PressEthic

The relationship between a presidential administration, the public, and the reporters who serve as intermediaries is largely dependent on the leaks that come out of the White House. These leaks can be damaging to an administration's agenda, but the absence of leaks is also potentially dangerous.

NYU's Jay Rosen sits down with former Washington Post political editor, John Harris, to discuss some of the goals and motivations behind his new web venture.

In an article for USA Today, Kevin Maney asks internet entrepreneurs and tech-heads the question, "If you owned a newspaper, what would you do with it?"

He received varied responses, but, for the most part, they weren't terribly revolutionary, with most techies predictably saying that they would break free of the print form as soon as possible to focus on digital content.

The debate over using the phrase "civil war" when refering to the sectarian violence in Iraq has escalated over the past several days, calling into question the true nature of this violence, as well as the media's role in reflecting the administration's rhetoric.

Two of the Washington Post's top political reporters announced their plans to leave the paper for an upstart political website owned by Allbritton Communications.

The departures of John Harris, The Post’s political editor, and Jim VandeHei, a national political reporter, combined with that of David von Drehle, a longtime Post writer and editor, who announced last week he was leaving to become a national correspondent for Time, caused Jack Shafer to wonder "Are journalists leaping from the newspaper ship before it sinks?

In its first week on the air, Al Jazeera English offers news through a distinctly non-American perspective, but it also highlights "where East and West actually meet."

As journalists struggle to keep news relevant without sacrificing their standards, panelists at Columbia University offer insight into the future of this field. Their advice: "Update your business model and you can keep your journalistic values."

Reuters partners with the world's largest blog syndication network and plans to distribute these blogs to their thousands of media customers worldwide.

Comedy Central's blog predicted Rumsfeld's resignation 12 hours before the mainstream media broke the news. Is this an example of restraint by sensationalistic outlets, or yet another reason that traditional news sources are losing their audiences?

In yet another example of the merging of online and print media, the New York Times reported today that Google is partnering with 50 major US newspapers to sell ads that will appear in the print editions of these papers.

Election ads have turned increasingly negative for the upcoming midterm elections, shocking columnists and voters even more than usual. While it has not been the media's traditional role to actively combat these negative influences, is the time coming for this role to change?

The fervor surrounding all things political has created a situation where few can see outside their line of tunnel vision. And yet the climate of the moment also grants political enthusiasts a unique opportunity to capture the passion of the people and create a politically conscious community, which is too often lacking.

With midterm elections fast approaching, ABC's Mark Halperin accuses the "Old Media" of liberal bias, citing 12 different ways that they will cover the elections in a light that favors liberals. This begs the question: do journalists have a right to paint both sides favorably, even when one side has, essentially, dug their own grave?

While most journalists decried the Tribune Co.'s treatment of the LA Times' editor and publisher, Jack Shafer of Slate.com makes a compelling case for the slimming down of news organizations.

In a front page Times article, Vice President Cheney is portrayed through the adoring eyes of 6-year-old Grace Mosier, a Topeka, Kansas resident who "really, really likes him."

The article functions as a fluff piece of PR for the astoundingly unpopular Vice President, with gushing quotes from residents of this "heartland" city (“It’s just such a big thrill to see and hear this man”) and cutesy anecdotes about how the 6-year-old views the VP ("like a rock star coming to town," according to her father).