FeedPolitics: JS article on Morris touches the main points, little else
December 4, 2007 in Watchdog
I have to comment on Karen McDonald’s article on the John Morris press conference.
I didn’t expect her to come back from the thing and write a long think-piece. And she didn’t. The Journal Star these days doesn’t encourage long, thoughtful pieces. She went to the presser, got some quotes that touched on the main theme of his speech, went and got a couple quotes from his oponents, then filed the story. Maybe she got some details that will find their way into Word on the Street six days from now. Who knows.
December 4th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Billy,
I’m trying to figure out exactly what you are saying here.
Karen covers a relatively mundane press conference, gets some decent quotes, comes back and works the phones to get some quotes from his opponents and then writes a good, tight story.
So what’s wrong with that?
As a former journalist, I’m assuming you understand space requirements and the absolute need to write tight and bright these days.
I fail to see anything wrong with her story as it was published.
December 4th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
I knew I was going to be accused of picking on her. It’s not my intent. Perhaps I ought to take this post down. But I think not.
This post is a comment on day to day newspaper journalism IN GENERAL. This is exactly what’s wrong with it. I don’t consider a press conference on national security issues by a candidate for Congress to be “relatively mundane.”
Does it not suggest to you that the tendency toward this kind of bare bones (accurate and fair, to be sure) coverage is what caused the kind of coverage that blew up in the Journal Star’s face in regards to the nukes-to-Taiwan story.
I’m not trying to pick on Karen McDonald. She just happened to be reporter there (no surprise, since it’s her beat). I just though that after all the criticism, there might be some thought to more longer articles instead of what we were given.