PressEthic

Newspaper circulation numbers are steadily declining. There will be a point where the demands of readers - market demands - will meet with supply and a type of print equilibrium will be reached. The question, however, is what will that paper look like unfolded on your lap?

A few days from now, on November 5th, Nicaragua holds its national election to select a new president. One of the front runners is Daniel Ortega. Remember him? The current U.S. administration certainly does. And, certain newspapers are repeating the dogma of the Bush administration much as they did during the Reagan years.

Rush Limbaugh's comment on Michale J. Fox's ad was worse than stupid. It's easy to hate Limbaugh, yet there's more to it.

When it comes to stories covering families and individuals in crisis who need financial help, what are the ethical questions involved for the media? Why are some stories and subjects chosen over others?

An article on Economist.com suggests that the new Al-Jazeera International threatens to unseat CNN as the dominant international cable news channel.

Both conservatives and liberals find fault in the way Sen. John Kerry's comments have been covered in the mainstream news media.

San Francisco Chronicle readers angrily attacked the newspaper's series on sex trafficking with accusations ranging from sensationalism and sexism to "imbalanced and racially offensive coverage."

How much is necessary to expose when delving into such a sensitive and often graphic issue? And how does one define crossing the line – becoming exploitative rather than relevant?

What should the news media do?

Thanks to constantly updated news web sites, our concept of the news cycle has sped up from hours to mere seconds. The internet has consequently triggered a radical change in the nature of media competition. According to Donna Shaw in the October/November edition of the American Journalism Review, this accelerated cycle has especially influenced the culture of news scoops.

Shaw has framed her story around a June, 2006 Denver Post article on the drunk driving arrest of Pete Coors, tycoon of Coors Beer. Instead of holding the story for its print edition, the publication decided to first publish the scoop on its web site.

“It's not so long ago that such a decision would have been deemed heresy. The Post, traditionalists would have exclaimed, had foolishly "scooped itself."

Former South African President P.W. Botha died on Tuesday and the article on CNN.com is the second about his death. The first article simply eluded to his apartheid past and the fact that he died. The headline today read, "Mandela's Botha Tribute comes with a 'but'". This headline is misleading because after reading the article you realize Mandela said nothing negative about Botha like the headline implies. The headline makes it sound as though Mandela condemmed the former President after his death- which he did not. Many Soutn Africans hate Botha because he partly created the apartheid in South Africa and is responsible for jailing Mandela for 27 years.

Is America really the bastion of freedom it's been drilled into our heads to be?

According to the New York Observer's Off the Record, the World Economic Forum is assembling an A-list of journalists and editors to form an International Media Council.

An AP article on ESPN.com today drew attention to New York Mets relief pitcher Guillermo Mota, who has been suspended for 50 games after having been found in violation of MLB's drug policy, which previously warranted a mere 10-game suspension for first-time offenders.

New figures released on Monday confirmed an anticipated decline by 3% of overall daily circulation throughout the newspaper industry, the steepest loss in recent history. While the results are discouraging, they are not surprising.

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?