Another publication bites the analog dust

PC Magazine is going completely online.

The Ziff-Davis flagship publication will no longer be available on newsstands. According to the New York Times, the publication made 80 percent of the profit and 70 percent of the revenue came from the digital business. The print edition was a drag on the company.

The Times article looked at other publications that are no exclusively online, including the Christian Science Monitor and The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.(FYI, the Doomsday Clock that has been at the top of each issue of the Bulletin is still there. The timeline makes interesting historic reading.)

In my classes when I asked my students, "Do you read a newspaper," they always answered, Yes." But when I asked how many read a print edition, I usually only got one or two positive responses.

Online news delivery is here and finally making money -- for some.

I figure it is our job to make sure that the same rules of ethics and clear writing apply. Just because the reproting is being done online should not mean the rules of proper journalism should be relaxed. (And that, for many of my past students, was a hard part to accept.)

Stars and Stripes and Doonesbury

A friend currently on assignment with the US Army in Iraq sent me a note about the latest controvery over Doonesbury and Stars and Stripes.

The latest dust up is that the liberal cartoon -- which has been in Stars and Stripes for more than 30 years -- came over the cartoon that showed soldiers' reactions to the Obama victory.

Hoo-boy did the letters fly into S&S.

Here is the Ombudsman of S&S addressing the issue: Trudeau’s election ‘Hoo-Ah’ escapes an Uh-Oh  (Links to the orginal letters are in this story.)

And here is a letter from Doonebury creator Garry Trudeau: How 'Doonesbury’ serves the troops

This is becoming a very interesting lesson on freedom of the press and expression -- the very thing the U.S. military is sworn to protect.

Political Reporters Defend Selves Against Bias Rap

Report of a panel discussion in Cleveland sponsored by the National Press Club.

Offers some good ideas to get discussion going in class -- especially when discussion ethics.

Today in history: Colombia volcano erupts

Looking for a story idea?

Not the history of the volcano erupting but rather the historic search and rescue operation that took place. See my note at the end.

November 14, 1985

Volcano erupts in Colombia and buries nearby towns

On
this day in 1985, a volcano erupts in Colombia, killing well over
20,000 people as nearby towns are buried in mud, ice and lava.

What the history books don't say is that many of the dog search teams that the United States sent to the area were used just a couple of months earlier in Mexico City.

In Mexico the dogs were used -- for the first time ever -- in an urban disaster environment.

In Colombia it was the first time dog search teams were used in a natural disaster environment. Usually the dogs are used to find lost children in the wilderness.

The operations in Mexico and Colombia saved lives because people who would have otherwise been missed by normal search and rescue methods were found by the dogs.

Do I get points for creativity? Actual exam answers.

A budding journalist here. This person did not approach the question in the obvious manner but looked for the unusual answer.
Now I know that journalists are not supposed to be math wizards, but even I can see that this is not the way to solve this problem.
Or this...Or this way..Or you can use the Discovery Institute "And then a miracle happened" method and insert whatever you want to make the answer come out the way you want it to...


But my favorite is...

Covering bombers: An Indonesian Perspective

The latest issue of Asia Media has a story form the Jakarta Post complaining about how the 2002 Bali bombers got way too much unfettered publicity from Indonesian media outlets.

The terrorists were executed last weekend.

The lead up to their execution was a series of interviews that were described more as terrorist propaganda instead of a serious look at what makes a terrorist.

"Even on death row, they continued to make news, obviously aided by the
prison authorities. There were the media interviews they gave, always
using the opportunity to justify their acts in the name of Islam and
not for once showing any sign of regret; one of them even got married
while on death row; and they were constantly in contact with the
outside world with easy access to telephones and the Internet. So much
for Indonesia's high security prison system."

The story, Good Riddance, criticized the Indonesian media, especially television, for seeming to "be a willing partner throughout this whole spectacle, especially during
the last four weeks while the authorities hesitated in carrying out the
execution order."

CNN International (I don't know about the US version) is also airing interviews with the bombers. The teasers show nothing but unrepentant killers who hide behind religion to justify their actions.

So, the $64,000 Question is: At what point should journalists pull the plug on these kinds on interviews?

South Asia: Media reponse to US election

Just to make sure everyone is aware, the rest of the world was watching the US elections closely.

Here is a report from Asia Media on the response in South Asia.

BTW, if you are ever looking for reports on how things are going in Asia for journalists, Asia Media is a good place to start. (Some students might even be from the countries covered in these reports. Would be interesting to get their perspectives on the differences between the US media and that of their home countries.)