PressEthic

The Democratic candidate challenging Governor Schwarzenegger, Phil Angelides, claims he should receive equal time to appear on Jay Leno’s popular show claiming Leno gave the incumbent a “leg up” with late night viewers.

Joe Maguire, an editor in charge of markets at Reuters, wrote a new book titled, “Brainless: The Lies and Lunacy of Ann Coulter.” According to an article printed in the New York Times on October 9, Maguire lost his job last Wednesday, the day after handing over the galleys of his book to his superiors at Reuters.

As I glanced through the paper this morning, it took me a second to realize that the ad on page A7 was actually an ad. The second glance made it clear, but it got me thinking. The separation between the editorial and advertising functions of the New York Times are clear, but how far should media go to question the ads they receive.

The story of Mark Foley has many angles and unanswered questions. Everyday we learn something new about this scandal. In a New York Times article on October 3, we learn that two newspapers had copies of emails Foley sent a year ago. They held the emails because they couldn't get enough solid information to produce a story. Were they right?

How much information should media outlets provide on how the poll was conducted?

Readers comment on articles in the online editions of papers, send letters to the editors, read blogs and respond to them. But if there is a general trend toward the “average joe” not reading or watching news, will the really take the time to report on it?

People want to see numbers to validate an argument and we, as journalists, give it to them (with the help of research organizations, centers that gather data, think tanks, etc). But, numbers can be interpreted different ways and what we choose to include in our articles will influence what the reader understands to be true.

Senator George Allen (R-VA) is facing more criticism in his campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate. On Tuesday, the candidate issued a statement embracing his Jewish heritage.

When an organization, agency or educational institution releases an “official” study or report, it often draws media coverage. Each media outlet receives the same information, but its coverage is not uniform. Take, for example, a report released on September 18 titled “Educating School Teachers.”

Overstock.com coined the phrase, "It’s all about the O," in its television ads. Apparently, it is all about the "O" for the New York Times Company and Time Warner, Inc. also; the "O" meaning online.

While the public questions the ethical behavior of our various media outlets in obtaining information and protecting sources, Hewlett Packard (HP), one of the nation’s largest technology companies, is facing possible criminal charges for using a process called pretexting to access the phone records of nine journalists.