Hiring and Scandal

Did a politician hire a reporter into his administration to make a sex scandal story go away?
What do you think of the reporting in this story? Does it give the audience enough to go on and make a judgment? Is this news?

Octuplets and Big Dough

Did you see the interview with the octuplet mom on NBC's Today show? Did you ask yourself how NBC got the exclusive? I did.
But NBC isn't talking and the question doesn't seem to be getting much air or ink in the major media. It is, however, all the rage in the blogosphere. Check out this post, claiming the deal earned Nadya Suleman $300,000. Often, these kinds of arrangements are not direct payments but instead fees for using copyrighted family images, etc.
What do you think of that? Should a news organization pay for interviews? If so, why? If not, why not?

Newsers in Ads

What's the line between news and advertising? Some people got their knickers in a twist when Matt Lauer appeared in a Super Bowl commercial. The spot promoted "Land of the Lost," an upcoming film in which Lauer has a cameo. The spot featured a clip of that cameo. NBC aired the Super Bowl. Lauer is an NBC News anchor. The film is from Universal Pictures. Both are owned by media powerhouse NBC Universal.
Does any of that matter? Is it wrong for Lauer to be in a commercial? In a movie? Would he be in that movie if he didn't have the same corporate parent as the movie studio?

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?

KC News Meeting

Here's what I've been paying attention to this week. Add your ideas and issues via comments. Quiz questions come from mine or yours, but at times big news hits and I add it to the quiz even when it's not here.
- stimulus plan
- A-Rod and 'roids
- TARP
- second commerce secretary nominee withdraws
- plane crash in New York
- octuplet mom talks to Ann Curry (gak)
- peanut recall
- grilling CEOs on Capitol Hill
- wild fires in Australia
- Burris and Blago - the saga continues

Illness and a public face

Steve Jobs took a medical leave from Apple a few weeks ago. Wild speculation that his pancreatic cancer -- widely considered deadly -- is back. No confirmation whatsoever.
What is his obligation to Apple stockholders? Should he have to disclose private medical information? How did Apple handle the situation? Did the strike the right balance between his privacy and others needs? Should they have been more forthcoming? What are the financial implications and do they matter?

Don't trash your client's hometown

An ad exec gets himself in a little bit o' social media trouble.
What is his responsibility to his client? Does the social media space differ at all from real space in how we should comport ourselves? If so, how so? If not, why not? Should this agency have lost the business? What lapses should cost us our jobs?

Who should own newspapers?

Lots of talk percolating that news organizations have an *ethical* duty to keep newspapers alive. It's an urgent question as revenues decline and bankruptcy looms (Chicago Tribune and Minneapolis Star-Trib are already there).
Some people say foundation endowments are one way to go.
Others look to a new model of non-profit journalism.
Some disagree.
What do you think? Do newspapers matter? Should we be talking about the medium (paper) or the function (gathering and disseminating news)? If this medium dies, what are the implications for citizens? For advertisers? For consumers?

Kellogg Dumping Phelps

The bong hit that continues to haunt:
http://adage.com/article?article_id=134363
Michael Phelps loses an endorsement deal, what may the first in a line.
What is a celebrity's responsibility to the clients that hire him as a face for their brand? What is his responsibility to the public in general? How serious was this mistake? How seriously should he pay for it?

KC News Meeting

Here are some stories I've been following this week. Add yours to the comments, so we're all thinking about the quiz:
- Tom Daschle withdraws as nominee
- executive compensation concerns
- Supreme Court Justice undergoes surgery
- Michael Phelps and the bong hit heard 'round the world
- economy contracts but not as much as others feared
- digital TV conversion delayed
- Madoff hearings
- abortion clinic in Madison
- negotiating the stimulus package
- peanut recall

Super Bowl flops

Adweek has a good roundup of famous (infamous?) Super Bowl commercials that failed. Worth watching the links.

Ads and Accuracy

The two presidential campaigns got into multiple kerfuffles last fall over the accuracy of campaign advertising. It's a pretty common development.
Here's just one example.
But now that we have the benefit of time and distance, did it matter? In what ways does campaign advertising sway the electorate? Should we expect it to be "accurate"? How is that accuracy determined in the arena of politics? Isn't one man's misinterpretation another man's firm conviction? Are these ethics questions only or should we think about legal ramifications?

Promises, promises

So it turns out that Barack Obama handed out a lot of assurances during his campaign. Many, many more than his predecessors (about double Bush and Clinton).
These came out in speeches and his online content but also very prominently in his campaign advertising.
Now PolitiFact wants to check out how good he is at keeping them.
What is the role of campaign advertising in establishing policy? How closely should we scrutinize campaign ads? Are they really about issues or really about personality? How do they matter?

Obama tours the Post

Here's an illuminating inside look at what happens when a popular new president checks out the newsroom in his new hometown.
What is the difference between news and celebrity coverage and how might that affect this administration? What does it mean that people are "star struck" by Obama? How can reporters overcome this in themselves? Is that feasible? Why might people be concerned about personal relationships between reporters and the people they cover?

White House Site

With the transition of power in Washington came a digital transition, as well. Check out one evaluation of the new Obama Administration White House Web site.
Have you been to it? What do you think? Will you go back?

New administration meets the press

It seems like the claims that the news media adore Barack Obama may be on the wane. Lots of concern and complaints about access.
What obligation does a presidential administration have to give reporters access? How does Obama's affinity for alternative information channels affect the traditional news media (e.g., bypassing the press during the campaign and making announcements directly to voters via Web sites, blogs and texts)?

BBC edits Obama video

Ethicists are raising questions about a BBC decision to edit together separate parts of President Obama's inauguration address.
What does this choice do to the BBC's credibility? How would the audience know about this editing? Does it matter?

Super Bowl Ads and the Blogosphere

Looks like the recession may cutting into chatter about the upcoming Super Bowl ads. Discussions are down, according to Ad Age and others.
What does this mean for these spots? Does it make the massive investment less worth it? How much does this buzz help a brand?

Miller creativity

Here's more on the Miller 1-second ads we covered in lecture:

http://www.adweek.com/aw/creative/ad-of-the-day/article_display.jsp?creativeId=269983

and you can view the set of ads at http://1secondad.com/VerifyAge.aspx

be sure to verify your age correctly : )

KC News Meeting

Welcome to a brand new crop of 202ers. Each week, I post to the "KC News Meeting" tag on this blog a short list of things that have made the news during this week. This should prompt you to make sure you've prepared for the current events quizzes. But my lists aren't comprehensive or exhaustive. So I want you to post comments to add news items you think are important. I try to draw quiz questions from a combination of my posts and your comments.
So what's been happening:
- one word: Blagojevich
- economic stimulus package
- John Updike dies
- administration appointments, including Timothy Geithner for Treasury
- Pfizer pharmaceutical may be getting much bigger
- Gov. Jim Doyle covers the state budget woes
- Microsoft cuts jobs
- Obama makes a move on auto emissions
- massive Wall Street bonuses look bad, very very bad
- upcoming elections in Iraq