Category: Newsroom

Articles from the current news on media, journalism, the news industry and other topics.

Are Standards the Same When a Reporter is the Story?

   by Walter Brasch   walterbrasch@gmail.com   Lara Logan, CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent, was beaten and sexually assaulted, Feb. 11, while on assignment in Cairo to report on the revolution that concluded that day with Hosni Mubarak resigning as president.   Logan, according to an official CBS announcement, was attacked by a group of about 200…

Austin Journalist/Editor Dies

Michele Kay of the Austin American-Statesman died Feb 16, 2011, after a four-decade career in journalism. She served as the business editor and reporter for the paper, as well as an editorial writer, Washington correspondent, and Texas State Capitol reporter. Political consultant Bill Miller described her as tough as nails, a reporter who didn’t put…

CBS Journalist Assaulted in Cairo

CBS correspondent Lara Logan suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating while covering the celebration in Cairo’s Tahrir Square for “60 Minutes.” The assault occurred on Friday, February 11, the day Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down. CBS News issued a statement regarding the incident on Tuesday, February 15. Logan became separated from…

Columnists Tap Ebert for Lifetime Achievement Award

Roger Ebert, 2011

DETROIT, Mich., Feb. 7, 2011 – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times movie columnist, author, television host and blogger, has been selected to receive the 2011 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. “As a small boy I read my aunt’s book of Ernie Pyle’s reporting, which makes his award even more…

American Journalists Attacked in Egypt

Journalists covering Egypt’s turmoil have been shouted at, threatened, attacked and beaten while trying to cover the story in Egypt. Correspondents have been sprayed with pepper spray, hit in the head and subjected to various other acts of violence by those supporting President Hosni Mubarak. The protests became increasingly violent Wednesday when supporter of the…

Egypt Protest Coverage Difficult

Egyptian authorities have attempted to halt live broadcasts from Cairo. According to the New York Times, shaky and grainy pictures have been sent using an undisclosed backup system. The best television coverage of the protests came from Al Jazeera English, one of the most influential broadcast networks in the Arab world. Al Jazeera it is not…

Column Ripens in Op-Ed Pantry

Free-form round loaf of bread

Food writer Mark Bittman of The New York Times this week ends his weekly recipe column “The Minimalist.” It’s run more than 13 years, nearly 700 columns. A serious reporter and witty commentator, Bittman actually is moving on to a new column, on the Times’ op-ed pages and in a blog, about the politics of…

Editors’ Roles are Changing

Contest Entries Pile Up

According to a recent survey by the American Society of News Editors, 60 percent of American newspaper editors believe they spend fewer hours planning news coverage and working with staff due to the new technology. About 140 newspaper editors participated in the survey. Increased focus on digital content has affected the traditional role of newsroom…

Seniors Are Going Digital

A growing number of seniors are discovering social networking online. In fact, people 74 and older represent the fastest growing segment on these sites. Older people are large consumers of media already. They are more likely than younger folks to read a daily newspaper or watch television newscasts. As comfort level with the computer increases,…

Texas A&M Rethinks Public Records Rule

Texas A&M University officials will take a second look at a controversial decision seen as an attempt to prevent student journalists at Tarleton State University from investigating the school’s public records. Part of the heat on A&M came in the form of a letter from 15 national journalism organizations opposing the rule, including the National Society of …

NSNC Supports Open-Records Issue

The National Society of Newspaper Columnists has joined with other journalism organizations in expressing concern regarding a policy at institutions in the Texas A&M University System that might result in preventing journalism instructors from telling their students to file open-records requests when completing assignments. “Journalism associations need to stick together on First Amendment and freedom…

Top 25 – Left and Right

Who are the top 25 pundits?  Check it out. From Right Wing News, a list of the 25 Best Conservative Columnists of 2010 (Dec 2010) . From The Daily Beast, the Left’s Top 25 Journalists (Feb. 2010)

So You Want to be a Journalist

Funny but sad animated cartoon on the state of the journalism biz… Created By BrooklynLee – Dec. 12, 2010 -http://www.xtranormal.com/ Via Muck Rack Daily http://muckrack.com/

Brenda Starr Retired

Star reporter, Brenda Starr, will be retired from newspapers on January 2nd. Like many other reporters, she is unable to survive the shrinking comic page as the newspaper industry declines. Brenda Star is a long-lived cartoon character, have survived over 70 years of assignments. The cartoon was syndicated in over 250 papers during its peak…

Grinch vs. Seniors’ Bingo

The Grinch is alive and well at The Claremont Apartments in Arlington, Texas, where management sent a warning letter to some elderly residents who write and edit a newsletter called The Good Neighbor. According to the management, it violates their lease and could result in “further action”. Dave Lieber of the Fort Worth Star Telegram…

Son of Erma Bombeck has Kidney Transplant

Dayton Daily News reported that Matt Bombeck, youngest son of beloved humor columnist Erma Bombeck, recently underwent a kidney transplant. Erma Bombeck inspired people worldwide with her columns and books about life’s trials and tribulations. The polycystic kidney disease that made the transplant necessary is an inherited condition. This same disease is the one that…

Print Magazines vs. Internet

Major magazines have been attempting to promote the print version of their publications. They have been running an ad campaign to promote print versions rather than digital format according to an article in the New York Times. Ads seem to actually attack the Internet. For example, one part of the ad campaign says, “Magazines don’t…