█»» Which news articles are not researched
█»» by journalists, but are simply based
█»» closely on press releases? Chris Atkins
█»» investigates the murky process of
█»» 'Churnalism'.
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█»» News in the Age of Churnalism
█»» journalist-or-churnalistAccording to Pew
█»» Charitable Trust’s 2008 “State of the
█»» News Media” special report on public
█»» attitudes toward the news media,
█»» “Majorities of Americans continued to
█»» say that journalists are often
█»» inaccurate (55 percent), do not care
█»» about the people they report on (53
█»» percent), are biased (55 percent),
█»» one-sided (66 percent) and try to cover
█»» up their mistakes (63 percent).” It’s
█»» clear that much of the public deems
█»» journalists untrustworthy. As a recent
█»» grad from a journalism school, it’s
█»» painful to admit how fallible the news
█»» industry can be. One near-omnipresent
█»» snare for journalists—and a scourge of
█»» journalistic integrity—is the facile
█»» use of press releases to write stories,
█»» what has been dubbed “churnalism.”
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█»» The UK-based Media Standards Trust,
█»» “an independent registered charity
█»» which aims to foster high standards
█»» in news media on behalf of the public,”
█»» developed a website called Churnalism
█»» so that journalists and consumers can
█»» discern spin from news. “The site
█»» compresses all articles published on
█»» [UK] national newspaper websites
█»» and then stores them in a fast access
█»» database,” according to the Trust’s
█»» website. “If the engine finds any
█»» articles where the similarity is
█»» greater than 20 percent, then it
█»» suggests the article may be churn.”
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█»» Expecting a snide, skeptical,
█»» uninterested response from the
█»» ostensibly guilty journalists, Media
█»» Standards Trust baited the news cycle
█»» with a discreetly published, fake
█»» press release for an unbelievable
█»» product. The Trust’s Martin Moore
█»» elaborated during an interview on
█»»▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
█»» WNYC’s On the Media:
█»» Chris [Atkins, a collaborator with
█»» the Trust] invented what he called
█»» the “chastity garter belt,” which a
█»» woman would put around her thigh and
█»» had built-in technology which would
█»» record, by various clever scientific
█»» means, like her, her rising pulse rate
█»» and, and moisture levels on her leg,
█»» whether or not she was about to be
█»» unfaithful. And if she was, it would
█»» text a message to her partner warning
█»» him, so he could rush back and either
█»» forestall or catch, catch her before
█»» she did so.
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█»»
█»»
Click to view image: 'CLASSIC CHURNALISM: Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster'
█»»
█»» CLASSIC CHURNALISM: Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster
█»»
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█»» Like hungry goldfish, the press
█»» gobbled the plump worm dangling before
█»» them. Chicago’s WGN-TV ran a short
█»» segment and, as Moore detailed during
█»» the WNYC interview, “The story was
█»» picked up by The Times of India, in
█»» the States, in Slovakia, in Greece,
█»» in Israel, all around the world.”
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█»»
█»»
Click to view image: 'OLI NORTH TESTIMONY - Abu Nidal Excerpt.'
█»»
█»» OLI NORTH TESTIMONY - Abu Nidal Excerpt.
█»» Upon being questioned by Congress, North
█»» did NOT as is oft claimed, say that,
█»» "..bin Laden is(was) the greater danger
█»» to world peace..." It was someone MUCH
█»» more dangerous, Abu Nidal! Bin Laden
█»» simply 'fitted the bill' at that later time,
█»» so was left in the frame....
█»»
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█»» That's, is called egg on the face?
█»» As an end note, just a reminder the
█»» public shouldn’t only be concerned
█»» with sneaky, unverified pitches from
█»» snake-oil retailers. “Not all
█»» churnalism comes from commercial
█»» sources,” warns the Columbia
█»» Journalism Review. “Much of it has
█»» political sources: public authorities
█»» trying to spin bad news, medical firms
█»» trying to obscure poor results, and
█»» political lobbying groups.”
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█»» For what it’s worth, 55 percent of this
█»» post was cut and pasted from various
█»» websites and not independently act -
█»» checked.
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█»» COURTESY:
█»»▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
█»» Sources: Columbia Journalism Review,
█»» On the Media
█»» Guardian News & Media Ltd
█»» by Will Wlizlo
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█»» Read more at:
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http://www.utne.com/Media/News-In-The-Age-Of-Churnalism.aspx#ixzz1HnwfbNJQ
http://www.utne.com/media.aspx#ixzz1HntlYKB6
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