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NEWS FOR THE MEDIA SAVVY
Friday, May 14, 2004
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WAR & PEACE MEDIA MONITOR
Rumsfeld: Lawyers Say Nix Abuse Pix
CBS/AP
The government lawyers argue that releasing such materials would violate a Geneva Convention stricture against presenting images of prisoners that could be construed as degrading, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said en route to Baghdad.
Where Was Press When Abuse Allegations First Emerged?
Editor & Publisher
E&P Editor Greg Mitchell asks "Is the press trying to make up for lost time once again? The media is now bursting with accounts of prison abuse at Abu Ghraib and other Iraqi prisons, but where were they last fall when evidence of wrongdoing started to emerge?"
Boston Globe Ombud on Sex Photo Mistake
Editor & Publisher
A "miscommunication among staffers" and "a breakdown of checks and balances" led to The Boston Globe's publication Wednesday of a photo in which two people are holding a group of sexually graphic pictures, purportedly taken in Iraq that the paper has deemed inappropriate, the Globe's ombudsman said.
Tv Tries to Balance News and Decency
CBS Marketwatch
Historically, television news executives have had one goal: Get the story. But now, writes columnist Jon Friedman, as the Abu Ghraib and Nick Berg stories demonstrate, the networks' toughest task is deciding what to show and what to leave on the cutting-room floor.
Mirror Editor Refuses to Quit Over "Fake" Photos
The Guardian
After the government officially labeled photos published in the Daily Mirror purporting to show British abuse of Iraqi prisoners as fake, Daily Mirror Editor Piers Morgan has gone on the offensive, calling for ministers to "bring to book" the soldiers who had committed the alleged abuse.
What TV Doesn't Show and Why
The Star-Ledger
In the Iraqi abuse scandal and Nick Berg decapitation story, there are compelling arguments in favor of showing less, and of showing more. New Jersey's daily Star-Ledger talks with Fox, CBS and ABC to see how they make the call.
American's Beheading Old News for Media Elite
The Washington Times
Some news organizations have relegated the beheading of American contractor Nicholas Berg to a second-tier story behind repetitive accounts of Iraqi prisoner abuse. Some right-leaning observers smell a rat -- and an agenda to undermine the Bush administration by showcasing abuse.
Want a Different Abu Ghraib Story? Try This One
The Wall St. Journal
When veteran TV news producer Don North made a documentary chronicling the experiences of amputation victims in Iraq and the US efforts made to help them, no US broadcast or cable network would take it, writes Daniel Henninger, deputy editor of the WSJ's editorial page.
 Review resources relating to media and conflict in the War & Peace Monitor.
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OWNERSHIP MONITOR
Filesharing is not The Enemy
AlterNet
The Recording Industry Association of America would have you believe that downloading is single-handedly destroying the music business. A new study refutes the claim, saying that filesharing has no negative effect on CD sales.
NBC Universal Execs Allay Employee Concerns
The Los Angeles Times
NBC Universal Chief Executive Bob Wright dismissed fears of mass layoffs, saying the job cuts would be limited to 3% of the new company's 15,000 employees, and stressed that the company's two cultures were complementary.
For NBC Universal, Next Stop -- Asia?
Indian Television
The birth of new media-entertainment titan NBC Universal offers possibilities that Asia might well see competition to Star TV on different fronts, including new channels.
BSkyB Plans "Boardroom Reforms"
BBC News
BSkyB is reportedly planning to re-jigger its board to appease shareholder criticism following the appointment of chief executive James Murdoch.
Broadband Jumps Ahead of AOL
CNET News
For the first time, the number of broadband subscribers in the United States has passed the amount of people who subscribe to America Online or one of its affiliates.
Pegasus, DirecTV Claims Rejected
Bloomberg News
A federal judge Thursday tossed out a dispute between Pegasus Communications Corp. and DirecTV Group Inc. over a contract for marketing satellite television service in rural areas, ending more than four years of litigation.
Review related media ownership resources in the Ownership Monitor.
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MEDIA FOR DEMOCRACY 2004
FEC Lets Political Ads Flow Freely
Broadcasting & Cable
Nonprofit groups can continue pouring tens of millions of dollars into political advertising, at least through this fall's presidential election. That's after federal campaign regulators Thursday decided not to act on complaints about the practice for at least three months.
Giving as Good as They Get
Tapped -- American Prospect
Media Matters launched a television ad campaign this week that targets conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh for his remarks likening the torture of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib to a college fraternity prank.
Kerry Keeps Low Profile
Political Wire
Sen. John Kerry "aims for low profile on Iraq as scandal dogs Bush team," The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire reports. Says one Democrat: "It's delicate and sensitive. We have to modulate the response."
In Politics, Book Tours Take Place In TV Studios
The New York Times
In recent weeks, serious political books have flooded the best-seller lists, replacing the rants from left and right with reasoned and supported arguments. During that shift, the television book tour has been more crucial than ever in generating news from these works.
Reporting That's 'Not a Success'
Campaign Desk
But that's not necessarily a failure. The Boston Globe and the Associated Press have difficulty distinguishing "not a success" from "failure," according to Campaign Desk, which cites a misquote of John Kerry's remarks on the war in Iraq.
Crazy-Like-a-Fox News Viewers
Human Events
Columnist Ann Coulter argues that a poll conducted by the Program on International Policy Attitudes that demonstrated Fox viewers' ignorance of the news was studded with "pointless little factoids loved by liberals."
For related resources, visit Media for Democracy Monitor. Or, sign up for a non-partisan campaign to monitor the media's election coverage at Media for Democracy 2004.
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THE NEWS DISSECTOR
The Sins of George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld
Why does CNN rely on unnamed CIA officials for information? Why do I have to go to the BBC to find out more about what's happening in my own country?
Read more of Danny's dissections in the News Dissector Archive.
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EDITOR'S PICKS
An Editor's Hollywood Ties Pay Off
The Los Angeles Times
In all of Hollywood, no magazine cover is more coveted than that of Vanity Fair. But increasingly, the magazine's editor, Graydon Carter, has crossed into the world his magazine chronicles, striking business deals with Hollywood executives whose films are covered by Vanity Fair.
Fox Puts Foot in Mouth, Kicks Self
The Washington Post
Fox issued a stunning news release yesterday for a two-hour reality special to air in June called "Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay" in which, the network said, two heterosexual men will try to convince various people that they are gay -- a fate described by the network as "a heterosexual male's worst nightmare."
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AS THE MEDIA WATCH THE WORLD, WE WATCH THE MEDIA.
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