Readers ruffled by New York Times story on Los Angeles: Sydney Smith reports that two New York Times travel editors apologized for painting Los Angeles as “the source of all useless items in the world,” including Jesus statues.
Readers thought the article “dismissive of Latino culture and cliched in its portayal of the city.” This was considered offensive.
Recycled interviews deemed unethical: Sydney Smith writes that National Public Radio discovered a freelance reporter laced old interviews with current stories without disclosure.
Listeners might have thought the comments were new, said NPR, but some were months or years old. That was misleading, said NPR, and not in line with editorial standards. NPR will not use the reporter’s work in the future.
Reporting on opioids: Maia Szalavitz reports that journalists fail to understand the complexities of opioid addiction and alternative treatment for pain or addiction.
The pharmaceutical industry “flooded the country with opioids and excellent journalism has exposed this part of the problem,” she writes. “But journalists need to become more familiar with who is most at risk of addiction and why — and to understand the utter disconnect between science and policy — if we are to accurately inform our audience.”
Journalists are not the enemy: The Boston Globe’s editorial board publishes its response to President Trump’s attack on the media.
More than 350 news outlets joined the Globe’s move to support a free press.
“A central pillar of President Trump’s politics is a sustained assault on the free press,” writes the Globe. “Journalists are not classified as fellow Americans, but rather ‘the enemy of the people.’ This relentless assault on the free press has dangerous consequences.”
More on covering hate: Amanda Darrach finds a culture gap between young technology reporters who think trolling rhetoric is funny, while older reporters take it “totally seriously.”
“Our system is geared towards media manipulation on a massive scale,” she writes. “There are a lot of reasons why we’re in the mess that we’re in. Some of it has to do with reporters making bad choices, but the system is just set up to be manipulated.”
Bottom line: “It’s our job to document the human condition, and that includes the ugly parts.”
Covering white supremacist views: Elizabeth Jensen writes about public outrage over NPR’s coverage of “Unite The Right2,” a racist rally.
NPR was correct to cover the rally, she writes, though “the interview was painful to hear; it had me yelling at the radio, as I know many others did.”
She concludes: “NPR has decided it will air these interviews. I am on the fence about whether they are necessary. But if NPR is going to go that route, it needs to strengthen its practices for a more responsible execution.”
Media mount attack on “fake news” charges.
Cleve R. Wootson Jr. writes the Boston Globe urges American news groups to respond to the president’s scorn of the press.
“The rally calls for the opinion writers that staff newspaper editorial boards to produce independent opinion pieces about Trump’s attacks on the media,” he writes. The Associated Press reports that 70 news organizations agreed.
Creating an online portfolio: Rachel Schallom says think about your unique skills when creating an online portfolio that shows your work history.
“It’s a common challenge for many journalists,” she writes. “There are many roles in journalism that don’t lend themselves to traditional clip packages — editors, strategists, engagement producers, product managers.”
Keep words small for big ideas: Merrill Perlman notes a trend toward journalists using big words to “sound smart.”
“But a journalist’s job is to inform,” writes Perlman, “and information will not come through if the audience doesn’t understand the words.”
Rather than sending readers to a dictionary, “a writer wants to keep readers reading, to keep them engaged in our stories.”
Poll favors presidential power to shut media: Sam Stein reports a poll shows a plurality of Republicans want the president to have authority to close news outlets.
“The findings present a sobering picture for the fourth estate, with respondents showing diminished trust in the media and increased support for punitive measures against its members,” he writes.
“They also illustrate the extent to which Trump’s anti-press drumbeat has shaped public opinion about the role the media plays in covering his administration.”
