Dinner at the White House with media correspondents

The correspondents' dinner in D.C. Take a look at M.C. Rove. He needs a haircut and a totally new job. http://video.aol.com/video-detail/karl-rove-raps-at-dc-dinner/1899359545 (from 2007)

Other White House Correspondents' Association clips: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/12555463#12555463 (from 2006)

Steven Colbert as speaker in 2006: http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/funnyvideos/v/colbertwhca.htm

A Bush blunder in 2004: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l5bSxpCKEI

Poor Katie: She can't do anything right

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/03/26/couric-criticized-for-interview-with-edwardses/
Katie Couric interviewed Mr and Mrs. John Edwards on CBS Sunday night (during "60 Minutes"); she is being criticized for her handling of the interview. Did you see the interview--I did not, being in Croatia. Let me hear what others think.

This Onion makes me cry

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117961820.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
Check out the latest news from The Onion. According to the entertainment publication Variety, "The weekly is launching a video newscast dubbed Onion News Network, or ONN, a 24-hour fake news net marketing itself as, 'faster, harder, scarier and all-knowing.'" Take note those of you who have never heard of the weekly newspaper The Onion. You cannot CITE this publication as a credible source. Thank you for listening.

More on 'happy slapping' and citizen journalism in France

Via Poynter.org:
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=31&aid=119693
Via UK's Times:
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article1484826.ece?openComment+true

Values check, please

Thanks, as always, to AlterNet for pointing out issues and stories for us to ponder. First up, the new embassy complex the U.S. has planned for Baghdad--in Saddam Hussein's former palace. Commentary from the Baltimore Sun. (Consider the msg this new building sends to the Iraqi people.)

Next: Commentary from Truthdig re: Iraq and George Bush titled: ''Saddam Has the Last Laugh.'' 'Nuf said.

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/49518/:
http://www.alternet.org/stories/49589/:

Journalism can be dangerous to your health/life

A French advertising agency recently created a print ad that stresses doing journalism in some parts of the world is extremely dangerous and can cost a journalist his or her life. The information I link to here is from the Ad Punch Web site. http://www.adpunch.org/entry/writing-an-article-is-equivalent-to-committing-suicide/

Assignment Zero: A new kind of watchdog

Wow. A new journalism project titled Assignment Zero has been created by New York University professor Jay Rosen. His experiment involves a Web site with news provided by readers and their sources. The New York Times reports on this new site. See what you think. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/19/business/media/19carr.html?ei=5070&en=3cdf69b4a3f71c86&ex=1174968000&adxnnl=1&emc=eta1&adxnnlx=1174387604-HwSHL6MaUrD5HoI297OMbg

Stop giving the public incorrect information, please!

Sloppy reporting makes me crazy--especially when it comes from the Wall Street Journal and the NBC news operation. Media Matters points out flaws in this week's round-up of media abuses. The WSJ repeated misinformation about Gore and his global warming documentary while NBC's ''Today Show'' presented incorrect facts about the Iraq War. Professor Klyde?

WSJ misinformation: http://mediamatters.org/items/200703200003?src=other
NBC misinformation: http://mediamatters.org/items/200703190009?src=other

AP and its 'hip' asap service

The Associated Press, a "wire service" that has been around since 1846 (!), has a multimedia service called "asap." This weekend, asap was all over South by Southwest in Austin. See if you don't think AP is trying too hard. http://www.ap.org/asap/index.html

Scoopt! and Citizen Journalism

Hmmm. As I prepared a lecture on wire services/news agencies for students here in Dubrovnik, I became aware of Scoopt.com. Anyone, after signing up for free, can download photos to this so-called photo wire agency, which will then try to sell them for you. Take a look at www.scoopt.com

Curious George dissed!

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=115611
AdAge reports that no one except one real estate company is sponsoring the Curious George show for kids on PBS, yet the viewership is substantial. Wah!

NYT criticized for recent report on Al Gore

"This may be the worst, sloppiest, most dishonest piece of reporting I've ever seen in the NYT," says David Roberts, staff writer for Grist. AlterNet shares Roberts' Gristmill piece on its Web site. Check it out at http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/49220/

Shockvertising in a crowded media world

Stuart Elliott of the New York Times discusses the recent spate of TV ads that use suicide as an attention-getter. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/business/media/14adco.html?_r=2&ref=media&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Tiresome question pondered again: Who is a journalist?

Paul McLeary contemplates the question for CJR Daily: Is jailed blogger a journalist or not? Read what he has to say at http://www.cjrdaily.org/behind_the_news/whos_a_journalist_zzzzzzzzzzzz.php

Some TV newscasts STILL don't know the proper use of VNRs

Columbia Journalism Review takes on the issue of the abuse of VNRs by many local TV stations. Marketing folks are thrilled when VNRs are used--whether their clients are given credit or not!
http://www.cjr.org/issues/2007/2/Lieberman.asp

Swiss newspaper falls for fake Gucci ad

This guy was ingenious but at the same time . . . See the report from Editor and Publisher at http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003551020

Facebook and Obama

Students for Barack Obama use Facebook to organize. See the AlterNet article at http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/48316/

Trend School? A course in cool?

Want to learn about trends? You can take a course! For more information, see the Advertising Age article at http://adage.com/abstract.php?article_id=115058

Buy Less Crap

Bono.

He's received a lot of publicity by trying to save the world one red Gap t-shirt, I-Pod or credit card at a time. Advertising Age (http://adage.com/print?article_id=115287) reported this past week that approxmately $100 million has been spent on marketing these products--but so far only $18 million has been raised for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Hmm.
Take a look at this site that parodies the Red Gap ads, and read what the creators of this site have to say: buylesscrap.org.

They make sense.

Denver Post defends its publishing of suicidal lawyer's name

After media outlets were asked to not publish a suicidal lawyer's name, the Post did anyway. See the report by Westword's Michael Roberts.

More on NYT reporter paying source

Slate has posted comments re: the New York Times reporter who paid his source $2,000 for a story the reporter wrote in 2005. The reporter didn't disclose this to his editors. See what you think.
http://www.slate.com/id/2161444/

Blogs, product placements and ethics

Many bloggers make money by promoting a variety of products on their Web sites. The Los Angeles Times just wrote about this dilemma. See: http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-bloggers9mar09,1,2985214,full.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business

Welcome to I want U 2 B outraged

I welcome your comments to my posts, most of which will link you to stories of questionable behavior.