Social media and the workplace

Here's another blog post from a 202er:

I found this article (http://mashable.com/2009/09/29/effigy-video/) a few minutes ago and I though it brings up a good question: should we be judged in the offline world by content that is found online?

Thanks

Editorial cartooning

Read about the flap over an NY Post cartoon depicting a chimp?
What do you think? Was it racially insensitive? Does the fact that it gained attention outside the NY market (where far fewer people know the chimp story from which it was supposedly drawn) makes any difference? How much latitude should cartoonists get? Are they freer to be controversial?
Remember the Muhammed cartoon controversy that even hit on our own campus?

Claims of racial bias

A Chicago TV news anchor claims a media critic tinges his work with racial bias.
What do you make of this story? It's covered as an "event" because he said it in a speech. How does the info serve the audience? Do we get enough to come to our own decision on the accusation? What forums did the anchor and the critic have to respond?

Hate and the election

This story raises points worth reading:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/us/politics/21whites.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Tell me what you think about hate speech. Should we allow people to spout racist views? The Secret Service is investigating at least one threat against Obama yelled at a Palin campaign rally. Should their intervention go beyond threats? I, for one, am surprised that race has not been a more vitriolic issue in this campaign (aside, of course, from last week's food stamp debacle). Do you agree? Why?

Communication beyond all reason

I'm going to let this one speak for itself.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_buck16.3d67d4a.html

Cover controversy

If you didn't catch it, we've had some chattering this week over a Vogue cover with LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen. Here's one posting, but you can Google for hundreds more.
I thought this note was a great addition to the discussion. Check out the picture comparison.
Do you think it plays to racial or sexual stereotypes? Is it offensive?

The Race Card

I found this column intriguing. It's an argument about reactions to race in the presidential campaigns and how small comments can be inflated. I liked the way he tied it to past campaigns to illuminate the differences, especially the Willie Horton case, which was a key issue in the presidential race when I was your age (does that make me sound as old as I think it does?).
So what do you think? How does race matter here, if at all? Is it being used strategically by either side in the Democratic race? What will happen in the general election?

Race and crime

When I ask you what distinguishes online journalism, some of you answer a key is the space to do more than you could in another medium. This is an amazing and heart-rending illustration of that. I'd love to see them go beyond the blog now, to put some depth to the breadth, particularly by using audio or video to give voice to families that have so often been invisible. I think it's also interesting how on-scene reporting can deepen the kind of data you'd find in everyblock and how race played in different ways for the audience.