journalism news stories on Newser

NPR Frets Over David Sedaris' 'Realish' Stories

Matt Cantor — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:12:15 CDT

The furor over Mike Daisey's semi-fabricated Foxconn story has NPR rethinking its content—even when it comes to comedy. Humorist David Sedaris' hugely popular stories are now in the spotlight for autobiographical material that he has described as "realish." Before the Daisey brouhaha, This American Life "just assumed the audience...

Photojournalists Murdered in Mexico

Rob Quinn — Fri, 04 May 2012 03:13:46 CDT

Somebody in Mexico's Veracruz state has declared war on news photographers. The dismembered bodies of three photojournalists from different news organizations were found in plastic bags in a canal yesterday—World Press Freedom Day—along with the body of one photographer's girlfriend, AP reports. All the bodies bore sign of...

The 13 Most Worthless Majors

Matt Cantor — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:57:22 CDT

Hey, college students: If your life plans include getting an actual job, you may want to avoid the stars of the Daily Beast 's "most useless" majors list. Majors are ranked in terms of employment, taking into account unemployment rates among recent and experienced grads, earnings, and likely job growth...

No Fiction Pulitzer Awarded for First Time in 35 Years

Polly Davis Doig — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:49:04 CDT

The 2012 Pulitzer Prizes are out, and for the first time in 35 years a Pulitzer for fiction is not among them, reports the AP , which itself snagged an award for its series on NYPD spying. Without further ado, the list of winners: Public service: Philadelphia Inquirer Breaking news reporting:...

Bus' Wrong Turn Reveals Real North Korea

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:00:05 CDT

The press bus took a wrong turn. And suddenly, everything changed in the official showcase of North Korean achievement. Dust swirled down deeply potholed streets, past crumbling concrete apartment buildings. Old people trudged along the sidewalk, while two men in wheelchairs waited at a bus stop. There were stores with...

Sky News: We Hacked 'in the Public Interest'

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:41:45 CDT

But we broke the law for the good of the people! That is, indeed, Sky News' defense. Rupert Murdoch's channel today admitted to twice authorizing its reporters to hack into computers, a potentially embarrassing revelation that could further dent the media tycoon's hope of acquiring full control over satellite broadcaster...

Republicans Think Trayvon Coverage Overblown

Kevin Spak — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:24:09 CDT

The drama surrounding Trayvon Martin's death has captivated the country, but a majority of Republicans (56%) believe the case is getting too much media coverage, as do a sizable chunk of white people (43%), according to a new Pew Poll . By contrast, only 25% of Democrats and 16% of blacks...

UNC Journalism School Ditches Spelling Test

Kevin Spak — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:46:22 CDT

You can stop studying those dictionaries, prospective journalism students at UNC, because the school has finally acknowledged the existence of spell check. The University of North Carolina school of journalism has officially retired the spelling portion of the spelling and grammar test all students must take, reports the Daily Tar...

Facebook Co-Founder Buys New Republic

Kevin Spak — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:52:05 CST

Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has purchased a majority stake in The New Republic , and installed himself as the influential liberal magazine's publisher and editor in chief, the publication announced today. Hughes, a new-media guru who also helped run Barack Obama's online operation in 2007, tells the New York Times that...