Cynthia Closkey's blog
Yes, the media are the ones engaging in these practices. But the reason that they’re doing so is because we – the public – are gawking at the public displays of pain. Our collective fascination with tragedy means that we encourage media practices that rub salt into people’s wounds, all for the most salacious story. …
Continue reading “We, the media consumers, are a big part of the problem”
Journalists in Britain have traditionally justified shady practices by arguing that they are in “the public interest.” Asked by an inquiry lawyer how he would define that, Mr. McMullan said that the public interest is what the public is interested in. “British Inquiry Is Told Hacking Is Worthy Tool,” New York Times, 30 Nov 2011 …
Continue reading ““Give the people what they want” as a legal strategy”
remnants, originally uploaded by shortfatkid. In today’s Salon, Jay Rosen provides a thorough and excellent analysis of "Why campaign coverage sucks." Factors include the herd mentality of otherwise-intelligent journalists and the need to fill pages and airtime while waiting for the voters to make the actual decisions. He also makes a point about what journalists …