In for a Penny, In for a Pound

So, Debbie, I’ll post a comment about GSK’s new FDA-approved OTC weight-loss drug, if you send me a few samples. I can stand to lose a few.Seriously, a debate is a-brewing over Ms. Weil’s call in her popular blog for consumers to post comments on the drug’s nascent website.Apparently for some chroniclers of blogging ethics,…… Continue reading In for a Penny, In for a Pound

Unforgettable

We all know that PR alone cannot repair the reputation of a scurrilous scallywag. Actions speak louder than words, and contrition can only take one so far. Right, Mel?In fact, in an age when “the whole world is watching” (not to mention recording and posting), actions not only speak louder than words but they also…… Continue reading Unforgettable

Off the Political Menu

With a lot of huff and puff, the folks at the Huffington Post this week revealed the name of the Jay Rosen-inspired political journalism initiative that aims to give voice to a quasi-cohesive group of citizen reporters on the Presidential campaign trail (of which you can be part). From Arianna:”We’re calling it Off The Bus…… Continue reading Off the Political Menu

Beltway Media Confab

I forgot how much I love Washington DC, especially on a spectacularly sunny day (with low humidity). Bill, Vickie and the gang at the Washington D.C. Convention & Tourism Corp. have so much with which to work. If you make one trip this summer, Washington should be at or near the top of your list.Anyway,…… Continue reading Beltway Media Confab

Managed Transparency

Last week, this blog touched on the recent conversation surrounding “the media interview” in which many of the self-anointed new media pundits portrayed the live media interview as outmoded, if not antithetical to the reporting process.Their vitriol was in part inspired by the popular Fred Vogelstein of Wired who attempted to interview Jason Calacanis and…… Continue reading Managed Transparency

Propagandist(s)

Last week, I happened to catch one of the unfair and imbalanced Bill O’Reilly’s “Talking Points Memo” segments (not to be confused with the pilfered name of Joshua Mica Marshall’s influential blog).This particular one-sided O’Reilly diatribe railed against George Soros. (A few days earlier, it was Bill Moyers.)In the Soros segment., the host showed a…… Continue reading Propagandist(s)

Journalistic Embrace

The sobering news emanating from newspaperdom last week sparked new speculation on the future vitality of that medium. Profits were down (again), and online ad revenue, while growing impressively, just doesn’t seem to be able to replace lost traditional ad revenue.Nonetheless, the old media guard can’t be accused of complacency when it comes to embracing…… Continue reading Journalistic Embrace

Trained Journalist

A confluence of postings brings me to the subject of today’s piece. The idea was sparked by a rant from a Silicon Valley product manager who bemoaned how inaccurate and lazy mainstream and citizen journalists can be: “It’s a totally different world out there, assumptions I had about the knowledge level of the people I…… Continue reading Trained Journalist

The Future of Journalism

No. I don’t have the chutzpah (I mean prescience) of a Jay Rosen or Jeff Jarvis to portend what that future holds. Nonetheless, Jeff’s observations posted yesterday (and captured in part on video by Rafat) from an OPA (a former client) event in London, coupled with Jay’s Surowiecki-esque approach to news reporting are worthy reads…… Continue reading The Future of Journalism

The Committee to Unprotect Journalists

If you think American journalists are under government siege, their plight pales in comparison to the way Russia deals with its investigative scribes (or any other malcontent).They just murder them, or so it appears, based on today’s news emanating from that increasingly despotic regime.AP Moscow reported moments ago that Ivan Safronov, the military affairs writer…… Continue reading The Committee to Unprotect Journalists