By Jonathan Pie
Who decided he was unelectable? We did, the media.
Posted on September 26, 2016
The BBC’s Bake-Off Bollocks
By Jonathan Pie, TV Reporter!
A small story tells a large story.
Posted on September 19, 2016
‘Commander-In-Chief’ Forum Panned As Colossal Failure Of Journalism
By Jon Queally/Common Dreams
Putting aside the shortcomings of both major candidates, for many critical observers the biggest loser during Wednesday night’s presidential “Commander-in-Chief” forum on NBC News was the platform itself.
Moderated by NBC’s host of The Today Show Matt Lauer, the town hall-style event was staged inside the belly of the U.S.S. Intrepid, a retired World War II aircraft carrier that now serves as a military museum in New York City, and was promoted by the news outlet as a chance to extract specific positions from both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on veterans affairs and foreign policy.
But instead of informing viewers on these key subject matters or holding the candidates to account for past actions or statements, a widespread reaction among viewers and critical journalists from across the political spectrum was that Lauer failed to ask the necessary tough questions or follow-ups, with many suggesting the forum was a lesson in how not to inform voters or put a check on those seeking high office.
According to Michael Calderone, senior media reporter for the Huffington Post, the forum “should have gone down as the first time the two 2016 presidential candidate shared a stage,” but instead “will be remembered largely for the shortcomings of the man who was tasked with moderating.”
Posted on September 8, 2016
TV News Stories About Birth Control Quote Politicians And Priests More Often Than Medical Experts
By Elizabeth W. Patton and Michelle Moniz/The Conversation
Ninety-nine percent of reproductive age U.S. women who have ever had sex have used contraception at some point in their lives.
And thanks to the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate, more people have access to contraception than ever before.
As obstetrician/gynecologists, we help patients choose the contraceptive method that best suits them, and explain how they work, their failure rates and potential side effects.
But we also know that patients (and the public) get a lot of information about health and medicine from the media in general, and TV in particular. How the media frame stories and whom they choose as sources might influence how people view an issue.
So we decided to examine how contraception was covered during the nightly news shows on the big three television networks (ABC, CBS and NBC). And it turns out these stories often portray contraception as a political or social issue, which means that actual medical information about contraception rarely makes it onto the air.
Posted on September 2, 2016