April/May 2004 |
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The Next Generation
USA Today shed its lightweight “McPaper” persona in
the 1990s, becoming a serious national paper and luring topflight
talent from places like the Washington Post. Its next challenge is to step up its enterprise reporting and achieve the consistency of the nation’s best papers. But does it have the commitment,
resources and newsroom culture to pull it off?
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By
Rachel Smolkin
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Who Knows Jack?
For years USA Today star
Jack Kelley filed amazingly vivid reports from virtually every major international scene. And for just as long, doubts simmered around his work. But to many who thought they knew him, Kelley seemed above such questions, the last
person they’d suspect in a lie.
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By
Jill Rosen
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Not Too Shabby
While their propensity for predictions led to some high-profile embarrassments, the news media’s coverage of the Democratic primaries was much better than it is often portrayed.
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By
Rachel Smolkin
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Take the Money and Run
The Washington Post’s generous
buyout--sorry, Voluntary Retirement Incentive Program--was the classic offer that was too good to refuse. Fifty-six journalists, star writers and columnists among them, headed for the exits. Great for them, but what,
if anything, does the loss of all
that talent and institutional memory
mean for the readers?
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By
Lori Robertson
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Trial and Error?
A roaming band of journalists crisscrosses the country to provide television coverage of every minor development in celebrity court cases. Is this a wise use
of resources and airtime?
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By
Kevin Brass
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Follow the Leader
In reporting on weapons of mass destruction, the media too often take their cues from the president.
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By
Susan D. Moeller
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Corrections
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By
AJR Staff
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Hitting Home
Yet another journalism scandal erupts.
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By
Thomas Kunkel
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Sources of Despair
A flurry of phantom sources, stolen material and Jayson Blair sightings
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By
Rem Rieder
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After-the-War Coverage
While some Iraq special sections froze at the time major combat
operations ended, other news sites continue to commemorate the casualties.
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By
Barb Palser
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The End of Sweeps?
“People meters” will give stations detailed demographic
information about their audiences every day.
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By
Deborah Potter
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Accompanying the Troops
The media have no constitutional right to battlefield access, a court rules.
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By
Jane Kirtley
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All Prices Negotiable
Newspapers used to have set-in-stone advertising prices.
Now rate-card figures merely start the bargaining.
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By
John Morton
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Guns Under Fire
Though some war correspondents say having weapons on the job saved their lives, most journalists are still against carrying them.
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By
Kelly Heyboer
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Those Who Do, Teach
Journalism schools save money through teaching partnerships with area newspapers.
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By
Melissa Cirillo
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Comic Relief
A Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter on the comic book beat is now the
author of one, Captain Jack.
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By
Judson Berger
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Doctor, Doctor Give Me the News
Though they call their program Dr. Risk, some California journalists think their plan to bring readers’ voices into news decisions is anything but chancy.
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By
Judson Berger
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Only the Stickered Survive
A reporter learns the hard way what matters
when covering a presidential visit.
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By
Bill Toland
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Wardrobe Malfunction = Headline Inspiration
After pop star Janet Jackson exposed her right breast at the end of her Super Bowl halftime show, the Federal Communications Commission cracked down and headline writers stepped up.
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By
Jill Rosen
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Censorship for Children?
Saving Our Children from the First Amendment
By Kevin W. Saunders
New York University Press
310 pages; $48
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Book review by
Carl Sessions Stepp
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Resigning in Protest
Two editors quit their Florida newspaper after it makes an election policy
exception for one candidate.
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By
Jill Rosen
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Graphics Evolution
By creating USA Today’s weather map, a news art revolutionary set the tone for modern design.
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By
Natalie Pompilio
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Passing the Crown
In May it’s time for the quirky changing of the guard ritual at the
St. Petersburg Times
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By
Natalie Pompilio
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Cliché Corner
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By
Jill Rosen
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To Our Readers
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Pretty Tame, Actually
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Food Fight
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The Pequeño Papers
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Not “In-Bed”
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Peer Pressure
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Pulling Rank
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