Five major scandals the media isn't obsessing about
Are these things more important than edits to talking points? Judge for yourself.
1. Carbon pollution reaches historic highs, threatening human existence
2. The devastating impact of sequestration on kids, cancer patients and first responders.
3. Massive cuts to food stamps for the most vulnerable.
4. 1,100 workers die in a Bangladesh factory collapse, and American retailers continue business as usual.
5. 4,150 gun deaths from gun violence since Newtown.
“ 1. Be Kind. If this is the one thing I manage to do, I’ve done enough. Kindness may seem like a personality trait, but I think of it more as a habitual spiritual practice. Being kind has taught me that simple, seemingly insignificant human interactions can be profound. It has opened people and their stories to me. And, perhaps most important to my work, being kind has taught me that I know far less than I think I do. Always. 2. Love What You Do. This is not a passive thing, or a happenstance of trying to do what you love. It is a proactive, daily decision to nurture and seek satisfaction in the work I am doing. I think of it like marriage: sometimes it’s easy and simple. Sometimes it’s a daily, grinding decision to love. And sometimes, when you can’t do it any more, the last act of love is walking away. 3. Keep Your Brain Spongy. This is the fun part. I’m a big believer in feeding curiosity, and offering my subconscious mind a cornucopia of ideas. I read history, literature, and ancient Chinese murder mysteries. I feed the birds, train my ear to identify distinct birdsong, and try to learn the differences between sparrow species (almost all are the same buffy, brown color). I study physics, the latest developments in the modeling of protein-folding, and the genetic underpinnings of personality. I dig big holes in the yard, play and talk with animals, and right now I’m thinking about buying a metal detector. I am never bored. 4. Do the Next, Most Interesting Thing. This is a corollary of keeping your brain spongy, but it requires a very loose hold on one’s life-plans. In fact, I do very little life-planning at all; for better or worse, no career path can hold my attention for very long. So when people ask me how I became an NPR correspondent at such a young age, (or for that matter, how I ended up with a bit part in a Mexican telenovela) my best answer is that I didn’t really mean to. I just did a long series of the next, most interesting things. It’s kind of an informed version of winging-it.”
—Andrea Seabrook’s personal rules are awesome.
Reblog this if you play video games
I need to get interviews for my Journalism Class. Whoever reblogs this and has their ask/submit open, I’ll put two sets of questions in: one for you, another for your parents. (Second isn’t mandatory, but greatly appreciated!) If they can be answered by Sunday, April 27, at 6 PM, that’d be great!
“But whereas being a female reporter was once synonymous with tenacity, superior intellect, and wit, today's fictional female reporter serves as shorthand for new media reporter/blogger: young, naïve, and morally bankrupt.”
—Hollywood’s utter failure to accurately portray female journalists - The WeekCNN Blows Huge Hole In GOP Efforts To Prosecute Benghazi Scandal
forbes.comCNN’s Jake Tapper has managed to get his hands on the critical White House email suggested as the proof that the White House was more interested in removing references to possible terrorist attacks in the now infamous Benghazi talking points then they were in telling the truth to the American public.
The actual email, written in the days following the Benghazi attack, reveals something else entirely. We now know that whoever leaked the contents of the email to various media outlets last week seriously misquoted the document, choosing to paraphrase the content in a way that made it appear that the White House was focused on protecting the State Department’s back and covering up information.
And the plot thickens…
“There are laws to protect the freedom of the press’s speech, but none that are worth anything to protect the people from the press.”
—Mark Twain’s prescient 1873 critique of the press.
L.A. Times Ban on 'Illegal Immigrant' Puts Everybody Else on the Spot
theatlanticwire.comIn case you missed it, a few days back the Los Angeles Times joined the Associated Press in officially dropping the phrase “illegal immigrant” from any and all coverage. The L.A. Times is taking it a step further by also banning “undocumented immigrant”, since they feel it’s not factually accurate in all situations. This Atlantic Wire piece explains the Los Angeles Times‘ reasoning:
‘Illegal immigrants’ is overly broad and does not accurately apply in every situation. The alternative suggested by the 1995 guidelines, ‘undocumented immigrants,’ similarly falls short of our goal of precision. It is also untrue in many cases, as with immigrants who possess passports or other documentation but lack valid visas.
I gotta say. That makes a ton of sense. I applaud you, L.A. Times.
Now, if only the The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal could take a hint and quit using that racial slur. Oh, New York Times, I am looking at you too. You “discouraging” the use doesn’t quite count.
