To: Mainstream Media
From: A recovering news junkie/former newspaper reporter
Re: Christmas presents
With Christmas coming up I thought it was time to give out some presents for journalists and other media figures. I have been watching, and making a list, of who has been naughty and who has been nice. The gifts are virtual, which is my way of saying I'd buy the gifts if I wasn't a full-time student without income.
The recipient: Robert Novak, the hypocritical blowhard I and others have criticized.
The present: I give a copy of Outfoxed., the documentary about the Fox propaganda machine. Novak recently announced he was leaving CNN (hooray!) to go to Fox News. What a perfect marriage! One propagandist deserves another.
The recipient: Judith Miller, the infamous former reporter of The New York Times.
The present: A copy of Jayson Blair's Burning Down My Master's House since she, like him, has dishonored a generally respectable newspaper.
The recipient: Viveca Novak, the Time magazine reporter who knew that Karl Rove was a source for fellow reporter Matthew Cooper and mentioned it - oops! - over drinks with Rove's lawyer.
The present: A subscription to Time magazine because I think her days as a Time employee are numbered and if they are not... well, they should be. She is currently on leave.
The recipient: Howard Kurtz, media reporter for The Washington Post, host of CNN's Reliable Sources
The present: A copy of Media Monopoly by Ben Bagdikian to remind you that you might as well call yourself Howard "I'm a walking example of a conflict of interest and should be the least person to write about others media ethics problems" Kurtz.
The recipient: Bill Keller, editor of the New York Times, who has a hell of a year with his slow response to the Judith Miller problem
The present: A copy of Darknet and We the Media - two good books about the Internet's effect on society - to remind you of a point I tried to make in a prior column - that the TimesSelect wall requiring paid subscriptions for some content - is an inane idea.
The recipient: Kurt Eichenwald, The New York Times reporter who wrote a very thorough, impressive, well-sourced piece this week about teenagers who accept gifts in exchange for performing acts on the
Internet via the Web.
The present: Free airfare so he can travel to journalism conventions and ethics seminar to discuss difficult choices he had to make about whether to
become part of the story. He did get involved, getting the teenager who is the focus of the story to go to law enforcement.
Article comments
1 - Scott Butki
Help. I just went to add a few comments to my entry but it's listed as "locked." Can someone unlock it?
2 - gonzo marx
this one deserves a read...nicely done, and good to see the Props for Jon Stewart
might i add Lou Dobbs to the "Nice" list, real Journalism going on in his show..some good Issues being discussed that you don't really hear anywhere else on the MSM
just my one sixth billionths of the World's Opinion
your mileage may vary
Excelsior!
3 - Scott Butki
Nevermind, figured it out and am adding a few other things to the last half.
4 - Jay Rosen
Thanks, Scott, for this and other kind mentions over the year. Good luck with your studies too.
5 - Scott Butki
Hi, Jay. Thanks a lot!
Gonzo, thanks a lot. I'm glad you like it.
6 - Mr. Real Estate
I enjoyed this post. It's not often that I get to read insight on various members of the media by someone who is actually in the media. Good to see props given to Romenesko. Poynter is always on the cutting edge of good journalism and it's definitely reflected in his blog.
7 - Scott Butki
Thanks, Mr. Real Estate.
Happy to oblige.
Merry Christmas, everyone
8 - Scott Butki
More an interview on CNN- on Kurt Eichenwald's article and the interesting issues it raised about when reporters should become part of the story.