Here's your diploma, but no guarantees

My friend Mindy McAdams writes a thoughtful piece about what you should expect from your college education. And, it's no surprise that she believes your own efforts in your college years are the big variable. Read it here.

Richard Jewel is Dead

The story of the former Atlanta Olympics security guard should be food for thought for all of us who traffic in the world of "exclusives" and "breaking news". Read about him here. And here.

There's some discussion in Louisville today over the use of graphic video of a bank robber being shot to death yesterday. WHAS's cameras caught the robber being gunned down by a police SWAT team. And, although the station digitally blurred the image of the man actually being shot, some critics are saying the station went too far.

Watch the coverage here.

WHAS News Director Aaron Ramey defends his decision here.

What do you think?

That's Gotta Hurt

Walking standups can be hazardous. Check it out here.

Wearable criticism

Just had to share this shirt. And radio execs wonder why they're losing listeners to Ipods???

You can buy the shirt here, if you're so inclined.

Neat image, isn't it? Especially for those of us who have spent too much time trying to fit just one more mic on the podium. Is this what the Governor sees as he looks out at our raised hands and focused lenses? This image is from photojournalist Bryan Frank. His blog can be found here.

One Strike She's Out

It didn't take long for Anchorwoman to sign-off. After abysmal ratings, Fox canceled the series after just one episode. The rest will be available for viewing on Fox.com.

The hard reality for the Lauren Jones' of the world is....whether you're a real anchorwoman or a fake one, bad ratings will get you quickly replaced.

Bikini Model on the Anchor Desk

Fox's "Anchorwoman" reality show debuts Wednesday night. the show features former bikini model Lauren Jones in a month-long stint on the anchor desk at a small Texas station.

Critics say the show mocks journalism. But the small station's general manager defends his shop:

KYTX general manager Phil Hurley says the protests amount to schoolmarmish hand-wringing. “Entertainment and journalism have gone together for years,” he says. “Reporters spend a whole day reporting on Paris Hilton leaving her house, and they're criticizing me? I'm a little lost as to what the problem is.”
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6470003.html?industryid=47169

There's no doubt Jones isn't the first beauty queen to break into the news business, but most others have also had college training. And none have done the reality show bit. Still, it's hard to argue that TV news isn't largely driven by looks.

Some insiders say Jones actually was good on the desk...good enough that the station offered her a permanent job. She's now in talks with some other stations in larger markets.

"Look at all the women you see in broadcast journalism. A great many of them come from untraditional broadcast news backgrounds," Jones says.

So, for me, I've just been laughing the criticism off, and wondering what we're doing here that hasn't been done before."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08202007/tv/jones_for_news_tv_don_kaplan.htm

So what do you think? Is Jones making a mockery of broadcast journalism? Or does she deserve a chance to prove her worth? Post your comments.

Welcome Back

To RT 311 and RT 370 students: Welcome back to a new semester. For your current events quizzes, you should be preparing by reading at least the online versions of 1) the Southern Illinoisan, 2) the Daily Egyptian, and 3) the Chicago Tribune. For the Trib, I suggest you subscribe to the paper's daily Daywatch Newsletter at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/chi-daywatchnewsletter,0,906514.htmlstory .

You should also keep up to date on national and world news using the sources of your choice.