Tag: About News
Media love political polls. Unfortunately.
Polls are here to stay, but do people – or even the media – understand them? UA instructor of news media Tom Arenberg discusses what to take into consideration. Read more.
Hannity Got Bashed so It’s Only Fair to Bash the Liberal Ones, Too
Fox has done it over and over – and been beaten up for it repeatedly. So, it ought to be pointed out that CNN and MSNBC personalities were less commenting on the news and more influencing it when they appeared in the DNC show last week. Read more.
This Time, Media Have Actually Done Some Good Work on Trump
Donald Trump came out of hiding last week for a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago home, and the performance of the press triggered a wave of media criticism the likes of which I haven’t seen in a long time. Read more.
News Media Need a Plan for Dealing With Kamala Harris Slander
UA instructor of news media Tom Arenberg debates how much the media should report on criticism based on Harris’ race and gender. Read more.
Why Lots of News Media Are Beating Up on Joe Biden
Tom Arenberg doesn’t believe nefarious reasons are at work in the avalanche of news stories and commentaries about Joe Biden’s mental fitness. It comes instead from some conventional journalistic behaviors that are currently on steroids. Read more.
Missing Piece of Trump Case Coverage: The Jurors
No one has published any interviews so far with members of the Manhattan jury that found Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying records last week, but I’m certain multiple media outlets are trying. Juror names and addresses were shielded from the media and the public but I think it’s inevitable that enterprising reporters will eventually find a juror or two who is willing to talk. Read more.
Student Journalists Shine in Campus Protest Coverage
A student reporter at the Columbia Journalism School who is covering the campus protests there tweeted Wednesday that she was so overwhelmed that she had to quit … giving interviews to professional media. On this story playing out around the nation, it’s the campus media that are leading the way. Read more.
Do You Solemnly Swear to Smile for the Camera?
Very misleading subtitle on MSNBC a few days ago: “World watches Trump hush money trial.”
No, the world isn’t, because TV news cameras aren’t allowed in the courtroom. And they should be. Read more.
Did a reporter really ask that question?
It’s about five hours after a cargo ship hit the Key Bridge in Baltimore, collapsing it and sending six construction workers on the bridge into the water. The city’s mayor is holding a press conference when a reporter asks him: “How long is it going to take to rebuild the bridge?”
Calmly and immediately, the mayor responds: “We shouldn’t even be having that discussion right now. The discussion right now should be about the people, the souls, the lives that we’re trying to save. There will be a time to discuss about a bridge and how we get our bridge back up but right now there are people in the water that we have to get out.”
On social media, the mayor got mostly applause. The reporter got mostly ripped apart. One X poster wrote: “Shoutout to our mayor Brandon Scott for focusing on the people and showcasing empathy, because the nerve of that reporter to ask about the bridge repair. Like, sir read the (expletive) room.”
I understand why many people saw the reporter’s question as disrespectful to the victims. But I don’t have a problem with it. How about you? Read more.
Balance in Journalism Is Good … Until It Isn’t
Two alarming recent headlines:
• “Why the age issue is hurting Biden so much more than Trump” (New York Times, Feb. 10)
• “Public equally concerned about Biden’s and Trump’s classified documents, new poll finds” (nbcnews.com, Jan. 29)
In politics, public perceptions like these arise because many people magnify events that support their existing views and distort or ignore those that don’t. That’s not the fault of the mainstream news media. But in some cases when perception does not match reality, the media are very much to blame. Read more.
