Shocked! Shocked we should be! But the latest report on the State of the Media by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism comes as no surprise. The bottom line: Fewer resources equals compromised journalism. From a PEJ press release summarizing the 2013 report‘s overview: The report pinpoints multiple signs of shrinking reporting […]
Tag Archives: newspapers
Newspaper ownership shifting, says Pew; better days ahead? Nope.
Those grad students in the business of writing dissertations about media and newspapers now have an old topic with a new twist: Who owns the media now? Critic Ben Bagdikian, author of six editions of “The Media Monopoly,” traced ownership of America’s media through decades of consolidation. In a PBS interview at the end of […]
Where, oh where, have the readers gone? Oh where, oh where can they be?
Finding a word or phrase that describes the journalism industry today is not that difficult. Since 2007, contraction — some big newspapers folded and suits fired tens of thousands of journalists — describes well the process. The result? A free fall to obscurity, a corporate-led collapse into irrelevance fit. But are industry leaders paying attention […]
Unpaid internships triggering lawsuits
by Jane Briggs-Bunting Unpaid interns feeling exploited may want to check out a web site launched by a NYC law firm, Outten & Golden LLP. The firm is trolling for more clients.
Pew study missing a notion: What is the impact of quality on newspaper loyalty?
Pew reports this: Nearly three quarters (72%) of adults are quite attached to following local news and information, and local newspapers are by far the source they rely on for much of the local information they need. In fact, local news enthusiasts are substantially more wedded to their local newspapers than others. They are much […]
Print ad revenues: Even a rock doesn't fall this fast
Derek Thompson, a senior editor at The Atlantic, cuts to the chase in his lede: Call it creative if you want, but this is what economic destruction looks like. Print newspaper ads have fallen by two-thirds from $60 billion in the late-1990s to $20 billion in 2011. “This” is a graph in a post by […]
Jaycee's story more important than tracking Casey Anthony
by Jane Briggs-Bunting Where in the world is Casey Anthony? I don’t know, and I don’t care, and I think the media pursuit and frenzy over this question is both bizarre and foolish. Her parents care, and that’s appropriate. Likely the plaintiffs in the various lawsuits care because they have to serve her under the […]
A morality play: When Rupert Murdoch entered Parliament
Any morality play has its set-piece characters. The villain, the outraged public, the crusading representatives of order. Democracy in the UK is very tactile. Parliament is the voice and instrument of the people. Anyone, no matter how powerful, can be summoned to answer questions before the people. These performances can destroy careers and reputations but […]
Murdochgate redux
There have been any number of further developments since our last post, and this shows signs of accelerating to the point of being out of Murdoch’s control entirely. Well, let’s face it—in the UK, it pretty much is. Rebekah Brooks resigned on Friday, and was arrested on Sunday. Murdoch’s long time deputy Les Hinton, who […]
Hold Rupert Murdoch to account. But go no further.
A goodly number of Murdoch’s newspapers run at a loss. This isn’t because he’s a bad businessman, it’s because of the industry. His competitors are doing worse. However, Murdoch loves newspapers and news. Whatever else his failings, it’s rare to have a newspaper owner who actually loves the medium. So even though these companies lose […]
EXCLUSIVE: S&R obtains copy of Rupert Murdoch's original, unedited apology
News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch has issued a public apology for the News of the World scandal, which appears in several British national newspapers this weekend. The final text is available here. For those unfamiliar with the exciting world of public relations, these kinds of official statements often go through a rigorous process of draft, […]
Trouble in Murdochland redux
A couple of months ago we noted that things were not going all that well in Murdochland, what with investigations heating up over allegations that phone hacking–that delightful pastime of hacking into someone’s voicemail so you can read and/or hear their messages—was far more pervasive than anyone had guessed. Or, certainly, than Murdoch and his […]
The Fourth four years later: Nothing’s changed
As I predicted four years ago on the Fourth of July, little has changed. This year’s fireworks and barbecues offer only a brief respite from the problems of the nation, how they are worsening, and how those who are supposed to address them remain mere chanters of their respective ideologies. Four years ago, I predicted […]
Righthaven LLC may have wrong approach, but news companies need to protect content
by Jane Briggs-Bunting Stephens Media and its erstwhile partner, Righthaven LLC, lost a significant copyright battle in both Nevada and likely Colorado when a Nevada judge ruled Tuesday that Righthaven did not have standing to sue alleged copyright infringers who had reproduced articles and other content from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. It’s yet another push by news […]
S&R Honors
Click here to learn more about past honorees...- Denver FOX News affiliate caught making shit up
- IRS/Tea Party controversy: progressive groups “targeted,” too, and corporate media once again refuses to tell Americans the whole truth
- “Useful Enemies”: U.S. admitted not just Nazis after WWII, but their sadistic collaborators
- The time a source has to respond to request for comment? Virtually none.
- Profiling the Tea Party: In defense of the IRS. Sorta. Or not.
- Mystery Unraveled: How a white, moderate, married, churchgoing, middle-class, middle-aged woman could vote for Obama
- An open letter to Burt Rutan, regarding his WSJ commentary on human-caused climate disruption
- Meet the men of Match.com: Really, guys, are you serious?
- Climate scientists still besieged
- Pelosi on Bush: “He’s not worth impeaching”
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Frank Dilatush: Interesting but I don't read any hint of reciproci…
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Brian Angliss: That would be the same Fox News that won a lawsuit…
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Samuel Smith: Thank you for making clear that you believe FOX to…
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Bman: Not even close. If the number of groups target wer…
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Otherwise: interesting and yet another example of faux news m…
