I am so excited to see the Press-Citizen use mapping to talk about a local policy issue. This is great!
In a story today about a new — and controversial — plan to create a new business district by increasing some property taxes of local shops, stores, bars, and whatever else, PC online editor Patrick Riepe used batchgeo.com to mark which property owners were “for” or “against” the new business plan. Continue reading
What if football star Michael Vick was white, not black? What if Princess Di was alive, not dead? Continue reading
As I have written before, I wonder how much room there really is in journalism for ethics.
This story from last night’s KGAN report on a local film screening is further evidence that, when it’s necessary, we cast journalistic ethics out the window. Continue reading
These are trophies. I’ll tell you in a minute why they are there.
As I have discussed before, news serves a cultural function. It tells people what to believe, how to believe it, and sometimes why they should believe it. Such a cultural role maintains the dominant ideology and maintains the power of those in charge.
News narratives — familiar stories that construct a way of telling about issues that otherwise would be confusing to the audience — is an example of how journalists construct culturally significant tales. See my post on mothers who kill their children, for instance.
But what can be confusing about this conversation can be understanding how news “makes sense” or how it doesn’t. It’s the news, you might say. What’s not to understand? Continue reading
I’m just assuming that this page one photo in The Daily Iowan this morning of a man sleeping — or not — is a photo illustration. I’m assuming that the photographer didn’t stalk the man and wake him up for an action shot. But, I’m often wrong. Continue reading