Senator bars television coverage of committee session
A state senator has barred television coverage of his committee’s consideration of legislation criminalizing the enforcement of federal gun laws in Missouri.
Convoluted story’s tragic ending reminds journalists to be human
The problems with Caleb Hannan’s article, titled “Dr. V’s Magical Putter,” started almost immediately: “Strange stories can find you at strange times. Like when you’re battling insomnia and looking for tips on your short game.” That’s Hannan’s lead. The story he wrote about Essay Anne Vanderbilt proved to be strange, at the very least. It also was convoluted.
TV station owes viewers apology for story missteps
No other way to put it: St. Louis television station KSDK (Channel 5) really messed up in their attempt to expose school security flaws. On Jan. 16, Channel 5 sent people to five area schools to check on security. One of them was Kirkwood High School. The Channel 5 staffer was able to get in to the school unchallenged. He did, in fact, uncover what appears to be several flaws in the Kirkwood system.
Benchslap: Appeals court slams St. Louis circuit attorney for tweets
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce does something rare for a Missouri prosecutor: She tweets prolifically. Joyce said she views Twitter posts as a way to “engage the citizens” and let them know what happened after initial news reports on a crime. But a Missouri appeals court said last week that Joyce’s tweets in a 2012 child-rape trial came too close to crossing an ethical line.
The News on Jan. 10: Christie outweighs other scandals
In every newspaper, on every cable news channel and on news websites, the “bridge scandal” swirling around New Jersey governor and potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie has been getting top billing. His administration, according to a Page 1 story in the New York Times, “ordered revenge closings of traffic lanes at the George Washington Bridge.” That’s bad, all right, especially since it impeded medical emergency vehicles trapped in the ensuing traffic jams and may have contributed to the death of one person.