Permanent link to MTA daily media news

TV news divisions do pay for interviews, say media writers
“NBC News has paid for interviews,” writes David Blum. “So have CBS and ABC. They just don’t like it when the seller goes public with the terms of the deal.” || Gail Shister adds: “Instead of network-news divisions continuing their pretense of – wink, wink – not paying for big interviews, they should come out of the closet and tell viewers how much was ponied up.”

A Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down The FCC’s ‘Fleeting Expletives’ Policy On Administrative Law Grounds: Was It Right To Do So?
Earlier this month, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit voted, 2-1, to strike down the policy of the FCC sanctioning “fleeting expletives” – that is, expletives used in a quick and isolated way in the course of a television or radio program.

Effort To Regulate TV Violence Is Renewed
Though there was a consensus that such scenes were violent and inappropriate for children, sharp disagreements broke out over what, if anything, the government should do about them. The FCC can fine broadcast stations for indecency but has no power to regulate violent programming.

Meet The Press Roundtable To Feature Christian Broadcasting Network Blogger
ThinkProgress has learned that this Sunday’s edition of NBC’s Meet the Press will include a journalist roundtable featuring David Brody, a blogger and news correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network… The problem is not Brody’s appearance on the program per se, but rather that Meet the Press has an established record of featuring more conservative journalists than progressive journalists during its roundtables.

Thompson’s ABC Radio commentaries riddled with misinformation
Since April 2007, ABC Radio Networks has featured a daily commentary from former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN), titled the “Fred Thompson Report.” ABC Radio launched the “Fred Thompson Report” amid growing speculation that Thompson would run for president in 2008… A Media Matters for America review of Thompson’s commentaries for ABC Radio Networks revealed that he has repeatedly advanced conservative misinformation on a variety of issues.

GOP wants Herald-Leader newsman fired for Kerry donation
The Republican Party of Kentucky wants the Lexington Herald-Leader to fire copy desk chief Brian Throckmorton for donating $250 to John Kerry’s campaign in 2004. Editor Linda Austin says: “We have no plans to fire Brian. He violated no existing policy. However, we are reviewing our policy regarding newsroom employees and political contributions.”

Saul Friedman: Is Too Much of the Press ‘Sicko?’
Michael Moore’s documentary about the American health care non-system, “Sicko,” was barely into the theaters before some of our journalist brethren began an effort, with the silent thanks of insurance companies, to talk us out of the notion of universal, publicly financed heath care.

Howard Kurtz—an Unreliable Source?
The Nation’s editor wants to know, “Why is it that the mainstream media treats single-payer healthcare (Medicare for all) as a fringe idea—when, in fact, it has broad support?”
See FAIR’s Action Alert: CBS’s ‘Sicko’ Spin: Americans Don’t Want Single-Payer Health—Except They Do

Murdoch says he won’t go higher than $5 billion for DJ
Rupert Murdoch also tells Reuters: “Everything is done. We are just waiting for a final approval of the Bancroft family. The final approval is in the next two, three week’s time or not at all.”

Tentative Dow Jones Sale Pact Said to Give Murdoch Power to Hire and Fire at The Journal
It remains to be seen how the Bancrofts — most of whom have not been told what was in the agreement — will react.
And that says it all.  It’s all the power he needs.

Newspaper Legends Fire Away at Murdoch-Dow Jones Editorial Plan
If Rupert Murdoch succeeds in buying Dow Jones & Co., will the unusual editorial-independence provision in the deal — which would apparently limit his involvement in The Wall Street Journal newsroom — really work? And for that matter, should it? Ben Bradlee: “Jesus Christ! The idea that an owner, whoever it is, has nothing to say about editorial? What the hell?”

Conrad Black jury gets case, begins deliberating
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Conrad Black’s criminal fraud trial went to the jury on Wednesday after nearly 15 weeks of testimony during which the former media baron and his three co-defendants were called both corporate thieves and victims of a run-amok government prosecution.

Rumsfeld Shopping Memoir On Iraq Failures For ‘Large Cash Advance’
The ever-shrinking group of Americans who believe invading Iraq was a good idea may soon receive some support, in the form of a memoir by one of its key architects, Donald Rumsfeld. The former defense secretary has the publishing world “abuzz” over the possibility that he may write a book “justifying the military strategy for the war in Iraq.”

FTC urges caution on “net neutrality” proposals
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Trade Commission warned on Wednesday against regulations to ensure providers of high-speed Internet service treat all content the same way, saying such rules could stifle innovation.
This is your Bush administration speaking.  I wonder what their agenda is.

Watchdog, debate sites aim to stir debate
BOSTON — With the campaign jabber of the 2008 elections already getting loud, an organization that promotes transparency in politics hopes one slice of the Web can promote reasonable, intelligent debate about issues. The Center for Responsive Politics is working with Web start-up Helium to spark public discussion on such topics as “Should there be spending limits on political campaigns?” and “Should members of Congress be allowed to add earmarks to appropriations bills?”

Find out what people are saying online
Wondering what new parents really think about co-sleeping and Ferberizing? Or what Harry Potter fans are saying about the possible spoilers circulating around the Internet? Whatever your subject, find out what folks are saying online using Omgili, a relatively new site that searches online discussions very effectively. Omgili’s engine scans millions of online discussions on more than 100,000 message boards and forums.
There will be less and less need for experts, friends.  And that’s a very good thing.  Except it scares some folks.  See below.

Cult of the Amateur
Andrew Keen, the founder of Audiocafe.com, is making waves with his latest book on The Cult of the Amateur. He stopped by to tape this Video View on how user-generated content and companies like Google and YouTube are destroying our culture. “It’s creating an increasingly inane and trivialized culture,” he told me. “One imaginary dystopia is that in 25 or 50 years, there will be no mainstream media. There’s nothing inevitable about Hollywood. There’s nothing inevitable about the music industry. The replacement for mainstream media is Twitter, it’s YouTube, it’s Wikipedia … If you read it on the Internet, it likely isn’t true.”
A lot of what we read in the mainstream media isn’t true, either, Mr. Keen.  And as for inane and trivialized content, well, need I say more?

China: Foreign Correspondents Rely More on Blogs
Foreign correspondents covering China rely increasingly on weblogs, writes Rebecca MacKinnon, assistant professor at the Hong Kong University journalism school… Blogging from Singapore, MacKinnon observed: “Many people here at the conference found it surprising that blogs are already having such a substantial impact on foreign journalists’ China coverage.

The Wiring of Rural America
CAP’s Mark Lloyd testifies to the House Appropriations Committee on the need to make broadband access available to all Americans.

There.com Pacts With Capitol Music to Host Virtual Shows
There.com, an online virtual world aimed at teens and twenty-somethings, has initiated a unique distribution partnership with Capitol Music Group to host a series of “live” appearances in the world where users can interact with their favorite music artists

Nielsen Adds to Cellphone Tracking
Cellphones are becoming ubiquitous and the Nielsen Company, the longtime monitor of television consumption, wants in.