Obvious lessons in hindsight: editorial self-examination is therapeutic and humiliating
Article Abstract:
Former 'Boston Globe' editor Thomas Winship recounts two past actions that he deemed unfair and irresponsible. The first is his premature approval to run the headline 'Kennedy Wins Big' during the 1960 presidential race between Kennedy and Nixon, which was later changed to 'Kennedy Wins.' The second was his decision that Globe columnists cease writing about the school busing crises in Boston, MA, during the 1907s to avoid further community violence.
Publication Name: Media Studies Journal
Subject: Mass communications
ISSN: 1057-7416
Year: 1998
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Giving people what they deserve: why cover minor political parties?
Article Abstract:
Editor Joann Byrd talks about the insights she gained after receiving a letter from a reader questioning why her newspaper did not cover minor political candidates in the 1984 presidential elections. She believes that the failure to cover minor candidates violates the press' duty to defend free speech, independent thinking and the underdog. It also deprives voters of a democratic process based on ideas and a fully informed public.
Publication Name: Media Studies Journal
Subject: Mass communications
ISSN: 1057-7416
Year: 1998
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"Why hurt me?": weighing obligations to sources and readers
Article Abstract:
'Parade' magazine editor Walter Anderson talks about a mistake he made as an investigative reporter in the 1970s which made him understand the value of fairness in reporting. He unintentionally hurt a woman he did a story on when he mentioned that she was unmarried with five children in his article. He learned that although the term was accurate, it had no bearing on the story and that its use was unfair to the woman.
Publication Name: Media Studies Journal
Subject: Mass communications
ISSN: 1057-7416
Year: 1998
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: The limits of media democratization in South Africa: politics, privatization and regulation. Yizo Yizo: citizenship, commodification and popular culture in South Africa
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