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December 2009 (View complete archive page)
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Former NYT public editor writes book on Prohibition
Daniel Okrent, the first public editor for The New York Times, has produced a book about the Prohibition Era in the United States. A review in Bloomberg Businessweek called “Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition” a book that is “sure to be one of the year’s best American history books.”
The news ombudsman: Watchdog or decoy?
The Netherlands Media Ombudsman Foundation, which is dedicated to the self-regulation of journalism in Dutch-speaking regions, in collaboration with the Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Department of Journalism in Tilburg, has conducted a study into the performance of ombudsmen in the news media.
The study is intended to provide professional journalists with more insight into the phenomenon of the news ombudsman as a self-regulation instrument.
The experiences gained thus far with regard to the performance of ombudsmen in news media have demonstrated that the phenomenon of news ombudsman can be an instrument in the self-regulation of journalism. Our frame of reference for…
NYT “squandering readers’ trust,” says public editor
Despite promises to limit the use of anonymous sources in stories, The New York Times continues to quote unnamed sources often and “casually” on occasions when the information is available on the public record or adds nothing to the reporting, the paper’s public editor charged in his weekend column.
The Times, wrote Clark Hoyt, “allows unnamed people to provide quotes of marginal news value and to remain hidden with little real explanation of their motives, their reliability, or the reasons why they must be anonymous.”
Being open to “self correction” is important to journalists
N. Ram, editor in chief of The Hindu, tells Indian journalists that codes of practice are imperative for the industry and suggested that “internal news ombudsmen perform that role.
Speaking on “Media as Protector of Public Discussion” at the opening session of a two-day roundtable on Markets, Media and Democracy, organised jointly by UNICEF and the Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata, Mr. Ram said a very key function of the media was that related to “agenda-building.”
Elucidating the more crucial functions of the media, Mr. Ram said if those related to “credible information” and “critical assessment investigation” were done well, there was…
Salt Lake Tribune eliminates reader advocate post
The Salt Lake Tribune in Salt Lake City, Utah, has eliminated the position of reader advocate. Connie Coyne, who has held the position for the past seven years, will be leaving the paper as of March 26.
Will consumers continue to pay for news?
News has become a commodity, concludes E-commerce Times. But Jeffrey Dvorkin, ONO’s executive director, says “… I am optimistic that solid and reliable information will always find a market and a public willing to pay for it.”
Hanif represents ONO in Azerbaijan
C.B. Hanif is representing ONO in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he is consulting with journalists concerned about the accountability of the press in the former Soviet republic on the Caspian Sea.
“I am hearing these concerns and sharing the experiences of the Organization of New Ombudsmen in improving journalistic accuracy and fairness, accountability and transparency, independence and credibility at news organizations around the world,” Hanif reports in his blog, “Hanif on Media.”
“How Azeris choose to develop their news organizations obviously will be their decisions. The societal challenges are not to be taken lightly,” he wrote.
“I’m hopeful that, as elsewhere, Azeris from editors to…
Free press vital for transparent society, say journalists
Journalists always desire free, courageous, bold and independent journalism, and this leads to transparency in society, said the vice chairman of the International Organization of News Ombudsmen, or ONO, at a conference in Istanbul, entitled “Professional Standards and Self-Regulation in Media and the State of Play of …Media Policy in Southeast Europe.”
“Our main goal is to fight corruption, unfairness, injustice and crimes of humanity as well as moral and political values,” said Yavuz Baydar, who also works at daily Sabah. “Only clear and open press can contribute to an open and clear society. For media, it is vital to be…
How Google changed the role of news ombudsmen
Mercedes Bunz, media blogger for guardian.co.uk, considers the effect that the Internet has had on news ombudsmen.
An excerpt:
“Now, with newspapers archives online all the time, news doesn’t vanish after publication, and ombudsmen and women are confronted with a new problem: search.
“Today, news organisations gather a lo…t of online traffic through search engines. However, using Google to search for details about someone can damage their life if the wrong article comes up. ”
British j-blog examines ONO’s online initiative
The Organisation of News Ombudsmen this month stepped up its digital act: with a new blog, a new site, and by dipping its toes into the Twitter waters, reports journalism.co.uk
