Sinclair Broadcast Group has asked its news directors to consider donating personal funds to the company’s political action committee to help fund its lobbying efforts. Is it a conflict of interest to pay to lobby the leaders you’re covering?
Paul Farhi, Washington Post: “Sinclair Broadcast Group solicits its news directors for its political fundraising efforts”
Stephen Cohen, Seattle Post-Intelligencer: “KOMOowner Sinclair asks workers to give to political fund”
Jacqueline Thomsen, The Hill: “Sinclair asks news directors to donate to political action committee”
Shane Savitsky, Axios: “Sinclair asks its news directors for political contributions”
Al Tompkins, Poynter: “Sinclair says asking news directors for PAC contributions isn’t a conflict of interest”
Scott Jones, FTV Live: “I can’t believe that Sinclair is doing this!”
Scott Jones, FTV Live: “Sinclair posting on employee’s social media as them”
Nunes’s news site
David Siders, POLITICO: “Devin Nunes creates his own alternative news site”
Rebecca Savransky, The Hill: “Nunescreates own media analysis outlet to deliver ‘news, sports, and analysis’”
Ed Mazza, HuffPost: “GOP lawmaker Devin Nunes reportedly made his own fake news website”
Journalist Protection Act
Jackie Wattles, CNN: “Congressman says his Journalist Protection Act is needed now”
Jonathan Peters, Columbia Journalism Review: “The time is right for the Journalist Protection Act. But we need a federal shield law”
Christopher Fox Graham, Sedona Red Rock News: “Shield law more valuable than federal charges”
Russia & the 2015 Protests
Rudy Keller, Columbia Daily Tribune: "Report: Russia sparked fear at the University of Missouri during 2015 protests"
Jared Preier, Strategic Studies Quarterly: "Commanding the trend: Social media as information warfare"
When reality tv makes news
Daniel D’addario, Time: “Omarosais getting everything she wanted out of Celebrity Big Brother after her White House exit”
Madeline Farber, Fox News: “Omarosa’sjourney from Trump aide to ‘Big Brother’ star and beyond”
James Poniewozik, New York Times: “On ‘Big Brother,’ America gets the reality-tv politics it deserves”
Brianne Tracy, People: “Why Celebrity Big Brother’s Omarosa ‘would be worried’ if ‘extreme’ Mike Pence became president”
Maegan Vazquez, CNN: “Omarosawarns ‘Big Brother’ housemates: Pence is worse than Trump”
Piers Morgan, Daily Mail: “The wife-beater, the witch and the White House: Why the hell did Trump ever tell Rob Porter and Omarosa ‘you’re hired’?”
All eyes on PyeongChang
Erik Wemple, Washington Post: “Fox News eliminates column by network executive blasting Olympic diversity as ‘darker, gayer, different’”
Jeremy Barr, The Hollywood Reporter: “Fox News removes exec’s ‘darker, gayer’ Olympics column after uproar”
Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times: “Fox News removes a top executive’s column on Olympic team diversity”
Sydney Smith, iMediaEthics: “Fox News deletes ‘darker, gayer, different’ Olympics column by exec editor John Moody”
Rick Maese, Washington Post: “Trying to make Team USA look more like America”
Caroline Scott, journalism.co.uk: “The Washington Post’s latest augmented reality game brings the Winter Olympics into your living room”
Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times: “NBC’s ‘Today’ hopes for morning ratings glory at the Winter Olympics”
Ricardo Bilton, Nieman Journalism Lab: “With its new Olympics texting experiment, the Times is saying goodbye to SMS, hello to personalization”
Frank Pallotta, CNN Money: “Winter Olympics opening ceremony ratings slip up just a bit for NBC”
Avi Selk, Washington Post: “NBC apologizes to Koreans for Olympics coverage that praised Japan’s brutal occupation”
Jung Min-ho, The Korea Times: “NBC analyst under fire in Korea over ignorant comment”
Cristiano Lima, POLITICO: “Critics pan media’s positive coverage of North Korea at Olympics”
Pete Vernon, Columbia Journalism Review: “Journalists don’t just stick to sports in Olympics coverage”
Adelson on Netanyahu
Josh Breiner & Revital Hovel, Haaretz: “Israel police recommend charging Prime Minister Neyanyahu with bribery in two cases”
David M. Halfbfinger & Isabel Kershner, New York Times: “Netanyahu should be charged with bribery and fraud, Israeli police say”
Debra Kamin, Variety: “Israeli police recommend Arnon Milchan, Benjamin Netanyahu be charged with bribery”
Joshua Keating, Slate: “So is Bibi Netanyahu finally getting indicted or what?”
Loveday Morris & Ruth Eglash, Washington Post: “Israeli police recommend indictment of Netanyahu on corruption charges
Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post: “Sheldon Adelson exposes cold shoulder to former friend Netanyahu”
Unilever: Clean it up
Charles Riley, CNN: “Unilever to Facebook and Google: Clean up ‘swamp’ or we’ll pull ads”
Brett Samuels, The Hill: “Unilever threatens to pull ads from online ‘swamp’ of fake news, extremism”
John Battelle, NewCo Shift: “Do big advertisers even matter to the platforms?”
Sapna Maheshwari, New York Times: “YouTube vamped its ad system. AT&T still hasn’t returned.”
Costs to use the Oxford comma
Daniel Victor, New York Times: “Oxford comma dispute is settled as Maine drivers get $5 million”
Hayley Glatter, Boston Magazine: “Maine dairy company settles lawsuit over Oxford comma”
