Are patriotic fervour and xenophobia two sides of same coin?

World Cup Redux: “The World Cup created an extraordinary opportunity for seeing South African patriotism at its best — but it also showed an ugly side that may yet cancel out any improvements in our international reputation,” says Franz Krüger, ombudsman of the Mail & Guardian.

“Xenophobic attacks may claim our attention sooner than we would like.” It may be time, Krüger adds, to look past the vuvuzelas and flags, and remember that the fundamental issues facing South Africa have not disappeared.

The Mailbag reflects changing face of journalism

Viewers respond to PBS coverage of the controversy surrounding U.S. Agriculture Department officer Shirley Sherrod, a caricature of President Obama, and a documentary about former U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz.

Pool tragedy not a drowning

A teenage boy in distress is pulled from a backyard swimming pool and widespread media reports in the Toronto area declare it “another summer drowning.” But such a declaration was a rush to judgment.

Press councils’ choice: make big changes, or fade to black

Press councils across Canada are declining because they lack relevance, credibility and money, writes Brian Gabrial. Yet the need for a watchdog over journalism’s ethics has never been greater, and it’s time to choose between accepting a slow death and taking some bold—and controversial—moves.

Ombudsmen in the Latin American press: A complex task that seeks to become permanent

Abstract:

At the outset of 2010, at least 30 Ombudsmen experiences were in operation in the Latin American media, not only in newspapers but also in audiovisual media, especially in those of public management. The task of the News Ombudsmen or Defenders in the region is complex, in view of the economic difficulties with which the media are faced, journalists’ resistance to self-criticism, and meager participation by the public. There is a need for wider dissemination of information on these cases and for progress toward some kind of regional organization that will permit a sharing of experiences.

When describing the current status of…

ONO Bulletin for July 2010

BULLETIN #13 JULY 2010

Dear All,

Our plans are coming together nicely to present our next proposal to the Open Society Institute. We will be asking for help in assuring that our next conference will be at least bi, if not trilingual. And we will also be asking for support to write our “How To Be An Ombudsman” guidebook (working title).

Janne Andersson has included a plan to visit Viet Nam.

C.B Hanif has been already been invited back to Baku, Azerbaijan.

Sally Begbie will be attending the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union Summit in Tokyo in October.

Jacob Mollerup will attend the World Editors Forum in…

Behind the media contractors’ veil

In this, the fourth part of a review of Stars and Stripes’ coverage of the Rendon Group’s media-analysis work for the military in Afghanistan, the newspaper’s ombudsman explores the world of military contractors hired to provide information-related services.

In his effort to conduct conduct “aggressive and objective oversight” of Stars and Stripes’ relationship with the military — as mandated by Congress — ombudsman Mark Prendergast uncovers a world of “miscellaneous foreign contractors,” secrecy, and closed doors.

As Prendergast notes, “It turns out that last summer’s cancellation of the $1.5 million Rendon contract was not the end of a big story, just the turning of a page.”

Giving credit where it’s due

The photographer who took the “greatest picture of the war” should have been acknowledged for his bravery.

A policy change on illegal immigration terminology

The San Antonio Express-News’ new policy on illegal immigration terminology is not a “politically correct” stance; it’s what the newspaper believes is the right stance, legally and journalistically.

César Ricaurte

César Ricaurte
Defensor del Televidente
Ecuavisa
Quito, Ecuador
E-mail: cesar.ricaurte@fundamedios.org
Web site: http:www.ecuavisa.com/sobre-el-defensor-del-televidente.html