Editor

Information doesn’t mean bias

Media

October 3, 2013December 4, 2013

by Editor

BY SCOTT LAMBERT / Perceptions of media bias continue to rise in Americans, and those perceptions aren’t going to change anytime soon. A 2012 Pew Research Center study reported that the number of Americans who believe political news coverage is biased rose 6 percentage points in 2012 compared to 2008. The idea that media cover news stories from a strictly neutral position is seen as a fairy tale, and the term “lamestream media” is a common phrase on the right whenever a story perceived as negative is presented.

Website showcases political spectrum

Media

September 28, 2012January 10, 2013

by Editor

Trying to eliminate the Internet noise during political season seems almost impossible. Myriad news stories from multiple news sources float around in cyberspace. Blathering political pundits on television and radio spew their opinions constantly, with what seems to be little regard for truth or objectivity. Fact-checkers desperately try to keep up with the claims and falsehoods tossed around by politicians and their political mouthpieces.

Coverage of Armstrong lets audience decide

Media

August 27, 2012August 27, 2012

by Editor

Sports media love building up their heroes. They love tearing them down too.

It’s all part of the cycle. That makes the tale of the latest cyclist to go through the cycle so interesting.

CNN, Fox got it wrong and hurt all news media’s credibility

Media

June 28, 2012February 3, 2013

by Editor

Let’s all repeat the first rule of journalism: Get it right.

Rule number two may state that you also want to get it first, but getting it right is so much more important. And that fact seems to be disappearing in this age of skip the copy editor and get the story online immediately.

It’s all a rush to get it first. A few months ago, Joe Paterno was reported dead a day before he died. A reporter lost his job for that. He got it first but he got it wrong.

Things like that kill credibility.

Illinois Times covers media well

Media

May 21, 2012February 6, 2013

by Editor

The Illinois Times, a weekly and online newspaper based in Springfield (Ill.) does a good job of reporting on local media in the central Illinois region.

Recently, the Illinois Times wrote an in depth piece about Illinois Statehouse News, an online newspaper that started in 2009 and has broke a number of stories about Illinois state politics. The May 10 piece about Illinois Statehouse News questioned its conservative ownership but also reported that its coverage to this point seems fair.