Hurrah for ‘The Fightin’ Newsies’

Posted on April 2, 2009 | 1 comment

Stephen Colbert on newspapers and the Newspaper Association of America. It’s a can’t miss: here.

1 Comment

Posted in front page, newspapers

Tagged ,

Media Law Case of the Week

Posted on March 30, 2009 | Leave a comment

Sometimes life hands you a hard decision.

Do I select the libel case of a professional golfer accused of  failing “the scoundrel sniff test” or what could be the first libel case from Twitter, centering on –of all people — rocker Courtney Love?

Sorry, John Daly, but Love beats you, but not by a Hole lot. (Sorry about the pun. I just can’t help myself.)

Fashion designer Dawn Simorangkir claims that Love is on “an obsessive and delusional crusade” on Twitter, My Space and other sites that is libeling Simorangkir. The language in the statements in question, detailed here,  will come as no surprise to those familiar with Love.

Simorangkir, who formerly designed for Love, claims that the false statements have hurt her reputation and her business.

Leave a comment

Posted in Media Law

Tagged

Random Thoughts on a Friday

Posted on March 27, 2009 | Leave a comment

Here are some random journalism-related thoughts and notes:

A blog I love: Ted Pease’s blog, Today’s Word on Journalism. Perhaps one of my favorite posts was one of this week’s words, “fish wrap,” in which a Facebook user opines about why he reads the paper. The words Pease chooses are cleverly linked to his point, and he finds great stuff.

Good journalism: Today’s New York Times has a story on new Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) past as a lawyer for tobacco giant Philip Morris. New York Gov. David Paterson appointed Gillibrand to fill Hillary Clinton’s seat. This is important information for her constituents, who had no say in her representing them, to know.

Hope: Laid off reporters and editors from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer are trying to start web sites with in-depth journalism. They are working on ways to fund the sites. God speed. We need in-depth journalism now more than ever.

Over and out: The Buffalo Newspaper Guild voted in favor of a plan that will save jobs in exchange for employee give-backs and cost savings.

“No one is happy about the numerous families hurt by The News’ cutbacks,” said Phil Fairbanks, chairman of the Guild bargaining committee on the BNG web site. “Everyone in our union sacrificed to save jobs. Our hope now is that management will do its part to put the paper on firm financial footing and avoid future layoffs.”


Leave a comment

Posted in bloggers, future of journalism

Tagged ,

The danger of the state of journalism

Posted on March 25, 2009 | Leave a comment

I’m normally an optimist, but I’m finding it difficult to be upbeat today. Yesterday I learned that many former colleagues of mine are among those

Danger Sign

Danger Sign

with 10-day furloughs and pension freezes as Advance Publications attempts to help the bottom line, and also that Gannett journalists I know are facing their second furlough for the same reasons.

Today I read that Janice Okun is retiring from the Buffalo News on March 31, the same day the Buffalo News had previously reported those accepting buyouts would have to be off the payroll. Thirty-six members of the Buffalo Newspaper Guild (not all editorial) took that offer. (Okun will continue writing reviews as a freelancer, but will no longer be a staffer.)

I couldn’t help thinking about all this when, in my media law class, we were talking about the importance of  Freedom of Information Act and state Freedom of Information Laws. Students brought in examples of stories where government records were used.

Among them was this gem:

The city of Auburn would not release the names of two employees who took equipment until two newspapers — The Post-Standard and The Auburn Citizen–filed a notice that they intended to sue the city for the names.

My question is, with journalists working fewer hours (if at all), who is going to do these stories? Who is going to find out about this stuff?

I know some new media types say citizen journalists or bloggers will do it. Really? In a small city like Buffalo, Rochester or Syracuse someone who works a paying job is going to have time to file foia/foil requests and hold public officials accountable?

And please don’t tell me TV and radio journalists will do it. Government record stories don’t have exciting visuals, and TV and radio journalism staffs are cut to the bone, too.

This newspaper crisis has far deeper implications than what happens to journalists. It’s about what happens to our society.

As Francis Bacon said, “Knowledge is power.” But let’s face it:  We are losing a major conduit to that power.

Leave a comment

Posted in future of journalism, Media Law, newspapers

Tagged , , ,

Media Law Case of the Week

Posted on March 23, 2009 | Leave a comment

A Staples salesman is fired, and Staples sends out an email notifying its employees that said employee was fired for violating company rules regarding expense reimbursements.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston ruled recently that the salesman can sue for libel even though the information is true because of a 1902 Massachusetts state law that allows libel suits for “ill will.”

It is a decision that had Robert J. Ambrogi–executive director of the Massachusetts Newspaper Association, lawyer and Media Law blogger–issuing a prudent warning:

For the time being, however, be afraid — be very, very afraid — of this precedent. If ill will is all that is needed to turn a truthful statement into libel, then everyone is a potential defendant.

Sadly, last week, the same court refused to rehear the case. According to the Boston Globe, the court also “refused to accept a friend-of-the-court brief filed by 51 news organizations that said the earlier ruling could chill news reporting.”

For details of the case, see the Boston Globe story.

Leave a comment

Posted in Media Law

Tagged

Buffalo News full-time editorial employees safe from layoffs

Posted on March 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

The Buffalo News and the Buffalo Newspaper Guild have reached an agreement that will mean only two part-time sports clerks will lose their jobs in the newsroom. Outside the newsroom, at least seven jobs are proposed to be cut.

Guild members have to vote on the plan — which includes giving up raises, bonuses and higher Sunday pay — on Thursday, according to the Guild.

While the news that full-time newsroom employees won’t be facing the chopping block is good, it’s hard to take any kind of pleasure in this. The fact is the Guild is giving up a lot to save the jobs. And the News has lost several experienced, brilliant reporters to its cost-cutting buyouts. Case in point:

  • Sharon Linstedt, News business reporter recently lauded by the paper’s Editor, Margaret Sullivan, for her coverage of the crash of Flight 3407, which killed all aboard the plane and one on the ground. Sullivan wrote: “By 4 a. m., Linstedt had become a major source of information for the world, providing audio interviews for NBC, MSNBC, ABC and CBS. Linstedt was also the first to report that 9/11 activist Beverly Eckert was one of the victims.” That grit, expertise and experience will be gone from the paper by month’s end.
  • Fred Williams, perhaps best known for his business reporting. Recently, he’s been covering community news, including the beheading of a prominent Orchard Park woman.
  • Howard Smith, managing editor and former sports editor, who ended up in the media spotlight himself when News Sports reporter Tom Borrelli died last year from injuries sustained in a fall while covering a game and Smith was asked to comment on Borelli’s accomplishments.

While I’m happy that it appears the News might avoid newsroom layoffs of full-time employees at this time, my heart goes out to the folks in the Buffalo News newsroom, who in the past six months have dealt with the tragedy of the Flight 3407 crash, the unexpected death of a colleague who was covering a game, and the threat of losing their jobs.  Hang in there. Better days are coming.

Leave a comment

Posted in future of journalism, newspapers

Tagged ,

Food for thought on the ‘death’ of newspapers

Posted on March 20, 2009 | Leave a comment

Randy Siegel, president of Parade publications and co-founder of the Newspaper Project, offers a thought-provoking commentary on the “death” of newspapers in Editor & Publisher.

He asks that the backgrounds and motives of media experts, commentators and critics be available to those listening to and reading their comments. That seems fair. He points out examples where “media critics” might have other motives for proclaiming the death of newspapers. He’s right that the average news consumer should be made aware of this information.

It is an interesting piece. The only thing it lacks is full disclosure of Siegel’s motives and backgrounds. The piece does say Siegel is president of Parade publications and co-founder of the Newspaper Project (the latter, by the way, appears at the end of the article), but it does not explain in any way what that project is. Perhaps given that Editor & Publisher  is aimed at newspaper people, it assumes all readers know that the Newspaper Project was founded by a group of newspaper executives who don’t think newspapers are dead and are trying to counter that idea. But it shouldn’t assume that every reader will know that. Anyone can read that article on E&P’s web site. In the interest of fairness and full disclosure, the Newspaper Project should have been explained. Without that explanation, Siegel’s compelling arguments may be lost in the perception of hypocrisy.

Leave a comment

Posted in newspapers

Tagged

Great spoof on privacy laws

Posted on March 18, 2009 | Leave a comment

Ah, Onion, you’ve done it again.

If you need a laugh, be sure to check out:

Right To Privacy Not Guaranteed By Constitution, Says Supreme Court Justice Peeking In Bathroom Window

Leave a comment

Posted in Media Law

Tagged ,

Idea: Get unemployed journalists to teach news literacy

Posted on March 17, 2009 | 1 comment

Perhaps the greatest news to come out of last week’s “News Literacy:  Setting a National Agenda” conference at the State University of New York at Stony Brook was this:  The University’s Center for News Literacy is working on a proposal aimed at hiring 50 unemployed journalists and training them to teach in colleges throughout the country. The goal is to have government and foundation grant money pay for the salaries and the training of these journalists.

When Howard “Howie” Schneider, dean of the University’s journalism school, asked if any of the nearly 100 educators, administrators and journalists attending the conference on Long Island Friday would like to have one of these journalists for their schools, hands quickly shot into the air.  The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has awarded SUNY Stony Brook a grant to help find full funding for the project. The hope is that some of the education money the Obama administration has targeted at education might be used for this project, along with foundation money that SUNY Stony Brook hopes to secure.

It is a fabulous idea that takes a step toward solving two major problems in journalism:  the unemployment of experienced, excellent journalists and the inability of many news consumers to differentiate between quality journalism and propaganda, public relations and/or shoddy journalism. The goal of this conference was to discuss ways to integrate classes on being a savvy news consumer into high school and college/university curriculums. I can think of no better way to get students interested than to have “guest teachers” who worked in journalism talk about the ins and outs of understanding the news.

Here’s hoping SUNY Stony Brook can pull this off. My hat’s off to the teachers and administrators at Stony Brook for their innovation and dilligence.

1 Comment

Posted in future of journalism, news literacy

Tagged ,

Highlights for the national News Literacy conference

Posted on March 12, 2009 | Leave a comment

Here are a few highlights from today’s News Literacy:  Setting a National Agenda conference at SUNY Stony Brook:

  • News Literacy:  An overview of the News Literacy class at Stony Brook demonstrated ways teachers can show students how to analyze news coverage and judge reliable, verifiable information.
  • Ted Koppel and the News Media Panel:  This was the highlight of the day. Alexandra Wallace, senior vice president of NBC News, said journalists need to be entertaining and engaging, noting the news doesn’t have to be boring. Koppel, former host of Nightline and longtime journalist, responded that entertainment was not the job of the journalist. “We have to inform,” he said. Some things are dull, he said, but we need to know them. Surprisingly, this drew only a few claps from the audience. Koppel also talked about his concerns about journalism. “I don’t think the democraticization of news gathering is in and of itself a good thing,” he said, noting that readers can’t judge biases and where people are coming from with blogs. With the legacy media (print, broadcast), “There are people who made sure standards are met,” he said. If these standards are not met, people will dump that media outlet, he said.
  • Money, Money, Money:  Journalism job cuts and their impact on news content came up several times. Case in point:  One of the audience members asked about the lack of international coverage in broadcast news. “It’s not that we don’t want to,” Wallace said. “We can’t afford to.”
  • Arthur Sulzberger Jr., New York Times publisher:  He spoke at day’s end about the current state of The Times. He said The Times is exploring paid content options, has seen print subscriptions grow the past two years (despite the perception of the death of print) and sees no end to print publication of The Times.
  • Quote of the day:
  •                   “Cable news seems to be in a desperate rush with the obvious.”–Ted Koppel  

Perhaps

Leave a comment

Posted in future of journalism, news literacy, newspapers, teaching