Helping the presidency

Submitted by a student:

Professor Culver,

Here is a link to a video of Chris Matthews being interviewed by Joe Scarborough. Matthews says, "I want to do everything I can to make this thing work, this new presidency work." Is Matthews job to make the presidency work? Or should he strive to provide critical coverage no matter who is in the White House? I just thought it was an interesting ethical question.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2008/11/06/odd-job-matthews-says-his-role-make-obama-presidency-success

What do you think of that? Is Chris Matthews (or Rachel Maddow or Bill O'Reilly, etc.) a "journalist"? If so, is opinion out of bounds? Can you think of another time a "helpful" approach from the media helped get us into trouble (hmm, perhaps the run-up to the Iraq war?)

KC's News Meeting

Sorry for the delay in all my posts this week. I couldn't get on until just now. What's in the news this week?
- senator convicted
- little band named Wilco plays the Union
- Canadians pranking Palin
- voter registration suit thrown out in Wisconsin
- seems to be some kind of election coming up perhaps?

What are you reading about?

Moms Rising

I know at your age Halloween is more about State Street than candy, but as a mom, I found this an excellent use of social media.

Media bias and the election

With some trepidation, I offer the following links on the subject of news media liberal bias.
Politico: Why McCain is getting hosed in the press
Slate: No surprises in Fox News discussion of liberal media bias
MarketWatch: Most Republicans see media bias
For some pointed left-right commentary:
Huffington Post
NewsBusters
This came to a head this week, when the McCain campaign lashed out at the LA Times for declining to release a video of Obama. I post with trepidation because I often cannot have healthy conversations on this issue with people who hold political views. Heated and divisive are two good ways to describe the exchanges. What say ye?

Journalists and voting

I received a question this week from a student, asking whether she should cast a ballot, given that she's a journalist. "Does it hinder my ability to be objective," she asked.
This is an interesting effort at transparency from Slate, the online magazine.
What do you think of this? Frankly, I remain a bit unsure myself. I voted when I was a reporter, mainly because the mere act of voting didn't seem to threaten my objectivity. In fact, I was usually better at being fair when I was honest with myself and others about my own opinions.

Journalism schools' ethics obligations

What would you do as a faculty member in this situation?
Annenberg USC-Dubai journalism program
What factors did you consider? What does not matter in your consideration?

Strat comm vlogging

What do you do when you want to get around the "filter of the mainstream media"? Check out this State Department staffer's attempt at getting average citizens to engage with him on YouTube.
Do you think people will pay attention? Do you think journalists need to do a better job covering things that aren't "edgy"?

Cartoonist bias

Some are questioning Doonesbury cartoonist Gary Trudeau's decision to send a strip for this Wednesday, declaring Obama the winner. Check out this brief note from a paper that runs the strip, but also read the comments posted below. What are the ethics of posting and deleting comments? Is anything fair game as long as a reader is posting it and not a person who works for the publication? Should they be moderated?