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Eight people were killed and five wounded before the shooter ended the horror by taking his own life. He left behind a note that read, in part, "Now I'll be famous."So does the coverage from the hometown Omaha World-Herald:
Robert A. Hawkins made his wish come true Wednesday.So what’s a media outlet or a journalist to do?
"I'm going to be famous now," the 19-year-old wrote in a suicide note before killing eight, wounding five and killing himself Wednesday afternoon at the Von Maur department store at Westroads Mall.
Eight people were killed and five wounded before the shooter ended the horror by taking his own life. He left behind a note that read, in part, "Now I'll be famous."So does the coverage from the hometown Omaha World-Herald:
Robert A. Hawkins made his wish come true Wednesday.So what’s a media outlet or a journalist to do?
"I'm going to be famous now," the 19-year-old wrote in a suicide note before killing eight, wounding five and killing himself Wednesday afternoon at the Von Maur department store at Westroads Mall.
The Washington Post is accustomed to criticism of its coverage from the right and left blogospheres, but a Nov. 29 front page story about Barack Obama’s rumored Muslim ties came with a twist: Many voices within its own newsroom joined in the firestorm…The Columbia Journalism Review folks jumped in as well:
Since Thursday, there have been angry e-mails, Hamilton said, and allegations that the Post is swift-boating the Illinois senator by discussing rumors at length, without mentioning whether they’ve been thoroughly discredited by other media.
In the front-page piece, [author Perry] Bacon muses over how the chances of Barack Obama getting elected president might be affected by the fact that he’s not Muslim. Seriously. To build his case, Bacon stumbles artlessly through all manner of rumor, innuendo, and xenophobic smear—never bothering to refute any of it, even though there is plenty of well-documented evidence to knock down much of this stuff.
Eight men say they either had sex with Sen. Larry Craig or were targets of sexual advances by the Idaho lawmaker at various times during his political career, a newspaper reported Sunday…It’s a blockbuster advancement in the story, no doubt. But seeing the coverage given the story all day Monday, a few questions occurred to me:
The newspaper identified four men and reported details of the encounters they say involved Craig. It also reported the accounts of four other men who did not agree to be identified but who described sexual advances or encounters involving the conservative Republican, who opposes same-sex marriage and has a strong record against gay rights.
Someone for whom reporting is a full-time profession? Someone working for an established media organization? Or anyone?I can understand Keane’s train of thought on this. And am all for “Power to the People.” After all, the new media environment defies definitions and boundaries – whether you’re a ‘citizen journalist’ or someone posting sensitive information anonymously online – and the media beast is an omnivorous one.
I think it should be anyone. If you report, investigate, or opine - even part time - then you're doing journalism. That's not to say that every blogger's work is necessarily as good as that of traditional news organizations.
As much as Missouri's 36-28 win against Kansas belonged to its once-embattled coach, to its Heisman Trophy hopeful at quarterback, and to an upstart team that began the season unranked, it also belonged to a plumber from Lemay and every other long-suffering Tigers fan — from Blue Springs to St. Joseph to Poplar Bluff and beyond.Having parents who met at the University of Missouri, not to mention family in or near all the towns (and glorified intersections) mentioned in the USA Today story, this writer is far from indifferent or dispassionate on the topic.
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