So Much To Read, So Little Time
With a weekend of Woodward wonderings under our belts, here are some media stories you just shouldn't miss.
Los Angeles Times media writer Tim Rutten has a great take on the Woodward fallout:
"There is something singularly appropriate about the fact that the Plame affair should involve Woodward, whose skillful and courageous use of the ur-voice among confidential sources virtually created a whole genre of Washington reporting. It's a journalistic strategy style dependent on the cultivation of access to well-placed officials greased by promises of "confidentiality." It's a way of doing journalism that still serves its practitioners' career interests, but less and less often their readers or viewers because it's a game the powerful and well-connected have learned to play to their own advantage."New York Times ombudsman Byron Calame looks at the ongoing policing of anonymous sources at the paper:
"Since I believe confidential sources should and will remain an essential tool in the best newsrooms, helping readers understand the motivation of those unnamed informants is a goal worth maximum effort at The Times. … Anonymous sourcing can be both a blessing and a curse for journalism -- and for readers. The system that Mr. Keller and Mr. Siegal have put in place has the potential to help The Times reap the blessings and minimize many of the curses. But their commitment to top-level oversight, and to providing sufficient editing attention to ignite those "daily conversations" about sources, has to be sustained long after the recent clamor over the paper's use of anonymous sourcing has faded away."Slate contributor Daniel Engber gives us the super-secret decoder ring to enable us to translate anonymous sources (sort of):
"Senior administration officials don't have to come from the White House. Cabinet secretaries are undoubtedly senior, and some reporters extend the title to their deputies and undersecretaries. Even a few officials at the assistant secretary level might merit "senior" designation. Given these possibilities, the population of senior officials in the administration could number well over 100."USA Today's Peter Johnson explains the recent spate of scandals haven't deterred journalists' in training:
"Despite trying times, students and journalism professors say that interest in joining the news business remains high and that the adversity shaking the industry could make it stronger."Katherine Seeyle of The New York Times looks at Howard Kurtz and his media franchises.
"You've heard of reality television? This might be reality newspaper. It is 'The Washington Post Live,' and it is playing out on CNN, thanks in part to Mr. Kurtz and his highly unusual double role as media writer for The Post and media referee for the cable network."And don't miss Washington Post ombudsman Deborah Howell's take on the "hit" on the paper's credibility. Also in The Post, Gene Weingarten has a funny take on the news industry's woes these days, noting how newspapers respond to readers these days:
"Today, if you have a complaint, the publisher himself will come to your house, apologize, wash your car, do your dishes, and so forth. Desperate, is what we are."