30 November 2012 Comments Off

Leveson: Right diagnosis, wrong prescription

The long-awaited report by Lord Leveson into the unethical and illegal behavior by some of the British press does a good job of diagnosing the problem, but the prescription is dangerous. The report rightly concludes that “there has been a recklessness in prioritising sensational stories,” with little or no regard for the damage such journalism [...]

27 August 2012 Comments Off

Some birthday musings

Another birthday. Another year. Another opportunity to reflect on a career in journalism. At the risk of self-indulgence (OK, this is self-indulgent), some high points and a low point. Let’s get the low point out of the way. Being a working journalist has essentially been one big high for me and regrets are mainly trivial. [...]

28 March 2012 1 Comment

Is the basic unit of journalism changing?

Could the basic unit of journalism be changing? Is the “story,” that basic device that every J-school student is taught to write in Journalism 101,  being supplanted by something less defined–and something less in control of reporters? You could make a strong case that it is after reading a fascinating interview with Mohamed Nanabhay, the [...]

27 February 2012 Comments Off

NPR’s new ethics guidelines set a gold standard

National Public Radio’s new ethics handbook sets a great example for news organizations trying to find their way in our increasingly polarized culture. It’s written with remarkable, jargon-free clarity  and it’s organized in a logical, straightforward, user-friendly way. But most importantly, it takes on the question of what constitutes “fairness” and comes down squarely on the side of [...]

22 February 2012 Comments Off

Is the golden age of journalism upon us?

Could we be entering a golden age of journalism? That may sound like heresy  when, among other things, ESPN fires an editor for writing an offensive headline about NBA star Jeremy Lin;  Reuters makes five major corrections on one story about Republican Sen. Marco Rubio; London tabloid journalists and cops keep getting arrested and accused of bribery; [...]