The hidden billion-dollar cost of repeated police misconduct
The story notes that when police departments mention they are paying a cash settlement to a plaintiff who has made accusations of police misconduct, the departments typically don’t mention the name of officers involved. On the one hand, this makes sense, since the settlements are often made with no admission of misconduct, so the officers…
Entire staff of Russian TV channel resigned during a live stream with last words: “no war” and then played “swan lake” ballet video
The Entire staff of the Russian TV channel “the rain” resigned during a live stream with last words: “no war” and then played “swan lake” ballet video (just like they did on all USSR tv channels when it suddenly collapsed)
How to spot video and photo fakes as Russia invades Ukraine – Poynter
In the first hours of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, internet watchdogs pored over images shared on Russian media that claimed Ukraine struck first and Russia merely responded. The Biden administration has been warning for weeks that, in the days and hours leading up to the invasion of Ukraine that arrived before dawn on Thursday,…
War via TikTok: Russia’s new tool for propaganda machine
“This is the way they go to war; it’s a central part of Russian doctrine,” said Jim Ludes, a former U.S. defense analyst who now directs the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University. Ludes said Russian disinformation campaigns are intended to galvanize Russian support while confusing and dividing the…
The beauty from some Olympic skaters was not worth seeing a child emotionally broken on live television.
I didn’t watch any of the video, and I have no desire to. This article was painful to read. “I hate it! … I don’t want to do anything in figure skating ever in my life! … Everyone has a gold medal, and I don’t!” One can forgive a teenage girl for having an emotional response…
JJ Abrams announces fourth rebooted Star Trek movie
“We are thrilled to say that we are hard at work on a new ‘Star Trek’ film that will be shooting by the end of the year that will be featuring our original cast and some new characters that I think are going to be really fun and exciting and help take ‘Star Trek’ into…
Minnesota authorities can’t arrest or threaten journalists after judge approves settlement arising from George Floyd protests
A federal judge brokers an agreement in which Minnesota police had to be told specifically that they can’t arrest, threaten, or assault journalists, or confiscate or damage their equipment. Even when protestors are ordered to disperse, journalists are permitted to document what happens next, as per their First Amendment rights. The settlement includes a payment…
Journalists dream of puns like this.
It’s not just you — we are all more forgetful during the pandemic, experts say. Here’s how to fix it
Pandemic living can make it much more difficult to form a memory at all, let alone call it back when we need it, said Yassa, director of the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at the University of California, Irvine. “Sometimes we’re a little bit harder on ourselves. We think, ‘Oh, how…
Media Bias Chart (Ad Fontes, v. 9)
Objective news reporting is an ideal. Wherever humans are involved, there will be bias. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with journalism that reports with a particular slant, but informed consumers of news who want to understand a complex issue aren’t served by one-sided media coverage that flatters and amplifies their world view. This chart sorts popular…
Perspective | How NPR’s Steve Inskeep cracked the code for interviewing Trump
The role of mainstream journalists is significant, and, overall, their record has been far less than stellar. Too many, whether in a one-on-one interview or at larger sessions with a number of reporters, have failed to push back in a way that matters. Trump is such a facile talker — one who specializes in dazzling…
Happy Winnie the Pooh Public Domain Day
WINNIE THE POOH PUBLIC DOMAIN JANUARY FIRST — Jason Scott (@textfiles) December 24, 2021 Thank you to the 500,000 people who have visited this tweet. I'm delighted to see so much interest in the public domain. We take a one day break every year to celebrate the hundreds of thousands of works that become locked…
As if 2021 wasn’t already bad enough, it managed to get Betty White.
Beloved actress, comedian and American icon Betty White has died, just weeks before a milestone birthday … TMZ has learned. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … Betty passed away at her home Friday morning. A trailblazer and pioneer in media, Betty had the longest running career for any woman in TV prior to her death —…
The LA Times deletes tweets that used passive voice, as details emerged about police killing a teenage bystander (while they also killed an assault suspect)
Several journalist-involved tweet deletions occurred in connection with the Los Angeles Times. Doesn’t that statement sound awkward? Language like “was shot and killed by police” and “police-involved shooting” downplays the moral choices made by LEOs who aim their weapons at fellow human beings and squeeze the trigger. If a police report states…
Physician: “My career of treating patients has ended”
Very painful Reddit thread.
A Christmas Carol (WAOB Audio Theatre)
I had a great time a couple years ago recording the part of the narrator in A Christmas Carol for WAOB Audio Theatre. (Four episodes, about 20m each. The son and daughter are also in the cast.)
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly, who testified unmasked at a Senate hearing on Wednesday, has since tested positive for the coronavirus, the airline said in a statement.
Kelly testified at the hearing that he believes masks do not add substantial protection to airplane passengers and cited aircraft ventilation systems.
“I think the case is very strong that masks don’t add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment,” he said. “It is very safe and very high quality compared to any other indoor setting.”
The hearing lasted approximately three hours. Five witnesses were seated in close proximity and went most of the hearing unmasked.
Kelly was seated between American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby. Kirby tested negative, the airline said. American said that “Doug is symptom-free, fully vaccinated and getting tested this afternoon.” –CNN Business
How dual loyalties created an ethics problem for Chris Cuomo and CNN
An editorial on on the firing of CNN’s Chris Cuomo actually quotes from the textbook I’m using in the journalism class that met for the last time today. This editorial was actually published during our last class, so I regret I couldn’t assign it as a final discussion text. It makes a really…
CNN fires Chris Cuomo
This is what an ethical news organization does when one of its employees becomes embroiled in a conflict of interest. No human institution is perfect, and no journalist is perfect. But Cuomo should have known better, and should have acted differently, and is now paying the price. CNN said Saturday that anchor Chris Cuomo has…