Balancing Act

A pretty decent definition of “journalism” comes from a most unlikely source: Fox News. Bernie Goldberg makes some pretty good points about what it means to be a fair reporter on Bill O’Reilly’s show.

However, O’Reilly deserves a demerit or two for telling Bernie not to give him additional info “because then I have to go back and research it.” Do journalists really avoid facts just so they don’t have to do the leg work?

William Safire, Khloe Kardashian and the State of Journalism

"Is sloppiness in speech caused by ignorance or apathy?

I don't know and I don't care."

-William Safire

"cant stand peps cant believe Im promoting sumthing bc I believe in the product!! 2 bad the 1s who hate will never really b happy!"

-Khloe Kardashian on Twitter

Media critic Neil Postman asked (and I paraphrase): Just because information can travel quickly over great distances…is it news?

In her Huffington Post article, Nancy Snow echoes Postman as she points out that on Google News, the wedding of reality TV star Khloe Kardashian and Los Angeles Lakers' forward Lamar Odom is getting more hits than the death of New York Times columnist, William Safire.

Snow suggests the fact that “the death of an esteemed giant in American journalism is less newsworthy than a second-tier celebrity wedding” speaks volumes about the decline of American journalism. Read the story here.

J-Schools Adapt to Digital Media

On Sunday, The New York Times featured a profile on how journalism schools are dealing with, and adapting to, the fact that digital media is forever changing the traditional media landscape. The story mentions how one professor realized his “Business of Journalism” course was nothing more than a history lesson in desperate need of revision.

Contrary to the recent doom and gloom, however, the article reports how some institutions are proactively meeting the challenge, which could perhaps be summed up in these six words: Click here to read the story.

Extra! Extra!

Gawker.com spins an insightful, if depressing, take on landing a job in journalism. While the piece may be a little heavy on the gloom and doom, there are some very practical tips for both new and experienced journalists.
Read all about it.