A variety of views. A potpourri of posits.
Today’s C-suite Blueprint entry encompasses a range of thoughts, mostly related to journalism and how it affects us all.
Here’s hoping that news consumers will find something enlightening and insightful in these musings.
Post Toasties
I hope my reporter friends and colleagues will forgive me, but it’s true. Reporters are, as a group, among the most thin-skinned of professionals. For proof, look no further than the recent tumult at The Washington Post [gift article].
Reporters tend to get touchy when sources decline comment. Ironically, most Posties eschewed comment in the initial throes of the revelations. Imagine the indignation if another source declined to respond.
My thinking since the beginning of this episode is that Publisher and CEO Will Lewis has to go. At a minimum, he must remove himself from decisions on any story involving him, such as his attempts to quash articles surrounding a phone hacking scandal [gift article] during his time as a news executive in the U.K. Lewis’ attitude evinces a stunning lack of journalistic ethics.
Another poor journalism wrinkle: The Post failed to identify the staffer who posed a pointed question about a lack of diversity with choices Lewis made regarding senior staff appointments. This struck me as an odd omission when reading the early accounts since that was a central thesis of the article. For the record, Politico identified her as Senior National Political Correspondent Ashley Parker.
Ignore the Polls
I was cleaning up the kitchen while listening to WTOP, the all news radio station in my Washington, D.C. home base. I just shook my head when the lead on the top of the hour CBS Radio newscast featured the findings of presidential polling in three swing states.
It’s bad enough to breathlessly report on every poll, no matter how reliable. But to lead with this inconsequential story? That’s poor editorial judgement.
As a political junkie, I confess to getting sucked into this type of coverage. Still, every time I encounter such stories, I try to remind myself to just let it pass.
An interview with an expert on the candidates’ economic plans? I’m listening. An in depth piece on their approach to international relations? Sure. Plans to demolish our democracy? You can bet I’m taking that seriously since all other issues pale in comparison.
But horse race nonsense, especially as the top story? Not interested.
WTF
There seems to be a fascination with abbreviations in emails and digital media posts. Is it inappropriate informality? An attempt to look trendy? Laziness?
Most people may know the meaning of such abridgements as LOL and BRB. Still, why take the chance at generating confusion?
I’ve been on the receiving end of some real head-scratchers and refuse to devote any energy to translating. Professionals spell it out in any and all business correspondence.
The Kicker
It is true that, as an article in Poynter notes, “The U.S. has lost almost 2,900 newspapers and 43,000 newspaper journalists since 2005.” Tragically, some of that vacuum has been filled by purveyors of disinformation.
Yet I want to leave you with some encouraging happenings on the news desert front. Poynter reports that trustworthy local coverage is on the march in states including Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
While the commentary acknowledges “there isn’t a new road map that nonprofit news organizations can share,” organizations like Press Forward are ponying up funds in an attempt to turn the tide in a more positive direction. Time will tell if they and other like-minded groups can build a dike tall enough to withstand the tide.
Note to Followers
WordPress has been delivering the C-suite Blueprint to email followers at odd times lately. I’m not sure why this is happening. My plan is for it to hit your doorstep first thing in the morning. Please bear with me while trying to sort out this perplexing issue.
C-suite Blueprint 