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.
Monday, June 04, 2007
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.
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.
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.
Support AlterNet | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe
You are subscribed as carsurf@dragon.email.ne.jp
© 2007 Independent Media Institute
All Rights Reserved
77 Federal St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94110
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.
Support AlterNet | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe
You are subscribed as carsurf@dragon.email.ne.jp
© 2007 Independent Media Institute
All Rights Reserved
77 Federal St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94110
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
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Here is some update information on quality control in journalism, note the criteria they are using to judge quality:
NEWSTRUST.NET: A NEW OUTLET FOR CITIZEN JOURNALISTS
http://beta.newstrust.net
Late last month, NewsTrust went live. This non-profit online news
rating service aims to help people identify quality journalism - or
"news you can trust." The project is led by Fabrice Florin, a former
journalist and a digital media pioneer at Apple and Macromedia. The
concept is simple -- NewsTrust members submit articles, then read
and rate them based on key journalistic principles such as fairness,
balance, evidence, context and importance. The ratings are compiled
and each article is given an overall "grade." Based on the positive
reception it has so far received, NewsTrust plans to launch its full
service in 2007.
SOURCE: NewsTrust.net
To comment on this item, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5577
PR Watch, Spin of the Day, the Weekly Spin and SourceWatch are
projects of the Center for Media & Democracy, a nonprofit
organization that offers investigative reporting on the public
relations industry. We help the public recognize manipulative and
misleading PR practices by exposing the activities of secretive,
little-known propaganda-for-hire firms that work to control
political debates and public opinion. Please send any questions or
suggestions about our publications to:
editor@prwatch.org
NEWSTRUST.NET: A NEW OUTLET FOR CITIZEN JOURNALISTS
http://beta.newstrust.net
Late last month, NewsTrust went live. This non-profit online news
rating service aims to help people identify quality journalism - or
"news you can trust." The project is led by Fabrice Florin, a former
journalist and a digital media pioneer at Apple and Macromedia. The
concept is simple -- NewsTrust members submit articles, then read
and rate them based on key journalistic principles such as fairness,
balance, evidence, context and importance. The ratings are compiled
and each article is given an overall "grade." Based on the positive
reception it has so far received, NewsTrust plans to launch its full
service in 2007.
SOURCE: NewsTrust.net
To comment on this item, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5577
PR Watch, Spin of the Day, the Weekly Spin and SourceWatch are
projects of the Center for Media & Democracy, a nonprofit
organization that offers investigative reporting on the public
relations industry. We help the public recognize manipulative and
misleading PR practices by exposing the activities of secretive,
little-known propaganda-for-hire firms that work to control
political debates and public opinion. Please send any questions or
suggestions about our publications to:
editor@prwatch.org
Friday, December 22, 2006
OK here is an Xmas bonus assignment for you. Write a news story about your favorite music. Put it directly on your blog by Xmas morning and get bonus points. All your writting, even stories I have not corrected yet should go on your blog as you will be given a blog mark over the Xmas holiday and one more check the weekend after the last class. Have a wonderful holiday and I wish you a Happy New Year. Clark
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