Behind the News
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February 1, 2012 12:46 PM
Stories I’d Like to See
The Dodd-Frank effect, unions and private equity, and Newt’s expenses
In his weekly “Stories I’d Like to See” column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion, have received insufficient media attention. This article was originally published on Reuters.com.
1. The Dodd-Frank effect: Good, bad or both?
Although the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the mega-agency created by the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory bill, has only been...
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February 1, 2012 12:37 PM
To Sue or Not to Sue?
The first two years of OGIS
Last June in Las Vegas, Corinna Zarek told a ballroom full of investigative journalists at the annual Investigative Reporters and Editors conference that she was there to help. "We are the FOIA advocates!" she announced. "This independent office, within government, to help FOIA requesters and members of federal agencies resolve disputes before they lead to litigation!"
I listened...
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January 31, 2012 11:21 AM
Why Aren’t More Arab Americans Working in Mainstream Journalism?
Group remains underrepresented in US newsrooms
There are anywhere between 3.5 and 5.1 million Americans of Arab descent, according to figures from the Arab American Institute, yet relatively few work in journalism full time. While meaningful estimates aren’t known, as journalism scholars that conduct demographic research in American newsrooms do not typically tally newsmakers of Arab descent, the National Arab American Journalists Association counts around 250...
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January 30, 2012 01:46 PM
Updating the Privacy Protection Act for the Digital Era
Law protecting journalists from searches didn’t anticipate cloud computing
Cloud computing is all the rage.
Traditionally, people had to store, manage and process data on a personal computer or local server. Cloud computing moves those functions to a remote server accessible from multiple locations. In turn, the cloud provider assumes the job of maintaining and backing up the data, and often it spreads the workload across a number...
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January 26, 2012 03:16 PM
Local TV Stations Rally to Oppose Media Transparency
What exactly are their “public interest obligations”?
Local television stations have now rallied against the key elements of the Federal Communications Commission’s media transparency proposal, which would require broadcasters to move their “public inspection files” out of their filing cabinets and onto the Internet.
I described these proposals in detail here and here, but the surprising hostility from TV stations—news organizations—to this...
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January 24, 2012 12:05 PM
Stories I’d Like to See
More primary math, Boeing’s second chance, and DHS mission creep
In his weekly “Stories I’d Like to See” column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion, have received insufficient media attention. This article was originally published on Reuters.com.
1. Time to look at the late primary states and “favorite son” rules:
Two weeks ago, I suggested a story examining how the new...
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January 17, 2012 04:28 PM
Stories I’d Like to See
Campaign questions, the world’s worst government agency, and medical lobbies
In his weekly "Stories I'd Like to See" column, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill spotlights topics that, in his opinion, have received insufficient media attention. This article was originally published on Reuters.com.
1. Mitt’s tax bracket:
Note to television producers or editors about to do interviews with Mitt Romney on the campaign trail: The tax rate for the...
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January 12, 2012 01:04 PM
Two Years Later, Haitian Earthquake Death Toll in Dispute
Journalists can do a better job reporting controversial numbers in disaster zones
Fifteen miles north of the National Palace in Port au Prince, along Haiti’s azure coastline, is a place called Titanyen. From Kreyol, this name translates to something like “less than nothing.” Titanyen feels practically barren, mostly dusty hills with some farmers herding animals. On one of these hills looms a large cross with strips of black cloth tied to it....
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January 2, 2012 05:48 PM
Best of 2011: Trudy Lieberman
CJR's health and entitlements reporter picks her top stories from the past year
Peter G. Peterson Goes to School: Organizations funded by Peter G. Peterson, a former Wall Street investment banker and long-time foe of Social Security, have had a powerful influence in shaping this year’s debate over Social Security. The media have liberally quoted representatives of these Peterson-funded groups. The website Remapping Debate took a deep look at one Peterson-funded activity—the...
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January 2, 2012 06:00 AM
Best of 2011: Lauren Kirchner
From AOL to HuffPo, Kirchner picks her top CJR stories from the past year
Salon and Slate in the Way-Back Machine: When The Daily launched early this year—to great hype and then to great derision, as it turned out—we at CJR thought about previous trail-blazing publications that launched on formats that probably seemed new and risky at the time. I spoke with the founders of Salon and Slate, two of the first...
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December 31, 2011 09:53 PM
Movement Man
Meet Chris Faraone, Occupy reporter for the Boston Phoenix
The week before Occupy Boston changed Chris Faraone's life, grassroots revolution was already on his mind. Faraone, who covers rap music and social injustice for the Boston Phoenix, had filed a 2000-word story about a progressive group called MassUniting, which had organized a series of flamboyant protests against Bank of America; Faraone called the group's efforts "a multilateral...
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December 30, 2011 02:41 PM
What a Year!
A foreign editor looks back in wonder at 2011
On a weekend last January I sent Alex Marquardt, our newly minted Mideast correspondent, to cover a protest in Egypt. Tunisia’s long-time dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, had fallen in stunningly fast fashion a week before, and together Alex and I had wondered whether something similar was stirring in the Egyptian capital.
I really didn’t think so—certainly we didn’t...
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December 29, 2011 08:10 PM
This News Story Is Brought to You By…
Shouldn’t TV news outlets be clearer about offering pay-for-play?
One of the most disturbing trends in local TV news is the persistence of “pay for play”—when local TV newscasts allow sponsors to dictate content.
The Federal Communications Commission has proposed a rule that would make it easier for the public to see which stations are engaging in these and other deceptive or ethically dubious practices. The National Association of...
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December 29, 2011 06:00 AM
Best of 2011: Erika Fry
From Romenesko to rich men, Fry picks her top CJR stories from the past year
Escape from Thailand This was my personal account of fleeing Thailand in 2010—yes, that tropical paradise known as the Land of Smiles—after being jailed and charged with defamation for writing about a Thai government official who plagiarized a dissertation on organic asparagus. Crazy, but true.
The Romenesko Saga: I sure stirred up a media shitstorm! And got around...
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Desks
The Audit Business
- Audit Notes: Minimum Wage and the Recession, Facebook’s Numbers, Most Powerless
- NYT With More on the SEC’s Soft Touch With Big Banks
The Observatory Science
- The Presidential Energy Narrative Campaign coverage takes on a green hue
- Keystone XL Jobs Bewilder Media Reporters still fumbling numbers in wake of pipeline’s rejection
Campaign Desk Politics & Policy
- Ralston Grills the GOP Gang In advance of Nevada caucus, tough questions for the candidates
- What Mitt Really Believes About Entitlements Protecting Social Security and Medicare