TheReporter

Nice fellow. Great blog.

We watch FOX so you don't have to.

Fox News - Yellow Journalism At Its Finest

Yellow Journalism is defined as "journalism that features scandal-mongering, sensationalism, jingoism or other unethical or unprofessional practices by news media organizations or individual journalists. It has been loosely defined as "not quite libel." William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pullitzer, whose publications provided the template for yellow journalism, would be proud, indeed, of Fox News which has brought yellow journalism to new heights.

Last night's Big Story 6/30/07 was hosted by Greg Jarrett, one of Fox's resident lawyers (no mention of his law school in his bio's, whose career should have been in theatre as he is a such a "drama queen.") His reports are punctuated by sighs, grunts, and modulating voice levels which provide emphasis to the story. Last night was yet another Tony Award performance as he provided us with emotional coverage of the foiled Glasgow terror attack. The performance, in the best tradition of the Fox Fear Factor, was yellow journalism at its finest....

No substitute for facts
Common Sense
John Maxwell
Sunday, July 01, 2007



I tell my students in journalistic ethics class that ethical journalism is a human right: that people are entitled to the truth and that journalists are not entitled to tell lies or mislead.

My rights end where yours begin, I tell them and journalists need to do unto others, as they would have others do unto them.
Journalism is a mix of things, facts, opinions, entertainment among them, but while journalism may be a mix, the basic purposes must be clearly understood to be separate and different.
Facts are facts; opinions are opinions and not alternatives to nor substitutes for facts....

I read the news today, oh boy "Has our slavish devotion to journalism fundamentals - particularly our obsession with `objectivity' - so restricted news organizations that a comedian can tell the public what's going on more effectively than a reporter?" asks Rachel Smolkin.

Well, yes. Then again, no.

The advantage of a "fake news" broadcast such as Jon Stewart's The Daily Show is that it doesn't have to worry about "balance."

It can "just sort of get at the essence of something," says associate prof Venise Wagner, of San Francisco State University.

"Nowhere is the comedy show balanced, but it allows them more balance in showing what is really going on."

Adds Hubert Brown, a broadcast-journalism prof at Syracuse University: "The truth itself doesn't respect point of view. The truth is never balanced."

Don't rush 'burger tax'
People supposedly don't notice the tax they pay when they go to a restaurant, which is one of the reasons a Jacksonville alderman is pushing to add a two-cent levy to prepared foods--and that adage may be correct.

The city is considering spending upwards of half-a-million dollars to bring in more tourists. But it will take an awful lot of visitors to recover that kind of an investment, so city fathers should examine the proposal very carefully before they act on it....

Himalayan summitry: A lesser peak, not a lesser lesson
This trekking historian is no 'chicken-hearted fellow.'
By Maurice Isserman | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

Gorak Shep, Nepal - On the morning of June 7, I was just about a hundred vertical feet short of reaching the summit of Kala Patar in Nepal. Colorful Buddhist prayer flags strung along the mountaintop fluttered in a gentle wind against a brilliant, blue sky, perfect climbing weather. Many of my trekking companions had already reached the top. I could see them seated comfortably beneath the flags, as they waved and shouted down encouraging words....



The peace of summitry: After ascending Nepal's Gokyo Ri peak, Hamilton College professor Maurice Isserman could see four of the world's highest mountains - Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Cho Oyu.

Keeping cool about real estate

Monday, Jul 02, 2007, Page 8
As overall economic growth stabilizes and inflation remains in check, real estate prices may not tumble overnight despite talk about a bubble ready to burst. Reports released last week, however, did warn that the market could begin slowing down in the third quarter.

First, a quarterly report from the Architecture and Building Research Institute said the market might contract in the near term. The institute, which is under the Ministry of the Interior, said the market may come down as the index of leading property indicators -- which projects market conditions three quarters ahead -- showed its first decline in four quarters....