By Jackie Spinner The Associated Press recently announced that it was creating a new position for a “democracy editor.” It tapped a long-time AP veteran and state government editor for the position. When Tom Verdin, who is in Sacramento, steps into the new role, he will oversee coverage of stories about voting rights and election processes. In making the decision, … [Read more...] about New democracy editor position at Associated Press should be model for all newsrooms
Opinion
TV ad called objectionable, but stations couldn’t refuse it
TV stations could not refuse to run Eric Greitens’ political ad showing him with an armed tactical squad in hunt of “Rino” Republicans, as long as he paid for the air time. No matter how objectionable, defamatory or wrong a federal candidate’s TV ad may be, the Communications Act of 1934 has a “no-censorship no-liability rule”, says Mark Sableman, a partner at Thompson … [Read more...] about TV ad called objectionable, but stations couldn’t refuse it
Book Compares Presidential Press Treatment
Jon Marshall, "CLASH: Presidents and the Press in Times of Crisis." Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. Potomac Books. 2022. 413 pages. $36.95. Widely acknowledged as one of the leading scholars writing about the intersection of presidential history and American journalism, Jon Marshall of Northwestern University, has made yet another critically important contribution … [Read more...] about Book Compares Presidential Press Treatment
Rethinking culture that encourages journalists to be ‘vultures’ when reporting on mass shooting
In the immediate aftermath of the killings at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, journalists tried to piece together exactly what happened, talking to parents, teachers and young witnesses of the horrific violence that unfolded inside a 4th grade classroom. It’s what we do as journalists, and unfortunately, many of us are experienced at it, no matter where we live. Every … [Read more...] about Rethinking culture that encourages journalists to be ‘vultures’ when reporting on mass shooting
Remembering St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist Bob Adams
When former Post-Dispatch Washington bureau chief Bob Adams died in January, he was laid to rest quietly at his home town in Illinois. There was no memorial service in Washington or even an item in the St. Louis newspaper where he had been a stellar journalist for 27 years. Former colleagues remember Adams, who died at age 80, as a tenacious reporter, an elegant and fast … [Read more...] about Remembering St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist Bob Adams