Portland News Review

E-mail has changed how news is collected

I have a friend who has been interviewed and quoted in the news dozens of times over the years. After being grossly misquoted one too many times, he refused to do interviews or give quotes by telephone. He insisted on having both the questions and his response in writing. This not only ensured clear communication, but left a record of what was said, as well.

It’s not surprising then to read the following from former White House press secretary Dana Perini:

The Internet hasn't just changed how the news is delivered. It has also changed how it's collected. Former White House press secretary Dana Perini says that when she got into the business, some 97 percent of all queries came in a phone call. "Now, that's flipped," she says. And while that has cut down on misquotes, it's put a damper on personal relationships between reporters and sources. "There's something about interaction," she says. Consider the numbers. After cleaning out her a-mail inbox one weekend in her last month, she found 2,071 new a-mails waiting for her the following Monday, mostly from reporters. "E-mails are a blessing and a curse."

It does seem like the lack of face to face and telephone communication would ‘put a damper on personal relationships,’ but if reporters use all the tools available to them to track down and follow up on leads – a-mail, Twitter, blogs, RSS feeds and so forth – it should boost efficiency to a point that they’ll have the time needed for the telephone and in-person meetings when needed. Unless, of course, they get lost in the online tools and don’t take the time for the offline follow up.

Dana Perini: E-mail Changed the Way News is Gathered  ::  U.S. News & World Report

Fox News takes another credibility hit; it may be fatal

Fox News is on a roll--and it's not the kind they'd want, to be sure. They seem to be working as hard as they can to see how many feet they can fit in their collective mouth.

A couple of weeks ago, Fox contributor Liz Trotta apologized for her mirthful reference to how unfortunate it was that Osama Bin Laden and Barack Obama couldn’t both be assassinated.

Now Fox broadcaster E.D. Hill has apologized for her bizarre–and over-the-top offensive–suggestion that the “fist bump” Mr. Obama and his wife Michelle did recently could be a “terrorist fist jab.”

The irony is that Ms. Trotta's gasp-inducing gaffe came in the middle of a long-winded monologue about the fact that Hillary Clinton is not as smart as the media have made her out to be, as proven by her more recent verbal slip ups.

It's no surprise that media outlets everywhere are wondering aloud whether Fox has anything left in the way of credibility. But these comments are merely the more glaring ones. During the three-minute clip on YouTube alone, Ms. Trotta seems to be seething with... dislike... for Senator Clinton and makes all kinds of disparaging remarks. The bit about Obama that actually triggered the alarms was an aside she half mumbled after 'accidentally' referring to Barack Obama as 'Osama.' (Aren't the right-wing pundits tired of that one, yet?)

Links:
Assassination Humor? Fox Crosses a Line  |  New York Times
Fox News Regrets . . . Again  |  New York Times
Fox News presenter taken off air after Barack Obama 'terrorist fist jab' remark  |  Telegraph
Question for Fox News: Do you think any of these people might be terrorists?  |  Media Matters

Must-see series on state of news and journalism

FRONTLINE's News War series is the most important television production on journalism in at least a decade. The companion website, where you can watch the entire series, is an invaluable resource that stands on its own with more than fifty interviews covering what major players in the debates are saying about the role of media in U.S. society - and what's ahead.

The four part series breaks down as follows:

Part I - Secrets, Sources and Spin
A look at the unintended consequences of the Valerie Plame investigation, a confusing affair that ultimately damaged both reporters' reputations and the legal protections they thought they enjoyed.

Part II - Secrets, Sources and Spin (cont'd)
Examines recent First Amendment battles between the federal government and the press -- how much can the press reveal about secret government programs in the war on terror without jeopardizing national security?

Part III - What's Happening to the News
Changing times, new audiences, pressures for profits, and the Internet revolution are upending mainstream media's old values and business models. Can anyone predict the future for news and in-depth reporting?

Part IV - War of Ideas
FRONTLINE/World reporter Greg Barker travels to the Middle East to examine the rise of Arab satellite TV channels and their impact on the "war of ideas" at a time of convulsive change and conflict in the region. His report focuses on the growing influence of Al Jazeera, and the controversy around the recent launch of Al Jazeera English, which U.S. satellite and cable companies have declined to carry. Barker also visits the "war room" of the State Department's Rapid Response Unit, which monitors Arab media 24 hours a day, and meets with U.S. military officers whose mission is to engage the Arab news channels in debate.

Requiem
At a time when fair and accurate news coverage is more essential than ever, 2006 marked one of the deadliest years on record for journalists. Surprisingly, despite the fierce fighting in Iraq, most of the slain journalists did not die in combat. They were deliberately targeted, hunted down, and murdered for investigating corruption, crime, or human rights abuses in countries around the world. In Requiem, FRONTLINE/World essayist Sheila Coronel looks at the dangers journalists confront as they try to tell their stories and pays special tribute to reporters working in the Philippines, Russia, Turkey, Zimbabwe, China and Iraq who have been killed, jailed, or exiled for daring to speak truth to power.

Please do yourself and society a favor and watch this important series.

NEWS WAR: Stories from a Small Planet - PBS FRONTLINE