The Blogging Journalist

Bloggers and the Race Question

Glenn Greenwald, a former constitutional law and civil rights litigator and author of "How Would a Patriot Act? Defending American Values From a President Run Amok," "How a Good vs. Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency" and Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics, has a March 23, 2008, post that shows how incendiary bloggers' discussions about race can get. It's called "One of Instapundit's favorite blogs speaks on race."

Instapundit is University of Tennessee at Knoxville law professor Glenn Reynolds. His blog, Instapundit, is very popular in some circles. The favorite blog Greenwald is referring to is Instapunk.

Reynolds' response to Greenwald's post about his"EASTER THOUGHTS, from InstaPunk:

UPDATE: Jeez, get a clue, Greenwald. I don't know why you felt you had to bring me into this -- well, actually, I think I do -- but the post you're bitching about is by a different blogger than the post linked above. I know it's hard to get your mind around the idea that multiple pseudonymous writers might actually be different people, but . . .

Should bloggers weigh-in on discussions about race? Yes. However, I think it should be from an informed perspective. If bloggers, regardless of their racial background, approach the issue from a holier-than-thou, finger pointing perspective the discussion will result in a continuation of name calling and denial we've witnessed over the years. I prefer the let me see if I can understand why you feel the way you do approach.

I also understand, whether we want to accept it or not, that there are clear, cultural differences and experiences that make the various racial and ethnic groups see things from different perspectives, with some individuals within each group often identifying with the other, while others may not. Wishing that it wasn't so won't make it go away.

My sense is that, we have decades to go before color doesn't matter in America. I hope I'm wrong.

Technorati Tags: Glenn Greenwald,Glenn Reynolds,Instapundit,Instapunk,Racial Politics

Can Newspapers Adjust to New Times?

Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, blogger Sarah Beth Jones' contends in her final column in the Greensboro News & Record, her local paper:

We are in the midst of a monumental clash: new media versus old. On the local level, this is playing out particularly in the struggle between traditional print news, our very own News & Record, and the proliferation of free, online news sources from blogs to The New York Times online. The question being asked across the board is: Will local daily newspapers remain relevant much longer?

Jones' raises an important question, and attempts to answer it. If you want to read her opinion, and the opinion of others she interviewed, see her February 20, 2008, News & Record column headlined "Sarah Jones: Newspapers adjusting to new times."

You can also read it at her blog under the headline "Newspapers adjusting to new times."

Technorati Tags: Sarah Beth Jones,News & Record of Greensboro,Daily Newspaperrs,The Blogging Journalist

Anonymous Commenting and Blogging

While reading Jackson, Mississippi, Clarion-Ledger Perspective Editor Sid Salter's February 3, 2008, post headlined "Bloggers seriously candid, but anonymous," the following stood out:

I'm one of those old relics in the newspaper business who got started back in the days when stories were written on typewriters. But I adapted to the changes over the years and when I was asked to write a political "blog" for this newspaper, I did it.

For the uninitiated, a "blog" is kind of a electronic journal in which the writer produces "posts" and the reader replies to them with "comments."

I blog under my real name. The readers "comment" under such pseudonyms as "bellesouth" or "statedawg" or "koolaid" and are seriously candid in their reviews. "Bellesouth" takes several whacks at me a day.

They know who they're talking to and I haven't a clue who they are.

The headline on Salter's post erroneously suggest that all bloggers are anonymous. Yet, I share his concerns about anonymous commenters. I'm also concerned about anonymous blogging, but not enough to tell someone what he or she should do with his or her blog.

I could understand anonymous commenting and blogging if we lived in a country that routinely jailed citizens for speaking out against government policy. But figuratively throwing rocks at journalists and bloggers and hiding one's hand is a bit cowardly. I would think commenters wouldn't be afraid of journalists, of all people.

By the way, Salter told readers he learns "a lot from the conversation" with them, and that he likes "the immediacy of it."

If you want to read his entire post, click on the headline link above.

Technorati Tags: Sid Salter,Clarion Ledger,Anonymous Blogging,Anonymous Commenting,The Blogging Journalist

'Is the Public Biased Against the Press?'

Mitch Pugh, editor of the Sioux City Journal in Sioux City, Iowa, USA, asks in a post in the February 3, 2008, edition: Is the public biased against the press?" Writes Pugh:

Roy Peter Clark, a senior scholar at the journalism school the Poynter Institute, made the argument this week that the public bias against the press is a more significant problem than bias in the press.

It’s an interesting argument and one that, given my chosen profession, I am predisposed to support. It certainly has a great deal of merit.

"However," Pugh adds, "Clark’s argument quickly becomes a dangerous one. Both in tone and substance, its flaws are familiar. At its root, I fear, is the same kind arrogance and gatekeeper mentality that has plagued the press for the last two decades."

As I read Pugh's argument, I didn't sense sincerity. In fact, I got the impression, as one commenter noted in response to the post, that he was pandering to his readers. That might not be the case, but it sure seemed that way to me.

NOTE: links added to provide perspective and background.

Technorati Tags: Mitch Pugh,Sioux City Journal,Roy Peter Clark,Public's Media Bias,Poynter Institute,The Blogging Journalist

Recommended: 'Mercenary Media vs. Missionary Media'

On December 24, 2007, Dan Blank at Dan Blank: Publishing, Innovation & the Web posted an article  headlined "Mercenary Media vs. Missionary Media."  It's a commentary about how John Battelle, Federated Media Publishing's founder and chairman, "categorizes media."

Dan mentions The Blogging Journalist in an update, but that's not the reason I'm recommending his post. I'm recommending it because I think he has an informative perspective on innovation in media and publishing.

Technorati Tags: Dan Blank, Dan Blank: Publishing, Innovation & the Web, John Battelle, Federated Media, Mercenary Media, Missionary Media

Internet Forums, Blogs and Message Boards

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed, general manager of Al-Arabiya television, offers a perspective in the December 25, 2007, edition of Asharq Alawsat on "the world of internet forums, blogs and message boards and creatures who live their lives fully immersed in a virtual community made up of people they do not know and most likely will never meet."

I enjoyed it, especially his commentary about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's blog.

If you're curious, see "Internet Forums: From Sarah to Ahmadinejad."

Technorati Tags: Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed, Al-Arabiya, Blogs, Forums, Message Boards

Salon: "What's the Difference Between Bloggers and Illegal Immigrants?'

Andrew Leonard of Salon.com contends that, "Of all the bonafide economists who blog regularly, Harvard's George Borjas gets the award for Most Single-minded Focus. Borjas' issue is immigration, especially illegal immigration. If you're looking for academic support for the thesis that immigration depresses the wages of native-born American workers, he's your man," Leonard opines. I found Leanard's post quite revealing and timely in the wake of the on-going national debate over immigration. If you're interest in reading it, see "What's the difference between bloggers and illegal immigrants?

Dave Winer is on the Money With 'Media You Can't Trust'

Dave Winer, the editor of Scripting News, is right on the money with "Media you can't trust." Writes Winer in a September 26, 2007, post:

I saw most of the speech given on Monday by Iranian President [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad at Columbia University. I also watched a lot of the coverage that night and the following morning by MSNBC and CNN, and I gotta say, they behaved shamefully, as badly as Lee Bollinger, the president of Columbia University, who introduced Ahmadinejad.

Transcript of the Ahmadinejad speech. 

Video of the entire talk and intro. 1 hr 21 min. 

Ahmadinejad came off as a gentleman, he had every right to be offended. Had I been in his place, I would have found it hard to give a speech after the intro Bollinger gave. And then the cable networks completely misrepresented what happened.

Winer added: "It was beyond spinning, it was outright propaganda (sic). It wasn't until Hardball that a reporter, Chris Matthews, talked about what really happened." 

Note: Links were added to the names mentioned in Winer's post for perspective.

Technorati tags: Dave Winer, Media You Can't Trust, Chris Matthews, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Lee Bollinger

Blogger Riverbend Finally Leaves Iraq and Settles in Syria

Riverbend, the Iraqi blogger behind the widely popular Baghdad Burning blog, which was launched on August 17, 2003, and became known around the world, has finally left Iraq. She blogged about it on September 6, 2007. Before then, her last post was on April 26, 2007, and was headlined "The Great Wall of Segregation..."

River's September 6 post is headlined "Leaving Home..." and is an account of her family's escape to Syria after  living under U.S. occupation since March 2003. The car bombings, kidnappings and living with the constant fear that death could come at any moment took its toll on her family. She writes:

There was one point, during the final days of June, where I simply sat on my packed suitcase and cried. By early July, I was convinced we would never leave. I was sure the Iraqi border was as far away, for me, as the borders of Alaska. It had taken us well over two months to decide to leave by car instead of by plane. It had taken us yet another month to settle on Syria as opposed to Jordan. How long would it take us to reschedule leaving?

It happened almost overnight. My aunt called with the exciting news that one of her neighbors was going to leave for Syria in 48 hours because their son was being threatened and they wanted another family on the road with them in another car- like gazelles in the jungle, it’s safer to travel in groups. It was a flurry of activity for two days. We checked to make sure everything we could possibly need was prepared and packed. We arranged for a distant cousin of my moms who was to stay in our house with his family to come the night before we left (we can’t leave the house empty because someone might take it).

It was a tearful farewell as we left the house. One of my other aunts and an uncle came to say goodbye the morning of the trip. It was a solemn morning and I’d been preparing myself for the last two days not to cry. You won’t cry, I kept saying, because you’re coming back. You won’t cry because it’s just a little trip like the ones you used to take to Mosul or Basrah before the war. In spite of my assurances to myself of a safe and happy return, I spent several hours before leaving with a huge lump lodged firmly in my throat. My eyes burned and my nose ran in spite of me. I told myself it was an allergy.

As Wikipedia notes, River's "weblog entries were first collected and published as Baghdad Burning, (with a foreword by investigative journalist James Ridgeway), and Baghdad Burning II,  (also with an introduction by James Ridgeway and Jean Casella). They have since been translated and published in numerous countries and languages. In 2005, the book, Baghdad Burning, won third place for the Lettre Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage and in 2006 it was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize.

According to Wikipedia, "Baghdad Burning has also been made into several dramatic plays, mostly produced in New York City. BBC Radio 4 broadcast a five-episode dramatisation of her blog, "Baghdad Burning", on the "Woman's Hour" Serial, on each day from the 18th of December, 2006 until the 22nd of December, 2006."

Hopefully, River will blog more about Iraq now that she is in a relatively safe place.

Technorati tags: Riverbend, Baghdad Burning, Leaving Home

What is Broderism?

Politico Senior Editor Andrew Glass asks in a September 4, 2007, column: "How did [Washington Post columnist] David Broder go from being revered as the dean of the Washington political press corps to being reviled on both the left and the right as the apotheosis of what has come to be known as Broderism?"

For Glass' answer, see "Why can't we all practice Broderism?" Thanks to Rox Populi for the tip.

Technorati tags: David Broder, Broderism, Andrew Glass, Politico

Jeff Emanuel: 'All Combat Zone Journalism is Not Created Equal'

"The recent headline-grabbing announcement that, in an effort to bolster the network’s sagging ratings, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric [link added] will be coming to Iraq for 12 days in September has, as it should, caused new attention to be cast on combat zone journalism," contends Jeff Emanuel, "a director of conservative weblog RedState.com,  in an August 30, 2007, post at Red State, that was originally published at National Review Online.

"However," Emanuel declared in his post datelined Baghdad, "amidst all of the hubbub and hoopla about the ‘danger’ of her trip to Iraq, it is important to draw a distinction between what Ms. Couric and the majority of her colleagues in the media are doing, and what others in Iraq are contributing, information-wise, to the debate."

To read more, see "All Combat Zone Journalism is NOT Created Equal."

Technorati tags: Katie Couric, Combat Journalism, Jeff Emanuel, RedState.com

Robert McCrum: 'Would Orwell have been a blogger' ?

Robert McCrum has a thought-provoking essay in the  September 2, 2007, online edition of The Observer of London headlined "Would Orwell have been a blogger?" He's referring to India-born Eric Arthur Blair, who wrote provocative books such as Animal Farm , Nineteen Eighty-Four and the less generally known "Politics and the English Language  under the pen name George Orwell. Orwell also wrote a number of other books and essays.

McCrum's essay is a take-off from Politics and the English Language. He acknowledges such when he writes:

Most people who bother at all would probably admit that the English of the worldwide web - verbose, rambling and ill-tempered - is not really the kind they want to  read in a book or a newspaper. But it's generally assumed that, because this is the web, we cannot do a thing about it.

Our civilisation has been transformed by the Internet in a way unprecedented since the time of Gutenberg and Caxton and the means of mass communication, so the argument runs, must adapt to the global language of 24/7. It follows that any struggle against the abuse and impoverishment of English in blogs and emails is a sentimental archaism. Underneath this belief lies the recognition that language is a natural growth and not an instrument we can shape for or police for better self-expression.

"Does any of this sound familiar?" McCrum asks. "If you look up Orwell's Politics and the English Language, you will find that I have simply adapted his opening paragraph - and his more general concerns about the language - for the Internet. It's interesting to do this because among Orwell's heirs, the writers and journalists of today, there's anxiety about the quality of English prose in the lawless domains of cyberspace."

Frankly, I like the informality of Internet writing. This doesn't mean I don't care about misspelled words, run-on sentences and a lack of punctuation. I do. It's just that if I can understand what you wrote I don't put too much emphasis on how you said it. However, I try not to quote badly written posts out of respect for TBJ readers.

By the way, when I want really serious, highbrow stuff I go to the Deep Web. That's where the scholars who don't want to swim with the masses can be found.

Technorati tags: Robert McCrum, The Observer, George Orwell, Eric Arthur Blair, Politics and the English Language, Would Orwell have been a blogger

Scoble Doesn't Deserve the Scorn He's Getting

I am not a geek and I don't live in Silicon Valley, California, USA. I live in Chicago. Yet, I have enough of an interest in what goes on in "The Valley" and in the geeks who live, play and attack each other there,  sometimes relentlessly, to closely follow the pontifications of The Valley's tech bloggers. They don't miss a thing in the aggregate.  I read the so-called A-listers and those barely listed. They are a fascinating, ego-driven bunch who don't hesitate to step up and challenge anyone who dares to depart from a certain orthodoxy or who haven't thought out their ideas before blogging them.

Robert Scoble, proprietor of the influential blog Scobleizer,  is probably the best known of the California tech bloggers. I sense that some regard him as an interloper and a wannabe geek. Is it because he doesn't have a college degree? Hell, Bill Gates didn't have one either when he and Paul Allen started Microsoft. Larry Ellison at Oracle didn't have one either when he started his company. I could name others in many fields who were successful despite never having finished college.

So, regardless of what some tech bloggers may think of Scoble and some of his ideas, they can't ignore him. At least they don't ignore him. In fact, he's fodder for some of them on their slow days.

Scoble created a quite a stir on August 26, 2007, with a post headlined Why Mahalo, TechMeme, and Facebook are going to kick Google’s butt in four years. He wrote: "The only reason you’ll watch these two videos is because you trust me to add value to your lives and not sell links. I explain how SEO-resistant technologies like Mahalo, TechMeme, and Facebook are about to upend the search industry."

The two videos are: "Part I of Social Graph Based Search. 14:41 minutes and "Part II of Social Graph Based Search. 15 minutes."

I agree with those who say Robert went overboard when he declared that Jason Calacanis' "human powered search engine," Mahalo.com, Gabe Rivera's TechMeme, and Mark Zuckerberg's widely popular Facebook are going to kick Google's butt in four years. It's not going to happen, Robert. If anything, they may become a part of Google, perhaps with the exception of Facebook.

While I applaud those who've taken the high road in critiquing Scoble's work, I disagree with those bashing him because of his opinions and those who seem to take a personal delight in seeing him bashed. Here are a few Google links discussing Why Mahalo, TechMeme, and Facebook are going to kick Google’s butt in four years.

I've never met Robert, but I like him based on the personality that come through in his writing and his videos for the Scoble Show over at PodTech.  I like his passion and enthusiasm for tech blogging. I like his willingness take a  stance on issues he deems important although he knows he's going to get his ass kicked. He willingly promotes new applications and the geeks behind them, if he thinks they are worth promoting. Sometimes I think he goes overboard with it. A good example is his endless promotion of Facebook. He'll promote a product as if it he owned it.

But yet, I'd never call him names for doing so. It's his First Amendment right to promote any product and be wrong in his opinions, which he usually corrects when he becomes convinced that he might have been wrong. On the other hand, his critics have a First Amendment right to challenge his conclusions as long as they don't engage in slander or libel in the process. But just because we have a right to do something doesn't mean we have to do it viciously. The best cut is with an extra sharp knife, which leaves the victim not knowing that he's been cut until he see's the blood.

In other words, the best response to Scoble's errors is a well-reasoned one that isn't diminished by unnecessary ridicule and name calling.   

And another thing: Scoble is doing something I haven't heard of any other blogger or vlogger doing and that is consciously chronicling the work of tech pioneers who are still alive and young bucks who are up and coming. In fact, he's introducing old timers and young bloods to a new audience. In my opinion, that is more valuable than 99 percent of what I read in tech blogs. For example, I've learned a lot from the following:

(1) A conversation with IBM’s top intellectual property lawyer (2) Larry Page’s teacher (3) The rest of the story behind Microsoft’s OS deal with IBM (4) Why I love what I do (5) IBM distinguished engineer on, um, marketing? (6) FedEx exec shows opportunity for online advertising."

I could cite dozens of valuable video interviews Scoble has done with technology personalities and entrepreneurs, even if some are marred by one of the most annoying laughs I've ever heard. While one could easily dismiss his contribution to tech history and tech's future, others will find it a valuable resource. Robert's positive contribution far exceeds the errors he's made in his effort to keep us conversing with each other.

Note: Robert has linked to my blog, The Blogging Journalist, on several occasions. This post can also be found at The Technology Free Press.

Technorati tags: Robert Scoble, Scobleizer, Scoble Bashing, Jason Calacanis, Mahalo.comment is Free, Gabe Rivera, TechMeme, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook, Google

Raw Fisher: 'Why Washington Post Radio Died'

Washington Post Blogger Marc Fisher tells "Why Washington Post Radio Died." Writes Fisher in an August 28, 2007, post at Raw Fisher:

From its sudden and fascinating inception to its slow and awkward demise, Washington Post Radio was a work in progress. It never came close to fulfilling its original promise--"NPR on caffeine," in the spicy phrase of the newspaper's radio-TV guru, Tina Gulland--but it was a radio station bubbling with possibilities.

Not that many listeners cared to explore those possibilities. The radio station--which will die next month by mutual consent of its clumsily-paired parents, The Washington Post and Bonneville broadcasting--never showed much of a pulse in the ratings, even though its programming ran on one of the most powerful and storied spots on Washington's radio dial, the former home of all-news WTOP.

Fisher said, "In an era of rapid change in the news and media businesses, when both print newspapers and broadcast radio stations are seeing huge chunks of their audience migrate to online news and entertainment sources, Washington Post Radio was an experiment in stretching the idea that it doesn't really matter through what platform you get your news--what's important, rather, is who the storytellers are."

Technorati tags: Washington Post Radio, Marc Fisher, Raw Fisher

The Stockwell Two report

I frequently read British blogger, journalism professor and media critic Adrian Monck's always informative blog and was curious to see what opinion he held about Stockwell 2, the United Kingdom's Independent Police Complaints Commission's (IPCC) 142-page " investigation into complaints about the Metropolitan Police Services handling of public Statements following the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes on 22 July 2005 (pdf 656KB)."

According to IPCC's website, "Stockwell Two" is "the full report of the investigation into complaints from the family of Jean Charles de Menezes about how he was depicted by the police in the media, the young Brazilian was gunned down in England on July 22, 2005. As Wikipedia notes, when police killed Menezes, they "were searching for four suspects in four attempted bombings carried out the previous day; three at Underground stations and one on a bus in Hackney," England.  Menezes had nothing to do with the bombings. 

 According to the BBC and other news outlets, "Mr Menezes was shot eight times at Stockwell Tube station on 22 July 2005 by police who had mistakenly identified him as a suicide bomber."

"The Crown Prosecution Service decided no individual should be prosecuted in connection with the case, although the Metropolitan Police is facing trial under health and safety legislation in October [2007]," the BBC recalls in "De Menezes 2nd anniversary plea."

 Accompanying the larger report is Stockwell Two Questions and Answers (pdf 17.6kb).

Monck thinks the "Stockwell 2 report is undoubtedly the best account of the management confusion surrounding the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes. Well, it's the only one," he asserts, adding: "There is a key problem. The central claim in all police communications was that de Menezes was challenged, refused to comply and was then shot. This, Stockwell 2 tells us, is a matter for the unpublished Stockwell 1 report. In fact we still don't know who shot de Menezes - police officers, soldiers, whoever."

And therein lies the problem. Will the cover up ever be uncovered? To read Monck's entire post, see "Stockwell 2: Policing public information."

By the way, the report is named after the Stockwell tube station, the "London Underground station in Stockwell, in the London Borough of Lambeth," where Jean Charles de Menezes was killed.

Technorati tags: Stockwell 1, Stockwell 2, Independent Police Complaints Commission, Charles de Menzes, Adrian Monck

Guatemalan Journalist Strikes A Nerve Among Guatemalan Bloggers

Dr. Mario Roberto Morales, a writer and "a columnist at the Guatemalan daily El Periodico,  caused a quite a stir this week in Guatemala with an article headlined "“Thinkers of the Blogs,” according to Renata Avila in a July 30, 2007, post at Global Voices online. She said the writer "analyzed the lack of credibility among bloggers and the content of their articles."

"He alleges that [bloggers] suffer from poor education and that they lack knowledge and analysis of their chosen topics," Avila writes. "In addition, they expose a fragmented vision of the situations written about in their posts."

Avila said, "Reactions appeared not only the comments section of the on-line version of the article, but Guatemalan bloggers also reacted immediately to Morales’ attitude."

To read Avila's entire post, please see "Guatemala: Journalist’s Column Strikes a Nerve Among Bloggers."

Technorati tags: Dr. Mario Roberto Morales, El Periodico, Thinkers of the Blogs, Renata Avila, Global Voices Online

Are Malaysian Bloggers, Officials Overreacting Over Role of Bloggers?

"The [Malaysian] Government has to face the harsh reality that it no longer has control over media technology," contends Malaysia Star online columnist Wong Chun Wai in a July 29, 2007, post headlined "Rules of the game have changed."

Won thinks "There is an over-reaction by both sides of the divide to the issue of blogging. The impression given by the Government is that bloggers are a threat to national security and bloggers assume that they are being hauled up one by one," the columnist asserts.

Meanwhile, the blog Present Point Power quotes Dr Lim Keng Yaik, currently Malaysia's Minister of Energy, Water and Telecommunications, as saying :

“I warn bloggers who try to break the laws of the country. That is different from Bloggers censorship. I have already sent word to MCMC. It doesn’t matter if the blogger is residing locally or internationally. The punitive action will be the same for both cases"

If this is true, it's serious stuff. It also shows how much freedom we American bloggers have. We get sued and thrown in jail from time-to-time for refusing to disclose sources. However, the numbers are inconsequential, except to the blogger in jail and the implication for future bloggers, compared to the number of bloggers and writers jailed around the world.

Technorati tags: Malaysia Star Online, Columnist Wong Chun Wai, Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, Present Point Power, Malaysian Bloggers

The Scott Thomas Beauchamp Affair

Some of the commentary I've read in response to "Shock Troops, an article in the 93-year old  New Republic magazine by U.S. soldier Scott Thomas Beauchamp, the publication's  Baghdad Diarist and "a member of Alpha Company, 1/18 Infantry, Second Brigade Combat Team, First Infantry Division,"  reminds me of some of the venomous blog commentary that was common leading up to and after the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. 

Now Beauchamp has come in for his share of criticism for daring to offer observations about the war that doesn't conform with views held by some of his critics. According to Wikipedia, "The veracity of these entries has been called into question by The Weekly Standard, the National Review, and some milbloggers, as well as SFC Hatley in Iraq, who is reported to be Beauchamp's NCO."

I won't sum up the dispute but offer a few links so you can follow the debate for yourself, if you are so inclined.

Blog Commentary I Recommend on the Beauchamp Affair

ABC News: Who Is the 'Baghdad Diarist'? --- by Marcus Baram, July 25, 2007, ABC News

The ‘Scott Thomas’ affair --- July 26, 2007, The Carpetbagger Report 

Doubts Raised on Magazine’s ‘Baghdad Diarist’ --- Louise Story, July 26, 2007, The New York Times

Army Private Discloses He Is New Republic's Baghdad Diarist --- by Howard Kurtz, July 27, 2007, The Washington Post

Scott Thomas” steps out of the shadows --- by Michelle Malkin, July 26, 2007, Michelle Malkin

Punishing Scott Thomas Beauchamp by Jon Swift, July 26, 2007, Jon Swift

Reacting To Scott Thomas Beauchamp --- by Hugh Hewitt, July 26, 2007, Hugh Hewitt.com

So Should Scott Thomas Face Charges? --- by Good Lt., July 26, 2007, The JaWa Report

The Scott Thomas affair at New Republic -- maybe a different take -- by John Barnes' Amazon Blog, July 24, 2007

Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp -- still wondering about the MFA --- by Laughing Wolf, July 26, 2007, The Black Five

Scott Thomas Beauchamp is married to New Republic reporter-researcher, Elspeth Reeve.! --- by Mrs Greyhawk, July 27, 2007, The Mudville Gazette

Technorati tags: Scott Thomas Beauchamp, New Republic, Baghdad Diarist, Shock Troops, Iraq War Debate

'Freedom Of The Press Should Be Unrestricted And Universal'

"Journalism and imprisonment need no more introduction than rice and beans, but lately the relationship between journalists and their captors has put sand on the fires of democracy and given the definition of limited freedom of speech a stretch, particularly outside of the formally recognized coverlet of the press," contends writer/filmmaker Johanna Custer in a March 25, 2007, post at The Lonesome Review headlined "The Changing Sphere of Journalism."

Custer said, "Media convergence has taken on greater scope and new meaning worldwide, and a couple of factions have arisen to rally the efforts of those engaged in the field officially and those working under their own auspices. The goal is clear: freedom of the press should be unrestricted and universal," she argues.

Hopefully, Custer's post will generate considerable debate. I recommend it.

Will U.S. Newspapers Place Greater Emphasis On Entertainment?

"The boundaries between news and entertainment have always been blurry. But as American newspapers experience a precipitous decline in readership, they might be tempted to decide that a greater emphasis on entertainment and  tabloid coverage -- of celebrities, of gossip, of provocative images and subjects -- can help save their bottom lines,"notes San Francisco Chronicle reporter Jonathan Curiel in a March 4, 2007, report on how American newspapers are becoming more like their British counterparts.

Editors of "newspapers know there's an insatiable appetite out there for splashy coverage," Curiel acknowledged.

It's an effort to lure back readers. And it might work if mainstream publications become more salacious. Many of us have already been desensitized by cable TV, the Internet and changing mores. There'll be protests, but the market place will be the final arbiter.

To read more, please see "Newspapers Turn to Sex and Celebs."

This 'Senior Administration Official' Is So Obvious

"it's incumbent upon government officials to speak forthrightly to the American people, and journalists should make every effort to gather material on the record," The Denver Post opines in a March 2, 2007 editorial at denverpost.com about the use of anonymous sources. 

The editorial was prompted by a February 27, 2007, White House transcript headlined "Interview of a Senior Administration Official by the Traveling Press. According to The Post:

The absurdity of the world of Washington briefings came into sharp focus this week in a session with a self-described "senior administration official."

According to a transcript distributed by the White House, the "anonymous" official aboard Air Force Two spoke in the first person about [U.S.] Vice President Dick Cheney's  mission in Pakistan.

"Let me just make one editorial comment here. I've seen some press reporting that says, 'Cheney went in to beat up on them, threaten them.' That's not the way I work."'

The Post said, "The identity of the "senior administration official" is perfectly obvious, yet White House spokesman Tony Snow refused to acknowledge the speaker was Vice President Cheney."

The publication said, "Let Cheney speak for himself, or keep his spin to himself." To read more, please see "The "anonymous" charade."

A Rural California Businessman's Perspective On Protecting News Sources

Kurt Vosburg, described by the Tracy Press of Tracy, California, USA, as "a rural Tracy small businessman" who "is among a select group of local residents rotating their columns in the Saturday Tracy Press," has a March 3, 2007, column you might enjoy headlined "Too bad Perry Mason never showed."

The post is a commentary about whether there is a "precedent that protects the media — journalists/reporters — from divulging the identity of reliable sources."

By the way, the Tracy Press has a list of staff and community bloggers. That's the kind of networked journalism I like to see.

KCBS: 'Bay Area Journalists Tackle Issue of Racism'

"Asian and African American journalists met in San Francisco's Chinatown today [March 2, 2007] to talk about race in America; further fallout from a racist opinion piece in a local newspaper," according to a March 2, 2007, report at the website of KCBS radio in San Francisco, California, USA.

KCBS said, "The meeting was designed as a way for the media to look at itself and how it plays a role in racism, specifically how a column titled, "Why I Hate Black", made it into Asian Week newspaper." [Links added.]

To read more, please see "Bay Area Journalists Tackle Issue of Racism."

A FEW RELATED LINKS

"The Narrative Stylings of "Kenneth Eng, God " --- Wired Blog Network's Table of Malcontents

CONTROVERSY: Kenneth Eng's "Why I Hate Blacks"--- SAJA Forum

"Heads Will Roll as Necessary" --- Richard Prince's Journal-ism

'Why I Hate Blacks' Column Blasted --- BET.com

Kenneth Eng's "Why I Hate Black People" Article in AsianWeek: What the Hell? --- Kimchi Mamas

Jason Sheltzer's 'Media Tales For 2008'

"As the 2008 elections come to the forefront of political reporting, it's shocking to observe the degree to which the American media has been polluted by bias," observes DailyPrincentonian.com columnist Jason Sheltzer in a February 28, 2007, column.

Sheltzer thinks "Much of what passes for analysis in newspapers, magazines and on television news actually consists of a regurgitation of "Beltway Wisdom," an amorphous collection of opinions formulated by Washington's class of elite pundits. Often these views have little basis in reality, and they tend to strongly favor Republican candidates and positions," he contends.

If you want to read more, please see "Media tales for 2008."

Does It Matter Whether 'News Entertain Or Inform — Or Both?'

Joe Gandelman, editor-in-chief of The Moderate Voice asks in a February 25, 2007, post: "Should News Entertain Or Inform — Or Both?"

In an attempt to answer the question, Joe addresses issues such as:

(1) The tabloidization of the American news media

(2) The rise of talk radio

(3) The 24 Hour News Cycle and Fox News’ impact

(4) The decline of truly high profile journalistic role models

(5) The dominance of personality over issues in politics and news; and

(6) The fact that "news editors and corporations can’t just ignore the competition and do 100 percent their own thing."

Joe also provides links to others discussing this issue. Among them Austin Cline. He has a  February 25, 2007, post at Jesus General headlined "Journalism as Entertainment: Should News Inform or Just Entertain? " 

 "Outside the Beltway" proprietor James Joyner's has February 25, 2007, comment on Cline's post headlined "News Business is a Business

Gandelman's post was also inspired by Cline's commentary. Regardless, it's a good discussion.

The Importance Of Linking

"The online magazine spiked [link added] has a [February 14, 2007] story entitled “Is Wikipedia part of a new ‘global brain’?” in which a writer [Theresa Clifford, director of digital agency cScape of London] asks some reasonable questions but then undermines herself with — at best — incomplete reporting," author, blogger and new media guru Dan Gillmor contends in a February 18, 2007 post in the Center for Citizens Media blog headlined "Not Getting Close to the Whole Story."

Gillmor's post is quite instructive and shows why linking is important for adding clarity and authority to an online post.

By the way, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is a member of Center for Citizens Media’s board of advisors, and Gillmor is "an  investor" in Wales "separate for-profit company [Wikia]." He makes the disclosure at the end of his post.

'The Grandest Choir Of Singing Journalists' in First Amendment History

Edward Wasserman, Knight professor of journalism ethics at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, USA, thinks Meet The Press host  Tim Russert, Washington Post star reporter Bob Woodward and other journalist who testified at Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Jr's closely monitored perjury trial have "become the grandest choir of singing journalists in the history of the late, great First Amendment."

"What happened is that these journalistic heavyweights -- and their employers -- just didn't have the stomach for a fight," Wasserman says in an article in the February 19, 2007, edition of MiamiHerald.com.

"Meanwhile," he added, "bantam-weight blogger Josh Wolf languishes in jail to protect some ordinary people and a principle: That reporters have to be able to assure people that they're independent, that they'll stand up to bullying, that they won't be dragooned as helpmates to police, prosecutors or grand juries."

To read Wasserman's column, please see "The vanishing art of standing firm."

Robert Scoble: 'What You Won’t See About Iraq On American TV'

I stopped by Scobleizer tonight, as I do every day and night, sometimes several times in a 24-hour period. I was surprised to see that proprietor Robert Scoble, perhaps the world's best known blogger, had linked to a video posted at the blog Hardliner. Scoble linked to it to bring attention to an "Awesome Video about things on the ground in Iraq!"  See his February 17, 2007, post headlined "What you won’t see about Iraq on American TV.

I watched all 48 minutes and 40 seconds of the report, which was produced by Britain's Channel 4. I had seen reports  about many of the incidents highlighted in the documentary on CNN or NBC. But I, and millions of others, only saw the sanitized versions, the kind of footage that might make one think things aren't so bad in Iraq.

Iraqis and others in the Middle East, on the other hand, often saw the raw footage of events that showed dozens of bodies at the scene of car bombings and blood running in the streets. It's this kind of footage that made Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya targets of both the U.S. forces  and Iraqi insurgents. 

It's why the Bush Administration sometimes accused Al-Jazeera of being anti-American.

The video also highlights the fact that Iraqi journalists hired by western news agencies take the footage and western editors sanitize it. If it weren't for them, we really wouldn't see anything at all.  Most western journalists are too scared to go outside the protective American compound in Baghdad called the Green Zone. And I don't blame them. Not even the Channel 4 reporter narrating the video dared go outside the Green Zone for his report. He relied on Iraqis.

Yet, some of the questions American or western journalists would ask at events goes unasked because the Iraqi perspective is not the western perspective. If Western reporters want a different perspective they have to be brave or foolish enough to go get it themselves.

Finally, as Hardliner says: 'I think everyone, no matter where you sit on the political fence… should watch this…"

By the way, 67 commenters had weigh in with comments on the video at TBJ post time.

Technorati tags: Hardline Blog, Robert Scoble, Scobleizer, Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya, Channel 4 of Britain, Iraq War Coverage

Howell Analyzes 'A Blog's Blast Damage' At The Washington Post

Deborah Howell, ombudsman for The Washington Post, raises great points in "A Blog's Blast Damage,"  a  February 11, 2007, discussion about how a post William M. Arkin wrote in his  "Early Warning" Washington Post blog  impacted The Post. The article, headlined "The Troops Also Need to Support the American People," never appeared in the print edition.

According to The Post, "more than 900 comments" came in in response to the article. Because the comment page was getting "too long for some computers to download and display quickly and properly, Post editors allowed "no new comments to be added to the page." However, they did allow readers "to add any comments" they "might have on the topic of this entry to later posts by William Arkin on the same topic, including "Demonization and Responsibility"."

An important point Howell makes in response to the reaction to Arkin's post is the fact that:

The Post and washingtonpost.com are interlocking yet separate is lost on most readers, who do not care that the two are miles apart physically and under different management.

She said, "A great example" of that lack of concern "is the recent firestorm over a column that never appeared in The Post -- but for which The Post was blamed." She's referring to the Arkin column cited above. She notes that Arkin in his online national security column "was critical of soldiers who, in an NBC-TV report, voiced their frustration with opposition to the war. The report, he wrote, "is just an ugly reminder of the price we pay for a mercenary -- oops sorry, volunteer -- force."

She cited other incendiary statements from the article and noted that, "Complaints were swift and angry and came by the thousands." 

So, "what's the difference between opinion writing for the newspaper and for washingtonpost.com?" According to Howell:

The writing can be similar, but the editing is more intense at the newspaper. More experienced eyes see a story or a column before