"On the Media" round-up
I queue up a bunch of "On the Media" podcasts and then do a marathon listening session when doing mundane housework. I present to you, another dump of, what I consider, highlights. Since there are A LOT this round, you can see the brief summaries under the cuts.
Can't Quote This: "This week a federal judge heard arguments to determine whether to approve the settlement between Google and two major arms of the publishing industry over Google Books. Many groups used this week's hearings to air grievances with the project. Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig argues an unintended consequence of the settlement could alter print culture as we know it."
All Journalists Go To Heaven: "Imagine a place where an ironclad shield law protects sources and reporters, where a state-of-the-art FOIA helps assure government transparency, where the strongest whistleblower protection in the world protects leakers, and where First Amendment rights guard against frivolous libel suits. Iceland may become that place. Wikileaks editor Julian Assange explains."
Shill Game: "In a study conducted recently by The Nation, many of the talking heads on cable news were found to also be working as paid lobbyists, often with stakes in the issues they're invited on-air to discuss. Author Sebastian Jones says the problem is much more widespread than we may have suspected."
Supporting Actor: "If you've spent time watching cable news shows, there's a good chance you've seen Terry Holt. He's a prolific talking head, and, also, frequently lobbies on behalf of health insurance companies. He says that he tells cable news producers about his lobbying work, but whether they disclose that to viewers is up to them."
Tourist Trap: "Last Wednesday, a committee of British lawmakers met to discuss reforming the country's libel laws. As it currently stands, libel law is so friendly to plaintiffs there that foreigners frequently visit just to sue other foreigners in British court. John Kampfner, head of Index on Censorship, talks about how British libel law got to be so bad and what the proposed reforms might accomplish."
Re-upping the Patriot Act: "President Obama recently signed into law the re-authorization of three contentious provisions of the Patriot Act. Shane Harris, author of The Watchers, returns this week to discuss the implications for the future of American surveillance."
Tracking Us All: "The cell phone that you’re carrying doubles as a tracking device. That’s right, Verizon has a record of where you've been and now the government is seeking explicit permission from the courts to access those records without probable cause. Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Kevin Bankston explains."
To Catch A Thief: "With plagiarism detection software, media organizations can check articles for stolen content before they get published. However, hardly any news organizations actually use the software. The Columbia Journalism Review's Craig Silverman says that it's time for organizations to start investing in these programs to avoid future plagiarism scandals."
The Dirty Dozen: "Slate editor-at-large Jack Shafer has been covering the plagiarism beat for some time and he's found that throughout every scandal the excuses remain the same. On the heels of two plagiarism scandals last month, he talks about a list of twelve common plagiarism excuses he calls 'the dirty dozen.'"
The Soundtrack of Emergency: "Whether it's cable, local or tabloid television, producers love to play recordings of real 911 calls whenever they can. It may make dramatic television but some state's legislators argue it's an invasion of privacy for the victims and families captured on tape. Sonny Bransfield, executive director of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, explains why his state has drafted legislation to keep the recordings private."
Ill Communication: "Health care dominated the media recently, and this past week was no exception: a survey by the Pew Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism found that health care coverage accounted for a staggering 37 percent of the newshole. But despite all the coverage, more than half of Americans polled say they still don't understand how reform will effect them. The Pew Center's Mark Jurkowitz talks about how a topic that's been so widely covered can still be so little understood."
Whether Forecasting: "TV coverage of the health care reform process focused mostly on the political gamesmanship surrounding the bill, with very little time spent on what was actually in the bill itself. According to Slate's Dan Gross, the irony of the horserace coverage was that for all the prognosticating the pundits did, they were mostly wrong."
Al Jazeera Now: "Al Jazeera reaches hundreds of millions of homes around the world, in spite of facing fierce opposition by the governments of the Middle East and the United States. Wadah Khanfar, Director General of Al Jazeera, explains how the organization continues to expand, and how their mission continues to evolve."
All the Rage: "The arrest of members of a so-called Christian right-wing militia last weekend capped a week of anger and violence that ricocheted around U.S. politics. Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which recently published a census of such groups, discusses the alarming rise of U.S. hate groups and the rhetoric that feeds them."
Banking Concern: "NPR’s economics correspondent Adam Davidson has spent the last two years breaking down the financial crisis with clear, simple language. But Davidson is stymied by regulation, which he says has proven resistant to even his brand of explanatory journalism."
SLAPP Back: "A SLAPP, or “strategic lawsuit against public participation,” is a little known but widespread threat to the First Amendment. SLAPPs are meritless suits brought by companies, individuals and sometimes the government, not to win, but to silence critics. Congress is now considering federal anti-SLAPP legislation. OTM producer Nazanin Rafsanjani investigates."
Stop Covering All the History!: "President Obama said this week's nuclear summit was an "unprecedented gathering to address an unprecedented threat." But before the gathering commenced, the media was asked to leave. The Washington Post's Dana Milbank says this week marked a new low for the Obama White House's relationship with the press."
It's Raining Men ... on NPR: "NPR ombudsman Alicia Shepard wrote recently that NPR "needs to try harder to find more female sources and commentators." She investigated NPR's stats and found them pretty lopsided. We wondered ... why so few women? So we asked blogger, professor and man Clay Shirky to posit his theory."
Playing God: "For the first time, the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting went to an online news outlet - the not-for-profit ProPublica.org - for its story about the decision doctors made to euthanize patients at Memorial Medical Center in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. ProPublica reporter Sheri Fink talks about her piece."
Panoramic View: "Writer Dave Eggers’ publishing house, McSweeney’s, recently released a one-off newspaper called Panorama. The 328-page paper was meant as a celebration of the print form and a demonstration of why newspapers are still uniquely relevant in the digital era. Brooke interviewed Dave live onstage in Washington DC, and asked him about the future of print."
Can't Quote This: "This week a federal judge heard arguments to determine whether to approve the settlement between Google and two major arms of the publishing industry over Google Books. Many groups used this week's hearings to air grievances with the project. Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig argues an unintended consequence of the settlement could alter print culture as we know it."
All Journalists Go To Heaven: "Imagine a place where an ironclad shield law protects sources and reporters, where a state-of-the-art FOIA helps assure government transparency, where the strongest whistleblower protection in the world protects leakers, and where First Amendment rights guard against frivolous libel suits. Iceland may become that place. Wikileaks editor Julian Assange explains."
Shill Game: "In a study conducted recently by The Nation, many of the talking heads on cable news were found to also be working as paid lobbyists, often with stakes in the issues they're invited on-air to discuss. Author Sebastian Jones says the problem is much more widespread than we may have suspected."
Supporting Actor: "If you've spent time watching cable news shows, there's a good chance you've seen Terry Holt. He's a prolific talking head, and, also, frequently lobbies on behalf of health insurance companies. He says that he tells cable news producers about his lobbying work, but whether they disclose that to viewers is up to them."
Tourist Trap: "Last Wednesday, a committee of British lawmakers met to discuss reforming the country's libel laws. As it currently stands, libel law is so friendly to plaintiffs there that foreigners frequently visit just to sue other foreigners in British court. John Kampfner, head of Index on Censorship, talks about how British libel law got to be so bad and what the proposed reforms might accomplish."
Re-upping the Patriot Act: "President Obama recently signed into law the re-authorization of three contentious provisions of the Patriot Act. Shane Harris, author of The Watchers, returns this week to discuss the implications for the future of American surveillance."
Tracking Us All: "The cell phone that you’re carrying doubles as a tracking device. That’s right, Verizon has a record of where you've been and now the government is seeking explicit permission from the courts to access those records without probable cause. Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Kevin Bankston explains."
To Catch A Thief: "With plagiarism detection software, media organizations can check articles for stolen content before they get published. However, hardly any news organizations actually use the software. The Columbia Journalism Review's Craig Silverman says that it's time for organizations to start investing in these programs to avoid future plagiarism scandals."
The Dirty Dozen: "Slate editor-at-large Jack Shafer has been covering the plagiarism beat for some time and he's found that throughout every scandal the excuses remain the same. On the heels of two plagiarism scandals last month, he talks about a list of twelve common plagiarism excuses he calls 'the dirty dozen.'"
The Soundtrack of Emergency: "Whether it's cable, local or tabloid television, producers love to play recordings of real 911 calls whenever they can. It may make dramatic television but some state's legislators argue it's an invasion of privacy for the victims and families captured on tape. Sonny Bransfield, executive director of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, explains why his state has drafted legislation to keep the recordings private."
Ill Communication: "Health care dominated the media recently, and this past week was no exception: a survey by the Pew Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism found that health care coverage accounted for a staggering 37 percent of the newshole. But despite all the coverage, more than half of Americans polled say they still don't understand how reform will effect them. The Pew Center's Mark Jurkowitz talks about how a topic that's been so widely covered can still be so little understood."
Whether Forecasting: "TV coverage of the health care reform process focused mostly on the political gamesmanship surrounding the bill, with very little time spent on what was actually in the bill itself. According to Slate's Dan Gross, the irony of the horserace coverage was that for all the prognosticating the pundits did, they were mostly wrong."
Al Jazeera Now: "Al Jazeera reaches hundreds of millions of homes around the world, in spite of facing fierce opposition by the governments of the Middle East and the United States. Wadah Khanfar, Director General of Al Jazeera, explains how the organization continues to expand, and how their mission continues to evolve."
All the Rage: "The arrest of members of a so-called Christian right-wing militia last weekend capped a week of anger and violence that ricocheted around U.S. politics. Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which recently published a census of such groups, discusses the alarming rise of U.S. hate groups and the rhetoric that feeds them."
Banking Concern: "NPR’s economics correspondent Adam Davidson has spent the last two years breaking down the financial crisis with clear, simple language. But Davidson is stymied by regulation, which he says has proven resistant to even his brand of explanatory journalism."
SLAPP Back: "A SLAPP, or “strategic lawsuit against public participation,” is a little known but widespread threat to the First Amendment. SLAPPs are meritless suits brought by companies, individuals and sometimes the government, not to win, but to silence critics. Congress is now considering federal anti-SLAPP legislation. OTM producer Nazanin Rafsanjani investigates."
Stop Covering All the History!: "President Obama said this week's nuclear summit was an "unprecedented gathering to address an unprecedented threat." But before the gathering commenced, the media was asked to leave. The Washington Post's Dana Milbank says this week marked a new low for the Obama White House's relationship with the press."
It's Raining Men ... on NPR: "NPR ombudsman Alicia Shepard wrote recently that NPR "needs to try harder to find more female sources and commentators." She investigated NPR's stats and found them pretty lopsided. We wondered ... why so few women? So we asked blogger, professor and man Clay Shirky to posit his theory."
Playing God: "For the first time, the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting went to an online news outlet - the not-for-profit ProPublica.org - for its story about the decision doctors made to euthanize patients at Memorial Medical Center in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. ProPublica reporter Sheri Fink talks about her piece."
Panoramic View: "Writer Dave Eggers’ publishing house, McSweeney’s, recently released a one-off newspaper called Panorama. The 328-page paper was meant as a celebration of the print form and a demonstration of why newspapers are still uniquely relevant in the digital era. Brooke interviewed Dave live onstage in Washington DC, and asked him about the future of print."