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Press Association on the JFP ‘Wags" Being ‘Atwitter'
This is fun. The blog of the Mississippi Press Association (I think I'm the only one who ever runs into it) posted something about John Newhouse exiting the Clarion-Ledger, ending with this:
Child Abuse, Bad Diets Lead to Brain Issues Lead to Crime?
It's kind of one of those scientific findings that ought to be obvious, but here it is: Children who are physically and emotionally abused often become violent criminals. In the exciting world today that is neuroscience—that has really taken off in the last 20 years with myriad discoveries about our brains—study after study is helping us look at the roots of criminality in our society, if we bother to pay attention and think about the different society we could have if we collectively ensure that children are adequately cared for. (Don't balk at "collectively"; plenty of mean people want us to collectively punish, imprison, disparage and neglect the same children. I argue at we do something else before it gets to that point, and science backs me up.)
What, Hampton? Crime ‘Better' Than When?
As part of The Clarion-Ledger's odd collection of articles today, seemingly designed to kiss and make up with the city it has scorned and bashed for so long, David Hampton pens a fluff column about the "preconceived notions" about Jacksonthe ones his paper has made money off of for years. He writes: "There are those who have their own agendas and prejudices who will not listen no matter what. That's OK; the development is happening regardless." Funny to see what we've all been trying to tell that corporate newspaper repeated back to us all in its pages as if we don't know it. Thanks, Ledger. Right on time.
8th Annual JFP Chick Ball Set for Saturday, July 28, 2012
The 8th Annual JFP Chick Ball is raising money to help the Center for Violence Prevention start a rape crisis center. Center Director Sandy Middleton chose the focus for this year's fundraising effort because sexual assault is an epidemic in Mississippi, and far too resources are available to help the victims. As always, the JFP Chick Ball will be a fun and funky event with a cover charge of only $5 for men and women 18 years of age and older. Once inside, you will find all sorts of fun ways to help raise additional funds, including the city's best silent auction with well over 100 gift packages and art by local artists to bid on. In the past, the JFP Chick Ball has funded a new mini-van for the center, raised start-up funds for the area's first (and subsequently very successful) batterer's intervention program, set up a legal fund to help families escape abuse and funded rural programs around the metro area.
GAO: FEMA Favored Mississippi Over Louisiana
The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office has confirmed that FEMA favored Mississippi over Louisiana after Katrina, concurring with the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general who criticized FEMA for awarding "the vast majority of the available funds (about 71 percent) to one project in one state." Associated Press:
A Truly Racially Diverse America Ahead
Now that the nation officially numbers more than 300 million, what next?
The Associated Press has an intriguing story about what America will look like when we hit 400 million people, which is projected to happen in fewer than 40 years. White people won't be the majority, and as a result, forecasters say, attitudes about race will be much more evolved than today. And the South will play a major role:
Why Won't Ledge Identify Press Releases!?!
OK, this practice has long bugged me, but now it's really driving me crazy. Now that The Clarion-Ledger is turning its newspaper into "information centers," they are posting press releases throughout the day under the header "breaking news headlines," with a few actual news updates mixed in. OK, that's tricky enough, but when you click to the press releases, they do nothing to actually tell readers that they are press releases. They don't say "verbatim," they don't mark them "press release." They just post them with a byline that reads: "The Clarion-Ledger." No, it's not written by "The Clarion-Ledger"; it's written by a PR flack and then pasted in. I don't have a problem with them posting releases (if they actually have substance or relevance), but why the deception on the fact that they are just press releases!?! This is about as far from good, or civic, journalism as you can get. Do they think we're idiots out here?
Scruggs Paid Lawyer to Convince Hood in State Farm Case
It has emerged in court documents that attorney Dickie Scruggs paid attorney Steve Patterson $500,000 to lobby Jim Hood to try to get him not to indict State Farm. The informant says that Patterson talked to Hood, but it is unclear whether Hood was convinced by that conversation or knew about the lobbying fee. He says he did not. Clarion-Ledger:
Cult of ‘Objectivity' Is Destroying America
Anyway, here is some of what Krugman says. (Better late than never, I guess.):
So-called media objectivity is destroying our country, The New York Times' Paul Krugman is telling us on his blog. I've been warning about this he-said-she-said approach to journalism for years now: a faulty device that tries to split any side down the middle regardless of what the facts are. It is just the opposite of real "enterprise" or investigative reporting. I like to tell my students and staffers that it's actually opinion writing when you take a story and just quote two different opinions and call it objective. It's ludicrous. What matters, or should matter, is actual fact finding -- not just quoting people giving bad facts, which we see constantly in mainstream journalism. And, way too often, without bothering to factcheck (most daily papers don't; we do) or to correct faulty information said by one of the "sides" quotes. And it's a false division: the two sides are often decided by some fake political compass that divides people into left or right, Democrat or Republican, when most Americans reject that kind of binary categorization. Meantime, they allow their media to get away with it.
JFP Wins Awards for Feature Writing, Public Service, Commentary
The JFP got more great news Friday night when we learned that we are winning two first-place and one second-place award from the Society of Professional Journalists' southeastern division. Valerie Wells takes first place for feature writing, the Personhood team (this time, including R.L. Nave and Adam Lynch) takes second place for public service, and I won first place for serious commentary. Here is the full press release. Cheers to the team, congratulations to all the winners. We're honored to be in your company:
Clarion-Ledger Gets Homicide Facts Wrong
To boot, this is a dramatically wrong statement. (Thanks to golden eagle for catching it.)
In a front-page story today, The Clarion-Ledger reported on the city's rising homicide rate, warning that the 36 to date this year is approaching the "record of 57 in 2004"—incidentally when Mayor Harvey Johnson was presiding over dramatically dropping crime, even as The Clarion-Ledger was downplaying the progress.
Sexist Media Depictions of Hillary Clinton?
We've had a side conversation going on this topic over on our Super Tuesday thread, and I don't want it to get lost. Would love to pick up that thread here, and hear what people have to say about it. Also see Maureen Dowd's "A Flawed Feminist Test."
Huh? Money to the Best Schools, Not the Worst
Can someone explain to me why we're giving extra money to the top-performing schools, and not to the lowest-performing that clearly need it the most???
‘Corporate Controlled Press' Hiding Barbour's Flaws?
I was just reading the comments under the Think Progress Barbour "corruption" thread and saw this comment that deserves more discussion:
A Mortgage Crisis of Bush's Making
The New York Times had the must-read story of the month Sunday, dissecting how the policies of Bush and friends created the deep mortgage crisis we're facing today:
Is It So Difficult to Imagine, Ledger?
The Clarion-Ledger has an editorial today crediting Acting Chief-Sheriff Malcolm McMillin with dealing with the Latasha Norman case quickly and effectively, which seems a bit forced (they must have also heard that he may well not have enough Council votes for confirmation), but we don't have a problem throwing kudos their way. We'd probably hold out until we know more about how the investigation was initially handled. But the part about the Ledger editorial that perplexes is the following. First they write:
Slate, NYT, Balko Calling Out JFP Work on Barbour Pardons
We are thrilled to see that, thanks to Reason editor Radley Balko, national media are finally picking up on news the JFP's Ronni Mott, with intern Sophie McNeil, brought out over a year ago: Gov. Barbour let a string of woman killers off the hook with no apparent reason. Meantime, beyond reporting on the case on the Gulf Coast, the state's other media did not report that Barbour's "trustys" for the most part brutually killed wives and girlfriends.
Gannett Plans to Shrink Dailies; Target Older Folks
Interesting poop about the Gannett Co.'s plans for its daily newspapers. (Remember that Gannett owns The Clarion-Ledger.) It seems that they plan to shift their strategy from producing print newspapers and move more online into their "information centers." More interesting to me is their plans for their papers—shrink them and target older folks. (Isn't this happening already?)
JFP Chick Ball Auction Guide
Paintings on canvas and bright sparkly jewelry
Julie Andrews was spot on in the "Sound of Music": Our favorite things have the ability to lift our mood and our spirits.
Journalist David Halberstam Killed in Car Wreck
This is tragic, tragic news. May this amazing journalist and writer rest in peace.