Daily Beast plagiarism scandalLast week, online news site The Daily Beast’s chief investigative reporter Gerald Posner admitted to plagiarising one of his article. But an investigation by Slate’s Jack Shafer has revealed that it wasn’t the first time.
Journalistic ethics
Herald Sun between a Rockefeller and a hard place on online discussion
Herald Sun columnist Robyn Riley wrote of how “heartbreaking” it must be for the family of Herman Rockefeller “to so publicly have the details of his death aired, discussed and dissected.” The concern didn’t seem particularly authentic in a paper that has continued to run hard on the story.
How many news photographers are too many?
News photographers naturally descend on disaster areas and conflict zones like moths to a flame. But do we really need hundreds of images of the same tragedy? Some of the world’s top photojournalists weigh in.
Reporting in Haiti: Why I crossed the line from witness to participant
ABC correspondent Craig McMurtrie and cameraman Dan Sweetapple explain the excruciating ethical choice faced by journalists in disasters like Haiti: remain objective observers or lend a hand to fellow humans in need?
Why you can’t trust a thing you read
The American media is fundamentally unreliable, says Glenn Greenwald: a mix of dodgy sources, unnecessary anonymity, and outright lies means we shouldn’t believe anything we read — even in papers like the NYT.
In defence of chequebook journalism
Paying off people for information and interviews is traditionally looked down upon in the media — but why shouldn’t we reward people for sticking their necks out and providing a scoop? asks journalism professor Edward Wasserman.
Journalists shined in Black Saturday’s blaze
Regardless of what the critics say, last year’s Black Saturday bushfires brought out the best in Australian journalism, says Media Watch’s Jonathan Holmes.
Were journalists right to publish the hacked Climategate emails?
Both old and new media outlets have come under fire for publishing large extracts, and directing readers to entire downloads, of the stolen Climategate emails. Did they do the wrong thing? And more importantly: did they break the law?
How the press twisted the tale of Hawke’s bday bash
The press had great fun last week because whoever organised Bob Hawke’s birthday party stupidly decided to include a dancer in a bikini with a John Howard face mask — and anyone who attended became fair game for attack, writes Jeremy Sears.
Jonathan Holmes: Just whose Drum are we marching to?
ABC presenters are meant to keep their opinions to themselves — so how is it going to run an opinion site? asks Jonathan Holmes. By renaming it “analysis”.
NY Post attacks Tiger Woods with Photoshop
There’s digital retouching, and then there’s… this: The New York Post’s latest cover features a picture of Tiger Woods, with scars, cuts, broken teeth and bandages Photoshopped in. Tasteful.
leaked 
How the AP got the scoop on Sarah Palin’s new book
An internal memo from the Associated Press reveals how its intrepid reporters scored and scoured a copy of Sarah Palin’s bio five days early. The reporters responsible earned themselves a cool $500 reward for securing the news agency’s “Beat of the Week”.
Fagan’s Courier Mail perfects the art of rumour-based reporting
Brisbane’s Courier Mail has perfected the art of rumour-based reporting, a formula that consists of stringing together anonymous claims by sources whose own motives are never explored and whose identity is never revealed, writes Terry Towelling.
Journalists adrift: the reporting of Black Saturday
Journalists covering the Black Saturday bushfires lacked ethical guidelines, and were left to find their own way through the dilemmas and traumas of reporting Australia’s worst peace-time disaster, according to a new study.
Newsweek go rogue with Palin cover
Newsweek has caused a big stir this week by running a cover photo of Sarah Palin — clad in rather tight running gear — taken from a Runner’s World photoshoot. Palin herself has labelled the move “sexist”. Is it fair to use editorial photos out of context?
Hannity: Jon Stewart was right, we faked footage
Fox News anchor Sean Hannity has admitted to using misleading footage of an anti-health care reform rally which made the event look far more popular than it actually was, but claims it was an honest mistake.
Jon Stewart catches Fox News anchor doctoring footage
Fox News presenter Sean Hannity has been caught out airing misleading footage during a story about an anti-health care reform rally to make the event look far more successful than it actually was. The investigative reporter with the scoop? The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart.
Illegal: SMH breaks school league table ban
The Sydney Morning Herald says it’s breaching NSW state law today and risking a $55,000 fine by publishing this article comparing the test results of three Sydney high schools, challenging what it says is an “absurd” ban on giving parents information about the schools childrens’ schools. Subversive or sensationalism?
The Newspoll numbers The Australian won’t print
The Australian appears to have decided to not publish the results of an opinion poll on voting intention in the wake of last week’s outlier that had Malcolm Turnbull gaining ground on Kevin Rudd.
News Ltd blurs the line between ads and editorial
Several News Ltd publications are treading a very thin line between advertising and editorial by offering special product spruiks for high-paying advertisers — including an endorsement from the editor themselves.
Wankley Awards: Photo galleries of drunk people at the Melbourne Cup
Apparently people get drunk on the public lawns at the Melbourne Cup. Who knew? There is no news in this, just a ritualised annual tabloid photo-gallery parade of shame, vulnerability and intrusion. But try telling that to the Hun.
Keating on the stairs: beating or beat up?
Insiders say a Sunday Telegraph alleging Paul Keating’s daughter kicked and threatened to kill one of its photographers was at best a beat-up, and at-worst a total fabrication.
Keane: Glenn Milne is a grub
In the weekend’s Sunday Telegraph, Glenn Milne reported a relationship between two MPs. This isn’t even news to Canberra insiders, says Bernard Keane, and it shouldn’t be news for anyone: there is no public interest.
Why is the media siding with Fox against Obama?
Fox News isn’t generally on great terms with the rest of the mainstream media, but since coming under attack from the White House, journalists are suddenly siding with their own — even if that means sticking up for the very people who routinely attack them.
Boston Globe / Wednesday, 2 December 2009
As of today, bloggers and tweeters in the US will be required by law to disclose any freebies and payments they get for product reviews or endorsements. Some of them are a bit miffed.