The good news: The Irish News, a Belfast paper, won its appeal of the the libel case filed by the owner of Goodfellas pizzeria over a bad restaurant review. The original verdict had The Irish News paying out 25,000 pounds, roughly $36,000 U.S.
The bad news: The Irish News has to pay all its court costs, according to the Court of Appeal.
Apparently the food is not the only thing that stinks.
Categories: Media Law
Tagged: libel, international journalism
at NewMedia Strategy has a great list of news organizations on Twitter. The list is updated with comments by posters aware of other media on Twitter. (Erica Smith has a similar fabulous list with many newspapers on twitter here.)
This got me thinking: What Western New York and Central New York news media are on Twitter? I know the Buffalo News is not, or at least not that I can find. (Come on, Buffalo News, Syracuse University’s Daily Orange is on twitter but you are not?!).
Here’s my list. If you know of any that I left out, please let me know.
Buffalo area
Buffalo News: none found
WIVB-TV: @news4buffalo
WGRZ-TV: @2onyourside
Rochester Area:
Democrat & Chronicle: @DandC
WROC-TV: @news_8
WHEC-TV: @news10nbc
WHAM-TV: @13WHAM
R News: @R_News
Syracuse Area:
The Post-Standard: @syracuse.com and @PostStandard
(Many PS writers, editors and sections are also on Twitter, too.)
WTVH-TV: none found
WSYR-TV: @newschannel9
WIXT-TV: none found
WCNY-TV: none found
Categories: future of journalism · technology
Tagged: future of journalism, Twitter
Mark Schleifstein of The Times-Picayune writes of his three-plus year stuggle to get Federal Emergency Management Agency records related to Katrina — records that should be available to the public.
He’s still waiting.
Schleifstein is seeking records about the types and amounts of help people in the affected areas needed after Katrina. His tale of bureaucracy woe would be funny if it weren’t so sad.
It is clear that federal government officials have been hoping he will go away. When he gets a response, he is asked if he still wants the records. Of course he does!
This isn’t surprising, given former Attorney General John Ashcroft’s memo that in essence encourages non-compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
But let’s hope this changes. After all, President Obama has already made compliance with FOIA a priority and issued a memo Jan. 21 that states
The Freedom of Information Act should be administered with a clear presumption: In the face of doubt, openness prevails. The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears.
See the full Obama memo here.
Categories: Media Law · politics
Tagged: FOIA, freedom of information
When French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced Friday that the government would help the ailing country’s newspaper industry with millions of dollars in state aid, I was skeptical about such a plan working in the U.S. because of the perception of close ties between government officials and journalists that such aid might create.
Geneva Overholser, director of the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California, and Geoffrey Cowan, dean emeritus of USC’s Annenberg School, have changed my mind about government aid for journalism. In a LA Times piece written before the French announcement, the duo point out the history of the U.S. government financially aiding and/or encouraging journalism. They also posit some ways the government could help now, including subsidies and tax changes.
The piece is not a wish list. They still hold journalists and newspapers accountable for innovative content and creation of a working economic model. But they argue convincingly that print journalists cannot save the industry alone.
Categories: newspapers
Tagged: future of journalism, future of newspapers
French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced today that the government will try to help the ailing print newspaper business in several ways. They include:
*Giving free newspaper subscriptions to 18 year olds
*Covering more delivery costs
*Buying more ads
Sarkozy said,
“It is indeed its (the state’s) responsibility … to make sure an independent, free and pluralistic press exists.”
Wow. What a different way to approach this. In the U.S., I think government aid to newspapers in this fashion would have journalists worried about a perceived conflict of interest, not to mention what would happen the first time a journalist wrote a story that the president or government officials vehemently did not like.
But wouldn’t it be wonderful if even a part of this — say, giving teens a gift subscription to a newspaper on their 18th birthday–could be adopted here? To be good citizens, people need to be informed. I see how Sarkozy can view this as part of the state’s responsibility.
Sarkozy says his plan is intended to give newspapers time to transform and adapt to be multiplatform, offering their stories through multiple vehicles.
But as Sarkozy noted, government aid is not going to save the industry if it doesn’t change and adapt.
Categories: newspapers
Tagged: future of newspapers
The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush is reportedly seeking asylum in Switzerland. His brother told the BBC that journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi has been severely beaten while in custody. He has been imprisoned in Iraq since the mid-December incident.
Categories: politics
Tagged: journalistsjailed, shoe thrower
This story broke over the holidays, and somehow I missed it. I’m guessing many others did, too.
The lobbyist linked to Sen. John McCain filed a defamation suit against The New York Times late last month. You may recall that when the Times’s article ran in February 2008 people both inside and outside the media questioned whether McCain had an affair with lobbyist Vicki Iseman. Both McCain and Iseman said they did not have an affair nor an inappropriate relationship, but Iseman believes the article implied an affair. The Times maintains the article did not say the couple had an affair, but brought up concerns by staffers that the relationship between a senator and a lobbyist might be seen as inappropriate.
Iseman’s lawyers are seeking $27 million in damages.
The FCC is looking at indecency complaints about the Golden Globes, including a middle finger waved at actor Mickey Rourke and some off-color language, the LA Times reports (via rcfp).
It’s live TV. Things happen. It’s hard to believe that people would be so incensed about these random, unscripted moments on live TV that they’d be moved to file a complaint. Let’s see if the FCC has common sense about this.
Categories: Indecency · Media Law
Tagged: fcc complaints
Romensko points out a fantastic new feature that will keep track of whether President-elect Obama keeps the promises he made. The Obameter at PolitiFact.com
Obameter
says so far he’s lived up to two of his 510 promises. What a fantastic way to hold politicians accountable. Not only is it easy to read, but it’s a fabulous source of infomation that is easily searchable. Fantastic job, St. Petersburg Times.
Categories: newspapers · watchdog journalism
Tagged: graphics, online journalism
