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category archive listing Category Archives: Media

Muzzle awards

June 30, 2005 – 6:10 pm

The Boston Phoenix has handed out its 8th annual Muzzle Awards. The FBI topped the list of recipients for the awards, which go to “those who have done the most to suppress free speech and personal liberties in New England during the previous year.” (Via Blog of a Bookslut).
This year, the main threat [...]

By Tim | Comments (0)

Wiki journalism

June 21, 2005 – 12:19 pm

Using blogs and the web as a source for “grassroots” journalism seems to be a rising meme. But, surprise, suprise, one of the first great experiments seems to have gone quickly aground.
The LA Times decided to try “wikatorials,” online editorials that any reader could edit. The project, which started last Friday, ended early Sunday morning [...]

By Tim | Comments (2)

Deep Throat, “Woodstein” and life

June 3, 2005 – 6:53 pm

I’ve been rather blase about the disclosure that Mark Felt was the “Deep Throat” of Watergate fame. I think that’s because that while Woodward and Bernstein and Watergate moved me from sportswriting to political reporting, the discussion of that time period is saddening. It demonstrates just how far we’ve come in the wrong direction.
I question [...]

By Tim | Comments (1)

A superfluous Link

March 10, 2005 – 12:54 pm

It doesn’t take long to get an indication of the quality of Link (online version here), the new tabloid entertainment supplement from the Argus. The first three pages are nothing but advertisements.
The Beckster gives it front page billing as the product of “months of work” intended to give readers “the most relevant and sophisticated [...]

By Tim | Comments (0)

Daring the Argus to walk the walk

February 27, 2005 – 4:34 pm

Hats off to state Rep. Tom Hennies of Rapid City for pointing out the weak spot in the Argus Leader’s stance on the smoking ban legislation.
Today’s Argus editorial chastised the House for tabling a bill that would have banned smoking everywhere but in private homes and designated hotel and motel rooms. As this [...]

By Tim | Also posted in Politics | Comments (1)

HST follow-up

February 22, 2005 – 12:52 pm

In all the homage to Hunter S. Thompson, one stands out in my mind and, to my surprise, it is from the MTV web site.
Kurt Loder points out that underneath the gonzo sideshow of drugs and drink lurked a solid journalist. You could find the distinction among those of us in journalism at the [...]

By Tim | Comments (0)

The King is Dead

February 21, 2005 – 8:46 am

Hunter Thompson, king of “gonzo journalism,” is dead, reportedly of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
I’ve blogged before about how Hunter, one of my heroes in the 1970s, remained relevant. His Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72 ranks among the best pieces of campaign reportage ever.
While Tom Wolfe was recognized as a [...]

By Tim | Comments (0)

South Dakota (Conservative) Public Broadcasting

February 14, 2005 – 12:53 pm

I’m generally a pretty big fan of South Dakota Public Broadcasting. I think Statehouse has done more to bring the workings of the state legislature to the general public than anything. Still, there are times when you gotta wonder.
Recently, SDPB announced it would not air an episode of Postcards from Buster, in which [...]

By Tim | Comments (1)

The Argus-Leader’s self-inflicted wounds

July 31, 2004 – 4:27 pm

You don’t need to look to guess the right and pro-Thune people are crying “bias” over this morning’s Argus-Leader article headlined “Debates may not sway election.” The headline is one more example of the Argus setting itself up for this type of criticism.
Quoting an SDSU poli sci professor, the thrust of the story was [...]

By Tim | Also posted in Politics | Comments (0)

Hitler as blogger follow-up

July 26, 2004 – 3:24 pm

Randell Beck tries to explain but does not do it well.

By Tim | Also posted in SD Blogosphere | Comments (0)

Hitler as a blogger

July 26, 2004 – 12:48 pm

Anyone who reads this knows how much I disagree with the circle jerk bloggers and their fellow travelers. They are correct, though, in calling Randell Beck of the Argus Leader to task for comments he made in announcing an Argus Leader political blog in his weekly editorial column. What they found most offensive was the [...]

By Tim | Also posted in SD Blogosphere | Comments (0)

Just shoot me

April 1, 2004 – 9:28 am

First, it’s Dylan in a Victoria’s Secret ad. Now there’s this.

Net has given a eight-to-10-episode production commitment to the tentatively titled “The Partner,” an hourlong skein in which a group of newly minted lawyers will battle each other to win a job as a partner in a major law firm.
* * *
Contestants [...]

By Tim | Comments (0)