Category Archives: journalism

Is it time to consider new standards for news?

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

Investigate. Verify. Publish. Journalism used to seem so much simpler. As a graduate student at the University of Missouri in the mid-1970s, I memorized the somewhat lofty language of the Hutchins Commission, which in 1947 urged American journalists to “provide a … Continue reading →

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Are journalists supposed to look for the truth?

Posted on January 13, 2012 by

It’s bad enough that so much 24-7 cable television deteriorates into an unfinished food fight between Tweedledee and Tweedledum, typically moderated by a “journalist” lacking the interest or will to  figure out whose facts are right.  But when the public … Continue reading →

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When does ‘news judgment’ become censorship?

Posted on October 1, 2011 by

LEXINGTON, Mass. — Driving home from work on Friday,  my wife Kathy heard a warning on NPR for motorists to avoid Boston’s Financial District. The reason, she thought: Occupy Wall Street had come to Boston, beginning what are expected to be rolling … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism, Media, media coverage, Occupy Boston, Occupy Wall Street, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

A case of double vision at The New York Times

Posted on August 21, 2011 by

Perhaps all the top editors were partying in the Hamptons, too. It is the end of August. Whatever the reason, someone at The New York Times seems to have forgotten to read all the Sunday paper’s section fronts before rolling … Continue reading →

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Sex sells, but there IS other news out there

Posted on June 15, 2011 by

We are shocked, SHOCKED, by the behavior of John Edwards, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Anthony Weiner, et. al.  This, of course, is the only reason why we dissect every detail of their sexual indiscretions, their utter distain for their spouses, their unquenchable … Continue reading →

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USA Today considers paying bonuses for pandering?

Posted on April 11, 2011 by

As Bob Dylan once wrote, you don’t need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.  And you don’t need a PhD in communication science to know readers will click a lot more often on your average … Continue reading →

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A champion of the dispossessed leaves a hole at The Times

Posted on April 3, 2011 by

First Frank Rich left The New Times for a new gig at New York magazine.  I consider him the master of casting light on cultural interconnections, at giving new perspectives on the place of politics in the weird melange called … Continue reading →

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