Archive for March, 2008

I invite you to read my commentary today in Bulldog Reporter’s Daily Dog online newsletter: Apples to Oranges: Most Online “Newsrooms” Tired and Boring, Not Timely and Relevant.

An event called, The Arab Broadcast Forum, is scheduled for early May in Abu Dhabi. It appears to be primarily for those few journalists who have the time luxury to attend such shows.

The agenda seems a bit too plain vanilla and avoids many more important issues that journalists should be focusing their attention on in the Middle East. I’ve added my comments in italics here after their list of agenda items:

- The Media War in Palestine: Are Journalists Safe? (The answer is, No)
- Another Year of Conflict: Covering Iran. (No one credibly covers Iran, and chances are that no one will.)
- The Art of Elections: US Elections and the Arab World. Produced by CNN International. (Yawn …)
- Reporting on Oil: Moving the Markets. Produced by Ebsar Holding. (Oil prices - controlled by a cartel — are up. End of story.)
- The Displaced Masses: Reporting on Refugees in the Arab World. Produced by VideoCairo Sat. (Talk with leaders of Arab countries.)
- Utilizing the Power of TV Drama. Produced by Abu Dhabi TV. (Watch any CNN newscast for cheap drama.)
- Reliable Media Resource? Content from NGOs. Produced by Reuters TV (You’re kidding?!)
- The Arab League Media Charter. Produced by LBC. (The acronym, not explained, either means Louisiana Baptist Churches or Lebanese Broadcasting Company.)

The more important, timely and certainly more meaningful issues that will test the moral fiber of journalists and news organizations in the Middle East are obviously missing from the conference agenda: Terrorism. Coverage of Human Rights, Women’s Rights and Religious Freedom. By avoiding those issues, I can only assume the conference is just another PR stunt.

It is Friday, the 21st of March, and I am in Haifa, Israel on business. But, I have stopped to think about this remarkable day –

Today is Naw-Ruz, marking the New Year in the Baha’i Faith. Jews here in Israel are celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim, which dates to the Old Testament. It is Good Friday for Christians around the world. In the Islamic Faith, the birthday of Muhammad is being observed on this day.

There was a full moon over Haifa last night, Israeli fighter jets overhead and two U.S. Navy warships in the harbor.

Even before New York Governor Eliot Spitzer got caught up in a prostitution scandal, I have been reflecting on the habit of politicians to face the media with their wives at their side when such controversy hits.

Quite a bit has been written and said on the subject, especially in the last week since the Spitzer story made headlines. I recommend listening to an essay, The Face, by Ann Taylor Fleming that aired on Jim Lehrer’s NewsHour about Spitzer’s wife, Silda.

Aside from such behavior, here’s what I also find troubling — I think it is safe to say that every time a politician has gotten into trouble over sex with another woman, they have faced the media with their wife at their side. They even say similar things. Spitzer said, “I have begun to atone for my private failings with my wife, Silda, my children, and my entire family. The remorse I feel will always be with me. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the love and compassion they have shown me.” I wonder … would Spitzer say or even feel such things had he not been caught?

Why do such statements by politicians sound so phony and disingenuous? Have we simply heard similar words too often from politicians when their sexual escapades are exposed? I sense - talking with and exchanging emails with many friends - a collective feeling of … ENOUGH, we are really tired of this sort of behavior!

Even when John McCain went before cameras to debunk a New York Times report that he had stepped out on his wife, he had his wife next to him. I could not help but to feel some suspicion because he did not have the courage to face the press by himself. It was the perception of guilt because we have seen it before, and we have seen it since.

A pundit on MSNBC said, in jest, that Congress should pass a law making it a federal crime for any wife of a politician to stand by her man as he was trying to explain an extramarital affair. Not a bad idea, however outlandish.

“Off the record” has always been a risky thing to say to a reporter. It is unfair and can be interpreted as manipulative. Under the traditional rules of journalism, when someone says, “off the record,” in advance of what they say, the journalist is honor-bound not to use anything that is said. It, consequently, begs the question … why does anyone say “off the record” unless their intention is manipulative or negative.

But, when someone makes a statement to a reporter, and adds, “oh, that’s off the record,” after the statement, all bets are off — the reporter is free to use what is said because the rules were established after the comment. Such is the case of presidential candidate Obama’s foreign policy advisor, Samantha Power, who referred to presidential candidate Clinton as a “monster,” and then told the reporter that her comment was off the record.

My counsel is to stick with the purpose of the interview (Power was promoting her new book) and stay on message and … stay on the record.

The British journalist - Gerri Peev - who wrote the story and quoted Power was interviewed by MSNBC, and it’s quite interesting. Click here for a link to the video.

It’s a curious world we live in today …

This is an outstanding example of how one organization worked with National Public Radio to achieve terrific coverage on NPR’s popular Morning Edition program. It also shows NPR’s style of merging traditional coverage with the dynamic communications elements of Web 2.0 –

Layli and Gil Miller-Muro, two members of the Baha’i Faith in northern Virginia, approached friends in their community who are members of other religions about the idea of a new kind of Sunday school for young children … where families from a range of religions would gather to learn about helpfulness, obedience, service and friendliness - virtues shared by all the world religions. Such weekly children’s classes are hosted by Baha’is throughout the U.S.

What made a difference is that Ms. Miller-Muro - who is founder of a not-for-profit organization in the Washington, DC, area - knew NPR reporter, Barbara Bradley Hagerty. Working together, they coordinated with the national Baha’i organization in Wilmette, IL, to develop a comprehensive feature.

The resulting story aired multiple times during NPR’s Morning Edition to an audience nationwide in the millions. But, check out how NPR then presented the story online — streaming audio of the story, photos of the Sunday school for children and a written version of the entire story. Not only did the story air on Morning Edition but it will remain online indefinitely.

At the same time, the U.S. Baha’i Faith spotlighted the story on the Faith’s home page with a link to more information, and, of course, a link to NPR. It all works to extend awareness for what I believe is fabulous coverage.

The confusing issue of the nation’s terror threat level has only gotten more wacky through the government’s communications efforts. The Department of Homeland Security, which has grown into an enormous government bureaucracy, has kept the terror … or is it, terrorism, or maybe just fear factor … threat level at airports at “ORANGE” level since August 2006. It’s apparently become permanent ORANGE because permanent signs have been printed at airports. But, the threat level may actually be YELLOW, not ORANGE … and that’s according to Homeland Security!

Look closely at the Home page of Homeland Security, and you will see the triple lutz of conflicting and mixed messages — On the left, under National Threat Advisory, the threat level is YELLOW in the graph yet the text underneath says ORANGE. Turns out there are multiple warning levels in the country - one for airports and one for something else, not explained. Over on the right side is a big GREEN check mark and the word “READY” in bold. What the heck does all that suggest?!

The U.S. Park Police confirm … at the very bottom of their Web site … that the terror/terrorism/fear factor level is YELLOW, at least in their online graph, provided by Homeland Security.

I know it’s hard to believe but do you think, possibly, that one hand isn’t talking to the other in our government?! Reminds me of that old Abbott and Costello gag … Who’s on first, What’s on second. I can only assume that TSA had so many ORANGE warning signs printed for airports that they just left it that way.

As for we Americans … the threat level seems to be floating somewhere between meaningless and not very clear, according to the federal government graph of colors.