You go to spin alley, the place called spin alley. Now, don't you think that, for people watching at home, that's kind of a drag, that you're literally walking to a place called deception lane?
- Comedian Jon Stewart on CNN's Crossfire with hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala, Oct. 15, 2004.
Lisa Stone traces the origins of spin and the history of how journalists have dealt with it. Lisa describes how the web are changing the fabric of journalism Not a stone left unturned: History of Spinmeisters
The Blog, The Press, The Media: A Cover-Up Is a Cover-Up
Like other powerful institutions confronted by scandal, CBS News is still fighting real reform. And still refusing to admit they have a problem.
LARGE AND POWERFUL INSTITUTIONS do not react well to internal scandal, especially when that scandal threatens to erode a central pillar of the institution's authority. The first reaction will almost inevitably be denial, followed by various efforts to isolate and minimize the scandal, to protect leadership, and then to adopt only such "reforms" as are forced upon it. Genuine accountability and reform typically only accompany a crash so spectacular that no one can persist in the cover-up.
It is impossible to count the number of times I thought about writing something along these lines. The scandal of Abu Ghraib is therefore a sign of both freedom's endurance in America and also, in certain dark corners, its demise. The facts you find out first, the images that are initially imprinted on your consciousness, the details that then follow
• Scandals: what's the difference between Bernard Francis Cardinal Law and Dan Rather? [Let’s Blame the Readers Is it possible to do great journalism if the public does not care? ]
• · Blogs are strongest when they are politically diverse, when they are committed to insurgency rather than power, when they belong to no party. I'm particularly worried that the blogosphere has become far more knee-jerk, shrill and partisan since the days when I first started blogging. Some of that's healthy and inevitable; but too much is damaging. In challenging the Main Strem Media, MSM, we should resist the temptation to become like them
• · · Blogs are better, supporters write, because, among other things, they are transparent. No hidden agendas, not hidden biases. Everything is out in the open Well, not really ; [Justices hear arguments about anonymous speech on the real Bunyips of the Web The John Doe has fought to remain anonymous, arguing that releasing his or her identity would be a breach of the right to privacy and anonymity ; [Do I know how my son Tom feels? I do not. Only five million people on the internet know how my son Tom feels. Barrista’s Wishing Well ]
• · · · GM's vice chairman now has a blog ; [I told you so Being interrupted by an email can make stressed workers more productive ; Your Call (and Rants on Hold) Will Be Monitored]
• · · · · Joi Ito provides a selection of clippings from a Good article in BusinessWeek about the future of the New York Times. (Requires registration.) The Times is facing a crisis ; [I like the latest suspect who is about to fly in the shoes of the naughty legal eagles David Marr (size 10), Stuart Littlemore (size 11) and Richard Ackland (size 9 1/2) Media Watch shoes close to being taken Liz Jackson (size 8?)]
• · · · · · As the electronic services librarian at SUNY Cortland, Karen A. Coombs shares her expertise Using Web Server Logs to Track Users Through the Electronic Forest; [Media Bloggers Association - Legal Defense Fund ]