Our own Joe Strupp revealed that this was coming a few days ago in a chat with Clark Hoyt. Now it's out in Sunday's paper: Did media outlets do right thing in keeping silent on the seizing of reporter by Taliban?
'NYT' Public Ed on Rohde Kidnap
July 05, 2009
Palin's Attorney Threatens Media
A lawyer for the soon-to-be-former governor sends letter warning media, ranging from individual bloggers to news sites like Huff Post to NYT and Wash Post to not run "defamatory" stories on a certain subject (how Palin managed to build her dream house and related issues).
July 04, 2009
Weymouth Apologizes in Letter to Readers on Sunday
In a rare "Dear Reader" letter in Sunday's Wash Post, Publisher Katharine Weymouth apologized for the dinner/salon scheme that has drawn such strong criticism outside and within the paper. Here it is.
A Wider Shade of Palin
If you somehow have missed the announcement.
July 03, 2009
Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Page?
Lighten up your holiday with Loudon Wainwright's "Krugman Blues," on YouTube, about the noted economist with "the hangdog look." Sample lines: "I read the New York TimesThat's where I get my news Paul Krugman's on the op-ed pageThat's where I get my blues..."--Barbara Bedway
QUESTION OF THE DAY for Friday: What Do You Make of the 'Wash Post' Dinner Party Scandal?
Earlier this month we introduced a popular new daily feature. Every
weekday we will post a burning, or sometimes offbeat, newspaper
industry/media issue here and at our main site. We urge you to comment
to get the ball rolling and, we hope, take part in an ongoing debate on
that issue. Then another question the next day.
Today's question: What do you think about the revelation yesterday (and the explanations/commentary following) that the Wash Post had planned a series of private off-the-record dinners, paid for by companies or lobbyists, that would bring together policy makers -- and Post reporters/editors? After an uproar, the paper has now canceled them. For background, see links in item below on this page.
You don't have to register. Just hit the comments link at bottom of this and enter your opinion and then return to see what others are saying. Thanks for taking part at the outset as we try to make this grow.
July 02, 2009
UPDATED: 'Washington Post' Pay To Play?
Here is a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. Washington Post business side marketers are apparently promising lobbyists "access" to journalists and public officials -- at dinners at Publisher Weymouth's house -- in exchange for big money, about $25,000 per meal..
But a newsroom spokesperson now says the editorial side knew nothing about it and would not take part. UPDATE: Editor Brauchli has now also debunked. And Weymouth now calls it off, also says not "vetted." Politico is all over it here. A strong critique by media vet Charles Kaiser here. The paper's ombud now calls it an out and out disaster. Even the White House has weighed in with new rules on invitations to such events. FURTHER UPDATE: The NYT happily digs out some more info here. The L.A. Times says Sen. Snowe and Rep. Cooper accepted invites to dinner, not knowing it was money-making affair for the newspaper. And there's already a video spoof (below). --Joe Strupp
Philadelphia Freedom--To Charge?
As the bankruptcy of Philadelphia Newspapers LLC goes on and on, Philadelphia Weekly magazine has a new story regarding the very real prospect that the company's main Web site, philly.com, will no longer be
fully free of charge to access. The article raises one simple question: Will charging for online content work? And if so, what's the best way to go about it? Read the whole thing here. -- Samuel Chamberlain
QUESTION OF THE DAY for Thursday: Who Is Your Favorite Pundit/Columnist: Print or Web
Earlier this month we introduced a popular new daily feature. Every
weekday we will post a burning, or sometimes offbeat, newspaper
industry/media issue here and at our main site. We urge you to comment
to get the ball rolling and, we hope, take part in an ongoing debate on
that issue. Then another question the next day.
Today's question: Who is your favorite opinionator: from newspaper, news site, or blog. Name your favorite -- and tell us why.
You don't have to register. Just hit the comments link at bottom of this and enter your opinion and then return to see what others are saying. Thanks for taking part at the outset as we try to make this grow.
But Vampires Are Hip Today
On his Reuters blog Felix Salmon posts his Twittered debate with WSJ journalist Heidi Moore on Matt Taibbi’s Rolling Stone takedown of Goldman Sachs (she asserts that an article containing the line “a vampire squid sucking the face of humanity” cannot be real journalism). -- Barbara Bedway
July 01, 2009
Kidnapped Reporter Returns to 'NYT'
Various Times people tweeted his moving remarks as they happened but here's a full NYT blog post on Dave Rohde's return to the newsroom (with his interpreter) today. Photo below (he's at right).
Sanford to AP: Drop Dead
After promising AP yesterday he would provide records proving he spent no state money on trips to see his mistress, today the love guv said no deal.
Public Agrees: Too Much Jacko Coverage
I've been hitting the media for this for days and now Pew finds that the public agrees: 64% say excessive coverage of Michael Jackson's death and aftermath. And exactly half say media balance of that coverage has been fair, with only one in four saying too much attention to his "scandals." Details, however, show a racial divide across the board on various aspects. One sidelight: Just as many were interested in coverage of croc hunter Steve Irwin's death. -- Greg Mitchell
Rare Inside Voice Raised Against Media Coverup on Rohde Kidnapping
We've covered this a lot in past weeks, presenting pros and cons, while disclosing that E&P was one of media outlets that did not expose the seizing of the NYT reporter for seven months. Now here is one of the few, so far,from inside the media (editor for Toronto ddaily) to really hit that policy, from NiemanLab.
Mathew Ingram opens it this way:
It’s been more than a week since New York Times reporter David Rohde escaped from his captors in Pakistan, so maybe now is a good time to try and look dispassionately at the massive coverup that prevented news of his kidnapping from being reported for more than six months — a coverup that included not just 40 or so mainstream media outlets but Wikipedia as well, with the personal help of founder Jimmy Wales. Raising such ethical issues seemed somewhat crass in the days following his miraculous escape (although that didn’t stop some observers, including Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute, from being early critics of the coverup). But those issues deserve to be talked about in more detail.
