A journalist friend of mine sent this to me….
This kind of explains why I changed from my journalism major while I was in College…
It also kind of shows the unreasonable expectations of the kids fresh out of college today….
Category Archives: Media
Hillary Clinton’s Al Jazeera Comments Draw Attention Of U.S. Media
As usual, she’s right…
I’ve been occasionally watching Al-Jazeera English on line and it reminds me of how CNN and the BBC used to be…
U.S. News reporting has become a joke-mainly due to the Corporate acquisition of the networks and the mixing of real news with entertainment.
Not to mention “opinion” journalism where talking heads scream at each other…
And networks like Faux News that just reiterate the Republican Party talking points all day….
Sad when you have to watch a foreign network to get around censorship in the US. Censorship that is driven by profit motives….
NEW YORK — A decade ago the U.S. government attacked Al-Jazeera as a propagator of anti-American propaganda. Now Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is citing the network for fine news coverage – and tweaking the U.S. media in the process.
The Arab broadcaster says it’s ready to take advantage of what it considers a major boost in its acceptance in the United States.
Clinton, on the week many U.S. television outlets were preoccupied by the spectacle of actor Charlie Sheen, suggested during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that American networks were falling behind in the competition for information.
Al-Jazeera has been a leader in changing people’s minds and attitudes, Clinton told lawmakers Wednesday.
“Like it or hate it, it is really effective,” Clinton said. “In fact, viewership of Al-Jazeera is going up in the United States because it is real news.”
“You may not agree with it, but you feel like you’re getting real news around the clock instead of a million commercials and, you know, arguments between talking heads and the kind of stuff that we do on our news that is not providing information to us, let alone foreigners.”
In fact, Al-Jazeera’s television viewership hasn’t gone up much in the U.S. because it is still not widely available, seen only on scattered cable systems in Vermont, Ohio and Washington, D.C.
But online viewership of Al-Jazeera English spiked during the demonstrations in Egypt – up 2,500 percent at its peak, with nearly half of the followers from the United States, the network said.
Al-Jazeera has taken advantage of the moment, asking visitors to its website to click a tab that automatically generates a letter to the users’ local cable system encouraging them to add the network. More than 40,000 e-mails have been generated, spokeswoman Molly Conroy said.
via Hillary Clinton’s Al Jazeera Comments Draw Attention Of U.S. Media.
Filed under Journalism, Media, News, Politics
Bill Keller: Fox News Viewers ‘Among The Most Cynical People On Planet Earth’
Amen…
From The Huffington Post:
“I think if you’re a regular viewer of Fox News, you’re among the most cynical people on planet Earth,” Keller said. “I cannot think of a more cynical slogan than ‘Fair and Balanced’ ”
It’s the second time this year that Keller has made critical comments about Fox News. At the end of January, he spoke to veteran journalist Marvin Kalb, and said that Fox News and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, had made American political discourse more “cynical,” “strident” and “polarized.”
via Bill Keller: Fox News Viewers ‘Among The Most Cynical People On Planet Earth’.
NPR, PBS Put Millions Into Investigative Reporting
This is why the GOP wants to de-fund NPR and PBS. The Republicans don’t like investigative, impartial journalism…
They much prefer to have Fox “News” parrot their press releases….
Oh, and before anyone goes off….If you read the entire article, you will see this investigative journalism is funded by donations, not tax or government funding…
This is one of the many reasons I donate regularly to both NPR and PBS….
WASHINGTON — NPR, PBS and local public broadcast stations around the country are hiring more journalists and pumping millions of dollars into investigative news to make up for what they see as a lack of deep-digging coverage by their for-profit counterparts.
Public radio and TV stations have seen the need for reporting that holds government and business accountable increase as newspapers and TV networks cut their staffs and cable television stations have filled their schedules with more opinion journalism.
“Where the marketplace is unable to serve, that’s the role of public media,” PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger said last year at a summit on the future of media at the Federal Communications Commission. “PBS exists to serve the people, not to sell them.”
In the past three years, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has invested more than $90 million in federal funds on new journalism initiatives. That includes a $10 million local journalism initiative that is paying for the creation of five regional centers that will help local PBS and NPR stations cover news that affects wider geographic areas. Also, a $6 million grant from the group expanded the PBS investigative series “Frontline” from a seasonal series with a summer break to a year-round program.
Filed under Journalism, Media, News, Politics
Tea Party 2012: Will Michele Bachmann Steal Sarah Palin’s Thunder?
This could be more fun than the cat fights between Alexis and Crystal on “Dynasty” in the 1980’s!
Except Crystal and Alexis were both much smarter and much better dressed…
From the National Journal…
It’s looking increasingly likely that tea party maven and Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., will dive into the 2012 presidential waters.
Among the evidence is a packed schedule for this weekend, including two suspiciously stump-like stops in Florida on Friday and a Sunday appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, where she’ll be asked about how “the campaign against President Obama’s reelection should be framed,” according to network previews.
Most notable is Bachmann’s involvement in the conservative Club for Growth’s annual winter meeting on Friday, where her name shared a guest list with those of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and former Govs. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts—all rumored White House contenders.
But if Bachmann—who started the House Tea Party Caucus—is considering a presidential bid, the elephant in the room is best illustrated by her appearance on Friday before the Palm Beach County chapter of the South Florida Tea Party. After all, in terms of national association, the tea party label is as good as sewn into Sarah Palin’s signature red jacket.
“I hear chatter” about Bachmann’s run, said Tea Party Express Chairwoman Amy Kremer, “just the same as I do with [former Alaska] Governor Palin. They’re both rock stars in the movement; they’re both strong and willing to take on the establishment. That’s why their message resonates and why people are seriously looking at them as candidates.”
But would a dual-darling bid split the tea party vote?
Filed under Entertainment, Media, Politics, Tea Party, The Economy
“The President’s Speech”
You know how they like to remake British films with an American angle?
How about “The Kings Speech” remade with Mike Tyson and George Bush by Tyler Perry?
Here goes….
Filed under Entertainment, Media, Movies, Politics, Television
Cable News Ratings | Rachel Maddow Has Stellar Numbers-Beats Glenn Beck
Nice to see one of the Good Guys/Gals winning…
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, without the benefit of a buzz-booster like Charlie Sheen, quietly jumped to the elite levels of cable news ratings, outperforming everyone at CNN and MSNBC, and even beating Fox’s Glenn Beck. Maddow hit 452,000 viewers 25-54, easily dominating CNN’s Piers Morgan, who had 208,000. Maddow, who was without any Charlie Sheen-like celebrity guest, even came close to Fox’s Sean Hannity, who won the time period with 561,000.
Filed under Media, Television
Why Single Women with Cats Stay Single….
Love this….
From BBC Comedy…
Filed under Entertainment, Media, Pets
Bill Maher on Jerry Falwell
I love this….
Truly classic…
Filed under Entertainment, Gay, Media, Politics, Religion, Television
Study: Facebook helps your self-esteem – CNN.com
No need to feel guilty for all the time we spend on Facebook, now!
It’s actually good for us!
Who knew?
(CNN) — Feeling a little down on yourself? Just check Facebook.
A new study suggests that spending time with the online you — the one with the hundreds of friends, the witty status updates and all the unflattering photos untagged — might help your self-esteem.
Researchers at Cornell University, who conducted the study, say looking at Facebook, where we all tend to put our best digital foot forward, appears to provide a quick ego boost.
“Unlike a mirror, which reminds us of who we really are and may have a negative effect on self-esteem if that image does match with our ideal, Facebook can show a positive version of ourselves,” said associate professor Jeffrey Hancock. “We’re not saying that it’s a deceptive version of self, but it’s a positive one.”
Filed under Entertainment, Media
Lost in the 21st Century 