Shop Talk

AP Phone Records and Government Snooping

Rich Egger — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:40:51 +0000

The Shop Talk panelists discuss the US Justice Department’s seizure of phone records from the Associated Press. The Obama administration claimed it was a matter of national security.

This is not the first time the government has clashed with journalists, according to a column by Al Tompkins of the Poynter Institute. Past examples include:

*The Sedition Act, which was passed by Congress in 1798.

CEO Pay in the Media World

Rich Egger — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:09:33 +0000

The Shop Talk panelists discuss the compensation for top executives of major media companies.

The Future of Commercial Radio News

Rich Egger — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:19:43 +0000

The Shop Talk panelists discuss a column by RTDNA Chairman Vincent Duffy, who said he is worried about the future of commercial radio news for three reasons:

Changes Coming to Local Newspapers

Rich Egger — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:12:35 +0000

The panelists discuss the changes coming to the two largest newspapers in Lee County.

Mississippi Valley Media says the Daily Gate City and the Daily Democrat will publish four days per week. A shopper-style paper with news mixed in will be published the fifth day. The changes go into effect May 6.

TV-Anywhere Service & Copyright Law

Rich Egger — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:34:22 +0000

The Shop Talk panelists talk about an appeals court ruling that Aereo does not violate copyright law. An article in Gigaom called it the biggest blow yet to the existing TV business.

Receiving Permission to Print

Rich Egger — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:50 +0000

The panelists discuss a recent controversy at a law school that initially prevented the student newspaper from printing a story.

The Pioneer Log covered an appearance at Lewis & Clark Law School by US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. But The Oregonian reported school administrators insisted the story needed to be cleared by the Supreme Court’s press office before it could be published.

Will Audiences Pay for Blogs?

Rich Egger — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:02:04 +0000

The Shop Talk panelists discuss political blogger Andrew Sullivan’s decision to charge readers to subscribe to his blog.

NPR’s Planet Money team reported Sullivan is charging $19.99 or more per year for subscriptions. It quoted him as saying, “It was either quit blogging, or suck it up and become a businessman.”

Most bloggers try to make money by selling ads, but Sullivan indicated he wanted to avoid selling ads because they chase away page views.

Summit on Plagiarism and Fabrication

Rich Egger — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:09:30 +0000

The panelists talk about the upcoming National Summit on Plagiarism and Fabrication.

The RTDNA reports the summit will be held in St Louis on Friday, April 5, as part of the American Copy Editors Society national conference. It will include a panel discussion on the common causes of plagiarism, steps to prevent it, and how to handle incidents.

The Shop Talk panelists wonder if the practice of on-line aggregation has more people thinking it’s okay to use the work of others without giving attribution.

Environmental Reporting Pod Dismantled

Rich Egger — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:17:24 +0000

The Shop Talk panelists discuss the New York Times’ decision to do away with its environmental reporting “pod” and its “green” blog. The pod was a group of reporters and editors who focused solely on the environment.

Readers and critics have criticized the changes and the timing of the announcements – news of the blog’s demise was released on a Friday afternoon, which is a good time to release an announcement that you don’t want many people to hear.

The State of the News Media

Rich Egger — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:24:54 +0000

The Shop Talk panelists discuss the Pew Research Center’s 2013 State of the News Media report.

The study found newsroom staffs are shrinking, as are audiences. The RTDNA pointed out the survey discovered nearly one-third of news consumers have stopped turning to a particular new outlet because they were no longer getting the reporting they were accustomed to.