Nostalgic Reunion Of The Globe-Democrat

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“Those were the days my friend; we thought they’d never end…”

And although no one at the St. Louis Globe-Democrat’s recent reunion actually uttered that melancholy phrase — that was the tenor of the evening. The literati and glitterati, past and present, of that spittoon-laden, hurly-burly, competing-paper era gathered in St. Louis Saturday, Oct. 29. The event was sponsored by the St. Louis Media History Foundation under the dedicated leadership of Frank Absher.

“This is what our foundation exists to do — preserve history,” Absher said of the gathering.

SIUC sets off Facebook controversy over faculty strike

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Only half of the students in my media ethics class showed up on Thursday (Nov. 3) because the Faculty Association at SIU Carbondale is on strike. But the students who came were eager to discuss the ethics and legality of the university’s decision overnight to delete comments about the strike from the university Facebook page.

By deleting the comments, the university had unwittingly ventured onto new, uncertain ground and might have violated the First Amendment, legal experts say.

Even as the university was coming to last-minute agreement with three of four unions late Wednesday and early Thursday, it was removing critical comments from a Facebook page that had been open to student, faculty and alumni comments. Some of the postings contained foul language and clearly could legally be removed. Others argued the pros and cons of the labor dispute. One message, repeatedly deleted, said, “Please settle.”

Reporter records his own arrest

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This story is another reason why it’s important for media and citizens to have the right to videotape and record police. This could have been illegal in the state of Illinois although a number of recent rulings are cutting into Illinois’ strict eavesdropping laws. Read Bill Freivogel’s piece on Illinois eavesdropping laws here.

Trick or Treat – It’s the Social Media at the Door

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“I think the stunt you pulled by printing what you did was offensive, judgemental, and ill willed. You should not be proud of printing something as cruel and disgusting as the column you printed. You should be ashamed! I hope your Halloween is as crappy as your column.’’ Sarah Penner

“I totally agree with this week’s editorial in the Times!!! Halloween isn’t for teenagers to get candy and cause trouble. They should stay home. Elementary and younger are the ones who should be out with their parents.’’ Cindy Gallagher

Those are just a sample of some of the online responses appearing in the past few days in Waterville, N.Y. They were aimed at a recent editorial in community weekly newspaper, the Waterville Times. The paper’s editor and publisher, Pat Louise had reminded readers in her editorial that Halloween is for children, and that good manners are expected. But her suggestion that trick-or-treaters and their parents behave politely and not be greedy turned into a social media bashing of both the paper and Louise.