Category Archives: Media

For traditional news sites, ignoring blog distortions is not an option

Posted on July 26, 2010 by jerrylanson

My colleague Paul Niwa offered this interesting observation today: The media can no longer stand on the sidelines in high-minded silence when a firestorm of spin, packaged as news, races across the blogosphere. The rules of journalism, in other words, … Continue reading →

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Barbara Boxer's hair: The news media thump another vapid story

Posted on June 11, 2010 by jerrylanson

Barbara Boxer and Carly Fiorina are tough women at opposite ends of the political spectrum, just engaging in  what promises to be a spirited campaign for the U.S. Senate in California. Boxer,  a liberal Democrat, is seeking a fourth term … Continue reading →

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Arizona newspaper takes a courageous stand

Posted on May 3, 2010 by jerrylanson

A tip of the hat to The Arizona Republic for devoting its entire Sunday front page to an editorial chastising members of both parties for their failure to bring about comprehensive federal immigration reform.  The Phoenix newspaper’s  editorial, the paper’s … Continue reading →

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Do readers belong at The Times news meetings?

Posted on April 12, 2010 by jerrylanson

Peek into any print newsroom in America and you’ll hear reporters saying sometimes mocking or jaded things around the water fountain that they would never dream of uttering in public, on air or in print. The journalists I worked with … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, media coverage, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Violent war images are news, not 'snuff'

Posted on April 8, 2010 by jerrylanson

My True/Slant colleague Susannah Breslin yesterday wrote a provocative essay that suggests the leaked video of an American military helicopter mowing down a dozen people in Iraq, including two Reuters news service employees, had made its way around the world … Continue reading →

Posted in American wars, Media, media coverage | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Touring America's heartland through the headlines

Posted on April 1, 2010 by jerrylanson

This is the first in an occasional series. As an East Coast professor living in the liberal bubble of Boston, I’m well aware of the limits of my understanding.  I am known to blurt out (usually to my golden retriever … Continue reading →

Posted in lifestyle, Media, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Comedian Jon Stewart turns tough

Posted on March 10, 2010 by jerrylanson

Former Bush speech writer Marc Thiessen may have thought his Daily Show appearance would just be part of the publicity tour for his book, “Courting Disaster.” But Thiessen, whose book defends the CIA’s post-911 “enhanced” interrogation programs, ran into a Jon Stewart … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, media coverage, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Prepare for the GOP's Big Lie(s)

Posted on March 4, 2010 by jerrylanson

I’ve pounded congressional Democrats for spinning in circles on health care instead of starting toward the goal line. But let’s not give the Republican Party a free pass. It’s the party that makes distortion, mockery and denigration an art form, … Continue reading →

Posted in health care reform, Media | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Times gets it right

Posted on February 14, 2010 by jerrylanson

The parallel worlds of traditional and trash tabloid “journalism” existed long before virtually anyone and everyone could publish their opinions online.  Elvis sightings have been a staple of supermarket  tabs, it seems, since the day the King died. And an … Continue reading →

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Dear NY Times: Scaring readers is not enough

Posted on February 1, 2010 by jerrylanson

Ever wonder why newspapers are shedding readers almost as fast as advertisers? One reason, I suspect, is that they’re losing touch with what information people who read them need.  Today’s New York Times provides a textbook example. On the front … Continue reading →

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