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.

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.

Sound decision

The ESPN ombudsman’s mailbag reflected overwhelmingly positive critical reaction to the network’s coverage of the World Cup. “Outstanding doesn’t even begin to describe how well ESPN is doing” … “Camera coverage is superb” … “Much improved over 2006″ … “Good, knowledgeable, understated commentary” … “It has been spectacular and I’m eager for more” … “Never realized how exciting soccer can be” … “Glued to the matches and commentary” … “I was a casual observer — now I’m a fan.”

There was one notable exception to the praise — the now infamous and persistent buzz of the vuvuzelas. Viewers simply hated it: “A never-ending torture” … “Intolerable” … “Annoying beyond belief” … “Produces headaches in minutes” … “A great way to dampen American enthusiasm for watching soccer” … “Continuous blaring makes listening painful” … “Please, please, please filter out the buzz.”

Many people wondered why ESPN didn’t simply make it stop. As Ombudsman Don Ohlmeyer notes, there were a few options, but the network believed none of the choices was a good one.

The Brazilian dilemma

TV Cultura enjoys a high level of prestige among the wealthy and the opinion makers of São Paulo and Brazil. However, the audience ratings do not measure up to that prestige.

Making the online customer king at The Post

Journalism veterans are concerned about the relentless focus on giving readers what they want. If Web traffic ends up guiding coverage, they wonder, will some stories not be pursued because they’re “dull”?

Did NPR endanger an Afghan farmer’s life?

A tenet of a strong ethics code calls for journalists to minimize the harm their work might cause. To that end, a lieutenant colonel thought NPR may have endangered the life of an Afghan farmer.

The farmer was quoted by his first name in a story about Afghans cooperating with the Americans against the Taliban.

NPR’s military correspondent, Tom Bowman, has been embedded with different American military units this month trying to tell the story of the U.S. effort to drive the Taliban out of the Kandahar region in southern Afghanistan.

Bowman’s 7-minute piece last week on All Things Considered took listeners along…