Reporting, writing, editing, photographing, or broadcasting news; conducting any news organization as a business; with a special emphasis on electronic journalism and the transformation of journalism in the Digital Age.
Journalism
Statement from the White House Communications Director to the Opposition Media
First Lady Melania Trump unveiled Be Best, her initiative meant to support children and the many issues they are facing today.
Wicked Problem: Sinclair Broadcasting and the high price of innovation
[Commentary] University of California-Berkeley's Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber coined the term “wicked problem” to refer to problems that had reached a level of complexity that made them impossible to define, let alone solve. Every solution to a wicked problem is a one-shot operation: There are no second chances, because any change you make will have affected the whole system. The story of Sinclair’s rise from local TV station to major propaganda machine is a case study in Rittel and Webber’s “one-shot operation” warning.
There’s no doubt that misinformation, disinformation, and “fake news” played a role in the 2016 election and continue to roil our politics, as well as the ever-shifting media landscape. It’s also clear that an informed citizenry is at the foundation of American democracy. But with the dawn of social media and the ubiquity of digital publishing, being an informed citizen isn’t easy—it requires sorting through streams of poorly sourced commentary and purposefully deceptive news pieces created to sow distrust and undermine our connections with our fellow citizens. Where do we go from here?
With superficial sound bites, scripted promos, talking heads, and the 24-hour news cycle, it’s hard not to be skeptical or indifferent of the present-day media. In this ephemeral landscape, how do documentary films that focus on recent history differ from cable and the mainstream press? What form will have a longer and more significant impact?
Trump Campaign Launches ‘Media Accountability Survey': ‘Do You Trust CNN?’
The Trump Make America Great Again Committee launched a “mainstream media accountability survey” into inboxes around the country. The effort is a joint project paid for by the Donald Trump presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee. “The media loves to pretend they’re unbiased, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” an email promoting the survey reads. “Liberal propaganda machines have used every possible tactic to slander, undermine, and insult the President as he fights to put AMERICA FIRST.”
Unlike in US, Facebook Faces Tough Questions in Britain
In London, Facebook’s chief technology officer, Mike Schroepfer, faced more than four hours of questions from a British parliamentary committee over the company’s data-collection techniques, oversight of app developers, fake accounts, political advertising and links to the voter-targeting firm Cambridge Analytica. If American politicians have been lampooned for being Luddites, the British Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has built a reputation for thoroughness and detailed questioning.
Reps. Square Off at Hearing Over Online Censorship
House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep James Hines (D-CT) testified before the House Judiciary Committee about alleged online censorship of conservative speech. The hearing was on "Filtering Practices of Social Media Platforms" and stemmed in part from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's testimony before Congress recently. The first two panelists were members of Congress, and as such only presented statements and were not questioned afterward.
Half of Republicans say the news media should be described as the enemy of the American people
In March, Quinnipiac University’s pollsters asked Americans if they thought certain news outlets — unnamed by Quinnipiac — were enemies of the American people? Nearly 4-in-10 said yes — including more than 8-in-10 Republicans. In a poll released April 26, Quinnipiac was more direct. Less than a quarter of the public says that the news media broadly is better described as “enemy of the people” than an “important part of democracy.” But among Republicans, more than half preferred the former term to the latter. Granted, there was a limited set of options from which to choose.
News organizations seek access to Mueller materials in Russia investigation
A coalition of news organizations asked a federal court to unseal materials used by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to obtain search warrants in his investigation of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and others indicted in the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The news organizations are seeking to compel disclosure of affidavits, records of seizures and the warrants themselves that Mueller filed in bringing indictments against such figures as Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, among others.
2018 World Press Freedom Index: US Falls to 45th
The 2018 World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), reflects growing animosity towards journalists.