I come late to this story but am delighted to tell it nevertheless. It seems that in some corners of the media world, investigative journalism is still alive and well, and no one could be happier than this old editor who had all but given up on the profession she once loved. It seems the … Continue reading Investigative journalism lives!
It’s only right that, having reluctantly joined the ranks of those who thought Fareed Zakaria might actually be a plagiarist, I now join the ranks of those who accept Time‘s and CNN’s conclusion that he is not. They reviewed the alleged plagiarism in the gun control articles he did for them earlier this month, decided that the lapse … Continue reading Zakaria cleared; returns to CNN this month
Plagiarism. You learned what it is in high school, and you learned it was forbidden. Or at least, you learned you weren’t to get caught plagiarizing. It was a bigger temptation when I was in school because you could dig up obscure references at the library and the odds were pretty good that no one … Continue reading Dirtiest word in journalism: Plagiarist
Does a pregnant woman carry a “fetus” or a “baby”? It depends on where you are, who you are, and who’s answering the question. Last Thursday in Longmont, Colo., a drunk six-time DUI offender ran a red light and struck another car before fleeing the scene. Heather Surovik, the pregnant driver of the second car, … Continue reading Semantics: ‘Unborn baby’ or ‘fetus’?
When I logged on this morning, the first thing that caught my eye was the Sallust quotation in the sidebar: “Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay.” How appropriate to the bitter partisan divide in Washington and the nation these days. Sallust, by the way, was a Roman historian writing … Continue reading Nothing new under the sun
It’s no surprise, I’m sure, that I have another gripe about the media. And this time, “nit-picking” may be a particularly appropriate term. Everywhere you turn, you hear about the Casey Anthony murder trial, and if you’ve paid any attention at all, you’ve probably heard a reference to a “bug expert.” Reporters everywhere are referring … Continue reading Media dumb down the news with ‘bug expert’
