Hey they have spent billions destroying the country to free it and a small amount trying to rebuild it that has mostly been a failure. How about spending about ten percent of what has already been spent a couple of billion maybe to fix what they broke. Tell me what is freedom if you are dead? Hope Santa is coming to them too. How much do Americans spend on Xmas? On candy? On going to a movie?
MILLIONS OF IRAQI CHILDREN NEED HELP NOW: UNICEF REPORT
A United Nations report paints a grim picture of life in Iraq for two
million children, but says an improving security outlook offers the
opportunity to provide much-needed help.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2007/12/21/un-children.html
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Thinking of Journalism as a career? There is a down side:
2007 deadliest year for journalists since 1994-CPJ
Tue 18 Dec 2007, 17:18 GMT
[-] Text [+]
By Michelle Nichols
NEW YORK, Dec 18 (Reuters) - At least 64 journalists were killed in 2007, making it the deadliest year in more than a decade with Iraq the most dangerous place in the world to report, a U.S. media watchdog said on Monday.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said the number of deaths was up from 56 last year and that it was still investigating whether another 22 deaths in 2007 were work-related.
"CPJ has recorded only one year with a higher death toll: 1994, when 66 journalists were killed, many in conflicts in Algeria, Bosnia and Rwanda," the group said in a statement.
For the fifth year in a row Iraq was the deadliest dateline with 31 journalists killed, most of whom were targeted and murdered, the watchdog said. All but one of the journalists killed were Iraqi, with nine of those working for international organizations, including Reuters and The Associated Press.
Another 12 media support workers, such as bodyguards and drivers, also died in Iraq during 2007, the watchdog said.
"Since the beginning of the war in March 2003, 124 journalists and 49 media workers have been killed, making it the deadliest conflict for the press in recent history. More than one-third worked for international news organizations," the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
2007 deadliest year for journalists since 1994-CPJ
Tue 18 Dec 2007, 17:18 GMT
[-] Text [+]
By Michelle Nichols
NEW YORK, Dec 18 (Reuters) - At least 64 journalists were killed in 2007, making it the deadliest year in more than a decade with Iraq the most dangerous place in the world to report, a U.S. media watchdog said on Monday.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said the number of deaths was up from 56 last year and that it was still investigating whether another 22 deaths in 2007 were work-related.
"CPJ has recorded only one year with a higher death toll: 1994, when 66 journalists were killed, many in conflicts in Algeria, Bosnia and Rwanda," the group said in a statement.
For the fifth year in a row Iraq was the deadliest dateline with 31 journalists killed, most of whom were targeted and murdered, the watchdog said. All but one of the journalists killed were Iraqi, with nine of those working for international organizations, including Reuters and The Associated Press.
Another 12 media support workers, such as bodyguards and drivers, also died in Iraq during 2007, the watchdog said.
"Since the beginning of the war in March 2003, 124 journalists and 49 media workers have been killed, making it the deadliest conflict for the press in recent history. More than one-third worked for international news organizations," the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Check this article out at the Online Journalism Review: "
The readers will have the final word
Commentary: A tragedy from the U.S. midwest and an auto show in L.A. illustrate the shift in power from professional reporters to the audience.
By Robert Niles
Posted: 2007-11-16
Two examples today further drive home the lesson that the journalism media no longer provides the final word on the day's news, thanks to the Internet."
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/071116niles/
The readers will have the final word
Commentary: A tragedy from the U.S. midwest and an auto show in L.A. illustrate the shift in power from professional reporters to the audience.
By Robert Niles
Posted: 2007-11-16
Two examples today further drive home the lesson that the journalism media no longer provides the final word on the day's news, thanks to the Internet."
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/071116niles/
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
This is a trend that has affected media all over the world and should be watched closely:
Fears grow at newspapers amid recent CanWest layoffs
Last Updated: Sunday, November 11, 2007 | 10:52 PM ET
The Canadian Press
Tensions are running high in CanWest newsrooms from Montreal to Vancouver in the wake of recent layoffs at the company's television stations and fears that more cuts are ahead amid an apparent push to centralize editorial operations.
"Everybody in the newsroom has received a letter with the buyout offer," said an editor at the Vancouver Sun who didn't want to be identified.
"And in the case of the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal — those are non-unionized newsrooms so the company can do whatever it wants to do in a non-union situation. People are very fearful not just about layoffs but for the industry; deskers are quite depressed about the future of newspapers in general."
CanWest, Canada's biggest media company, is defending its decision to centralize some of its television operations and lay off 200 people at local Global stations, saying it was part of an effort to make their newsrooms more "leading edge."
Buyouts have also been offered and taken at some of the chain's largest daily newspapers, including the Montreal Gazette and the Vancouver Sun and Province.
CanWest, based in Winnipeg, employed 10,645 people at the end of its 2006 fiscal year at newspaper, internet and broadcast businesses in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
"The media landscape has changed fairly dramatically and traditional newsroom structures have not evolved enough to be able to fully respond to this new 'always on' environment," Dervla Kelly, CanWest's corporate communications officer, said in an e-mail.
"Our papers are each looking at how they need to evolve their newsrooms to be more … fluid in their approach to content. Each of them are deciding locally what changes make the most sense for their paper, but a key focus for all is to look at how they can place more resources on delivering 'hyper-local' news, creating unique content, as well as place more resources focused on the web."
Contrary to fears inside CanWest newsrooms, Kelly said, the company is not centralizing its newspapers and cutting back on local coverage — the goal, in fact, is to bolster local coverage and simply defer some pagination duties to CanWest Editorial Services in Hamilton, Ont.
"This will allow them to put more focus and resources on generating content and less on packaging and moving content around. This does mean that some production-type jobs have been eliminated, but new positions have also been created that are focused on content and on the web."
Many aren't buying it, suggesting CanWest is making a dramatic attempt to prove to their debt-holders that it can afford to buy Alliance Atlantis and its array of successful specialty channels.
The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union filed a complaint with the CRTC on Friday against CanWest, saying it will be in breach of its broadcast licences if it moves ahead with plans to centralize its Global television operations without the federal agency's approval.
'Same old bugaboo'
"Why are they doing this? One reason is because they have that same old bugaboo of a lot of debt, but also on Nov. 19 they begin hearings about their purchase of Alliance Atlantis," the union's Peter Murdoch said in an interview.
"They're squeezing every which way they can in order to scrape up the change to buy Alliance Atlantis."
CanWest is only putting up 30 per cent of the money involved in the $2.3 billion Alliance Atlantis purchase. The rest is being provided by its U.S. partner, Goldman Sachs.
Centralizing news operations in an attempt to cut costs is nothing new — Quebecor has been doing it for years, for example — but it's a risky gamble for a media company, observers say.
"There are some real el-cheapo stations in the States that tried it and it was quite a flop," Rick Edmonds, media business analyst at the Poynter Institute, said in an interview from Florida.
"At the very least, newspapers and local TV stations are really the sources of local news information. They're still the strongest game in town, and usually the only game in town, and the one place where newspapers have the internet beat," Edmonds said.
Erosion of local news coverage a concern: CAJ
"Centralizing is really a dangerous experiment. The viewer or the reader is smart enough to figure out the difference between locally originated news and something that's put together at a distant point, and then you risk losing that reader or that viewer forever."
Mary Agnes Welch, president of the Canadian Association of Journalists, says her organization's members are frustrated by the lack of clear information being provided by CanWest about its future plans. A steady erosion of local news coverage is the most worrisome potential scenario, she said.
"That's our No. 1 concern," she said. "If it does shake out that there are fewer reporters in newsrooms across the country, we see that as being really detrimental for the quality of local coverage. You have to invest in good-quality journalism and it's really hard to do that when you're shrinking newsrooms."
The entire CanWest situation, others say, is symptomatic of the slow death of newspapers as media companies attempt to compete against YouTube instead of focusing on producing quality journalism.
"You'd like to think there's a breaking point, just like there was for nurses and teachers," Murdoch said. "I think at some point, journalists are going to say: 'Wait a minute, we have a real problem here in terms of own craft, our own ethics, our own standards.' And we're going to have to say and do things about it that are a little more activist than we have been in the past."
The Vancouver Sun editor said many in his newsroom are pondering taking the buyout, not because they fear they'll be laid off eventually anyway, but because of declining journalistic standards in the newspaper business.
"We were told that we're not a newspaper anymore, we're a newsroom," he said with a sigh. "We care a lot about our craft, and the standards are going out the window.
"The quality is secondary, as far as the people who are our bosses are concerned. They really don't seem to care anymore about the things that we care about. That's why people are taking the buyouts."
Fears grow at newspapers amid recent CanWest layoffs
Last Updated: Sunday, November 11, 2007 | 10:52 PM ET
The Canadian Press
Tensions are running high in CanWest newsrooms from Montreal to Vancouver in the wake of recent layoffs at the company's television stations and fears that more cuts are ahead amid an apparent push to centralize editorial operations.
"Everybody in the newsroom has received a letter with the buyout offer," said an editor at the Vancouver Sun who didn't want to be identified.
"And in the case of the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal — those are non-unionized newsrooms so the company can do whatever it wants to do in a non-union situation. People are very fearful not just about layoffs but for the industry; deskers are quite depressed about the future of newspapers in general."
CanWest, Canada's biggest media company, is defending its decision to centralize some of its television operations and lay off 200 people at local Global stations, saying it was part of an effort to make their newsrooms more "leading edge."
Buyouts have also been offered and taken at some of the chain's largest daily newspapers, including the Montreal Gazette and the Vancouver Sun and Province.
CanWest, based in Winnipeg, employed 10,645 people at the end of its 2006 fiscal year at newspaper, internet and broadcast businesses in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
"The media landscape has changed fairly dramatically and traditional newsroom structures have not evolved enough to be able to fully respond to this new 'always on' environment," Dervla Kelly, CanWest's corporate communications officer, said in an e-mail.
"Our papers are each looking at how they need to evolve their newsrooms to be more … fluid in their approach to content. Each of them are deciding locally what changes make the most sense for their paper, but a key focus for all is to look at how they can place more resources on delivering 'hyper-local' news, creating unique content, as well as place more resources focused on the web."
Contrary to fears inside CanWest newsrooms, Kelly said, the company is not centralizing its newspapers and cutting back on local coverage — the goal, in fact, is to bolster local coverage and simply defer some pagination duties to CanWest Editorial Services in Hamilton, Ont.
"This will allow them to put more focus and resources on generating content and less on packaging and moving content around. This does mean that some production-type jobs have been eliminated, but new positions have also been created that are focused on content and on the web."
Many aren't buying it, suggesting CanWest is making a dramatic attempt to prove to their debt-holders that it can afford to buy Alliance Atlantis and its array of successful specialty channels.
The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union filed a complaint with the CRTC on Friday against CanWest, saying it will be in breach of its broadcast licences if it moves ahead with plans to centralize its Global television operations without the federal agency's approval.
'Same old bugaboo'
"Why are they doing this? One reason is because they have that same old bugaboo of a lot of debt, but also on Nov. 19 they begin hearings about their purchase of Alliance Atlantis," the union's Peter Murdoch said in an interview.
"They're squeezing every which way they can in order to scrape up the change to buy Alliance Atlantis."
CanWest is only putting up 30 per cent of the money involved in the $2.3 billion Alliance Atlantis purchase. The rest is being provided by its U.S. partner, Goldman Sachs.
Centralizing news operations in an attempt to cut costs is nothing new — Quebecor has been doing it for years, for example — but it's a risky gamble for a media company, observers say.
"There are some real el-cheapo stations in the States that tried it and it was quite a flop," Rick Edmonds, media business analyst at the Poynter Institute, said in an interview from Florida.
"At the very least, newspapers and local TV stations are really the sources of local news information. They're still the strongest game in town, and usually the only game in town, and the one place where newspapers have the internet beat," Edmonds said.
Erosion of local news coverage a concern: CAJ
"Centralizing is really a dangerous experiment. The viewer or the reader is smart enough to figure out the difference between locally originated news and something that's put together at a distant point, and then you risk losing that reader or that viewer forever."
Mary Agnes Welch, president of the Canadian Association of Journalists, says her organization's members are frustrated by the lack of clear information being provided by CanWest about its future plans. A steady erosion of local news coverage is the most worrisome potential scenario, she said.
"That's our No. 1 concern," she said. "If it does shake out that there are fewer reporters in newsrooms across the country, we see that as being really detrimental for the quality of local coverage. You have to invest in good-quality journalism and it's really hard to do that when you're shrinking newsrooms."
The entire CanWest situation, others say, is symptomatic of the slow death of newspapers as media companies attempt to compete against YouTube instead of focusing on producing quality journalism.
"You'd like to think there's a breaking point, just like there was for nurses and teachers," Murdoch said. "I think at some point, journalists are going to say: 'Wait a minute, we have a real problem here in terms of own craft, our own ethics, our own standards.' And we're going to have to say and do things about it that are a little more activist than we have been in the past."
The Vancouver Sun editor said many in his newsroom are pondering taking the buyout, not because they fear they'll be laid off eventually anyway, but because of declining journalistic standards in the newspaper business.
"We were told that we're not a newspaper anymore, we're a newsroom," he said with a sigh. "We care a lot about our craft, and the standards are going out the window.
"The quality is secondary, as far as the people who are our bosses are concerned. They really don't seem to care anymore about the things that we care about. That's why people are taking the buyouts."
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
George Orwell the wonderfull strange English writer reveled to us 1984 and it did not make it at that time but has hautned us ever since, take a look at this, snoop, snoop : US Consumers Clueless About Online Tracking |
| from the just-pretend-nobody's-watching dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday November 05, @21:06 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/05/2351248 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Arashtamere writes "A study on consumer perceptions about online privacy,
undertaken by the Samuelson Clinic at the University of California and
the Annenberg Public Policy Center, found that the [0]average American
consumer is largely unaware that every move they make online can be, and
often is, tracked by online marketers and advertising networks. Those
surveyed showed little knowledge on the extent to which online tracking
is happening or how the information obtained can be used. More than half
of those surveyed — about 55 percent — falsely assumed that a company's
privacy polices prohibited it from sharing their addresses and purchases
with affiliated companies. Nearly four out of 10 online shoppers falsely
believed that a company's privacy policy prohibits it from using
information to analyze an individuals' activities online. And a similar
number assumed that an online privacy policy meant that a company they're
doing business with wouldn't collect data on their online activities and
combine it with other information to create a behavioral profile."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/11/05/2351248
Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1726527222;fp;16;fpid;1
IT'S LIKE JELLO/ JUST ADD WATER AND EVERYONE LOVES EVERYTHING
| from the just-pretend-nobody's-watching dept. |
| posted by kdawson on Monday November 05, @21:06 (Privacy) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/05/2351248 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Arashtamere writes "A study on consumer perceptions about online privacy,
undertaken by the Samuelson Clinic at the University of California and
the Annenberg Public Policy Center, found that the [0]average American
consumer is largely unaware that every move they make online can be, and
often is, tracked by online marketers and advertising networks. Those
surveyed showed little knowledge on the extent to which online tracking
is happening or how the information obtained can be used. More than half
of those surveyed — about 55 percent — falsely assumed that a company's
privacy polices prohibited it from sharing their addresses and purchases
with affiliated companies. Nearly four out of 10 online shoppers falsely
believed that a company's privacy policy prohibits it from using
information to analyze an individuals' activities online. And a similar
number assumed that an online privacy policy meant that a company they're
doing business with wouldn't collect data on their online activities and
combine it with other information to create a behavioral profile."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/11/05/2351248
Links:
0. http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1726527222;fp;16;fpid;1
IT'S LIKE JELLO/ JUST ADD WATER AND EVERYONE LOVES EVERYTHING
Thursday, November 01, 2007
What is journalism? In the U.S. a free press and journalists are protected under law so this question is an important legal one.
So this item is important in helping the definition:
-----------------------------------------------+
| Blogger Wins 1.5 Year Legal Battle |
| from the fighting-the-good-fight dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Wednesday October 31, @12:44 (Censorship) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/10/31/1624239 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]FixYourThinking writes "After nearly one and a half years of
harassment from a relentless attorney, it seems that quietly a blogger in
South Carolina has [1]won a monumental ruling in favor of bloggers. In a
summary judgement requested by the Defendant, Philip Smith was able to
obtain a special sanction after the Plaintiff attorney put a 'notice of
lien' (called lis pendens) on Smith's residence. The judge also
reprimanded the Plaintiff attorney for abusive deposition and court
procedure. The case set forth the following; 'It's not the format; it's
the content and intention that make text journalism / reporting.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/10/31/1624239
Links:
0. http://www.fixyourthinking.com/
1. http://fixyourthinking.com/2007/10/whats-been-going-on-in-last-week.html
So this item is important in helping the definition:
-----------------------------------------------+
| Blogger Wins 1.5 Year Legal Battle |
| from the fighting-the-good-fight dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Wednesday October 31, @12:44 (Censorship) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/10/31/1624239 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]FixYourThinking writes "After nearly one and a half years of
harassment from a relentless attorney, it seems that quietly a blogger in
South Carolina has [1]won a monumental ruling in favor of bloggers. In a
summary judgement requested by the Defendant, Philip Smith was able to
obtain a special sanction after the Plaintiff attorney put a 'notice of
lien' (called lis pendens) on Smith's residence. The judge also
reprimanded the Plaintiff attorney for abusive deposition and court
procedure. The case set forth the following; 'It's not the format; it's
the content and intention that make text journalism / reporting.'"
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/10/31/1624239
Links:
0. http://www.fixyourthinking.com/
1. http://fixyourthinking.com/2007/10/whats-been-going-on-in-last-week.html
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Here you go some government fake news, but they fessed up right away. How unusual.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| FEMA Sorry for Faking News Briefing |
| from the if-you-want-a-job-done-right-do-it-yourself dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Saturday October 27, @03:25 (United States) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/10/27/067235 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]theodp writes "The Federal Emergency Management Agency's No. 2
official apologized Friday for leading a staged news conference Tuesday
[1]in which FEMA employees posed as reporters. All the while, real
reporters listened on a telephone conference line and were barred from
asking questions. In the briefing, Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson Jr.,
FEMA's deputy administrator, called on questioners who did not disclose
that they were FEMA employees, and gave replies emphasizing that his
agency's response to this week's California wildfires was far better than
its response to Hurricane Katrina in August 2005."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/10/27/067235
Links:
0. mailto:theodp@aol.com
1. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-102507-femabriefing,1,272790.story
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| FEMA Sorry for Faking News Briefing |
| from the if-you-want-a-job-done-right-do-it-yourself dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Saturday October 27, @03:25 (United States) |
| http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/10/27/067235 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]theodp writes "The Federal Emergency Management Agency's No. 2
official apologized Friday for leading a staged news conference Tuesday
[1]in which FEMA employees posed as reporters. All the while, real
reporters listened on a telephone conference line and were barred from
asking questions. In the briefing, Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson Jr.,
FEMA's deputy administrator, called on questioners who did not disclose
that they were FEMA employees, and gave replies emphasizing that his
agency's response to this week's California wildfires was far better than
its response to Hurricane Katrina in August 2005."
Discuss this story at:
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/10/27/067235
Links:
0. mailto:theodp@aol.com
1. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-102507-femabriefing,1,272790.story
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Here is an example of Grist for you to look at. A free subscription to the news letter gives you one of these everyday with color pictures:
Forward to a friend | View in browser | Search Grist | Sent to carsurf@dragon.email.ne.jp (change / unsubscribe)
ADVERTISEMENT
TOP STORY
Those Who Repeat the Past Are Doomed to Know It
Study of fossil record predicts climate change could fuel mass extinction
Climate change may fuel a mass extinction in which half of all plant and animal species could -- how to put this delicately? -- exit stage left, according to a new study. If the past 520 million years of fossil records are any predictor of the future, a globally warmed world will not bode well for biodiversity, researchers found. "We found that over the fossil record as a whole, the higher the temperatures have been, the higher the extinctions have been," said University of York ecologist Peter Mayhew. The study also found that four of five of the world's mass extinctions occurred when the Earth was significantly warmer, and that in cooler times, biodiversity tends to be higher. Researchers warned that the Earth is on track to hit temperatures similar to the higher, extinction-correlated ones in about 100 years or so.
[ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ]
sources: Associated Press, The Guardian, The Guardian
TODAY'S NEWS
Char for the Course
California wildfires continue to rage
In case you haven't heard, there are some crazy fires going down in Southern California. As of this morning, some 420,000 acres have burned, igniting more than 1,500 structures, including some 1,150 homes. An estimated 700,000 people have been evacuated; six deaths have been linked to the blazes. About 15 different fires are still burning. The White House has declared a state of emergency, and health officials are urging children, the elderly, and the sick to stay indoors to avoid breathing in soot particles. Guess we'll get an answer to the question we posed last year: "Could a Western wildfire be the country's next Katrina?" But, really, we meant it rhetorically.
[ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ]
sources: Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times map of the fires
see also, in Grist: Climate change making wildfires worse, study finds, Wildfires are raging -- why isn't concern about climate change?
Your Place, or Mine?
Mining-law reform bill could change rules for mines on public land
Just 135 years after its enactment, environmentalists and fiscal conservatives may finally have a shot at reforming an antiquated U.S. law that lets mining companies dig up minerals and precious metals on public lands without paying royalties nor being responsible for post-dig cleanups. A bill to change the 1872 General Mining Law passed the House Natural Resources Committee this week and could soon go up for a vote in the House. The legislation would force companies with existing claims on federal land to pay a 4 percent royalty on minerals extracted; new mines would have to pay 8 percent. Collected fees would go toward mine cleanup -- two-thirds of the total is slated for clean up of already-existing environmental damage, and one-third would go to local communities affected by mining operations. However, even if the bill passes the House relatively intact, it faces a tough battle in the Senate where majority leader Harry Reid (D), from mine-lovin' Nevada, opposes meaningful reform of the 1872 law.
[ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ]
sources: Time, Associated Press
straight to the bill: Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007
see also, in Grist: Legislation introduced to overhaul ancient mining law
see also, in Gristmill: Reid gears up to defend stupid mining law
Kit Farcin'
Home lead-testing kits unreliable, says study
If you rushed out to buy a home lead-testing kit when all of Junior's toys were recalled, hope you saved the receipt: a new study says that over-the-counter kits, usually used to test paint, aren't reliable for playthings. The Consumer Product Safety Commission put 104 kits to the test and found that 56 failed to detect lead in toys, while two overachievers warned of the heavy metal where it didn't exist. Concludes the CPSC, "Based on the study, consumers should not use lead test kits to evaluate consumer products for potential lead hazards."
[ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ]
sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, CBC News, The News-Times
Assuming There Will Be a Future, Of Course
New report makes suggestions for sustainable energy future
Coal is the enemy of the human race, but don't take our word for it: 15 national science academies pooh-pooh the evil black rock in their new report "Lighting the Way: Toward a Sustainable Energy Future." The report also rah-rahs solar and wind power and energy efficiency, and is warily supportive of nuclear energy and cellulosic biofuels.
[ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ]
sources: The New York Times, Agence France-Presse
straight to the report: Lighting the Way: Toward a Sustainable Energy Future
Doing the Hunt Work
Fewer hunters mean less funding for conservation, states find
Many states are lamenting the declining population of a valuable species: the American hunter. Funds from hunting licenses and fees are generally directed to wildlife conservation; while the need to maintain habitat for wild critters isn't going to go away anytime soon, the number of sportsfolk in the U.S. has declined by some 35 percent since 1975. States are taking measures to boost hunter populations, including allowing novice adults to try hunting without a license, shortening safety courses, and, in Oregon, instituting a Mentored Youth Hunter Program. We hear Dick Cheney's application to be a mentor was, sadly, denied.
[ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ]
source: USA Today
Read more news ...
GRIST COLUMNS AND FEATURES
Stories from the Forgotten Coast
With the Katrina-anniversary media gone, the hard work continues
It's been two years since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, and two months since the press descended on the area in a breathless storm-anniversary frenzy. But what goes on when the cameras go off? Today we talk with four people who are patiently working to rebuild their communities, finding out what they've lost -- and what they still hope to gain.
[ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ]
new in Grist: With the Katrina-anniversary media gone, the hard work continues
Wash and Dry
On dishwashing and droughts
Q. Dear Umbra,
I recently had a wedding shower for a dear niece and invited many women relatives. I decided to forgo convenience and served everything on beautiful plates, no paper plates, no plastic silverware, no plastic cups. It was lovely, and it felt more environmentally correct than usual family gatherings which create a mountain of garbage ... Then as we washed and dishwashed everything, I thought about the water restrictions in Georgia. We are experiencing a drought of historic proportions -- so is it better to contribute to the landfill or use the water for washing dishes?
Perplexed in Georgia
A. Dearest Perplexed,
Sadly, because of the drought, there is a clear answer to guide your immediate future ...
Read the rest of Umbra's answer.
[ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ]
new in Grist: On dishwashing and droughts
Forward to a friend | View in browser | Search Grist | Sent to carsurf@dragon.email.ne.jp (change / unsubscribe)
ADVERTISEMENT
TOP STORY
Those Who Repeat the Past Are Doomed to Know It
Study of fossil record predicts climate change could fuel mass extinction
Climate change may fuel a mass extinction in which half of all plant and animal species could -- how to put this delicately? -- exit stage left, according to a new study. If the past 520 million years of fossil records are any predictor of the future, a globally warmed world will not bode well for biodiversity, researchers found. "We found that over the fossil record as a whole, the higher the temperatures have been, the higher the extinctions have been," said University of York ecologist Peter Mayhew. The study also found that four of five of the world's mass extinctions occurred when the Earth was significantly warmer, and that in cooler times, biodiversity tends to be higher. Researchers warned that the Earth is on track to hit temperatures similar to the higher, extinction-correlated ones in about 100 years or so.
[ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ]
sources: Associated Press, The Guardian, The Guardian
TODAY'S NEWS
Char for the Course
California wildfires continue to rage
In case you haven't heard, there are some crazy fires going down in Southern California. As of this morning, some 420,000 acres have burned, igniting more than 1,500 structures, including some 1,150 homes. An estimated 700,000 people have been evacuated; six deaths have been linked to the blazes. About 15 different fires are still burning. The White House has declared a state of emergency, and health officials are urging children, the elderly, and the sick to stay indoors to avoid breathing in soot particles. Guess we'll get an answer to the question we posed last year: "Could a Western wildfire be the country's next Katrina?" But, really, we meant it rhetorically.
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sources: Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times map of the fires
see also, in Grist: Climate change making wildfires worse, study finds, Wildfires are raging -- why isn't concern about climate change?
Your Place, or Mine?
Mining-law reform bill could change rules for mines on public land
Just 135 years after its enactment, environmentalists and fiscal conservatives may finally have a shot at reforming an antiquated U.S. law that lets mining companies dig up minerals and precious metals on public lands without paying royalties nor being responsible for post-dig cleanups. A bill to change the 1872 General Mining Law passed the House Natural Resources Committee this week and could soon go up for a vote in the House. The legislation would force companies with existing claims on federal land to pay a 4 percent royalty on minerals extracted; new mines would have to pay 8 percent. Collected fees would go toward mine cleanup -- two-thirds of the total is slated for clean up of already-existing environmental damage, and one-third would go to local communities affected by mining operations. However, even if the bill passes the House relatively intact, it faces a tough battle in the Senate where majority leader Harry Reid (D), from mine-lovin' Nevada, opposes meaningful reform of the 1872 law.
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sources: Time, Associated Press
straight to the bill: Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007
see also, in Grist: Legislation introduced to overhaul ancient mining law
see also, in Gristmill: Reid gears up to defend stupid mining law
Kit Farcin'
Home lead-testing kits unreliable, says study
If you rushed out to buy a home lead-testing kit when all of Junior's toys were recalled, hope you saved the receipt: a new study says that over-the-counter kits, usually used to test paint, aren't reliable for playthings. The Consumer Product Safety Commission put 104 kits to the test and found that 56 failed to detect lead in toys, while two overachievers warned of the heavy metal where it didn't exist. Concludes the CPSC, "Based on the study, consumers should not use lead test kits to evaluate consumer products for potential lead hazards."
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sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, CBC News, The News-Times
Assuming There Will Be a Future, Of Course
New report makes suggestions for sustainable energy future
Coal is the enemy of the human race, but don't take our word for it: 15 national science academies pooh-pooh the evil black rock in their new report "Lighting the Way: Toward a Sustainable Energy Future." The report also rah-rahs solar and wind power and energy efficiency, and is warily supportive of nuclear energy and cellulosic biofuels.
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sources: The New York Times, Agence France-Presse
straight to the report: Lighting the Way: Toward a Sustainable Energy Future
Doing the Hunt Work
Fewer hunters mean less funding for conservation, states find
Many states are lamenting the declining population of a valuable species: the American hunter. Funds from hunting licenses and fees are generally directed to wildlife conservation; while the need to maintain habitat for wild critters isn't going to go away anytime soon, the number of sportsfolk in the U.S. has declined by some 35 percent since 1975. States are taking measures to boost hunter populations, including allowing novice adults to try hunting without a license, shortening safety courses, and, in Oregon, instituting a Mentored Youth Hunter Program. We hear Dick Cheney's application to be a mentor was, sadly, denied.
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source: USA Today
Read more news ...
GRIST COLUMNS AND FEATURES
Stories from the Forgotten Coast
With the Katrina-anniversary media gone, the hard work continues
It's been two years since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, and two months since the press descended on the area in a breathless storm-anniversary frenzy. But what goes on when the cameras go off? Today we talk with four people who are patiently working to rebuild their communities, finding out what they've lost -- and what they still hope to gain.
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new in Grist: With the Katrina-anniversary media gone, the hard work continues
Wash and Dry
On dishwashing and droughts
Q. Dear Umbra,
I recently had a wedding shower for a dear niece and invited many women relatives. I decided to forgo convenience and served everything on beautiful plates, no paper plates, no plastic silverware, no plastic cups. It was lovely, and it felt more environmentally correct than usual family gatherings which create a mountain of garbage ... Then as we washed and dishwashed everything, I thought about the water restrictions in Georgia. We are experiencing a drought of historic proportions -- so is it better to contribute to the landfill or use the water for washing dishes?
Perplexed in Georgia
A. Dearest Perplexed,
Sadly, because of the drought, there is a clear answer to guide your immediate future ...
Read the rest of Umbra's answer.
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new in Grist: On dishwashing and droughts
Sunday, October 21, 2007
WORLDWIDE PRESS FREEDOM INDEX 2007
Eritrea ranked last for first time while G8 members, except Russia, recover lost ground
Bloggers now threatened as much as journalists in traditional media
Eritrea has replaced North Korea in last place in an index measuring the level of press freedom in 169 countries throughout the world that is published today by Reporters Without Borders for the sixth year running.
“There is nothing surprising about this,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Even if we are not aware of all the press freedom violations in North Korea and Turkmenistan, which are second and third from last, Eritrea deserves to be at the bottom. The privately-owned press has been banished by the authoritarian President Issaias Afeworki and the few journalists who dare to criticise the regime are thrown in prison. We know that four of them have died in detention and we have every reason to fear that others will suffer the same fate.”
Outside Europe - in which the top 14 countries are located - no region of the world has been spared censorship or violence towards journalists.
Of the 20 countries at the bottom of the index, seven are Asian (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Laos, Vietnam, China, Burma, and North Korea), five are African (Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Somalia and Eritrea), four are in the Middle East (Syria, Iraq, Palestinian Territories and Iran), three are former Soviet republics (Belarus, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) and one is in the Americas (Cuba).
Eritrea ranked last for first time while G8 members, except Russia, recover lost ground
Bloggers now threatened as much as journalists in traditional media
Eritrea has replaced North Korea in last place in an index measuring the level of press freedom in 169 countries throughout the world that is published today by Reporters Without Borders for the sixth year running.
“There is nothing surprising about this,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Even if we are not aware of all the press freedom violations in North Korea and Turkmenistan, which are second and third from last, Eritrea deserves to be at the bottom. The privately-owned press has been banished by the authoritarian President Issaias Afeworki and the few journalists who dare to criticise the regime are thrown in prison. We know that four of them have died in detention and we have every reason to fear that others will suffer the same fate.”
Outside Europe - in which the top 14 countries are located - no region of the world has been spared censorship or violence towards journalists.
Of the 20 countries at the bottom of the index, seven are Asian (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Laos, Vietnam, China, Burma, and North Korea), five are African (Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Somalia and Eritrea), four are in the Middle East (Syria, Iraq, Palestinian Territories and Iran), three are former Soviet republics (Belarus, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) and one is in the Americas (Cuba).
Infowar: strike early, strike often:
The Washington Post has a timely article about the psychology of believing news reports, even when they've been retracted - suggesting that if false information is presented early, it is more likely to be believed, while subsequent attempts to correct the information may, in fact, strengthen the false impression.
The article starts with results from a study [pdf] by psychologist Norbert Schwarz who looked at the effect of a government flier that attempted to correct myths about the flu vaccine by marking them 'true' or 'false'.
Unfortunately, the flier actually boosted people's belief in the false information, probably because we tend to think information is more likely to be true the more we hear it.
Negating a statement seems just to emphasise the initial point. The additional correction seems to get lost amid the noise.
One particularly pertinent study [pdf] not mentioned in the article, looked at the effect of retractions of false news reports made during the 2003 Iraq War on American, German and Australian participants.
For example, claims that Iraqi forces executed coalition prisoners of war after they surrendered were retracted the day after the claims were made.
The study found that the American participants' belief in the truth of an initial news report was not affected by knowledge of its subsequent retraction.
In contrast, knowing about a retraction was likely to significantly reduce belief in the initial report for Germans and Australians.
The researchers note that people are more likely to discount information if they are suspicious of the motives behind its dissemination.
The Americans rated themselves as more likely to agree with the official line that the war was to 'destroy weapons of mass destruction', whereas the Australian and German participants rated this as far less convincing.
This suggests that there may have been an element of 'motivated reasoning' in evaluating news reports.
Research has shown that this only occurs when there's sufficient information available to create a justification for the decision, even when the information is irrelevant to the main issue.
There's a wonderful example of this explained here, in relation to men's judgements about the safety of sex with HIV+ women of varying degrees of attractiveness.
So, if you want your propaganda to be effective get it in early, repeat it, give people reasons to be believe it (however irrelevant), and make yourself seem trustworthy.
As I'm sure these principles are already widely known among government and commercial PR departments, bear them in mind when evaluating public information.
Link to Washington Post article on the persistence of myths.
pdf of study 'Memory for Fact, Fiction, and Misinformation' in the Iraq war.
Link to info on motivated reasoning and example.
The Washington Post has a timely article about the psychology of believing news reports, even when they've been retracted - suggesting that if false information is presented early, it is more likely to be believed, while subsequent attempts to correct the information may, in fact, strengthen the false impression.
The article starts with results from a study [pdf] by psychologist Norbert Schwarz who looked at the effect of a government flier that attempted to correct myths about the flu vaccine by marking them 'true' or 'false'.
Unfortunately, the flier actually boosted people's belief in the false information, probably because we tend to think information is more likely to be true the more we hear it.
Negating a statement seems just to emphasise the initial point. The additional correction seems to get lost amid the noise.
One particularly pertinent study [pdf] not mentioned in the article, looked at the effect of retractions of false news reports made during the 2003 Iraq War on American, German and Australian participants.
For example, claims that Iraqi forces executed coalition prisoners of war after they surrendered were retracted the day after the claims were made.
The study found that the American participants' belief in the truth of an initial news report was not affected by knowledge of its subsequent retraction.
In contrast, knowing about a retraction was likely to significantly reduce belief in the initial report for Germans and Australians.
The researchers note that people are more likely to discount information if they are suspicious of the motives behind its dissemination.
The Americans rated themselves as more likely to agree with the official line that the war was to 'destroy weapons of mass destruction', whereas the Australian and German participants rated this as far less convincing.
This suggests that there may have been an element of 'motivated reasoning' in evaluating news reports.
Research has shown that this only occurs when there's sufficient information available to create a justification for the decision, even when the information is irrelevant to the main issue.
There's a wonderful example of this explained here, in relation to men's judgements about the safety of sex with HIV+ women of varying degrees of attractiveness.
So, if you want your propaganda to be effective get it in early, repeat it, give people reasons to be believe it (however irrelevant), and make yourself seem trustworthy.
As I'm sure these principles are already widely known among government and commercial PR departments, bear them in mind when evaluating public information.
Link to Washington Post article on the persistence of myths.
pdf of study 'Memory for Fact, Fiction, and Misinformation' in the Iraq war.
Link to info on motivated reasoning and example.
You could actually do this and get some extra credit as well:
Join the conversation between Times journalists and other
travelers like you. Share reviews of places you've visited.
Write a review online today!
http://ads.nyt.com/th.ad/nl-2007housedefault_text/travel031207/?_RM_REDIR_=http://travel.nytimes.com/
Join the conversation between Times journalists and other
travelers like you. Share reviews of places you've visited.
Write a review online today!
http://ads.nyt.com/th.ad/nl-2007housedefault_text/travel031207/?_RM_REDIR_=http://travel.nytimes.com/
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Here is an idea that was been around for a while but is taking on more significance -however in Japan we have a different story:
When Do You Stop The Presses?
Why the San Francisco Chronicle is a candidate to exit print
Play with me on this one: Which major American newspaper should be the first to throw up its hands and stop publishing a print product?
It's a question worth asking. This could be the worst year for newspapers since the Great Depression. The double-digit revenue declines long forecast by doomsters have arrived. While nearly all the major papers still post profits, albeit smaller than before, a few prominent ones are losing boatloads. At Hearst Newspapers' San Francisco Chronicle, according to a deposition given by James M. Asher, the company's chief legal and business development officer, losses of $330 million piled up between mid-2000 and September, 2006, better—or should I say worse?—than $1 million a week. During negotiations with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's unions, the owning Block family disclosed that the paper lost $20 million in 2006. Late last year, The Boston Globe was headed for unprofitability as well, according to The Wall Street Journal.
And 2007 does not look materially kinder than 2006 for any of these papers. One senior executive describes the climate like this: "If you told me 24 months ago that revenues would be declining as much as they are today, I'd say you were smoking dope." Print newspapers require maintaining a costly status quo—paper, presses, trucks, and mail rooms—that, if only through rising gas prices, will only get more expensive.
WHEN, EXACTLY, do you junk something that no longer works? And which major paper should go first—not today, but within the next 18 or 24 months?
San Francisco Chronicle, I'm looking at you.
Killing printrequires acknowledging not just that the old mode is dead but also that the future means less revenue and shrunken staffs. This is why it makes sense soonest at a money-losing newspaper already grappling with those realities, and one in a major city that generates enough local ad dollars to support a sizable online business.
On paper, San Francisco is perfect: a Web-centric town, a cash-drain daily, and private ownership. Which does not mean this will happen. San Francisco is the ancestral home of the Hearst empire, the birthplace of William Randolph Hearst and the town where he ran his first paper. It could be hard for Hearst to consider the move on those grounds alone. (In Asher's deposition, though, he said Hearst briefly considered selling the Chronicle in 2005.)
There are attractions to the way things are today. The Chronicle claims 265,000 weekday subscribers and sells a year's worth of home delivery for $138. Even if you assume that discount offers bring the average subscription price to $90, that's still $23.9 million a year—not an ungodly sum, but one that nervous executives are probably loath to kiss off forever. (Distribution costs, of course, mean those dollars don't appear for free.) But what's more relevant, at least today, is that advertisers still pay more for ads in the newspaper than on the Web site. "Even if you double or triple it, the revenue [online] just isn't there yet," argues one top executive.
This is why the papers dream about getting consumers to pay for digital or online content. But water has had a hard time finding a way up that hill.
Executives might be better off wondering at what point the Globe's Boston.com or the Chronicle's sfgate.com—with unassailable market positions, excellent editorial, and massive traffic—will be worth more as a solo digital play than attached to a print newspaper. Or whether going all-in on digital might make their market's ad dollars flow there more quickly, especially if they're the only major paper in town. Or that a paper could buy tons of unsold local ad inventory from the likes of MySpace and Yahoo! (YHOO ), and then resell it profitably through its veteran sales force.
All of this requires big thinking—and spending enough to create networks of local sites and a giant local portal. And it will take a brave man or woman to pull the plug on the presses.
It almost takes a William Randolph Hearst.
For Jon Fine's blog on media and advertising, go to www.businessweek.com/innovate/FineOnMedia
When Do You Stop The Presses?
Why the San Francisco Chronicle is a candidate to exit print
Play with me on this one: Which major American newspaper should be the first to throw up its hands and stop publishing a print product?
It's a question worth asking. This could be the worst year for newspapers since the Great Depression. The double-digit revenue declines long forecast by doomsters have arrived. While nearly all the major papers still post profits, albeit smaller than before, a few prominent ones are losing boatloads. At Hearst Newspapers' San Francisco Chronicle, according to a deposition given by James M. Asher, the company's chief legal and business development officer, losses of $330 million piled up between mid-2000 and September, 2006, better—or should I say worse?—than $1 million a week. During negotiations with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's unions, the owning Block family disclosed that the paper lost $20 million in 2006. Late last year, The Boston Globe was headed for unprofitability as well, according to The Wall Street Journal.
And 2007 does not look materially kinder than 2006 for any of these papers. One senior executive describes the climate like this: "If you told me 24 months ago that revenues would be declining as much as they are today, I'd say you were smoking dope." Print newspapers require maintaining a costly status quo—paper, presses, trucks, and mail rooms—that, if only through rising gas prices, will only get more expensive.
WHEN, EXACTLY, do you junk something that no longer works? And which major paper should go first—not today, but within the next 18 or 24 months?
San Francisco Chronicle, I'm looking at you.
Killing printrequires acknowledging not just that the old mode is dead but also that the future means less revenue and shrunken staffs. This is why it makes sense soonest at a money-losing newspaper already grappling with those realities, and one in a major city that generates enough local ad dollars to support a sizable online business.
On paper, San Francisco is perfect: a Web-centric town, a cash-drain daily, and private ownership. Which does not mean this will happen. San Francisco is the ancestral home of the Hearst empire, the birthplace of William Randolph Hearst and the town where he ran his first paper. It could be hard for Hearst to consider the move on those grounds alone. (In Asher's deposition, though, he said Hearst briefly considered selling the Chronicle in 2005.)
There are attractions to the way things are today. The Chronicle claims 265,000 weekday subscribers and sells a year's worth of home delivery for $138. Even if you assume that discount offers bring the average subscription price to $90, that's still $23.9 million a year—not an ungodly sum, but one that nervous executives are probably loath to kiss off forever. (Distribution costs, of course, mean those dollars don't appear for free.) But what's more relevant, at least today, is that advertisers still pay more for ads in the newspaper than on the Web site. "Even if you double or triple it, the revenue [online] just isn't there yet," argues one top executive.
This is why the papers dream about getting consumers to pay for digital or online content. But water has had a hard time finding a way up that hill.
Executives might be better off wondering at what point the Globe's Boston.com or the Chronicle's sfgate.com—with unassailable market positions, excellent editorial, and massive traffic—will be worth more as a solo digital play than attached to a print newspaper. Or whether going all-in on digital might make their market's ad dollars flow there more quickly, especially if they're the only major paper in town. Or that a paper could buy tons of unsold local ad inventory from the likes of MySpace and Yahoo! (YHOO ), and then resell it profitably through its veteran sales force.
All of this requires big thinking—and spending enough to create networks of local sites and a giant local portal. And it will take a brave man or woman to pull the plug on the presses.
It almost takes a William Randolph Hearst.
For Jon Fine's blog on media and advertising, go to www.businessweek.com/innovate/FineOnMedia
Friday, July 06, 2007
I've been working with Gabcast and I think it is just to hard for you to figure out. So don't worry about it. We will talk about the video stuff on Monday. Please bring your video reprots. I had said that I would give them back to you but was hoping that I could keep them if that is all right with you. Clark
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Nothing on Gabcast yet but will be getting to it sometime today. Wanted you to read this though:
And finally: the war
Our pick-and-mix culture means that viewers, not broadcasters, will decide future TV news schedules
Mark Lawson
Friday July 6, 2007
The Guardian
Following two reports this week on audience loss of confidence in broadcast news, it's likely that future media historians will look back in wonder at examples of the "and finally" item which traditionally ended ITN's News at Ten. This jaunty story - an unusually musical domestic pet, an actress's unwise choice of upper clothing - was offered as reward and relief, like a sorbet at the end of a meal of strong meat.
But the convention of the playful payoff revealed two assumptions about television journalism: that the audience would sit attentively through a whole bulletin; and that there was a league of seriousness for news stories, in which war, murder, mortgages and cancer research were placed before sport, which in turn was ranked ahead of jokes.
Even now, a key part of interviews for jobs in TV and radio news asks the would-be employee to construct a "running order" for a programme from a list of notional items. Is a stabbing in Solihull more important than a massacre in Africa? Does a movie star's aversion to underwear matter more than a scheme to get under-12s reading?
In the last five years, the correct answers in these interviews have sharply changed. The ambitious applicant would be sensible to avoid the suggestion that exposed celebrity genitalia are inherently less noteworthy than starving Ethiopians. The tradition of "and finally" items lapsed partly because, these days, what might once have been a light signoff could easily be leading the headlines
And finally: the war
Our pick-and-mix culture means that viewers, not broadcasters, will decide future TV news schedules
Mark Lawson
Friday July 6, 2007
The Guardian
Following two reports this week on audience loss of confidence in broadcast news, it's likely that future media historians will look back in wonder at examples of the "and finally" item which traditionally ended ITN's News at Ten. This jaunty story - an unusually musical domestic pet, an actress's unwise choice of upper clothing - was offered as reward and relief, like a sorbet at the end of a meal of strong meat.
But the convention of the playful payoff revealed two assumptions about television journalism: that the audience would sit attentively through a whole bulletin; and that there was a league of seriousness for news stories, in which war, murder, mortgages and cancer research were placed before sport, which in turn was ranked ahead of jokes.
Even now, a key part of interviews for jobs in TV and radio news asks the would-be employee to construct a "running order" for a programme from a list of notional items. Is a stabbing in Solihull more important than a massacre in Africa? Does a movie star's aversion to underwear matter more than a scheme to get under-12s reading?
In the last five years, the correct answers in these interviews have sharply changed. The ambitious applicant would be sensible to avoid the suggestion that exposed celebrity genitalia are inherently less noteworthy than starving Ethiopians. The tradition of "and finally" items lapsed partly because, these days, what might once have been a light signoff could easily be leading the headlines
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Pod cast for this week. A challenge to make a radio report and then send the sound file to me as an e-mail attachment. It should be between 30-90 seconds. Due noon Saturday. Also no regular class next week as Monday will be the Asahi Shinbum tour. We will meet in front of the Asahi building in Tsuji at 12:50 as the tour starts at 1 and we have to be there five minutes early. See you there. Good Luck. Clark
Monday, June 04, 2007
Here is a news story from the New York Times:Fighting in Lebanese Refugee Camp Spreads
By HASSAN M. FATTAH
The official death toll from the two-week conflict reached
110, including 44 soldiers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/04/world/middleeast/04lebanon.html?th&emc=th
NOW FOR 20 EXTRA BONUS POINTS WHAT IS THE REAL STORY HERE? AND..WHY IS IT IMPORTANT!
Your assignment for this week is to write a sports or game story or a combination of them both. Deadline is Noon (12 o'clock) Saturday.
By HASSAN M. FATTAH
The official death toll from the two-week conflict reached
110, including 44 soldiers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/04/world/middleeast/04lebanon.html?th&emc=th
NOW FOR 20 EXTRA BONUS POINTS WHAT IS THE REAL STORY HERE? AND..WHY IS IT IMPORTANT!
Your assignment for this week is to write a sports or game story or a combination of them both. Deadline is Noon (12 o'clock) Saturday.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
OK this weeks blog is very long. Your assignment this week is to find a story or advertisment in Japanese that has spin. Which means it has a planned slant or often angle which makes something bad look good. Propaganda in other words. You should translate the article and point out what the spin is. I'm going to show you some examples. This is the Weekly Spin and newsletter published by the Centre for Media and Democracy:
The Weekly Spin, May 30, 2007
Blog Postings
Democratic Spin Won't End the War in Iraq
by John Stauber
After several months of empty posturing against the war in Iraq, politicians in Washington have made what Democratic congressman James P. Moran called a "concession to reality" by agreeing to give President Bush virtually everything he wanted in funding and unrestricted license to continue waging the increasingly detested war that has made Bush the most unpopular president since Richard Nixon.
This is the outcome that we warned against two months ago when we wrote "Why Won't MoveOn Move Forward?" In it, we criticized MoveOn for backpedaling on its previously claimed objective of ending the war in Iraq immediately. Anti-war sentiment was the main factor behind last year's elections that brought Democrats to power in both houses of Congress. Once in power, however, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed through a "compromise" bill, supported by MoveOn, that offered $124 billion in supplemental funding for the war. To make it sound like they were voting for peace, the Democrats threw in a few non-binding benchmarks asking Bush to certify progress in Iraq, coupled with language that talked about withdrawing troops next year.
Read the rest of this item
Be a Citizen Journalist
New Participatory Project: Covering the 2008 Congressional Elections (U.S.)
Source: Congresspedia
Update: It's early, but the campaigns for the primaries of the 2008 congressional elections are starting to heat up, especially on the Democratic side, with everyone from Dennis Kucinich to Albert Wynn to Robert Wexler facing primary challenges. Please help out your fellow citizens by pitching in on this Congresspedia project to cover the campaigns and candidates of both the primary and general elections for Congress in 2008.
The Congresspedia staff editors will be kicking off a project soon to provide voters with comprehensive information on the congressional elections next year, including profiles on each candidate on the ballot in both the primary and general elections. More than 2/3 of the members of Congress hail from "safe" districts or states that overwhelmingly vote for one party, meaning that for most voters the primary election or caucus is the only way to hold them accountable. Before we get started on the profiles, however, we need to figure out when each state will be holding their primaries and when their ballots will be officially released. No one knows this better than you, the people who actually live there.
Please join us in helping your fellow citizens become educated voters by letting us know when those dates are. We've got an article set up on Congresspedia with spaces for every state. For many states we already found out which month they finalize their ballots, but we need to know the specific day and other information. You may need to dig around a bit on the websites of your state election authority or parties or even give them a call. If you do find any useful websites, please enter them under your state's entry so other citizen journalists can utilize them later.
If this is your first time editing, you can register as a SourceWatch volunteer editor here , and learn more about adding information to the site here and here. Have fun, and thanks for your help!
Comment on this item
Spin of the Day Postings
Nuclear Greenwashing
Source: San Francisco Bay Guardian, May 29, 2007
Professional Greenpeace turncoat Patrick Moore is going around with a slide show that "isn't as slick as Al Gore's," writes Amanda Witherell, promoting nuclear power as a safe, clean, reliable and emissions-free solution to global warming. Witherell discusses the role that the Nuclear Energy Institute and PR firm Hill and Knowlton have played in creating Moore's "Clean and Safe Energy Coalition" and takes a critical look at some of the factoids in his presentation, such as his claim that nuclear power plants could withstand a direct hit from a jetliner without breaching radioactive contamination.
Comment on this item
Australian Government Revokes Critic's Tax Status
Source: Sydney Morning Herald, May 30, 2007
A watchdog group that criticized the social and environmental failings of the Australian government's overseas aid policies has been stripped of its charitable tax status. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) informed Aid/Watch that it had lost it tax-deductible gift status because it was "trying to procure changes in Australia's aid and development programs". The ATO took exception to Aid/Watch urging supporters to write to the Government to put pressure on the Burmese military dictatorship and raising concerns about the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement. Dr Clive Hamilton, the Executive Director of The Australia Institute and co-editor of the book Silencing Dissent, believes the decision is also aimed at curtailing advocacy groups' election year campaigns. "A very clear message is being sent, especially in the lead-up to the next election, that the Government will crack down on non-government organisations it doesn't like," he said.
Comment on this item
Nigerian Election Good For U.S. Consultants
Source: The Hill, May 30, 2007
Joe Trippi
In a report filed with the U.S. Department of Justice, netroots guru Joe Trippi, who made his name advising Howard Dean's 2004 campaign on new media strategy, discloses he was paid $20,000 to advise former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the recent Nigerian elections. Abubakar, who also hired PR giant Hill & Knowlton and the James Mintz Group, lost the election to former President Olusegun Obasanjo's anointed successor, Umaru Yar'Adua. "Essentially, the text-messaging campaign said, 'Democracy is at risk right now with Obasanjo, do not let them take the election,' that sort of thing," Trippi told The Hill. An election monitoring group described the election as "a charade." The latest filings also reveal that since April 2006, Goodworks International, a PR firm co-founded by Andrew Young, was paid $500,000 by the government of Nigeria. Part of Goodworks strategy was to promote "the democratic election in Nigeria."
Comment on this item
Unhealthy Secrecy
Source: CanWest News Service, May 28, 2007
The chairperson of the Best Medicines Coalition (BMC), Louise Binder, recently appeared before the Canadian parliament's health committee to argue the case for patients gaining access to newer and more expensive drugs. When asked who funded BMC, Binder told the committee that half its funding came from the government agency, Health Canada, and the remainder was from the drug industry. However, CanWest News Service reports that the group receives all of its C$250,000 budget from the drug industry. (The Health Canada grant was in the preceding year.) Binder told CanWest reporter Carly Weeks that she would disclose funders it if she considered it "relevant." But she said, "I don't think it is." Alan Cassels, a drug-policy researcher at the University of Victoria, disagrees: "They don't have a disinterested position about the benefits or harms related to the drugs and they will maintain a position that's very much in their funder's interests."
Comment on this item
Muslims Don't Trust U.S.
Source: U.S. News & World Report, May 23, 2007
An in-depth poll of Muslim countries has found that large majorities believe undermining Islam is a key goal of U.S. foreign policy. Most want U.S. military forces out of the Middle East, and many approve of attacks on U.S. troops there. "While U.S. leaders may frame the conflict as a war on terrorism, people in the Islamic world clearly perceive the U.S. as being at war with Islam," said Steven Kull, editor of WorldPublicOpinion.org. However, respondents strongly oppose attacks on civilians. Large majorities approve of many of al Qaeda's principal goals, but believe its violence against civilians is "violating the principles of Islam."
Comment on this item
EPA Screens Have Gaping Holes, Warn Scientists
Source: Dallas Morning News, May 27, 2007
Will it be "one of the most comprehensive screening programs ever to check whether chemicals can disrupt human hormones" or "a misleading $76 million waste"? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program, which is slated to begin tests in 2008, is already controversial. Some scientists are warning that the program will: use "a breed of rat that is relatively insensitive to several known hormone-disrupting chemicals"; feed the rats a soy-based chow containing natural hormone disruptors that may complicate test results; pay little attention to prenatal chemical exposure; test a too-high dosage range; and possibly allow "chemical companies to tailor certain aspects of the tests." The EPA counters that the program was developed "in an open manner to protect it from special interests," and that "it is not worried" about chemical industry involvement. Indeed, the EPA shaped the screening program with input "from people who may have financial interest in the outcome of the tests," using data from the American Chemistry Council and a toxicologist who works as an industry consultant.
Comment on this item
What's Fair in Coverage of RCTV Shutdown?
Source: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), May 25, 2007
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) is criticizing U.S. news media for presenting Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez's non-renewal of the television station RCTV's broadcast license "as a simple matter of censorship." FAIR points out that "RCTV and other commercial TV stations were key players in the April 2002 coup that briefly ousted Chavez's democratically elected government." Moreover, "the Venezuelan government is basing its denial of license on RCTV's involvement in the 2002 coup, not on the station's criticisms of or political opposition to the government." BBC News reports that the Latin American press is portraying Chavez as "authoritarian" and Venezuelan media as "increasingly suffocated." Journalism and human rights groups have denounced the non-renewal of RCTV's license. Governments have the right not to renew a broadcast license, but a standard process should be followed, international rights groups maintain. "We're not arguing that the concession ... should be given to RCTV," said the Committee to Project Journalists' Carlos Lauria. "We're just saying that there's no process to evaluate if it should be." Just Foreign Policy's Patrick McElwee agrees, but notes that a 1987 law -- enacted previous to Chavez -- "charges the executive branch with decisions about license renewal" and "does not seem to require any administrative hearing."
Comment on this item
Young, Reliable "Activists" Outed as Corporate Spooks
Source: Sunday Star Times (New Zealand), May 27, 2007
The Happy Valley Coalition protests Solid Energy
A private investigation company, Thompson & Clark, employed agents to infiltrate environmental, peace and animal rights groups in New Zealand, investigative journalist Nicky Hager has revealed. One of the company's clients was the government-owned coal company Solid Energy. A student was paid NZ$400 a month to infiltrate and report on the activities of Save Happy Valley, a group opposing a new coal mine. One task was to provide information on the group's legal strategies in response to being sued by Solid Energy over a spoof corporate social responsibility report. The Chief Executive Officer of Solid Energy, Don Elder, is unapologetic: "What do I think about it? So what? If Thompson & Clark had got someone to do the things you've said, then I would say good on them." The State-Owned Enterprises minister, Trevor Mallard, told Solid Energy that the spying operation is "unacceptable." However, Solid Energy has only said that it will consider the issue at its next board meeting.
Comment on this item
One Sham Nuclear Review Replaces Another
Source: The Guardian (UK), May 23, 2007
In a signal that the departure of Tony Blair as British Prime Minister won't result in any major policy shifts, Prime Minister-elect Gordon Brown has supported the construction of up to eight new nuclear power stations. In February, Britain's High Court ruled that a national energy review had been a "sham" consultation exercise. Despite the setback, Trade and Industry Secretary and Brown ally, Alistair Darling, has launched a new round of "consultation" on its latest nuclear power white paper. "We will consider carefully the responses we get and this will enable us to take a decision on nuclear power later in the year," the Department of Trade and Industry website states. Darling, however, is not waiting for the public response, ridiculing those opposing nuclear power as being "daft." Greenpeace director John Sauven said the British government "has tinkered with its failing energy efficiency and renewables policy while indulging its nuclear obsession."
Comment on this item
Automakers Fight Fuel Efficiency Standards
Source: The Hill, May 25, 2007
The Hill reports, "Automakers plan to attack congressional efforts to raise fuel mileage standards in a series of radio and newspaper advertisements this weekend, the unofficial start of summer driving season. The ad campaign, sponsored by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, focuses on states with a high proportion of truck and SUV drivers to stoke grassroots opposition to a Senate bill that would raise fuel standards for cars and trucks by 10 miles per gallon over the next 10 years. The Senate plans to take up the bill after the Memorial Day recess as part of a larger effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and wean the country off of foreign oil. The auto group plans to spend at least $1 million on the ad buy, a spokesman said. ... Fuel mileage standards for automobiles are currently set at 27.5 miles per gallon, and have not been raised since 1990." The auto lobby has a website at www.drivecongress.com with a toll-free number to get US drivers lobbying Congress against fuel efficiency standards.
Comment on this item
Hillary's Poison Penn
Source: Associated Press, May 24, 2007
U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton's top presidential campaign strategist is Mark Penn, worldwide CEO of the PR firm Burson-Marsteller and president of the polling firm Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates. While the campaign says Penn "is currently working only with Microsoft" for his day job, an internal Burson-Marsteller blog "suggests ... he has been working with multiple clients," reports Bloomberg News. Blog posts by Penn mention work for Shell Oil, the energy company TXU, and the U.S. Tuna Foundation. In one post, Penn says "the mixing of corporate and political work" is "helpful in cross-pollinating new ideas and skills." The Nation notes Burson-Marsteller's astroturf "attacks against environmental and consumer groups," and its "confrontational relationship with organized labor," as well as Penn's polling firm's work for the nuclear power industry (which the Center for Media and Democracy previously reported on). AP reports that Colombia recently hired Burson-Marsteller on a $300,000-per-year contract, to "educate members of the U.S. Congress and other audiences" on "free trade" issues and Plan Colombia, a U.S. backed counter-narcotics program criticized by human rights groups. Colombia will also honor former president Bill Clinton "at a gala event next month in New York City." Her campaign said Hillary will not attend. The Colombian government's links to paramilitary groups led Al Gore to avoid an environmental conference last month that Colombian president Alvaro Uribe attended.
Comment on this item
Prices High, Credibility Low for Oil Industry
Source: PR Week, May 25, 2007
From a "Fun with Propaganda" graphics contest
Once again, the start of the U.S. "summer driving season" is coinciding with "record-high gas prices." The American Petroleum Institute (API) is ramping up media outreach, including bloggers for the first time. "We felt we should become more involved" in the blogosphere, explained API's Jane Van Ryan, "because there are a lot of policies and news-related items being discussed." The industry group has held three blogger teleconferences, "on subjects including energy and environment and, most recently on May 16, gasoline prices," reports Michael Bush. "Blogs the API has reached out to include The Oil Drum, Energy Outlook, and the Daily Reckoning." API's "team of seven media relations people" continues traditional media outreach, fielding "a 'huge amount of calls' from the networks, major dailies, trade press, small newspapers in 'virtually every state,' and consumers," after the latest price hike. Oil companies have their own PR campaigns, as well. Shell's president "is currently in the midst of a 50-city 'listening tour,'" and Exxon Mobil's Dave Gardner said they will "use our Op-Ed space - in national newspapers - to explain current gasoline price drivers to our customers."
Comment on this item
Crisis Management "Gold Standard" Actually Tinny
Source: O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), May 22, 2007
As many speeches, magazines and books have done previously, the current issue of Fortune magazine calls Johnson & Johnson's (J&J's) response to the 1982 Tylenol capsule poisoning deaths "the gold standard in crisis control." O'Dwyer's PR Daily writes that "the Tylenol story, as commonly told, is a 'fairy tale,'" as PR executive James Lukaszewski once called it. J&J's CEO at the time, James Burke, "learned of the tragedy" of the seven Chicago-area deaths "on Wednesday, Sept. 30, and called a staff meeting for Monday" -- in contrast to the "myth" that he acted immediately. J&J also "tried to localize the problem, recalling two batches that were circulated in the Chicago area." A wider recall wasn't launched until "after another attempted poisoning using Tylenols took place on the following Tuesday in Oroville, Calif." And "while Burke has been lauded for his openness with the press, he did not hold a press conference." The problem was the capsules, which "some pharmacists would not stock," because they "could easily be taken apart and 'spiked.'" After another Tylenol capsule poisoning in 1986, J&J's Burke admitted he was sorry that the company "did not stop making Tylenols in capsules after the Chicago murders."
Comment on this item
The Not-So-Free Press, Worldwide
Source: Associated Press, May 21, 2007
After giving an interview to Afghanistan's Tolo TV in which she called the Afghan parliament "worse than a stable or a zoo," because "at least there you have a donkey that carries a load and a cow that provides milk," Malalai Joya was suspended from Parliament. Joya, a young lawmaker and rights activist, has been threatened by warlords, while Afghan officials have sought to intimidate Tolo TV. Human Rights Watch is calling for Joya to be reinstated. In Thailand, the government is closing down community radio stations, allegedly for using "illegal frequencies." Rights activists say the shut-downs are at least partially due to stations having aired interviews with ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In Iraq, local journalists and news organizations, along with the Committee to Protect Journalists, are protesting the government's ban on journalists reporting from attack scenes. Lastly, the OpenNet Initiative found that 25 of 40 countries it studied "block Web sites for political, social or other reasons." The "most extensive filters" are imposed by China, Iran, Myanmar, Syria, Tunisia and Vietnam.
The Weekly Spin, May 30, 2007
Blog Postings
Democratic Spin Won't End the War in Iraq
by John Stauber
After several months of empty posturing against the war in Iraq, politicians in Washington have made what Democratic congressman James P. Moran called a "concession to reality" by agreeing to give President Bush virtually everything he wanted in funding and unrestricted license to continue waging the increasingly detested war that has made Bush the most unpopular president since Richard Nixon.
This is the outcome that we warned against two months ago when we wrote "Why Won't MoveOn Move Forward?" In it, we criticized MoveOn for backpedaling on its previously claimed objective of ending the war in Iraq immediately. Anti-war sentiment was the main factor behind last year's elections that brought Democrats to power in both houses of Congress. Once in power, however, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed through a "compromise" bill, supported by MoveOn, that offered $124 billion in supplemental funding for the war. To make it sound like they were voting for peace, the Democrats threw in a few non-binding benchmarks asking Bush to certify progress in Iraq, coupled with language that talked about withdrawing troops next year.
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Be a Citizen Journalist
New Participatory Project: Covering the 2008 Congressional Elections (U.S.)
Source: Congresspedia
Update: It's early, but the campaigns for the primaries of the 2008 congressional elections are starting to heat up, especially on the Democratic side, with everyone from Dennis Kucinich to Albert Wynn to Robert Wexler facing primary challenges. Please help out your fellow citizens by pitching in on this Congresspedia project to cover the campaigns and candidates of both the primary and general elections for Congress in 2008.
The Congresspedia staff editors will be kicking off a project soon to provide voters with comprehensive information on the congressional elections next year, including profiles on each candidate on the ballot in both the primary and general elections. More than 2/3 of the members of Congress hail from "safe" districts or states that overwhelmingly vote for one party, meaning that for most voters the primary election or caucus is the only way to hold them accountable. Before we get started on the profiles, however, we need to figure out when each state will be holding their primaries and when their ballots will be officially released. No one knows this better than you, the people who actually live there.
Please join us in helping your fellow citizens become educated voters by letting us know when those dates are. We've got an article set up on Congresspedia with spaces for every state. For many states we already found out which month they finalize their ballots, but we need to know the specific day and other information. You may need to dig around a bit on the websites of your state election authority or parties or even give them a call. If you do find any useful websites, please enter them under your state's entry so other citizen journalists can utilize them later.
If this is your first time editing, you can register as a SourceWatch volunteer editor here , and learn more about adding information to the site here and here. Have fun, and thanks for your help!
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Spin of the Day Postings
Nuclear Greenwashing
Source: San Francisco Bay Guardian, May 29, 2007
Professional Greenpeace turncoat Patrick Moore is going around with a slide show that "isn't as slick as Al Gore's," writes Amanda Witherell, promoting nuclear power as a safe, clean, reliable and emissions-free solution to global warming. Witherell discusses the role that the Nuclear Energy Institute and PR firm Hill and Knowlton have played in creating Moore's "Clean and Safe Energy Coalition" and takes a critical look at some of the factoids in his presentation, such as his claim that nuclear power plants could withstand a direct hit from a jetliner without breaching radioactive contamination.
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Australian Government Revokes Critic's Tax Status
Source: Sydney Morning Herald, May 30, 2007
A watchdog group that criticized the social and environmental failings of the Australian government's overseas aid policies has been stripped of its charitable tax status. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) informed Aid/Watch that it had lost it tax-deductible gift status because it was "trying to procure changes in Australia's aid and development programs". The ATO took exception to Aid/Watch urging supporters to write to the Government to put pressure on the Burmese military dictatorship and raising concerns about the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement. Dr Clive Hamilton, the Executive Director of The Australia Institute and co-editor of the book Silencing Dissent, believes the decision is also aimed at curtailing advocacy groups' election year campaigns. "A very clear message is being sent, especially in the lead-up to the next election, that the Government will crack down on non-government organisations it doesn't like," he said.
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Nigerian Election Good For U.S. Consultants
Source: The Hill, May 30, 2007
Joe Trippi
In a report filed with the U.S. Department of Justice, netroots guru Joe Trippi, who made his name advising Howard Dean's 2004 campaign on new media strategy, discloses he was paid $20,000 to advise former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the recent Nigerian elections. Abubakar, who also hired PR giant Hill & Knowlton and the James Mintz Group, lost the election to former President Olusegun Obasanjo's anointed successor, Umaru Yar'Adua. "Essentially, the text-messaging campaign said, 'Democracy is at risk right now with Obasanjo, do not let them take the election,' that sort of thing," Trippi told The Hill. An election monitoring group described the election as "a charade." The latest filings also reveal that since April 2006, Goodworks International, a PR firm co-founded by Andrew Young, was paid $500,000 by the government of Nigeria. Part of Goodworks strategy was to promote "the democratic election in Nigeria."
Comment on this item
Unhealthy Secrecy
Source: CanWest News Service, May 28, 2007
The chairperson of the Best Medicines Coalition (BMC), Louise Binder, recently appeared before the Canadian parliament's health committee to argue the case for patients gaining access to newer and more expensive drugs. When asked who funded BMC, Binder told the committee that half its funding came from the government agency, Health Canada, and the remainder was from the drug industry. However, CanWest News Service reports that the group receives all of its C$250,000 budget from the drug industry. (The Health Canada grant was in the preceding year.) Binder told CanWest reporter Carly Weeks that she would disclose funders it if she considered it "relevant." But she said, "I don't think it is." Alan Cassels, a drug-policy researcher at the University of Victoria, disagrees: "They don't have a disinterested position about the benefits or harms related to the drugs and they will maintain a position that's very much in their funder's interests."
Comment on this item
Muslims Don't Trust U.S.
Source: U.S. News & World Report, May 23, 2007
An in-depth poll of Muslim countries has found that large majorities believe undermining Islam is a key goal of U.S. foreign policy. Most want U.S. military forces out of the Middle East, and many approve of attacks on U.S. troops there. "While U.S. leaders may frame the conflict as a war on terrorism, people in the Islamic world clearly perceive the U.S. as being at war with Islam," said Steven Kull, editor of WorldPublicOpinion.org. However, respondents strongly oppose attacks on civilians. Large majorities approve of many of al Qaeda's principal goals, but believe its violence against civilians is "violating the principles of Islam."
Comment on this item
EPA Screens Have Gaping Holes, Warn Scientists
Source: Dallas Morning News, May 27, 2007
Will it be "one of the most comprehensive screening programs ever to check whether chemicals can disrupt human hormones" or "a misleading $76 million waste"? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program, which is slated to begin tests in 2008, is already controversial. Some scientists are warning that the program will: use "a breed of rat that is relatively insensitive to several known hormone-disrupting chemicals"; feed the rats a soy-based chow containing natural hormone disruptors that may complicate test results; pay little attention to prenatal chemical exposure; test a too-high dosage range; and possibly allow "chemical companies to tailor certain aspects of the tests." The EPA counters that the program was developed "in an open manner to protect it from special interests," and that "it is not worried" about chemical industry involvement. Indeed, the EPA shaped the screening program with input "from people who may have financial interest in the outcome of the tests," using data from the American Chemistry Council and a toxicologist who works as an industry consultant.
Comment on this item
What's Fair in Coverage of RCTV Shutdown?
Source: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), May 25, 2007
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) is criticizing U.S. news media for presenting Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez's non-renewal of the television station RCTV's broadcast license "as a simple matter of censorship." FAIR points out that "RCTV and other commercial TV stations were key players in the April 2002 coup that briefly ousted Chavez's democratically elected government." Moreover, "the Venezuelan government is basing its denial of license on RCTV's involvement in the 2002 coup, not on the station's criticisms of or political opposition to the government." BBC News reports that the Latin American press is portraying Chavez as "authoritarian" and Venezuelan media as "increasingly suffocated." Journalism and human rights groups have denounced the non-renewal of RCTV's license. Governments have the right not to renew a broadcast license, but a standard process should be followed, international rights groups maintain. "We're not arguing that the concession ... should be given to RCTV," said the Committee to Project Journalists' Carlos Lauria. "We're just saying that there's no process to evaluate if it should be." Just Foreign Policy's Patrick McElwee agrees, but notes that a 1987 law -- enacted previous to Chavez -- "charges the executive branch with decisions about license renewal" and "does not seem to require any administrative hearing."
Comment on this item
Young, Reliable "Activists" Outed as Corporate Spooks
Source: Sunday Star Times (New Zealand), May 27, 2007
The Happy Valley Coalition protests Solid Energy
A private investigation company, Thompson & Clark, employed agents to infiltrate environmental, peace and animal rights groups in New Zealand, investigative journalist Nicky Hager has revealed. One of the company's clients was the government-owned coal company Solid Energy. A student was paid NZ$400 a month to infiltrate and report on the activities of Save Happy Valley, a group opposing a new coal mine. One task was to provide information on the group's legal strategies in response to being sued by Solid Energy over a spoof corporate social responsibility report. The Chief Executive Officer of Solid Energy, Don Elder, is unapologetic: "What do I think about it? So what? If Thompson & Clark had got someone to do the things you've said, then I would say good on them." The State-Owned Enterprises minister, Trevor Mallard, told Solid Energy that the spying operation is "unacceptable." However, Solid Energy has only said that it will consider the issue at its next board meeting.
Comment on this item
One Sham Nuclear Review Replaces Another
Source: The Guardian (UK), May 23, 2007
In a signal that the departure of Tony Blair as British Prime Minister won't result in any major policy shifts, Prime Minister-elect Gordon Brown has supported the construction of up to eight new nuclear power stations. In February, Britain's High Court ruled that a national energy review had been a "sham" consultation exercise. Despite the setback, Trade and Industry Secretary and Brown ally, Alistair Darling, has launched a new round of "consultation" on its latest nuclear power white paper. "We will consider carefully the responses we get and this will enable us to take a decision on nuclear power later in the year," the Department of Trade and Industry website states. Darling, however, is not waiting for the public response, ridiculing those opposing nuclear power as being "daft." Greenpeace director John Sauven said the British government "has tinkered with its failing energy efficiency and renewables policy while indulging its nuclear obsession."
Comment on this item
Automakers Fight Fuel Efficiency Standards
Source: The Hill, May 25, 2007
The Hill reports, "Automakers plan to attack congressional efforts to raise fuel mileage standards in a series of radio and newspaper advertisements this weekend, the unofficial start of summer driving season. The ad campaign, sponsored by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, focuses on states with a high proportion of truck and SUV drivers to stoke grassroots opposition to a Senate bill that would raise fuel standards for cars and trucks by 10 miles per gallon over the next 10 years. The Senate plans to take up the bill after the Memorial Day recess as part of a larger effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and wean the country off of foreign oil. The auto group plans to spend at least $1 million on the ad buy, a spokesman said. ... Fuel mileage standards for automobiles are currently set at 27.5 miles per gallon, and have not been raised since 1990." The auto lobby has a website at www.drivecongress.com with a toll-free number to get US drivers lobbying Congress against fuel efficiency standards.
Comment on this item
Hillary's Poison Penn
Source: Associated Press, May 24, 2007
U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton's top presidential campaign strategist is Mark Penn, worldwide CEO of the PR firm Burson-Marsteller and president of the polling firm Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates. While the campaign says Penn "is currently working only with Microsoft" for his day job, an internal Burson-Marsteller blog "suggests ... he has been working with multiple clients," reports Bloomberg News. Blog posts by Penn mention work for Shell Oil, the energy company TXU, and the U.S. Tuna Foundation. In one post, Penn says "the mixing of corporate and political work" is "helpful in cross-pollinating new ideas and skills." The Nation notes Burson-Marsteller's astroturf "attacks against environmental and consumer groups," and its "confrontational relationship with organized labor," as well as Penn's polling firm's work for the nuclear power industry (which the Center for Media and Democracy previously reported on). AP reports that Colombia recently hired Burson-Marsteller on a $300,000-per-year contract, to "educate members of the U.S. Congress and other audiences" on "free trade" issues and Plan Colombia, a U.S. backed counter-narcotics program criticized by human rights groups. Colombia will also honor former president Bill Clinton "at a gala event next month in New York City." Her campaign said Hillary will not attend. The Colombian government's links to paramilitary groups led Al Gore to avoid an environmental conference last month that Colombian president Alvaro Uribe attended.
Comment on this item
Prices High, Credibility Low for Oil Industry
Source: PR Week, May 25, 2007
From a "Fun with Propaganda" graphics contest
Once again, the start of the U.S. "summer driving season" is coinciding with "record-high gas prices." The American Petroleum Institute (API) is ramping up media outreach, including bloggers for the first time. "We felt we should become more involved" in the blogosphere, explained API's Jane Van Ryan, "because there are a lot of policies and news-related items being discussed." The industry group has held three blogger teleconferences, "on subjects including energy and environment and, most recently on May 16, gasoline prices," reports Michael Bush. "Blogs the API has reached out to include The Oil Drum, Energy Outlook, and the Daily Reckoning." API's "team of seven media relations people" continues traditional media outreach, fielding "a 'huge amount of calls' from the networks, major dailies, trade press, small newspapers in 'virtually every state,' and consumers," after the latest price hike. Oil companies have their own PR campaigns, as well. Shell's president "is currently in the midst of a 50-city 'listening tour,'" and Exxon Mobil's Dave Gardner said they will "use our Op-Ed space - in national newspapers - to explain current gasoline price drivers to our customers."
Comment on this item
Crisis Management "Gold Standard" Actually Tinny
Source: O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), May 22, 2007
As many speeches, magazines and books have done previously, the current issue of Fortune magazine calls Johnson & Johnson's (J&J's) response to the 1982 Tylenol capsule poisoning deaths "the gold standard in crisis control." O'Dwyer's PR Daily writes that "the Tylenol story, as commonly told, is a 'fairy tale,'" as PR executive James Lukaszewski once called it. J&J's CEO at the time, James Burke, "learned of the tragedy" of the seven Chicago-area deaths "on Wednesday, Sept. 30, and called a staff meeting for Monday" -- in contrast to the "myth" that he acted immediately. J&J also "tried to localize the problem, recalling two batches that were circulated in the Chicago area." A wider recall wasn't launched until "after another attempted poisoning using Tylenols took place on the following Tuesday in Oroville, Calif." And "while Burke has been lauded for his openness with the press, he did not hold a press conference." The problem was the capsules, which "some pharmacists would not stock," because they "could easily be taken apart and 'spiked.'" After another Tylenol capsule poisoning in 1986, J&J's Burke admitted he was sorry that the company "did not stop making Tylenols in capsules after the Chicago murders."
Comment on this item
The Not-So-Free Press, Worldwide
Source: Associated Press, May 21, 2007
After giving an interview to Afghanistan's Tolo TV in which she called the Afghan parliament "worse than a stable or a zoo," because "at least there you have a donkey that carries a load and a cow that provides milk," Malalai Joya was suspended from Parliament. Joya, a young lawmaker and rights activist, has been threatened by warlords, while Afghan officials have sought to intimidate Tolo TV. Human Rights Watch is calling for Joya to be reinstated. In Thailand, the government is closing down community radio stations, allegedly for using "illegal frequencies." Rights activists say the shut-downs are at least partially due to stations having aired interviews with ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In Iraq, local journalists and news organizations, along with the Committee to Protect Journalists, are protesting the government's ban on journalists reporting from attack scenes. Lastly, the OpenNet Initiative found that 25 of 40 countries it studied "block Web sites for political, social or other reasons." The "most extensive filters" are imposed by China, Iran, Myanmar, Syria, Tunisia and Vietnam.
Monday, May 28, 2007
This weeks assignment is mostly research. You should find a small Japanese story or advertisment that has spin and translate it into English and point out the spin. Due noon Sat. I will be looking at and marking your blogs this weekend so hope they are in good shape.
Here is one expample of a newsletter that exposes Enviroment related stories that the regular press tends to ignore.
Environment Newsletter
May 28th, 2007
More from Environment »
Ethanol Booms, Farmers Bust
By Lisa M. Hamilton, AlterNet
From the news these days you'd think farmers have never had a better friend than ethanol. But if you actually are a farmer, ethanol, with the high corn prices it brings, is looking less and less like a blessing -- and more like a curse. Read more »
What's all the hype about ethanol? Lisa Hamilton writes about how farmers are really faring with a new ethanol-infused corn market.
Anneli Rufus documents Al Gore's new book promotion tour and what the climate guru has to say about the media, politics and our future.
And Jane Lampman exposes a new creation "science" museum that has hundreds of scientists fuming.
As always, thanks for reading.
Al Gore: Modern Politics' Movie Star
By Anneli Rufus, AlterNet
Like the children's classic "A Fish Out of Water," Al Gore has outgrown his fishbowl. He has developed a following of millions simply by reminding people that they can use knowledge as a source of influence.
Natural History, Bible-style
By Jane Lampman, Christian Science Monitor
A new creation "science" museum puts dinosaurs in the garden with Adam and Eve. Some 700 scientists have deplored its inaccurate exhibits, warning that students who accept them are "unlikely to succeed in science courses."
Women Emerge as Powerful Advocates at UN Environment Conference
By Regina Cornwell, Women's Media Center
At this month's UN Commission on Sustainable Development, women's organizations were were the most organized and effect segment.
ExxonMobil: Sex, Lies and Global Warming
By Sara Whitman, HuffingtonPost.com
ExxonMobil is refusing change its employment policy to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. They claim they are already doing the right thing. But, given their record, how can we believe them?
EarthTalk: Is the Bush Administration Censoring Scientists?
E Magazine
Word of the White House censoring federal climate scientists on global warming was leaked in Bush's first term in office, but only in the last few years have federal employees been willing to go on record with such accusations.
Carbon Emissions Exceed Highest Assumptions Used in Climate Change Studies
By Peter N. Spotts, Christian Science Monitor
While global warming deniers argue that most climatologists are alarmists, CO2 emissions in the past few years have exceeded the levels used in scientists' models -- signaling even more cause for concern.
U.S. Undermines International Action on Global Warming
By Josh Dorner
The U.S. is trying to undermine to the work of G8 countries on global warming.
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Here is one expample of a newsletter that exposes Enviroment related stories that the regular press tends to ignore.
Environment Newsletter
May 28th, 2007
More from Environment »
Ethanol Booms, Farmers Bust
By Lisa M. Hamilton, AlterNet
From the news these days you'd think farmers have never had a better friend than ethanol. But if you actually are a farmer, ethanol, with the high corn prices it brings, is looking less and less like a blessing -- and more like a curse. Read more »
What's all the hype about ethanol? Lisa Hamilton writes about how farmers are really faring with a new ethanol-infused corn market.
Anneli Rufus documents Al Gore's new book promotion tour and what the climate guru has to say about the media, politics and our future.
And Jane Lampman exposes a new creation "science" museum that has hundreds of scientists fuming.
As always, thanks for reading.
Al Gore: Modern Politics' Movie Star
By Anneli Rufus, AlterNet
Like the children's classic "A Fish Out of Water," Al Gore has outgrown his fishbowl. He has developed a following of millions simply by reminding people that they can use knowledge as a source of influence.
Natural History, Bible-style
By Jane Lampman, Christian Science Monitor
A new creation "science" museum puts dinosaurs in the garden with Adam and Eve. Some 700 scientists have deplored its inaccurate exhibits, warning that students who accept them are "unlikely to succeed in science courses."
Women Emerge as Powerful Advocates at UN Environment Conference
By Regina Cornwell, Women's Media Center
At this month's UN Commission on Sustainable Development, women's organizations were were the most organized and effect segment.
ExxonMobil: Sex, Lies and Global Warming
By Sara Whitman, HuffingtonPost.com
ExxonMobil is refusing change its employment policy to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. They claim they are already doing the right thing. But, given their record, how can we believe them?
EarthTalk: Is the Bush Administration Censoring Scientists?
E Magazine
Word of the White House censoring federal climate scientists on global warming was leaked in Bush's first term in office, but only in the last few years have federal employees been willing to go on record with such accusations.
Carbon Emissions Exceed Highest Assumptions Used in Climate Change Studies
By Peter N. Spotts, Christian Science Monitor
While global warming deniers argue that most climatologists are alarmists, CO2 emissions in the past few years have exceeded the levels used in scientists' models -- signaling even more cause for concern.
U.S. Undermines International Action on Global Warming
By Josh Dorner
The U.S. is trying to undermine to the work of G8 countries on global warming.
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Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Hi the assignment for this week is that you write a story predicting something in the future. For example the weather this coming summer, fashion trend in the fall, Yen exchange rates in August. There are others were the media makes some prediction of an up coming event. Story is due by noon Sat. the 26th.
Also please read the following and have a look at the web links:
The "propaganda model" that Herman and Chomsky put forward in Manufacturing Consent has made the book notable (some would say notorious) as the most influential book by serious academics to challenge the common dogma of media objectivity in the United States. When it first appeared, it was almost unheard-of to suggest that U.S. media such as the New York Times, Time and Newsweek magazines and CBS News were propaganda vehicles.
Today things are somewhat different. Across the political spectrum, there is a widespread belief that disinformation, deception and propaganda pervade the media.
http://www.prwatch.org/node/6068
http://www.prwatch.org/
Also please read the following and have a look at the web links:
The "propaganda model" that Herman and Chomsky put forward in Manufacturing Consent has made the book notable (some would say notorious) as the most influential book by serious academics to challenge the common dogma of media objectivity in the United States. When it first appeared, it was almost unheard-of to suggest that U.S. media such as the New York Times, Time and Newsweek magazines and CBS News were propaganda vehicles.
Today things are somewhat different. Across the political spectrum, there is a widespread belief that disinformation, deception and propaganda pervade the media.
http://www.prwatch.org/node/6068
http://www.prwatch.org/
Friday, May 18, 2007
The France-based global press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF in French) is expanding its online operations into East Asia and out of reality.
On May 3, World Press Freedom Day, RSF announced the launch of its Web site in Simplified Chinese, as well as the opening of its newly furnished office in Second Life, an online virtual world.
The expansions aim to bring press freedom news, information, and resources to earth’s 1.3 billion Chinese residents and cyberspace’s six million Second Life residents.
RSF’s office in Second Life is the virtual world’s first international human rights organization; visitors are invited to learn about press freedom (in our world), participate in the organization’s campaigns, and view photos of RSF’s “34 Predators of Press Freedom.”
The Chinese language Web site hopes to strengthen the independent press in a country that is infamous for its tight government control over media, including the censorship of online materials. RSF has urged Chinese censors not to block the new site.
For more information, visit www.rsf.org (English) or www.rsf-chinese.org (Simplified Chinese). To find RSF’s virtual office, visit Second Life’s search engine and search for "Reporters sans frontiers.
On May 3, World Press Freedom Day, RSF announced the launch of its Web site in Simplified Chinese, as well as the opening of its newly furnished office in Second Life, an online virtual world.
The expansions aim to bring press freedom news, information, and resources to earth’s 1.3 billion Chinese residents and cyberspace’s six million Second Life residents.
RSF’s office in Second Life is the virtual world’s first international human rights organization; visitors are invited to learn about press freedom (in our world), participate in the organization’s campaigns, and view photos of RSF’s “34 Predators of Press Freedom.”
The Chinese language Web site hopes to strengthen the independent press in a country that is infamous for its tight government control over media, including the censorship of online materials. RSF has urged Chinese censors not to block the new site.
For more information, visit www.rsf.org (English) or www.rsf-chinese.org (Simplified Chinese). To find RSF’s virtual office, visit Second Life’s search engine and search for "Reporters sans frontiers.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Sorry I didn't put this up earlier. Your assignment for this week is to write an obituary of some living famous person. All the background information should be true. You can use your imagination on how they die. Story should come in by noon Sat. 19th. ALSO THE TOUR OF ASAHI SHIMBUN WILL BE ON JUNE 18TH A MONDAY. THERE WILL BE NO REGULAR CLASS THAT DAY.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
This Thur. is World Press Freedom day proclaimed by the United Nations. I'd like you to look at these two web sites which talk about the decline of press freedom around the world:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6616701.stm http://www.cpj.org/backsliders/index.html
See you in class this afternood. Clark
See you in class this afternood. Clark
Friday, May 04, 2007
Here is a story from slashdot about what is a dangerous trend in the news media.
| PC World Editor Resigns When Ordered Not to Criticize Advertisers |
| from the i-can-only-imagine dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday May 03, @14:46 (The Media) |
| http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/03/1810239 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
bricko noted a story of our modern journalism world gone so wrong it
makes me sad. "Editor-in-Chief Harry McCracken [0]quit abruptly today
because the company's new CEO, Colin Crawford, tried to kill a story
about Apple and Steve Jobs." The link discusses that the CEO was the
former head of MacWorld and would get calls from Jobs. Apparently he also
told the staff that product reviews had to be nicer to vendors who
advertise in the magazine. The sad thing is that given the economics of
publishing in this day and age, I doubt anything even comes of this even
tho it essentially confirms that PC World reviews should be thought of as
no more than press releases. I know that's how I will consider links from
them in the future. But congratulations to anyone willing to stick to
their guns on such matters.
Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/05/03/1810239
Links:
0. http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/05/pc_world_editor.html
| PC World Editor Resigns When Ordered Not to Criticize Advertisers |
| from the i-can-only-imagine dept. |
| posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday May 03, @14:46 (The Media) |
| http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/03/1810239 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
bricko noted a story of our modern journalism world gone so wrong it
makes me sad. "Editor-in-Chief Harry McCracken [0]quit abruptly today
because the company's new CEO, Colin Crawford, tried to kill a story
about Apple and Steve Jobs." The link discusses that the CEO was the
former head of MacWorld and would get calls from Jobs. Apparently he also
told the staff that product reviews had to be nicer to vendors who
advertise in the magazine. The sad thing is that given the economics of
publishing in this day and age, I doubt anything even comes of this even
tho it essentially confirms that PC World reviews should be thought of as
no more than press releases. I know that's how I will consider links from
them in the future. But congratulations to anyone willing to stick to
their guns on such matters.
Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/05/03/1810239
Links:
0. http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/05/pc_world_editor.html
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Well most people sent in their sugidama story, good start. For information on some of the issues and info about what's happening in media you should check professor of journalism, City University London's Adrian Moncks blog at http://adrianmonck.blogspot.com
Also for your information if you are interested in digital photography check out free classes at http://www.sony101.com
Also for your information if you are interested in digital photography check out free classes at http://www.sony101.com
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Here are some good sources for news that is not always published in the regular media.
CITIZEN MEDIA
Digital technologies in the hands of growing numbers of individuals
could be put to use covering stories that do not normally get much
attention. The University of Maryland's J-Lab: The Institute for
Interactive Journalism is honoring 10 community news projects with New
Voices grants, offering more diversity in news coverage.
Among the projects awarded:
* Vermont Climate Witness will create interactive maps to track how
residents see climate change affecting the state's economy. DETAILS:
http://www.tamarackmedia.org/vtclimatewitness/
* Northwest Community Radio Network Collaborative Newscast will air
weekly hour-long newscasts culled from public-affairs programming
produced in isolated communities in the Pacific Northwest. DETAILS:
http://www.reclaimthemedia.org/
* Saint Paul City Newsdesk will create a network of citizen journalists
to cover neighborhoods and municipal news. DETAILS:
http://www.spnn.org/
* Building Blocks will launch a news and information site informing New
York City residents about major real estate development projects
affecting their neighborhoods. DETAILS: http://www.prattcenter.net/
According to New Voices adviser Peter Levine, such participatory
journalism could contribute to active civic involvement in the United
States. "Dissatisfied with formal institutions, citizens are working
together on community problems, building new associations--and creating
their own news media," he says.
SOURCE: University of Maryland J-Lab,
http://www.j-lab.org/nv2007_release.shtml
CITIZEN MEDIA
Digital technologies in the hands of growing numbers of individuals
could be put to use covering stories that do not normally get much
attention. The University of Maryland's J-Lab: The Institute for
Interactive Journalism is honoring 10 community news projects with New
Voices grants, offering more diversity in news coverage.
Among the projects awarded:
* Vermont Climate Witness will create interactive maps to track how
residents see climate change affecting the state's economy. DETAILS:
http://www.tamarackmedia.org/vtclimatewitness/
* Northwest Community Radio Network Collaborative Newscast will air
weekly hour-long newscasts culled from public-affairs programming
produced in isolated communities in the Pacific Northwest. DETAILS:
http://www.reclaimthemedia.org/
* Saint Paul City Newsdesk will create a network of citizen journalists
to cover neighborhoods and municipal news. DETAILS:
http://www.spnn.org/
* Building Blocks will launch a news and information site informing New
York City residents about major real estate development projects
affecting their neighborhoods. DETAILS: http://www.prattcenter.net/
According to New Voices adviser Peter Levine, such participatory
journalism could contribute to active civic involvement in the United
States. "Dissatisfied with formal institutions, citizens are working
together on community problems, building new associations--and creating
their own news media," he says.
SOURCE: University of Maryland J-Lab,
http://www.j-lab.org/nv2007_release.shtml
This is a short summary, I would like you to go and read at least half of the long story about this man, a great journalist and we will talk about why he was..a great journalist. Why do you think he was?
David Halberstam, 73, Reporter and Author, Dies
By CLYDE HABERMAN
Mr. Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, wrote
more than 20 books on topics as varied as the Vietnam War
and basketball.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/arts/24halberstam.html?th&emc=th
David Halberstam, 73, Reporter and Author, Dies
By CLYDE HABERMAN
Mr. Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, wrote
more than 20 books on topics as varied as the Vietnam War
and basketball.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/arts/24halberstam.html?th&emc=th
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Welcome to the 2007 Journalism class. You look here for new information about what is happening in the media world as well as for what your next week assignment is. For example here are two news items which we will discuss briefly today:- TECHNOLOGY -
Yahoo Strikes Ad Deal With More Papers
By MIGUEL HELFT
Yahoo announced a broad deal with publishers representing
264 newspapers to sell national advertising across their
Web sites.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/technology/17search.html?th&emc=th
CANADIAN NEW MEDIA AWARDS NOMINEES NAMED
There were nominees from nearly every province as the Canadian New
Media Awards were announced Monday, in categories that include video
games, culture and arts, news and individual honours.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/04/16/tech-cnmanewmediaawards-20070416.html
Yahoo Strikes Ad Deal With More Papers
By MIGUEL HELFT
Yahoo announced a broad deal with publishers representing
264 newspapers to sell national advertising across their
Web sites.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/technology/17search.html?th&emc=th
CANADIAN NEW MEDIA AWARDS NOMINEES NAMED
There were nominees from nearly every province as the Canadian New
Media Awards were announced Monday, in categories that include video
games, culture and arts, news and individual honours.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/04/16/tech-cnmanewmediaawards-20070416.html
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Sunday, February 04, 2007
What drives change at todays newspapers? Well here is one thing:
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Newspaper Headlines Bow To SEO Demands |
| from the find-what-you-are-looking-for dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Saturday February 03, @00:58 (The Media) |
| http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/03/0542243 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]prostoalex writes "News.com.com [1]says the art of writing newspaper
headlines is changing due to reliance on search engines for traffic to
newspaper archives. Forget about clever puns, double entendres and witty
analogies: 'News organizations that generate revenue from advertising are
keenly aware of the problem and are using coding techniques and training
journalists to rewrite the print headlines, thinking about what the story
is about and being as clear as possible.' One big winner for now is
[2]Boston.com, The Boston Globe property, which 'had training sessions
with copy editors and the night desk for the newspaper to enforce
Web-optimized keyword-rich headlines suitable for search engine
queries.'" Update: 10/30 14:1 GMT by [3]KD : Corrected mis-attributed
ownership: boston.com is owned by the Boston Globe, not the Boston
Herald.
Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/02/03/0542243
Links:
0. http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog
1. http://news.com.com/2100-1038_3-6155739.html
2. http://www.boston.com/
3. http://slashdot.org/~kdawson/
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Newspaper Headlines Bow To SEO Demands |
| from the find-what-you-are-looking-for dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Saturday February 03, @00:58 (The Media) |
| http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/03/0542243 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[0]prostoalex writes "News.com.com [1]says the art of writing newspaper
headlines is changing due to reliance on search engines for traffic to
newspaper archives. Forget about clever puns, double entendres and witty
analogies: 'News organizations that generate revenue from advertising are
keenly aware of the problem and are using coding techniques and training
journalists to rewrite the print headlines, thinking about what the story
is about and being as clear as possible.' One big winner for now is
[2]Boston.com, The Boston Globe property, which 'had training sessions
with copy editors and the night desk for the newspaper to enforce
Web-optimized keyword-rich headlines suitable for search engine
queries.'" Update: 10/30 14:1 GMT by [3]KD : Corrected mis-attributed
ownership: boston.com is owned by the Boston Globe, not the Boston
Herald.
Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=07/02/03/0542243
Links:
0. http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog
1. http://news.com.com/2100-1038_3-6155739.html
2. http://www.boston.com/
3. http://slashdot.org/~kdawson/
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Well thanks to the students that hung in there last term. Here is one of the student evaluations. I really like the idea of a group project and will use it next term.
Thursday 5th period, Journalism(4-H-22 11303188)
Hello, I remember that you mentioned at the end of the class you told us that we had to write 2 things that we liked about the class
and 2 things we did not like about the class.
One of the things I liked about the class is that the fact that we had homework every week. Having homework every week motivated
me, and lead me to look for new news often, and be interested in the media. I think it is a good chance to always be aware.
Another thing I liked about the class is the field trip. It was only a day to go around the Asahi Shinbun, but it was a great experience.
I never knew how the newspapers were made exactlly. Also, I did not know how hard it is to make a news paper, and that there has
to be that many people in order to make the news paper each and everyday.
I do not really have anything that I did not like about the class, but it would have been better if we had a group assignment or something
that would involve the class mates, so that we could all know each other well.
It was a fun class, although it was a really really small class.
Thank you very much for teaching us for a year.
Kaori Takahashi
Thursday 5th period, Journalism(4-H-22 11303188)
Hello, I remember that you mentioned at the end of the class you told us that we had to write 2 things that we liked about the class
and 2 things we did not like about the class.
One of the things I liked about the class is that the fact that we had homework every week. Having homework every week motivated
me, and lead me to look for new news often, and be interested in the media. I think it is a good chance to always be aware.
Another thing I liked about the class is the field trip. It was only a day to go around the Asahi Shinbun, but it was a great experience.
I never knew how the newspapers were made exactlly. Also, I did not know how hard it is to make a news paper, and that there has
to be that many people in order to make the news paper each and everyday.
I do not really have anything that I did not like about the class, but it would have been better if we had a group assignment or something
that would involve the class mates, so that we could all know each other well.
It was a fun class, although it was a really really small class.
Thank you very much for teaching us for a year.
Kaori Takahashi
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Happy New Year. Hope this year is your best ever. Last year was not a safe year for journalists -2006 A DEADLY YEAR FOR JOURNALISTS
This past year was the deadliest for journalists in more than a decade,
according to media watchdog Reporters without Borders.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/12/31/reporter-deaths-2006.html
This past year was the deadliest for journalists in more than a decade,
according to media watchdog Reporters without Borders.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/12/31/reporter-deaths-2006.html