Warp Speed Flashcards
Unethical examples
Invasion of Privacy
Use of Unverified Information
Role of Internet Gossip
Sensationalism
Bias and Partisanship
Who was the main anonymous source?
Kenneth Starr
Who gave the audio tapes to Kenneth Starr?
Linda Tripp
Who heard the audio tapes?
Michael isikoff of newsweek
Characteristics of Mixed Media Culture
Never ending news cycle
No more gatekeepers
Sources gain power of journalists
Argument overwhelms reporting
Blockbuster mentality
Story threads
Blue dress
Witnesses
Other affairs
Talking points
Vernon jordan-clinton friend
Betty curie-clinton assistant
Cigar as sex toy
Confirmed story threads
Blue dress
Cigar
MLK Tape
FBI failed to get report on MLK tape of alleged affair but now times have changed and it would be reported today
What has been the main impact of the lower quality of journalism?
Internet and all-news cable
First Washington Post story
the first major respected mainstream news organization to report the story wrongly said Lewinsky can be heard on tape saying she was told by Clinton to testify falsely
Wall Street Journal online article
falsely said a White House steward told a grand jury he saw Clinton and Lewinsky alone together
Print edition got it right and the online version had to be revised
What are chatterers?
All used the scandal and television to develop their careers and hone their public personas
Loosely credited self-interested performers
Who is Laura Ingrahm?
Young law associate well-connected in conservative circles
Featured on cover of NYT magazine
Featured on numerous talk shows and radios
Chosen for her salty, conservative style and for her ability to appeal to younger demographics
Who is Ann Coulter?
First declared there were four other interns with whom Clinton was involved
Inflammatory commentator on numerous talk shows
Lost her position at MSNBC for insulting a Vietnam veteran
Attracted attention for her striking blonde looks and her outspokenness
Wrote High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton
A mismatched legal and constitutional argument and attacks on Clinton
Who is Chris Matthews?
Front man of a five-night-a-week CNBC program of Hardball
Extremely high number of viewers
Allows guests to air whatever they want
Sought out to become a pundit in the 1980s
Wrote Hardball
Openly shared his disgust with Clinton
On the eve of Clinton’s impeachment, Matthews allegations that Clinton had raped a twenty year old
“Love child” howard kurtz
Written by Howard Kurtz and published by WP in 1999
A bogus charge by an Arkansas women that Clinton fathered her son
What is Howard Kurtz’s proposal?
If journalists either choose to eagerly report information or choose to ignore allegations, they are criticized. It is important that journalists independently confirm the validity of their information, followed by a decision on whether to publish.
Successes of this story?
Journalists are good at breaking stories
Reporting what they know
Failure of this story?
Followups
Filled with commentary or second hand sources
Proposed solutions
Each news organization should do a great deal more to decide in advance what its news values and policies are
News organizations must make it clear to those who work there that these are the values in place
Make the values clear to the audience
Explain why you stray from standards when you do (publicly)
Stepped away from transparency and needs to return to
Who had the highest percentage of opinion?
CNN had the highest percentage of opinion by its reporters unattributed to any reporting, during the first week of Clinton-Lewinsky coverage
Who was the most factual news outlet?
ABC with more than 76% of all its statement based on factual reporting
Who made no use of anonymous sources?
PBS Newshour
What percentage of the public thought there was too much commentary?
80%
What percentage of the public disliked the press for rushing to judgement?
62%
Janurary - March
January 1998: first week 41% of journalist statements were not factual reporting at all but journalists making comments
By March 26%
