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StinkyJournalism Media Picks
Errors-Listing filtered by Topic
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Former NPR Ombudsman on Why Ombudsmen Matter
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| by Molika Ashford, Stinkyjournalism.org |
November 06, 2009 4:53 pm EST
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| Former NPR Ombudsman Jeffrey Dvorkin is now Executive Director of the Organization of News Ombudsmen.(Credit: Missouri School of Journalism). |
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If you were wondering why we need ombudsmen (or even what the heck ombudsmen are), Jeffrey Dvorkin, formerly of NPR has the answer for you in an October 13 post at the Common Ground News Service.
In his essay, Dvorkin discusses the strengths of the position (also called a readers’ representative or public editor) in a changing news environment, and advocates continued hiring of ombudsmen, especially for coverage of the Middle East.
Dvorkin, Executive...Go to full story
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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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The Scalia Misquote: Corrections, And How Bloggers and MSM Differ When It Comes To Trust
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| by Molika Ashford, Stinkyjournalism.org |
November 03, 2009 12:04 pm EST
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| Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia. (Public domain image courtesy of the U.S. Federal Government) |
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On October 27, a story posted at the Huffington Post announced the news “Scalia on Brown v. Board of Education: I Would Have Dissented.”
The post described how in a University of Arizona talk, Supreme Court Justice Scalia had apparently said that if he had been on the high court in 1954, he would have disagreed with the historic decision ending school segregation. It turns out, Scalia didn’t say that at all (more on this later). Megan...Go to full story
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Is October National Hoax Month?
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| by Katie Rolnick, Stinkyjournalism.org |
October 31, 2009 04:25 am EST
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Apparently, October is National Hoax Month -- or so it would seem, given the proliferation of fraudulent stories that appeared over the past couple weeks. It all began with a boy not in a balloon...
By now, you've almost certainly heard of Falcon Heene, the 6-year-old boy from Fort Collins, Colorado who, for a brief period of time, was thought to be trapped inside his father's homemade weather balloon. News crews flocked to capture the scene and helicopters from the Colorado...Go to full story
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Disgraced Times Reporter Jayson Blair to Lecture at University Ethics Institute
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| by Molika Ashford, Stinkyjournalism.org |
October 30, 2009 06:39 am EST
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| Newsweek's May 2004 press release said: "In the May 26 issue...Newsweek tells the tale of the 27-year-old New York Times reporter who faked interviews, lifted quotes and made up scenes during his tenure at the Times." (Source: [PRNewsFoto][KO]NEW YORK, NY USA). |
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Usually young journalists learn their ethical lessons from the paragons of good behavior--role models whose writing and conduct embody the highest regard for responsible reporting. But in the spirit of the opposite kind of lesson--learning from someone else’s mistakes--a group of students will be taking some pointers from one of the most famously unethical journalists of the 21st century next month--disgraced former New York Times reporter Jayson Blair.
Blair is scheduled...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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Reuters Falls For Chamber Of Commerce Hoax: Says Report Could Have Affected Markets
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| by Molika Ashford, Stinkyjournalism.org |
October 24, 2009 12:52 pm EST
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| In this YouTube video--see screen capture above--a fake Chamber of Commerce press conference--organized by activist group the Yes Men--is halted when a real Chamber of Commerce representative interrupts. |
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Reuters (and subsequently The New York Times and Washington Post) fell for a hoax press release issued by the farcical activists the Yes Men on Monday, October 19.
Greg Sargent writes in his blog that Reuters published the story, reporting that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce had reversed its opposition to climate change legislation, based on a hoax press release. The Reuters story was then picked up by the New York Times and the Washington Post, among other...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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The Daily Show Skewers CNN After CNN Fact-Checks Saturday Night Live
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| by Molika Ashford, Stinkjournalism.org |
October 15, 2009 2:49 pm EST
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| In this Youtube video, Jon Stewart makes fun of CNN for fact-checking a comedy sketch on Saturday Night Live while failing to fact-check real facts. |
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Quick, say fact-check five times fast.
In a funny sort of parody sandwich, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart found itself fact-checking CNN this week after CNN broadcast a segment highlighting Politifact.com’s fact-check of the late night comedy show Saturday Night Live.
It all started when Saturday Night Live broadcast a segment poking fun at President Obama's progress (or lack thereof) on a number of fronts. Politifact.com...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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