Category: BirminghamWatch
Pay-for-Say: Buying Interviews Is a Bad Idea
Paying for information is a much frowned-upon practice in journalism. Fortunately, it rarely happens.
Except, of course, when a media organization pays for a newsworthy photo or video.
Or for breaking news tips from sources (think TMZ paying police officers).
Or to cover a source’s pre-interview expenses.
Or for subject experts to appear regularly on shows.
Or for coaches and athletes to do weekly programs.
Or for event broadcast rights.
The latest incarnation is emerging in the world of sports, where college athletes can now make money from endorsements, appearances and interviews. Read more.
BW Recommends: Trump Rally in Alabama
WATCH: Former President Donald Trump Speaks at Alabama Rally (CBS 42)
Trump Holds Rally in Cullman (Cullman Times)
Donald Trump Booed at Alabama Rally After Encouraging Crowd to Get COVID-19 Vaccine (Newsweek)
Mo Brooks Booed After Telling Trump Rally Crowd to Move Past 2020 Election (AL.com)
Trump Holds Rally in Cullman, Alabama News Network Political Analyst Steve Flowers Weighs In (Alabama News Network)
Trump Supporters Pack Farm in Cullman for Rally (WAAY)
Trump’s Rally in Alabama Is a Boon for Mo Brooks’ Senate Campaign (CNN)
Is This Champion a Quitter? Glad to See the Media Say No
Among a cascade of memorable Olympics stories over the years, I especially remember the tale of a guy who finished last.
During the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, Great Britain’s Derek Redmond tore a hamstring muscle in the middle of his 400-meters semifinal and collapsed. He got up and, in anguish, began limping toward the finish line. His father rushed from the stands and onto the track, grabbed him, and propped him up as he tried to complete the race. Near the end, the father let go of him, and Redmond hobbled across the line on his own to a standing ovation. Today it remains a famous moment of determination and inspiration.
But really, he probably should have stayed down and let the medics come get him.
I contrast that story with the decision of four-time gold medal winner Simone Biles to withdraw during the gymnastics team finals last week at the current Games in Tokyo. After an unexpectedly flawed rotation on the vault, Biles said stress and mental health concerns prevented her from continuing in that and other events (though she did rejoin for the balance beam competition on Tuesday). Read more.
The Best Thing About This Post: It’s Free
To get background for this article, I wanted to read a particular article about news organizations removing their website paywalls so people could see important COVID-19 stories for free. But it was behind a paywall. I now have a new classroom example of a paradox.
Many major news organizations that require digital subscriptions to view content generated much debate about the wisdom of their making COVID-19 coverage available to anyone who clicked. They cited a vital public service mission of delivering potentially lifesaving information to their communities. Critics argued that they sacrificed much-needed new revenue that would have helped to pay for continued work on this and other essential topics. This debate arose again last week. Read more.
BirminghamWatch Contributors Win National Awards From the NFPW
Solomon Crenshaw Jr. recently won two first-place awards and a third-place award from the National Federation of Press Women for stories he wrote for BirminghamWatch in 2020. Read more.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Careers in Journalism
A remarkable student finished my News Writing and Reporting class this past semester with an A-plus. She wants to practice law.
Another remarkable student also finished with an A-plus. He wants to work in sales.
Journalism is freakin’ doomed.
OK, two anecdotes do not a crisis make. But I wish — unrealistically, of course — that all the talent I see in my courses would want to choose journalism as a career.
Read more.
In The Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, What Changed in the Year Since George Floyd’s Murder?
The death of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement sparked police reform efforts and organizing all over the country. But in the birthplace of the civil rights movement, there hasn’t been as much action. Read more.
Birmingham Activists Remember George Floyd One Year After His Death
Community activists in Birmingham called for police reform at a vigil Tuesday evening as they marked the first anniversary of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. A few dozen people gathered at Kelly Ingram Park to remember the life of Floyd and other Black people killed by police. Aside from police reform, speakers also called for resources to be directed away from traditional law enforcement operations. Read more.
A Lack of Hate or Lack of Reporting?: Alabama Has Reported Zero Hate Crimes in the Past Two Years
On April 9, 2020, the Etz Chayim Synagogue in Huntsville was defaced with antisemitic graffiti. The following day, the Chabad of Huntsville was vandalized with similar hate speech. Security footage taken from both scenes indicates the same perpetrator committed both crimes. Given that they took place on the first night of the Jewish holiday Passover, the crimes are thought to be meticulously planned and executed with one purpose: to send a message of hate to the Jewish community.
Mayor Tommy Battle released a statement to the public saying “the city of Huntsville condemns antisemitism in the strongest possible terms” and emphasized Huntsville as a city of inclusivity and acceptance. “Any offense against one is an offense against all,” Battle said.
The case has since been handed over to the FBI, and no perpetrator has been caught.
Despite these attacks against the Jewish community the state of Alabama has reported zero hate crimes to the FBI’s annual Unified Crime Report for the past two years in a row. It is the only state in the country that has reported zero hate crimes.
“It is highly implausible that in 2019 or 2018, no hate crimes were committed in Alabama. Of the over 417 law enforcement agencies in the state, only two actually participated in the 2019 reporting process to the FBI, which is deeply troubling and undoubtedly means that many hate crimes have gone unreported,” said Dr. Allison Padilla-Goodman, vice president of the Anti-Defamation League’s Southern Division. Read more.
The Tornado Outbreak of April 27, 2011: Are We Better Prepared Now?
It’s been roughly a decade since April 27, 2011, a day that marked U.S. weather history. The South saw hundreds of tornadoes, 62 of which were in Alabama. Some of the tornadoes tracked more than 80 miles long, bringing wind speeds up to 210 mph in some areas. The storm killed about 250 people in Alabama alone.
On this 10-year anniversary, we’re asking the question: Are we better prepared now for a tornado outbreak than we were a decade ago? Read more.
