All Blog Posts from Public Eye

The definition of “who is a journalist” is a great and vexing intellectual exercise we have here in 21st century MediaLand.

But Tom Keane, a Boston freelancer, has an easy answer for all of us: Everybody!

According to his op-ed published in the Boston Globe yesterday:

Someone for whom reporting is a full-time profession? Someone working for an established media organization? Or anyone?

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.

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.

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If you’ve been watching the CBS “Evening News” over the past few weeks, you might have noticed a slight trend – fewer “freeSpeech” segments. In fact, the last time the segment aired was November 3, when representatives of both major political parties split the allotted 90 seconds to give closing-day campaign pitches. Well, Washington Post media writer Howard Kurtz today reports that the “Evening News” is reducing the segment from every day to one-to-three times a week. Executive producer Rome Hartman tells the Post it is a fine-tuning of sorts and that the show has learned better how to use the segment.

Since anchor Katie Couric debuted, “freeSpeech” has been one of the most-discussed elements of the new “Evening News,” drawing criticism on a number of different levels. Some were upset at the content of them, others complained that it has featured too many recognizable voices. And one would-be participant initially suggested that the network sought to stifle his “freeSpeech” idea.

Hartman has also indicated there was a level of opposition to the segment within the news division, telling Kurtz that some correspondents felt it took up valuable air time while others were opposed to the idea of commentary on the broadcast altogether. Everyone has opinions on the segment, it seems, including me. I like the idea, if not the execution to this point.

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Judging from the e-mails we’ve received, many of the comments over at the Couric & Co., blog and the comments left at CBSNews.com, yesterday’s “freeSpeech” segment on the “Evening News” has raised the ire of plenty of viewers. The segment featured Brian Rohrbough, the father of one of the students killed at Columbine High School in 1999, addressing the recent school shootings in Pennsylvania and Colorado. You can watch the commentary by clicking on the image to the left or read the transcript here. Here is part of what’s drawing the most criticism, from Rohrbough:

This country is in a moral free-fall. For over two generations, the public school system has taught in a moral vacuum, expelling God from the school and from the government, replacing him with evolution, where the strong kill the weak, without moral consequences and life has no inherent value.

We teach there are no absolutes, no right or wrong. And I assure you the murder of innocent children is always wrong, including by abortion. Abortion has diminished the value of children.

Here are some of the comments that have landed in our in-box – William R. says:

It is sad to see CBS pander to the extreme right wing. The network that brought us Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite has now become a cheap imitation of Fox (false) news.

Barbara R. was also disappointed:

We have been CBS evening news watchers for many years, but tonight was the last night I will ever watch the news on CBS.

What in the world was Couric thinking of when she had the Columbine parent on Free Speech? He blamed the lack of religious teachings in school, Darwin and abortion rights for the murderous rampages in Colorado and Pennsylvania.

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If you watched the “Evening News” last night, you saw a different kind of “freeSpeech” segment than we’ve gotten used to. The speaker, “Carlos,” spoke anonymously about his situation as an immigrant facing deportation despite having spent most of his life in America (you can click the picture below to watch). An interesting approach to the segment, to say the least, but one that seems to have gotten not a few folks stirred up. Over at the “Couric & Co.” blog, editor Greg Kandra takes notes of one big complaint: An assertion by “Carlos” that his parents had paid taxes almost since first arriving in the country. Some wondered how that could be done legally (without a stolen identity) without a Social Security number. Producer Marc Rosenwasser, who supervises the segment, responded:

As the producer of “freeSpeech,” I want to clarify one point about the comment by “Carlos” that his family paid taxes

Some viewers said that was impossible because his parents had no Social Security numbers.

This is quoting from the IRS: “An ITIN, or individual Taxpayer Identification Number, is a tax processing number only available for certain nonresident and resident aliens, their spouses, and dependents who cannot get a Social Security Number.”

That is what Carlos told us his father used once he was employed in this country. Carlos also said everyone in his family has an ITIN.

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Over the weekend, the TVNewser blog, widely read by media and media-obsessed types, picked up on something HBO host Bill Maher said on his show Friday night. According to blog, Maher disclosed that he had been asked to do a “freeSpeech” segment for the “Evening News.” Here’s how the blog put it: “He asked if he could talk about religion but was rejected and told that he would be provided with a list of 'approved' topics." I’ve been unable to see the show firsthand myself, but I have seen clips where Maher claimed, “I asked if I could talk about religion, and that was a deal-breaker right from the beginning. … They said, ‘We’ll send over a list of acceptable topics … for our segment on free speech.’” In response to Maher’s comments, CBS News sent out the following statement:

“Bill Maher was never told that he couldn’t discuss religion in a ‘freeSpeech’ segment," said Rome Hartman, executive producer of the CBS Evening News. "In fact, ‘freeSpeech’ has already addressed religion and we expect others will in the future."

In fact, tonight’s “freeSpeech” segment deals with that very topic, featuring a Muslim author speaking on the uproar in response to the Pope’s recent comments. In an e-mail, Hartman also said that Maher was not told the topic of religion was off limits, that all prospective “freeSpeech” participants are given “suggested topics” in order to yield timely commentary and avoid repetition. Hartman added, “no effort was made to dictate content to him or anyone else, other than that we have told everyone that we won't air personal attacks, and that we're seeking an overall tone of civility and respect, even while airing very divergent views.” (You can check out a complete list of the commentators and topics here).

Last week, we took a look inside the process of the segment and noted some of the editorial considerations involved and you can read that for a little more background. On the surface, it certainly appears contradictory for a segment touting free speech to have any constraints on it whatsoever. Of course, reality isn’t always so simple.

Update: Maher has issued the following statement, according to the New York Daily News:

"If I or my representatives got it wrong about how the 'Free Speech' segment of the 'CBS Evening News' is, sorry, our bad. I'm ready, willing and able to speak about the topic I originally suggested."

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CBS News this afternoon announced that when the “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric” debuts in September, the broadcast will include a “regular feature” titled, “Free Speech.” According to the press release, the segment will feature “opinion and commentary from a wide range of American” and is “intended to create a candid and robust dialogue.”

According to “Evening News” Executive Producer Rome Hartman, the segment “will be unlike anything that currently exists on a network evening news broadcast.” He adds: “We are not looking to pit one side against another or to broadcast shouting matches -- there’s already more than enough of that on television. And it won’t be a collection of the ‘usual suspects’ or ‘talking heads;’ in fact, we intend it to be just the opposite of that.”

The release promises the inclusion of a “wide and diverse group of voices” talking on a variety of topics, promising: “One night, the segment may feature a well known national figure speaking out on a current issue in the news, while the next night, someone may offer a humorous take on a trend in the culture, or it might be Bob Schieffer’s unique take on Washington or the world.”

I asked Hartman whether the “voices” chosen for the segment will be sought out and picked by CBS News or if individuals can pitch themselves and their commentaries to the broadcast. In an e-mail, he responded: “At the outset, it will be from people we seek out. We DO hope to eventually find a way for people to pitch us, or for us to solicit submissions.”

We’ll keep an eye on all these changes as the new “Evening News” gears up, and we’ll let you know what kinds of reactions we see. Let’s start that right here, what do you think about this segment? Who would you like to see featured at some point? And is this something you’d like to see on the “Evening News?” Let us know in comments below or e-mail us with your thoughts.

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