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A memo to those who stood in line for a newspaper on Wednesday
Posted by
Jube Shiver Jr
11/7/2008 1:20:37 PM
Clearly the post election rush for newspaper is a one time infatuation by readers (and I use that word advisedly since many aren't scanning much...
Clearly the post election rush for newspaper is a one time infatuation by readers (and I use that word advisedly since many aren't scanning much past the 100+ point headlines). A potentially more marketable news headline memorabilia play might be this clever CNN gimmick:
http://www.cnn.com/tshirt/index.html?hash=81cdbecfc4bc8615813328cfc60af5dc&session_id=
Redesign
Posted by
Cynthia Cotts
9/3/2008 12:46:35 PM
As a longtime reader, I would like to offer my humble opinion that the redesign is a disaster. The traditional design of the Romenesko page...
As a longtime reader, I would like to offer my humble opinion that the redesign is a disaster. The traditional design of the Romenesko page was absolutely key to its popularity and success, coupled with the savvy editorial sensibility Jim Romenesko uses to choose and tag the links.
In its former design, the Romenesko site was one of the most navigable home pages I have ever come across on the Internet, due to its simplicity and clarity of design. The original design highlighted the wealth of content in a way that the redesign does not.
In its original placement, the so-called ''left rail'' offered appealing points of entry for regular readers and newcomers alike, as did the color coding of all entries. The typeface was always large enough to be easily readable. I sometime thought of the Romenesko page as the electronic equivalent of an illuminated manuscript from the Middle Ages (without the illustrations), because of its vibrant colors and translucent quality.
By doing away with the clarity, the simplicity, the color coding, and the readable font size, and by squeezing the left rail rightward and replacing it with a confusing smorgasboard of content and typefaces, the current redesign is a tremendous disappointment. It robs the page of its personality and originality.
Cynthia Cotts
thumbs down to redesign
Posted by
Tom Dunkel
8/27/2008 5:27:57 PM
I hate resorting to an old adage (partly because I'm sure you've already heard this a dozen times ), but...regarding the Romenesko redesign: If i...
I hate resorting to an old adage (partly because I'm sure you've already heard this a dozen times ), but...regarding the Romenesko redesign: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
This strikes me as redesign for redesign's sake. In my opinion the site is far less user-friendly and readable. Too busy. I also can't find a way to change the point size, which is now as teeny as the fine print on a life insurance policy.
I'd vote for taking this back to the drawing board or, better yet, simply scrapping the redesign.
redesign
Posted by
Jim Brunner
8/26/2008 6:54:27 PM
My two cents on the redesign:
Awful. You've made my eyes hurt.
Now there are two rails of confusing text running down each side of...
My two cents on the redesign:
Awful. You've made my eyes hurt.
Now there are two rails of confusing text running down each side of Romenesko.
Please reconsider. This is a giant step backward.
Web re-design
Posted by
Jube Shiver Jr
8/25/2008 10:05:38 PM
Am I the only one disappointed by the Poynter redesign? The envelope surrounding the articles looks pretty but the readability of the Romenesko a...
Am I the only one disappointed by the Poynter redesign? The envelope surrounding the articles looks pretty but the readability of the Romenesko articles I come to see has declined. Where to begin: the headline hyperlinks are indistinguishable from the explanatory text; there are now five or more different (although confusingly similar) typefaces; the bulleted entries under each article (designated by ">") should also be seperated by spacing like the "Most Recent Articles" sidebar to make them individually more distingishable; the graphic inserts for each article aren't consistent, as a result, the article formatting is un-even; and while I get "c" for comment "e" for e-mail what's with "b" for permalink?
St. Charles suicide
Posted by
Karen Hill
11/16/2007 10:43:12 AM
It's unclear to me in the story whether the police report listed the name of the adults involved in this. If it did, then the...
It's unclear to me in the story whether the police report listed the name of the adults involved in this. If it did, then the names are public record and yes, they should have been named. If they weren't listed, that's another part of the story--why not? If they weren't, it looks even more like too many people are protecting the wrong family.
Oregonian tries something different....
Posted by
Dan Hortsch
9/11/2007 12:05:30 PM
The Oregonian is right to address the issue of the strange, overly cute self-interview (with composite photo to match). The surprise is that the...
The Oregonian is right to address the issue of the strange, overly cute self-interview (with composite photo to match). The surprise is that the idea went beyond a joking level. Editors who made the decision went for cute and forgot high standards and ethics. The issues involved are obvious and they should be embarrassed.
Belo Gift to UT Austin
Posted by
Rusty Todd
9/7/2007 1:19:42 PM
AUSTIN – Budding journalists at the University of Texas at Austin will learn new approaches to the old craft of storytelling, thanks in part to...
AUSTIN – Budding journalists at the University of Texas at Austin will learn new approaches to the old craft of storytelling, thanks in part to a $15 million gift from The Belo Foundation and philanthropists with ties to Belo Corp., the parent company of The Dallas Morning News.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/090707dntexbelodonor.aba07f5e.html
Newser an aggregator that could work
Posted by
Nan Connolly
9/6/2007 3:23:20 PM
I don't care that the M. Wolff story in Vanity Fair was negative about the future of print as we know and love it. Much...
I don't care that the M. Wolff story in Vanity Fair was negative about the future of print as we know and love it. Much more important is the birth of Newser, a news aggregator that looks like journalists are at the controls, not IT folks who are plucking thru the AP feed at random. Aggregators pick up wire stories - of course they do. They don't purport to be all original, or even mostly original. And, as the current Beta version of Newser shows, sometimes the content starts to look a bit dated. But anything that puts together some of the best of the print media, and links to broadcast as well, is fine by me. These sites often hire freelancers at some point, useful to my personal bottom line. I'd rather seasoned journalists and news-oriented newcomers put these sites together than leave the driving to generic "content providers" who live in cubes in Silicon Valley and may or may not have ever been in a 'real' newsroom. Viva Newser - and may others follow your lead. I am right behind you - you have me reading, scanning, blogging and thinking. Not bad, and all this for free.
Flipping the script
Posted by
Matt Krupnick
9/5/2007 4:52:06 PM
I have to say that much of what Scott Baradell has to say about reporters and their motives is ridiculous, and it buys into the...
I have to say that much of what Scott Baradell has to say about reporters and their motives is ridiculous, and it buys into the bogus perceptions that many people have about journalists.
I don't know what kind of reporter Baradell was, but I'm not in the habit of telling my sources my opinions on any issue, no matter what. It doesn't mean that I'm planning to "eviscerate" the source, just that I'm doing everything possible to remain objective. I thought that was how I was supposed to do my job, and I'm pretty sure Baradell's clients are generally served well by that strategy.
The same goes for telling a source who else I've interviewed. It shouldn't matter, and it's proprietary information, frankly. A source should not alter his or her words based on who else has been interviewed, whether it's his ex-wife or her political opponent.
Maybe this is all just pie-in-the-sky idealism, but I think it's how the journalism industry should work. These days, ideals are more important than ever, and we shouldn't be altering our ethical and professional standards to make sources -- and their flacks -- happy.
Scrutinizing candidates' claims
Posted by
Wayne Dickson
9/4/2007 1:28:44 PM
Great start. Now how about adding a similar task force to scrutinize the claims being made about (a) conditions in Iraq and (b) the way,...
Great start. Now how about adding a similar task force to scrutinize the claims being made about (a) conditions in Iraq and (b) the way, yet again, the traditional media are being manipulated by the administration—this time into paving the way for firing into Iran those missiles the British told us about?
Collier County Ad Sales
Posted by
jim spice
8/30/2007 12:05:14 PM
As proof, here's a link to the Collier County Naples High Yearbook Course Syllabus . The course is tought by Vincente Delgado .
As proof, here's a link to the Collier County Naples High Yearbook Course Syllabus. The course is tought by Vincente Delgado.
Can't have it both ways
Posted by
Matt Olberding
8/16/2007 10:31:48 AM
Travis Armstrong suggests reporters covering the News-Press's federal labor trial can't cover it fairly because of their personal opinions. Does...
Travis Armstrong suggests reporters covering the News-Press's federal labor trial can't cover it fairly because of their personal opinions. Does that mean he thinks his own paper's coverage of the whole, sad News-Press saga has been biased? If the powers that be at the News-Press think they've done nothing wrong and are being unfairly targeted by disgruntled employees, can they really have allowed their reporters to write fair, unbiased stories about the situation? Either reporters can put their personal feelings aside and act professionally or they can't, and that applies to everyone. You can't have it both ways, Travis.
SPJ conflict
Posted by
Patti McCracken
8/10/2007 3:26:42 AM
any chance you'll link to the SPJ/National Geo conflict?
Or the SPJ statement regarding certification of journalists?
any chance you'll link to the SPJ/National Geo conflict?
Or the SPJ statement regarding certification of journalists?
Something smells fishy, all right
Posted by
Ron Legro
7/31/2007 10:17:00 AM
Following up on my last post, I sent the following email to King Features Syndicate and Bruce Tinsley, author of the "Mallard Fillmore" comic str...
Following up on my last post, I sent the following email to King Features Syndicate and Bruce Tinsley, author of the "Mallard Fillmore" comic strip:
To Bruce Tinsley and his editors:
The 7/31/07 Mallard Fillmore installment points to an "under-reported" story that Al Gore served endangered Chilean sea bass at a reception. Ideally, the strip will now point to its non-reporting of the fact that this didn't happen. The restaurant that served the meal later debunked the story, according to the ever-so liberal Telegraph of London:
"But the fish enjoyed by the Gores were not endangered or illegally caught. Rather, the restaurant later confirmed, they had come from one of the world's few well-managed, sustainable populations of toothfish, and caught and documented in compliance with Marine Stewardship Council regulations... ."
Since that information doesn't comport with Mr. Tinsley's obvious disregard for truth, and since Mallard will -- if past custom is any indicator -- continue to purvey this and other hoary falsehoods, I'll take a moment on the syndicate's behalf to correct the error elsewhere on the Web, if only for history's sake. Check it out at www.poynter.org.
Before you get your boots on
Posted by
Ron Legro
7/25/2007 11:51:56 AM
... a lie circulates halfway around the world. Journalists -- especially editors -- should read the following as a cautionary tale in the use of...
... a lie circulates halfway around the world. Journalists -- especially editors -- should read the following as a cautionary tale in the use of their profession by the likes of Matt Drudge and others, who recirculate rumors and slander before the real news people can set things straight. From the The Telegraph of London (but be sure to read to the bottom ... feeders).
Al Gore, the world's most high profile green campaigner, was at the centre of an embarrassing row yesterday after the serving of a rare fish at his daughter's Beverly Hills wedding.
Just one week after Live Earth, his global musical spectacular to raise awareness of environmental issues, the former vice-president attended a rehearsal dinner for his daughter's marriage ... .
The night before the wedding, People magazine reported, the Gores were at a dinner for 75 at the nearby Crustacean restaurant where a six-course tasting menu included Chilean sea bass - also known as Patagonian toothfish.
The reaction was swift: writing in in the Australian Daily Telegraph, Rebecca Keeble of Humane Society International, a conservation pressure group, complained of the danger to the species from "from illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities".
... And in the meantime, she acidly suggested, "Al Gore could choose something else to eat". Her attack on the former vice-president, and his implied hypocrisy, were rapidly picked up by bloggers around the world.
But the fish enjoyed by the Gores were not endangered or illegally caught.
Rather, the restaurant later confirmed, they had come from one of the world's few well-managed, sustainable populations of toothfish, and caught and documented in compliance with Marine Stewardship Council regulations ... .
re: Rachel Sklar and Harry Potter
Posted by
Ted Mann
7/19/2007 10:55:28 AM
At least Rachel Sklar admits that she didn't even read Michiko Kakutani's review of the new Harry Potter book before taking to the HuffPost to...
At least Rachel Sklar admits that she didn't even read Michiko Kakutani's review of the new Harry Potter book before taking to the HuffPost to declare it an offense against the readers -- an admission that probably tells us all we need to know about Sklar's breathless and misguided essay. The review contained no more in the way of spoilers than potential Potter fans were likely to read on the book jacket while queued up for the register. Unless you count the revelation that the protagonist will confront his arch-rival at the book's climax (you don't say), the "cheap scoop" Sklar protests so much was actually missing from the review she didn't read.
Worse, though, is her credulous insistence that the embargo put in place by the publisher and author constitutes some sort of "public trust" and that it exists "specifically for the benefit of the public." No, it isn't, and no, it doesn't; the embargo exists specifically to protect the marketing roll-out of a consumer product, one eagerly abetted by Potter-partisan reviews of the type Sklar would clearly prefer (only after Scholastic has said it's okay to run them, of course). Apply that logic, say, to a draft piece of legislation, to a speech not yet released by campaign staff, even to another book that hasn't been treated with uncritical adoration but rather as news. Would it always be a public service to hold back coverage, to wait for the all-clear? Please.
To suggest that the New York Times has abridged the public trust by publishing a book review on its own schedule -- one that will do nothing to ruin the experience of reading the newest Potter book for its many fans -- is baffling at best. To make the argument without even bothering to read the offending review in question is worse than baffling. It's lazy.
Ted Mann
The Day
Asra Nomani
Posted by
Jube Shiver Jr
6/25/2007 4:48:07 PM
By Asra Q. Nomani
Sunday, June 24, 2007; Page B01
"...I know I'm guilty of assisting in Hollywood's mythmaking. In the fall of 2003, I...
By Asra Q. Nomani
Sunday, June 24, 2007; Page B01
"...I know I'm guilty of assisting in Hollywood's mythmaking. In the fall of 2003, I went with Mariane to the Los Angeles home of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, where we ate bagels and drank coffee by the pool while listening to their pitch for buying the movie rights to her book. When Mariane decided to sell, Warner Bros. Pictures sought my "life rights," too. I agreed to sell them, even though a friend told me that making a movie about Danny's death seemed exploitative."
A lot of us knew Danny, some better than others. But for all of her regrets about dealing with Hollywood, I didn't read anywhere where Normani sent the check back....
Goodbye, Rich Ramirez
Posted by
Rafael Olmeda
6/21/2007 12:01:53 PM
On behalf of the board of directors of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, I want to express my condolences to the family, friends...
On behalf of the board of directors of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, I want to express my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Richard Ramirez.
The last time I saw Rich was Sunday, June 17, the morning after the NAHJ convention in San Jose. Rich walked into the NAHJ board meeting before it started because he wanted to thank the board for giving him the opportunity to volunteer for our cause.
Imagine that. He took on the role of chairing the local planning committee. He was the “logistics chair,” responsible for making sure everything ran smoothly and that all the pieces of the gigantic planning puzzle fit into a cohesive whole. He was an unsung hero of what was, by all accounts, a successful convention that struck an optimistic tone in an industry that lately has not seen much cause for optimism.
And there he was, thanking us for the opportunity we gave him. Naturally, we turned the tables and expressed to him our deep appreciation for the hard work he put into making the convention a success. NAHJ staffers later told me that in one short week, he became an integral part of the NAHJ family.
We lost a fighter in Rich Ramirez. We lost a humble man who sought an opportunity to serve a cause that was greater than himself, greater than his own career. We were fortunate to have known him, and we are heartbroken that he is no longer with us.
Rafael Olmeda
President
NAHJ
Rosey leaves Chronicle
Posted by
Chris Lopez
5/29/2007 11:46:03 PM
Rosey made the SF Chronicle a better newspaper. It's disappointing to see such a top editor leave an important post like this. Wish him all...
Rosey made the SF Chronicle a better newspaper. It's disappointing to see such a top editor leave an important post like this. Wish him all the best. He'll surely land on his feet and make another newsroom a better place. The Bay Area has lost some remarkable talent at the top ranks, lately, given Rosey's departure from the Chronicle and Susan Goldberg's departure from San Jose.
where are they going?
Posted by
Jennifer Vogelsong
5/29/2007 3:31:31 PM
I regularly read all the reports in your column about the layoffs, buyouts, shriking staffs in the newspaper industry, but I've never seen a stor...
I regularly read all the reports in your column about the layoffs, buyouts, shriking staffs in the newspaper industry, but I've never seen a story looking at the big picture of where are all these journalists going?
Are they turning freelance and competing against each other for work?
Are they mostly of retirement age and so doing the retirement thing?
Are they starting second and completely unrelated careers?
This kind of story would take the daily (bad) news and put it in a larger context of what happens when you have all these let-go reporters floating around.
Another Waco iconoclast
Posted by
Howard Weaver
5/22/2007 1:16:56 PM
Reading about John Young in Waco reminded me of a story Molly Ivins often told about her favorite Texas newsman, who was also from Waco:...
Reading about John Young in Waco reminded me of a story Molly Ivins often told about her favorite Texas newsman, who was also from Waco: William Cowper Brand was owner and editor of The Iconoclast. Shot and mortally wounded by an outraged reader, he drew his own pistol and killed his killer before dying. I wrote about it here: http://editor.blogspot.com/2006/12/cry-bullshit-and-let-slip-dogs-of-news.html
Re: Murray Waas
Posted by
Mim Udovitch
5/18/2007 5:35:51 PM
Okay. As I understand it, City Paper decided Murray Waas was newsworthy because his work was complimented by several other journalists.
Exten...
Okay. As I understand it, City Paper decided Murray Waas was newsworthy because his work was complimented by several other journalists.
Extensive reporting ensued, revealing that over the almost three decades that he has dedicated to investigating issues of profound concern to the continued welfare of the republic, he:
(a) Sometimes made some errors;
(b) Sometimes hyped a story in order to advance or promote it in a way that arguably was not ultimately justified by deliverable substance; and
(c) has written a few stories that subsequent reporters could neither prove nor disprove -- plausible reasons for which include but are not limited to: that they were operating under different institutional standards and mandates than he; that the blowback from the original reporting prompted a clampdown on potential pertinent sources; and that in objective reality not every story is equally gettable by every reporter of comparable skills and equal repute.
However strenuously these things are situated in the context of (at best) tenuously relevant anecdotes about Waas's personal life, they are not particularly unusual features of a long career in investigative journalism , and if they have larger implications, the story fails to establish them.
Given -- as the story itself makes plain -- that Waas has neither exceptional power nor influence, I guess that City Paper can now congratulate itself for not shirking its obligation to make public the alleged personal difficulties of a poorly remunerated private individual whose work it cannot significantly discredit, thus providing a valuable counterbalance to the inherent threat posed by a few instances of praise from Dan Froomkin and Jay Rosen, which might otherwise have gone unchecked.
Why is this venue even dignifying such ugly blather by highlighting it?
Full disclosure: I don't know Waas at all in the present, but I probably exchanged civil greetings with him in the hallways of the Voice 17 or 18 years ago.
altering photos
Posted by
Bill Bresler
4/26/2007 4:33:57 PM
So editors were caught digitally altering photographs of a victim of the Virginia Tech shooting, eh?
Heads better start rolling over this one. I...
So editors were caught digitally altering photographs of a victim of the Virginia Tech shooting, eh?
Heads better start rolling over this one. If a lone photographer alters an image they're canned. I'm expecting to hear all kinds of sanctimonious excuses of why it's OK for a group of editors to make the same choice. It's not OK. Fire every editor who had a hand in altering that hard news photo.
Bill Bresler
PBS: "Not All Muslims Are Bad"
Posted by
Alison Weir
4/18/2007 9:24:59 AM
I hope you'll read this commentary about the new 11-part PBS series "America at a Crossroads":
http://www.counterpunch.org/weir04172007.html
I hope you'll read this commentary about the new 11-part PBS series "America at a Crossroads":
http://www.counterpunch.org/weir04172007.html
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