press

A Knock in the Night in Phoenix

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:01:37 -0700

On Oct. 18, Jim Larkin and his wife, Molly, were in bed in their home outside Phoenix when a group of men in unmarked cars pulled up and began knocking on the door and shining flashlights in the house, saying, “You know what we want.”

The Media Hear the Fat Lady Humming

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 13 May 2008 07:30:24 -0700

We now know who the Democratic nominee “is gonna’ be,” declared NBC’s Washington bureau chief Tim Russert the night of May 6 as results became clear.

The Pastor's Press Tour Is the Week's Big Newsmaker

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:53:41 -0700

In a number of recent presidential campaigns, someone or something has emerged from obscurity to become a household word and an integral part of the media narrative.

Media Matters

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:24:48 -0700

While Reverend Wright was speaking to the National Press Club yesterday morning alarms were going off right outside my window.

Why Should We Trust Storytellers?

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:38:27 -0700

Why do media organisations want to wallow in trust like hippos in mud? They want to roll in it until they're covered from head to toe. When it dries up, thanks to dodgy editing on a royal documentary promo or phoney phone competitions, such as on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, right, the mud cracks and it's a "crisis".

Post-Pennsylvania Spin Drowns Out McCain

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:23:23 -0700

The week began with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton bashing each other with negative TV ads on the eve of the Pennsylvania primary. It ended with the prospect of a longer, tougher contest after Clinton’s win, and with the volatile issue of race again occupying a prominent place in the media narrative.

Unearthed: News of the Week the Mainstream Media Forgot to Report

Holiday Shapiro — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:45:03 -0700

War Profiteering/War Propaganda
In a superb example of print journalism, the New York Times reported last Sunday the sordid story of how television network military analysts with undisclosed financial ties to Pentagon contractors had been used by the White House and Pentagon to sell the Iraq War to the American people.

TV's Response to Pentagon Propaganda? Never Happened

Holiday Shapiro — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:53:29 -0700

Last week, it was a mudslinging debate hosted by ABC. This week, it's revelations of pro-war propaganda on nearly every major television news outlet.

Political Coverage Is More Noise than News

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:52:59 -0700

After months spent consuming endless cable TV news coverage of this endless presidential campaign, I've got a theory: The more attention they pay to a subject, the less viewers actually learn.

Media Generals: Editors Respond to 'NYT' Revelations

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:05:21 -0700

The New York Times' revelations that the Pentagon has been secretly guiding retired military officers -- many with links to defense contractors -- in their media assessments of the Iraq War has raised concerns about the use of those former military officials in newspaper commentaries, or quoting them in news stories.

In Tight Times, Student Teams and Nonprofits Re-energize Investigative Journalism

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:59:10 -0700

A decade is a long time. But advocates for senior citizens have been trying to drum up support on Beacon Hill for guardianship reform for at least that long. Seniors without relatives or close companions can end up, and hundreds do, under the care of court-appointed guardians who get carte blanche over their medical and legal decisions.

Israel to Investigate Killing of Newsman in Clash in Gaza

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:44:35 -0700

The Israeli Army announced Sunday that it would investigate the killing of a cameraman for the Reuters news agency, after a human rights group said it found evidence suggesting that an Israeli tank crew had fired recklessly or deliberately at the journalist.

As Pennsylvania Primary Heats Up, More in the Media Invest in Race

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:55:24 -0700

Despite concerns that downsizing has left the news media diminished in their ability to report big stories, news outlets have rarely been more ambitious than they are today covering one of the biggest in decades -- the race for the White House.

Obama and Clinton Debate the Debate

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:44:31 -0700

Last week, a major part of the media narrative about the 2008 campaign involved the media themselves—specifically ABC’s Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos and the April 16 debate they moderated in Philadelphia.

In Politics, the Gaffe Goes Viral

Holiday Shapiro — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:54:22 -0700

In 1990, I was covering politics in Minnesota and Paul Wellstone was down double digits in the polls in the waning weeks of the Senate race. I watched in amazement as Mr. Wellstone’s campaign staff continued to fight tooth and nail for every vote, something I wrote off to a civic reflex that I didn’t possess.

A Guide to 'NYT' Scoop on Pentagon's Media Propaganda

Holiday Shapiro — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:50:13 -0700

The front-page David Barstow epic in today's New York Times on how the Pentagon, starting in 2002, assembled a crew of retired military officers to disseminate propaganda via all-too-willing network and cable news outlets is drawing wide attention. Barstow aptly refers to this as "a kind of media trojan horse."

Pentagon's Media Manipulation on War Extended to Newspapers

Holiday Shapiro — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:20:53 -0700

The New York Times today published a massive piece by David Barstow on how the Pentagon for years has secretly deployed a large crew of retired military officers to flood the airwaves – network and cable – to offer pro-war talking points to the unsuspecting viewers.

The ABC Debate and the Danger to Democracy

Holiday Shapiro — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:17:19 -0700

Despairing, disgusting and disheartening – those words are flying around today to describe ABC’s irresponsible Democratic presidential debate Wednesday night. Here’s another one – dangerous.

More Journalists Arrested in Zimbabwe as Political Crisis Deepens

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:30:34 -0700

Reporters Without Borders is deeply concerned about freelance journalist Frank Chikowore, who was arrested by police near his Harare home yesterday and has since been held in an unknown location. The organisation also calls for the release of British journalist Jonathan Clayton, who was arrested at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo international airport in Bulawayo on 9 April.

McCain Gets Least Coverage But Best Media Narrative

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:25:33 -0700

John McCain lagged significantly behind Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in the competition for media exposure last week. But when it came to the press narrative, the presumptive GOP nominee was the clear winner.