an otherwise silly “news” event. Such is the case with Michael Steele v. Rush Limbaugh.
Limbaugh has achieved success (money, fame, power) by owning it, i.e. he says [...]
There’s not much challenge in piling on a bad situation. But there’s also nothing to be gained ignoring the interesting aspects of an otherwise silly “news” event. Such is the case with Michael Steele v. Rush Limbaugh.
Limbaugh has achieved success (money, fame, power) by owning it, i.e. he says [...]
