By Tony McDaniel This has been one of the worst years for hurricanes in recent history. Ten hurricanes have formed in the Atlantic Ocean, the most since 2005. Texas governor Greg Abbott said his state may need as much as $180 billion in aid to rebuild from Hurricane Harvey. Hurricanes are massive media events, and cable news networks benefit from the bump in ratings that … [Read more...] about Cable news full of hot air hurricane coverage
Illinois’ ‘independent’ news network publishes pro-Rauner propaganda
‘Hyperlocal’ news written from afar By Nathaniel Dean Fortmeyer, William Recktenwald and William H. Freivogel This report is the work of an investigative reporting class in the School of Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The project analyzed public records about an interlocking network of conservative news organizations connected to the free market, … [Read more...] about Illinois’ ‘independent’ news network publishes pro-Rauner propaganda
The view from the Harrisburg Hardees
By Nathaniel Dean Fortmeyer and William Recktenwald The local paper looks a lot different to Harrisburg, Ill. residents Karen and David Stilley than to fellow residents Mike and Angella Gauch. To the Stilleys the SE Illinois News is a welcome replacement for the retrenching local paper, the Harrisburg Register. To the Gauches, the paper is a propaganda sheet that targeted … [Read more...] about The view from the Harrisburg Hardees
Reporting local news from thousands of miles away
By Nathaniel Dean Fortmeyer, William Recktenwald and William H. Freivogel The journalists’ beats are small Illinois towns. But the reporters live, work and write in Idaho, Texas, Oregon and British Columbia, seldom or never setting foot in the communities they cover. Most are freelancers who hear about work with Interactive Content Services by reading Internet ads. The … [Read more...] about Reporting local news from thousands of miles away
First Amendment expert calls Post-Dispatch editorial on protests ‘irresponsible’ and imprecise
Publisher's note: Gregory Magarian, one of the nation's leading First Amendment experts and a professor at Washington University Law School, criticized the Sunday Post-Dispatch editorial for irresponsibly lumping together violent and non-violent protests. He sent this letter to the Post-Dispatch Editorial Editor Tod Robberson after the editorial criticized actions of … [Read more...] about First Amendment expert calls Post-Dispatch editorial on protests ‘irresponsible’ and imprecise