Archive for August, 2009

PEN American Center Effort to Free Journalists Detained in Iran

Friday, August 14th, 2009

“From the mass arrests of journalists and reform advocates to the violent suppression of peaceful demonstrations to the draconian restrictions on international and domestic media, it has been a harrowing summer for many of our colleagues in Iran—and an extremely discouraging one for all who support their right, and the right of all Iran’s citizens, to speak and write freely.

“PEN is working to win the release of all writers and journalists currently in prison in Iran, and to bring the voices of our Iranian colleagues before international audiences.”

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NYPD Preying on NYC’s Black and Latinos? – Stats From New York Civil Liberties Union

Friday, August 14th, 2009

NYPD has stopped and interrogated more innocent people during the first six months of 2009 than during any six-month period since it began collecting data on its troubling stop-and-frisk program: The overwhelming majority of whom were black and Latino. They did nothing wrong but … their names and home addresses are now stored in an NYPD database.

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Video News About Legal Victory by Center for Constitutional Rights and the Vulcan Society Against FDNY

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

From Democracy Now:

A federal judge has determined that the Fire Department of New York City used racially discriminatory hiring practices that unlawfully prevented hundreds of qualified African American and Latino applicants from joining the department. New York City has the least diverse fire department of any major city in the nation.

Shayana Kadidal, managing attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights and Paul Washington, past president of the fraternal order of black firefighters, the Vulcan Society join Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales.

Earlier WORDblog post about victory.

Basketball Basics: Talk ABout a Publishing Rip Off

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

I just learned in the last 15 minutes this date that my first book, Basketball Basics, published by Prentice-Hall, was translated into German and French and published in Canada and the United Kingdom and is still in print in some form. Check this out too.

So, where is my $$$. For a number of reasons, especially because it was the first how-to-play-basketball book that took girls seriously, it made a lot of money. And the publishing rip off started off there.

Writing the book  was a great learning experience about the business side of publishing and its dark side. I’m going to look for a lawyer and then write about the experience.

Freelance Journalists Can Face Considerable Risks and News Organizations Need to Do More to Protect Them

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Writing in light of the Iranian detaining of New America Media Journalist Shane Bauer and his friends, NAM editor Andrew Lam, author of “Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora,” pens this:

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CNN Needs to Do Better Profiling of Blithering Birthers & Their Naysaying Cousins

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

I was watching CNN’s broadcast last night, August 12, of the town hall meetings turned into ranting cages for “those people” barking about topics and subjects that have nothing to do with health care. A smart strategy by organizers, brain trusts – clearly extreme right – who came up with this plan to use the news media for their agenda.

Smart strategy – I have to say that one more time.

CNN, however, needs to do a better job of telling its viewers who these people are, to put things into context.

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Former WORD Writer Pens Piece for Huffington Post

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Click here for Aida Alami’s Is There Life After New York.

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“Who told you I was running for Mayor?” New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. Said in Jest to a WORD Senior Editor a Few Years Ago

Monday, August 10th, 2009
WORD Senior Editor Jonathan Mena, far left. Former WORD Senior Editor Daniel Allen, sitting to right of Thompson.

WORD Senior Editor Jonathan Mena, far left. Former WORD Senior Editor Daniel Allen, sitting to right of Thompson.

From a November 1, 2007, WORD article: When asked by WORD senior editor and senior producer Jonathan Mena if his motivation for convening with young reporters was linked to a mayoral bid, Thompson replied, jokingly, “Who told you I was running for mayor?” Articles in several news/magazine publications, however, described him as a strong contender for the 2009 mayoral contest.

So, Thompson’s office was recently emailed a request for another meeting with the WORD.

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Coming This Semester – More Journalism Ethics and News Responsibility Posts …

Monday, August 10th, 2009

… because I’m revising and upgrading my courses as well as teaching a journalism and news responsibility course. That means more posts and links and connection, like the following from RTNDA, The Association of Electronic Journalists (formerly the Radio, Television News Directors Association which revised its name because of the rapid changes taking place in journalism*): Newsroom Diversity.

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Update: Missing New American Media Journalist & Friends — From The Muckraker, Center for Investigative Reporting

Saturday, August 8th, 2009

Friend of Three American Hikers Detained by Iranian Authorities Speaks Out

Three Americans, Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal, have been missing since July 31 after hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan and are reportedly being held by Iranian authorities. The Center for Investigative Reporting has published and supported Bauer’s work in the past. He was not on assignment for CIR when he went missing. A fourth member of their party, Shon Meckfessel, did not join them that day and has now offered his statement on events, which is published below.

“I’m writing this statement to help people understand what happened to my three friends, Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal, who went missing by the Iran/Iraq border.” Read the rest here.