All Blog Posts from Public Eye

Of all the words you could use to describe the reporting from Iraq, you could go through a bunch before you’d get to “too rosy.”

But a new Project for Excellence in Journalism survey of American reporters covering Iraq says that correspondents over there overwhelmingly believe the picture being painted for us here is accurate – with some even thinking it, yes, “too rosy.”

According to the Reuters story:

Nearly 90 percent of U.S. journalists in Iraq say much of Baghdad is still too dangerous to visit, despite a recent drop in violence attributed to the build-up of U.S. forces, a poll released on Wednesday said.

The survey by the Washington-based Pew Research Center showed that many U.S. journalists believe coverage has painted too rosy a picture of the conflict…

"Eight in 10 journalists believe conditions have deteriorated for reporters since their own first posting in the country," the survey's authors said.

Before going any further, it’s critical to note that the actual percentage of the respondents who consider the coverage unrealistically positive was 15 percent, with 70 percent saying that the coverage, while admittedly negative, is accurate.

But much of the study’s other findings are jarring and disturbing.

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Long long ago, on a college campus far, far away this writer did a grad school thesis looking at economic models of online newspapers, and whether newspapers could charge for visits to their website.

It was a hundred pages, give or take, but I’ll boil it down for you:

Nothing works, except The Wall Street Journal.

And now, that might be changing.

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We’ve got ourselves a Hillary Hullabaloo down in Miami at the Herald. And it’s a twist on the old checkbook journalism debate.

Last Sunday, the Herald’s ombudsman admitted that the newspaper had ponied up $50 to attend a Hillary Clinton fundraiser:

Miami Herald reporter Evan S. Benn, under instruction from his editors, paid $50 last Sunday to the Clinton campaign to cover a fundraiser and rally by her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Benn said he tried to get in for free, presenting himself as a reporter, but was told the event was closed to the media and was turned away. He then made the minimum contribution to get in. Local television stations remained camped outside.

The Miami Herald's decision to contribute was made after nearly a week of what, by all accounts, was a strong internal debate among editors and reporters. The concerns, which strike at the ethical core of a newspaper, were: fairness to readers and other candidates; paying for news; whether to sneak in; and what to do going forward.

The ombudsman continued on, conveying how he spoke with a bunch of people in the newsroom about how Florida is in such an odd position, given the state’s decision to move up their primary and the Democratic National Committee publicly chastising the state:

The issue was created by a novel situation, unforeseen by most ethical guidelines.

It began when the Legislature moved up the date of Florida's primary, putting it among the earliest in the nation. Fearing hop-scotching by other states, the Democrat and Republican national committees took counter measures….

The Democrats have resorted to sleights of hand. Instead of exclusive fundraisers for big rollers, the Democrats are creating large, cheap ones that are, in fact, also mass rallies.

So the Miami Herald made its decision, stuck to it, and adopted a fully transparent approach. Good enough, right?

Nah, not so much.

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In what is beginning to feel like a monthly ritual from some part of the world, we have another government-sanctioned media blackout, this time in Pakistan (again), where President General Pervez Musharraf has imposed emergency rule.

According to the AFP, Pakistan police raided the country’s biggest selling newspaper to make sure they didn’t put out a special edition on the crackdown:

Police on Monday raided a printing press belonging to Pakistan's biggest-selling newspaper group amid tough curbs on the media imposed under the state of emergency, officials said.

They stormed the Karachi premises of Awam, a sister publication of Jang group, following reports it was bringing out a special supplement on the emergency imposed by President Pervez Musharraf at the weekend, they said.

A government official in Karachi said that under emergency rules, the evening newspaper is not supposed to publish any special supplements, and police went to check that the restriction had not been violated.

This tactic is part of a wider campaign against the media in the country, as reported by the Washington Post:

Efforts to mount a nationwide campaign against Musharraf are likely to be hurt by the crackdown, particularly the continuing blackout of independent television stations, which had become a major catalyst for anti-Musharraf protests earlier in the year. "If you don't have television, you don't have crowds," news anchor Kashif Abbasi said.

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From the “Nifty in Theory” camp over at the Columbia Journalism Review comes an interesting piece about language, proposing that a new beat be added to the dwindling newsroom. Just as we have a sports beat and a city desk and a political reporter, CJR’s Brent Cunningham writes that news outlets need to create the position of Rhetoric Reporter.

Apologies to William Safire, but journalism needs a rhetoric beat. Yes, language has been used and misused in the service of politics since man first had both language and politics. Political rhetoric is not inherently bad, and I am not suggesting a War on Rhetoric. But there are aspects of our present political and cultural reality that heighten the need for a prominent, persistent, and intellectually honest airing of our linguistic dirty laundry, and the mainstream press is our best hope for getting it.

Cunningham points out the issue of language and frames and word abuse that’d make Orwell proud – while tossing out manufactured political language like “unlawful combatant” and “achievement gap.” Cunningham’s point, which I agree with, is that politicians of all stripes use language laden with built-in assumptions and meanings for maximum political impact. (Though his examples are predominantly conservative ones.) And he wants to see if the media can’t launch a language counterstrike.

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Well, shut my mouth.

Instead of seeing it as a threat, corporate media is taking the technology that enables so-called ‘citizen reporting’ – which I’m still not sold on –and using it for journalistic good. Take a look at what Paul Gough reports in today’s Hollywood Reporter -- where the slogan should be “It’s not just for Hollywood anymore.”

After two decades of cutbacks in international bureaus, ABC News is bucking the trend by creating one-person operations that will dramatically boost its coverage in Africa, India and elsewhere.

The small offices, staffed by a reporter-producer with the latest in hand-held digital technology, cost a fraction of what it takes to run a full-time bureau. But the work they file will be featured not only on ABCNews.com and ABC News Now but also occasionally on such ABC shows as "World News Tonight" and "Good Morning America."

The mini-bureaus are being opened in Seoul; Rio de Janeiro; Dubai; New Delhi and Mumbai, India; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Nairobi, Kenya.

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The political magazine National Journal has a daily newsletter they send via e-mail called “The Hotline” – a rundown of the day’s major political news.

Each Friday, they interview a DC media/political type. And today, your trusty Public Eye Editor’s number came up.

So, since we’ve never had a formal introduction, I thought this exchange would contribute to your awareness and build a sense of … Ah, it just answers the question you’ve probably had: “Who is this guy?”

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Matthew Felling is the editor of CBSNews.com's media blog "Public Eye." Before joining the site in May, Felling served for 8 years as the media dir. at the Center for Media and Public Affairs. He just wrapped up a couple of weeks as guest co-host on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program and is also a frequent guest host of WAMU's "Kojo Nnamdi Show." But today he's our Friday Feature:

Where's your hometown? What was it like growing up there?

The mean streets of Annandale, VA -- and I was lucky to get out alive. Seriously, though, the town's diversity taught me a lot. On my grade school basketball team, we had a Cambodian, a Phillipino, a Korean, a Palestinian. And we didn't lose a game for more than three years.

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Has it already been 25 years?

USA Today hits its silver anniversary tomorrow and the toasts are pouring in. What was mocked as "McPaper" back in the day is now basking in a flood of "ahead of its time" compliments and "they're number one"s.

Marketwatch's Jon Friedman offered up this view:

It was the summer of 1983. I had just landed my first newspaper job, at a daily with the unlikely name of USA Today. While the publication was not yet a year old, it had already achieved notoriety -- as a journalistic joke.
You see, I lived in Manhattan, where the New York Times is the dominant voice. Times loyalists, as well as newspaper purists and big-city pundits, got a kick out of ridiculing my new employer…

Figured. The city slickers didn't understand the strategy -- or the appeal -- of USA Today. Well, they get it now. USA Today now has an average daily circulation of 2.3 million.

And Editor and Publisher chimed in as well:

Since it launched on Sept. 15, 1982, amid complaints that it lacked in-depth reporting and used too many snappy graphics and color photos in place of hard-hitting news, the national daily has taken position as a circulation leader, ranking at or near the top consistently.

In addition, the paper has transformed the way many dailies operate, from pushing shorter, quicker brief-style stories to leading the way in color photography long before others saw the need.

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McWow -- has it been 25 years already?

USA Today celebrates its silver anniversary tomorrow and the toasts are pouring in. What was mocked as "McPaper" back in the day is now basking in a flood of "ahead of its time" compliments and "they're number one"s.

Marketwatch's Jon Friedman offered up this view:

It was the summer of 1983. I had just landed my first newspaper job, at a daily with the unlikely name of USA Today. While the publication was not yet a year old, it had already achieved notoriety -- as a journalistic joke.

You see, I lived in Manhattan, where the New York Times is the dominant voice. Times loyalists, as well as newspaper purists and big-city pundits, got a kick out of ridiculing my new employer…

Figured. The city slickers didn't understand the strategy -- or the appeal -- of USA Today. Well, they get it now. USA Today now has an average daily circulation of 2.3 million.

And Editor and Publisher chimed in as well:

Since it launched on Sept. 15, 1982, amid complaints that it lacked in-depth reporting and used too many snappy graphics and color photos in place of hard-hitting news, the national daily has taken position as a circulation leader, ranking at or near the top consistently.

In addition, the paper has transformed the way many dailies operate, from pushing shorter, quicker brief-style stories to leading the way in color photography long before others saw the need.

Read full post…

McWow -- has it been 25 years already?

USA Today hits its silver anniversary tomorrow and the toasts are pouring in. What was mocked as "McPaper" back in the day is now basking in a flood of "ahead of its time" compliments and "they're number one"s.

Marketwatch's Jon Friedman offered up this view:

It was the summer of 1983. I had just landed my first newspaper job, at a daily with the unlikely name of USA Today. While the publication was not yet a year old, it had already achieved notoriety -- as a journalistic joke.

You see, I lived in Manhattan, where the New York Times is the dominant voice. Times loyalists, as well as newspaper purists and big-city pundits, got a kick out of ridiculing my new employer…

Figured. The city slickers didn't understand the strategy -- or the appeal -- of USA Today. Well, they get it now. USA Today now has an average daily circulation of 2.3 million.

And Editor and Publisher chimed in as well:

Since it launched on Sept. 15, 1982, amid complaints that it lacked in-depth reporting and used too many snappy graphics and color photos in place of hard-hitting news, the national daily has taken position as a circulation leader, ranking at or near the top consistently.

In addition, the paper has transformed the way many dailies operate, from pushing shorter, quicker brief-style stories to leading the way in color photography long before others saw the need.

Read full post…