Washington Post Ombudsman Defends Use of Unnamed Sources
The Washington Post’s new ombudsman Deborah Howell, in only her second article in her new position, chose to defend journalists’ use of unnamed sources. Of late, this has become quite a hot-button issue, as an increasing number of articles from more and more media outlets seem to rely almost exclusively on anonymous suppliers of information, supposedly from within the White House.In fact, in the…
According to the Media, Most Economic News is Bad News
Regardless of economic data, press accounts are typically negative and pessimistic.The economy has been growing at a very strong clip since October 2001. Real estate prices are at their highest levels in history, as are homeownership and Americans’ average net worth. Unemployment also is lower than the average during any of the past three decades. Yet Americans are very down, and one third even…
Washington Post Demonstrates Its War Coverage Priorities
The Washington Post published two articles today about the war in Iraq. One made the front-page, the other was relegated to page A16. Curiously, the one dealing with a major offensive along the Syrian border was buried. By contrast, the one dealing with American casualties was on the front-page. In an article entitled “For Many in Iraq, Death is Quick and Capricious,” Steve Fainaru shared recent…
