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StinkyJournalism Media Picks
Biased Coverage-Listing filtered by Topic
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AIDS Denialism Coddled And "Debated" In The Spectator
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| by Molika Ashford, Stinkyjournalism.org |
November 04, 2009 1:06 pm EST
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| IT'S REAL: This image shows HIV "budding" out of T-cell. UK magazine the Spectator recently wrote a piece calling for a 'debate' on the existence of HIV/AIDS, even though that existence has been overwhelmingly demonstrated by science. (Credit: NIH) |
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We’ve written before about the potential harm done when the media report shallowly on medical issues, quote “experts” who aren’t, or give false balance and fluff treatment to sources whose health arguments are unfounded or even dangerous.
Now a particularly scary example of this bad journalism has been pointed out in the British magazine The Spectator, which recently scheduled and then cancelled a debate on a film that mistakenly and dangerously questions...Go to full story
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Fact-Checking MediaMatters's claim: Fox & Friends' Wrong On Two Polling Questions?
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| by Molika Ashford, Stinkyjournalism.org |
October 27, 2009 3:21 pm EST
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| A still image of a Fox News Broadcast. MediaMatters.org criticizes Fox for "baselessly" attacking a recent CBS/Washington Post poll. (Credit: Mediamatters.org) |
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MediaMatters.org, a progressive website dedicated to correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media, brought up two instances of bad poll reporting in the press last week.
In one, they criticize the conservative press for calling a recent poll finding majority support for a public health care option “fraudulent," and "rigged." In another, they specifically call out the program Fox & Friends for using an outdated poll...Go to full story
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Round 3: The Fight Between the White House and Fox News Continues
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| by Katie Rolnick, Stinkyjournalism.org |
October 23, 2009 3:16 pm EST
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What began as a fact-checking mission escalated when missiles were launched, and has now morphed into a full-blown battle between the White House and Fox News.
Round 3 began this past Sunday, October 18, 2009, when White House senior adviser David Axelrod appeared on ABC's "This Week" and told host George Stephanopoulus that Fox News is "not really a news station." That same day, chief of staff Rahm Emanuel appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" and...Go to full story
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60 Minutes Links Megafires to Climate Change But Fudges Some Facts
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| by Molika Ashford, stinkyjournalism.com |
October 22, 2009 08:05 am EST
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| The CBS 60 Minutes caption for video of their segment "The Age of Megafires" (see video screen shot above) states: "Global warming is increasing the intensity and number of forest fires across the American West. Scott Pelley goes to the fire line to report." |
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60 Minutes recently rebroadcast a 2007 story titled “The Age of Megafires,” which discusses the link between forest management policies, climate changes in the western United States, and a recent increase in the frequency of large western forest fires.
Dealing with the subtle, and often thorny issue of climate change, the broadcast unfortunately makes a few factual missteps in its coverage. This kind of accuracy problem can often serve as a toehold for critics to...Go to full story
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Where Would Journalism Be Without Journalists? Atlantic Writer Mark Bowden Takes a Look
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| by Katie Rolnick, Stinkyjournalism.org |
October 19, 2009 5:18 pm EST
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| The Atlantic magazine writer, Mark Bowden (Credit: TheAtlantic.com Bowden's bio page) |
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With the rise of 24-hour cable TV came the need for more and more content. But without the funds to pay more and more staff, broadcasters have increasingly turned to pundits to fill their air time. Sometimes those pundits are experts with specialized knowledge; often they are people who are able to speak on camera and will take a strong position to promote an agenda, political or otherwise.
In the October issue of The Atlantic magazine, staff writer Mark Bowden looks at the...Go to full story
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Las Vegas TV Station Accuses Competitors of Disguising Ads as News
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| by Katie Rolnick, Stinkyjournalism.org |
October 16, 2009 04:24 am EST
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| Logos of the Las Vegas TV Stations involved in a dispute over alleged "payola" schemes. |
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During this summer's recession, while news outlets were struggling to make ends meet, three TV stations in Las Vegas might have actually sold out. A TV news station, KVBC-TV, NBC Channel 3 News in Las Vegas is accusing three competitors of cashing in on an unethical (and illegal) arrangement.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, KVBC-TV "filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission" against KVVU-TV, FOX 5 News Channel 5; KLAS-TV CBS Eyewitness...Go to full story
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Ethics Questions Linger While University Lecturer Continues Teaching
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| by Katie Rolnick , StinkyJournalism.org |
October 12, 2009 1:04 pm EST
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| Jessica McBride continues to teach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's journalism deptartment--even though she admits to having had an affair with a married source. The photo of McBride above was taken from her UWM bio that cites her role as a lecturer on the journalism faculty. |
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This summer we wrote about freelance journalist and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee journalism lecturer Jessica McBride's affair with the city's police chief Ed Flynn after she had written a profile on him for Milwaukee Magazine.
Daniel Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel broke the story after anonymously receiving e-mails and a letter exchanged between McBride and Flynn revealing their relationship. As details about the affair came out, McBride...Go to full story
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Daily Mail Gives False Credence to Dangerous Psychic
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| by Molika Ashford, Stinkyjournalism.org |
October 08, 2009 7:03 pm EST
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| Image supposedly shows healing hands. |
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The Quackometer, a blog commenting on pseudoscience, reported this week on such a blatantly bad story in the London-based Daily Mail, that it almost doesn’t seem real: “Can this man cure cancer with his bare hands?” the paper asks of “psychic healer” Adrian Pengelly in its headline.
The answer should be a decided “No he cannot,” according to scientific evidence. Anecdotes from Pengelly's clients who feel they have been...Go to full story
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The Washington Post Responds to Criticisms of New Social Media Guidelines
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| by Katie Rolnick, Stinkyjournalism.org |
October 07, 2009 5:46 pm EST
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A few days ago, we wrote about the Washington Post's new social media guidelines. As we noted then, the response from media critics was generally weary. They saw the restrictive nature of the guidelines as one more nail in the coffin for old-school media.
Well, the Washington Post heard those concerns and ombudsman Andrew Alexander has responded with a lackluster defense.
Alexander says that Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli sees the Post's neutrality as "essential to...Go to full story
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New FTC Endorsement Guidelines Single Out Bloggers
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| by Katie Rolnick , StinkyJournalism.org |
October 06, 2009 07:49 am EST
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The Federal Trade Commission has published the final version of its guide concerning the use of testimonials and endorsements in advertising.
Last updated in 1980, the guide now includes revisions for advertisers promoting atypical consumer results. As Brian Solis writing for TechCrunch/The Washington Post explains, "advertisers were allowed to get away with promoting unusually positive or outlier experiences in a testimonial as long as they included a...Go to full story
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