tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34837601305356734352011-08-22T11:39:06.363-04:00Promoting free press and free associationLinda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.comBlogger511100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-62522283819692644152011-08-22T11:37:00.001-04:002011-08-22T11:37:46.843-04:00

Phew! The hottest, craziest, WORST summer in recent memory is finally approaching its end. After spending the last 3 months in the pool or in hiding, LFtWings is ready to re-emerge and continue ruminating about the ills of modern-day life.  So, in honor of all those kids who start school this week and next, here's my version of "What I Did on My Summer Vacation:" 1. Went swimming.  2. Taught

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-60352277989800873812011-06-06T15:33:00.010-04:002011-06-06T21:58:07.286-04:00

(With apologies to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) Watch my children and you shall see The farcical ride of Sarah P. During May and June of twenty eleven Hardly a person this side of heaven Could escape the attention being paid to this scene On all the front pages and on every screen. “Now hear me,” she shouted as she boarded a bus,  “We must save America;  don’t let them take us. Help free us from

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-91322496299060298212011-05-24T21:23:00.002-04:002011-06-06T15:41:28.163-04:00

Taking a page from the late comedian George Carlin: “May 21, 2011." [Music comes up. Cue announcer.]  "It’s 11 o’clock in New York.  It’s 10 o’clock in Chicago.  It’s 8 o’clock in Los Angeles.  In Baltimore, it’s 10:45.  Tonight’s top story:  The world didn’t end … “In other news, Congress did not balance the budget.  Oil companies are not going bankrupt.  And peace did not break out in the

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-75615942677053494112011-05-16T12:43:00.003-04:002011-05-24T21:24:12.037-04:00

Judging this year's  Broun Awards   (TNG-CWA Photo) Last week, I had the honor of chairing the judging for the 2010 Heywood Broun Awards in journalism.   The Newspaper Guild-CWA bestows the award annually to honor its founder, Heywood Broun, who was one of the most celebrated journalists of the 1920s and 30s.  In the spirit of Broun, the award highlights the work of an individual or a couple of

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-39344748803860144582011-05-09T16:39:00.002-04:002011-05-16T12:44:43.622-04:00

Osama bin Laden is dead.  First reaction: Hooray!  U-S-A! U-S-A! One … two … three … On second thought, why all the celebrations?  True, this man was responsible for the death of 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001.  And, now he’s been killed, just like all those innocent Americans were 10 years ago.  Still, is death, execution-style, even of the world’s most

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-42557670286404739322011-04-28T10:54:00.003-04:002011-05-09T16:40:22.540-04:00

As the world mourns the tragic deaths of acclaimed photographers Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros, it behooves all journalists who cover war and other violent confrontations to pay attention to their own safety.   The poignant images of Hondros, an award-winning Getty Images photographer, and the stories documented in Hetherington’s Academy Award-nominated "Restrepo” stand as lasting memorials

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-48717264219303134372011-04-11T16:21:00.002-04:002011-04-11T17:22:27.465-04:00

Eleanor Roosevelt Brigid O'Farrell is an independent labor scholar living in the San Francisco area.  She recently published a book, She Was One of Us:  Eleanor Roosevelt and the American Worker.  O'Farrell also happens to be from Ohio.  Recent events there prompted her to write this blog post, which has been featured on the website of American Rights at Work.  Among other things, O'Farrell

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-51461810666158903812011-03-31T18:10:00.003-04:002011-04-11T16:22:38.164-04:00

If you go by what you’ve heard from Republicans in Congress, federally funded public broadcasting, specifically National Public Radio, is a “luxury” our country can no longer afford.  “It is time for American citizens to stop funding an organization that can stand on its own feet," said Rep. Doug Lamborn, (R-CO), who sponsored a bill to eliminate funding for NPR.   Lamborn claimed his bill, which

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-54845264697475231152011-03-16T22:43:00.003-04:002011-04-11T16:26:42.646-04:00

As a union supporter and erstwhile media critic, I’d say the news media has done a pretty fair job covering the concerted effort to wipe out workers’ rights in the Midwest.  Protests in Wisconsin and elsewhere have dominated the news cycle for several weeks -- until a calamitous earthquake and tsunami in Japan rightfully garnered bigger headlines.  Even so, both the so-called mainstream media and

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-16861971830439762242011-03-07T00:48:00.007-05:002011-03-16T22:44:27.520-04:00

It would behoove right-wing, union-bashing governors in the Midwest who are leading an all-out assault on collective bargaining to pause and reflect on exactly what it is they’re fighting. Led by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, these newly elected Republican governors claim that the workers’ right to elect a union to speak for them in matters surrounding their employment is antithetical to a state’s

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-11560145236022874022011-02-25T00:31:00.002-05:002011-03-07T00:28:20.198-05:00

Even as I’ve cheered protestors fighting to maintain collective bargaining rights for state workers across the Midwest and elsewhere, I have this nagging worry that this may not turn out so well.  For me, it’s a little too reminiscent of the 1981 PATCO strike, when union air traffic controllers were fired and replaced en-masse by Ronald Reagan, who, ironically, had served as national union

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-5929431128848873812011-02-18T12:42:00.006-05:002011-02-25T00:32:25.133-05:00

By now, nearly everyone knows about the brutal attack suffered by CBS reporter Lara Logan while covering the celebration in Cairo the day former President Hosni Mubarak stepped down. Much about the horrific attack on her remains a mystery (like, for example, which thugs were responsible), but as Howard Kurtz of the Daily Beast put it, “At least we know how the story turned out, with Logan

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-73356483297909552632011-02-11T13:32:00.006-05:002011-02-19T12:32:19.247-05:00

It’s not that Arianna Huffington cut a $315 million deal to sell Huffington Post to AOL. It’s not that Huffington Post consists largely of web links to content that's generated elsewhere. It’s not that Huffington Post has built its brand on the backs of freelance bloggers and writers who work for little or no compensation. Or even that Huff Po is now squarely at the center of a corporate media

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-39242241796044139442011-02-07T12:43:00.009-05:002011-02-19T12:46:29.942-05:00

As a longtime defender of journalists and press freedom at home and abroad, I couldn’t help but be aghast at the blatant on-air attacks on various journalists by pro-Mubarak thugs during recent protests in Egypt. Unfortunately, these kinds of authorized attacks on reporters have become too common in the Middle East and elsewhere around the world. Kathleen Parker and her microphone Al Jazeera,

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-21805411491155672562011-02-02T22:20:00.013-05:002011-02-04T10:14:01.143-05:00

Roman coin with image of Cleopatra I was riveted on the last few pages of Stacy Schiff’s best-selling Cleopatra: A Life, just as Egyptians began filling streets of Cairo and Alexandria to call for the ouster of their modern-day “pharaoh” President Hosni Mubarak. Current events made me even more rapt. The book ends with Cleopatra’s taking her own life. She likely was not bitten by an asp, as

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-2531787671058488782011-01-28T13:22:00.013-05:002011-02-02T21:59:19.868-05:00

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it” - Adolph Hitler, circa 1935 "No soup for you!" -- the Soup Nazi, circa 1995  On Jan. 27, Holocaust Remembrance Day, an open letter published in the Wall Street Journal signed by 400 rabbis condemned Fox News -- specifically Glenn Beck and chairman Roger Ailes --for making "literally hundreds" of references

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-59674480331904285612011-01-26T13:06:00.004-05:002011-01-28T13:42:10.325-05:00

Ezra Klein of the Washington Post nails it in his post “What does it mean to be pro-labor when labor is in decline?” He points out that a weak U.S. labor movement seems to track with weak unemployment figures even as our country’s GDP rises. He also wonders why as unions lose ground, they seem to become more reviled. Increasingly, he points out, U.S. policies tend to reflect this anti-union,

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-70597658382668085242011-01-25T09:43:00.028-05:002011-01-26T13:10:43.537-05:00

It's been more than 35 years since I lived in Pittsburgh. So tell me: Why did I sit nearly paralyzed in my lounger for 21/2 hours Sunday night, sucking the corner of my Snuggie, heart pounding, eyes fixated on the high-def TV -- until the Steelers held on to beat the NY Jets for the AFC championship? What is it about watching modern-day gladiators go at one another like raging bulls on a

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-65392172010631458692011-01-18T12:24:00.004-05:002011-01-18T12:42:39.089-05:00

Stay tuned. A new day is dawning. After almost a year of silence, LFt Wings is back. New thoughts, observations and ideas to appear in this space soon.

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-87674657686547932422010-03-08T12:50:00.005-05:002010-03-08T12:57:36.397-05:00

The AFL-CIO points out that women currently comprise more than half the U.S. workforce.  And yet, their wages still lag behind male co-workers' an average of 30 to 40 percent.  At its recent meeting in Florida, the AFL-CIO Executive Council recommitted  to achieving equal rights for women. This superb video by Bev Grant reminds us how women have always been on the front lines in the struggle for

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-64383951170767622022010-02-21T10:30:00.011-05:002010-02-21T10:45:16.066-05:00

(Photo by Getty from Huffingtonpost.com) With so much of the world's attention focused on the Vancouver Olympics, Canada can showcase why it's consistently ranked as one of the planet's best places to live. So naturally, the rest of us have questions, and -- as usual -- our Canadian friends have answers. Here are questions people from all over the world have asked about life in the Great White

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-76447702979371291072010-02-19T17:18:00.005-05:002010-02-21T10:32:29.344-05:00

A record snowfall in the D.C. area has elicited a least a twinge of sympathy from those who live north of the Beltway.  But not, apparently, from my friend Minnesotan Randy Furst, who recently had a different kind of snow emergency: We in Minnesota, who have snow piled around us all winter, every winter, can only sit back and wonder at you befuddled Washingtonians. But, I kind of understand. I

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-37668595747303745202010-02-14T12:29:00.018-05:002010-02-14T12:49:10.073-05:00

Before the memories of "Snowmageddon"  melt away, think about how our "socialist" government helped us dig out. (Click here for video.)

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-28831305862562399362010-01-21T16:27:00.007-05:002010-02-14T12:36:01.856-05:00

I know, I know. Losing Ted Kennedy’s seat to a Republican is a real bummer. And, it is insulting to think that a former Cosmo nude centerfold is the one Massachusetts voters chose to finish out Kennedy’s unexpired last term in the U.S. Senate. (Note correct spelling of Massachusetts.) But all of us who care about having a government that fixes problems and makes our lives better should pause,

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-74559589179461412072010-01-08T16:56:00.012-05:002010-01-21T16:36:26.863-05:00

(Photo from The Nation) The holidays are over, and January is upon us. The first full week of the new year is a time to rev up as we prepare to resume the full speed rat race that will chew up our lives at least until the end of May. It’s a time for predictions, promises and resolutions about how we’ll tackle opportunities and challenges in 2010. For the news business, it’s traditionally the

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-84757252388156907792010-01-07T10:28:00.000-05:002010-01-21T16:37:35.093-05:00

Check out the first of the seven-part series, New Times: New Guild. Instead of waiting for the news business to change, the California Media Workers Guild is leading the way for journalists in the Bay Area.  (See LftWings post below.)

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-14689472614517891472009-12-06T15:11:00.020-05:002010-01-08T17:05:35.341-05:00

My favorite fortune-cookie fortune states: “Never wear your best pants when you go to fight for freedom.” While that adage can conjure up some hilarious (or really gross) mental images, it reminds me that nothing should be off-the-table when stakes are high. In that vein, the leaders and members of the California Media Workers Guild, Local 39521 of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, are stripping

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-63158450974777741162009-11-13T14:52:00.012-05:002009-12-06T20:55:38.352-05:00

For all of the headlines and handwringing about the unraveling of the so-called “mainstream media,” there has been sparse attention paid to the human element tied to its apparent demise. With nearly 25,000 journalists losing their jobs in the last 12 months, untold numbers of real-life families are suffering.Ruth Teichroeb, a former reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, a 146-year-old

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-52572469686124420042009-11-10T13:12:00.013-05:002010-01-08T17:07:23.255-05:00

A hearing on whether to quash a subpoena of private, confidential student records from the Medill Innocence Project has been rescheduled for January 11, 2010. In the meantime, this frustrated Northwestern University alum has started a petition urging Cook County prosecutors to end this outrageous fishing expedition. Here's the back story: For more than a decade, the Medill Innocence Project, a

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-27768357656984757272009-11-03T14:05:00.012-05:002009-11-10T13:48:42.516-05:00

There are several newsworthy, non-profit journalism ventures spanning the World Wide Web these days. ProPublica, the Center for Public Integrity, Voice of San Diego, MinnPost and the nascent Bay Area News Project are just a sampling of a new wave of media that provide objective, responsible journalism for the digital age. The latest such effort is the Texas Tribune, who's CEO is Evan Smith,

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-25873166547174600272009-10-28T16:28:00.010-04:002009-11-05T18:06:35.346-05:00

The recent news about staggering circulation declines across nearly all of the nation’s daily newspapers over the last six months was depressing on many levels, especially for a once wide-eyed journalistic crusader like me.The New York Times described the precipitous 10 percent drop in daily newspaper circulation in the six months ending Sept. 30, 2009, as an “avalanche.” USA Today, down 17

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-82370572735711777692009-10-23T11:52:00.006-04:002009-10-28T14:01:22.497-04:00

Protestors from Health Care for America Now and various labor unions took their message directly to the America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) at its lobbying conference yesterday at a Washington, D.C. hotel. The protestors were supporting 7 families who had traveled to the conference to tell their stories of how today's health care system has failed them. AHIP Director Karen Ignagni refused to

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-25166918280586807652009-10-16T12:58:00.007-04:002009-10-28T16:42:18.436-04:00

I just finished reading the Knight Commission report titled “Informing Communities, Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age.” Without sounding like a you-better-care-what-happens-to-journalism-if-you-care-about-democracy-type media maven, I recommend it to anyone who, like me, desperately yearns for a plan to use digital technology to further civic discourse and better our society.The Commission,

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-57847629717230988392009-10-08T17:05:00.028-04:002009-10-16T13:19:18.969-04:00

When some ACORN workers recently were videotaped encouraging pimping and tax evasion as part of their financial counseling sessions, Congress moved with uncharacteristic haste to cut off funding to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.What followed were the predictably overreaching calls for investigations and punishment of ACORN and its allies. The media – led by Fox News

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-42454104139516904362009-09-30T16:49:00.028-04:002009-10-08T17:55:15.775-04:00

NY Times Columnist Thomas Friedman draws an ominous parallel between the "ugly"mood in 1995 Israel and in the United States today.It was the eve of the assassination of Prime Minster Yitzhak Rabin, who had agreed to trade land for peace. "I remember the ugly mood in Israel then -- a mood in which extreme right-wing settlers and politicians were doing all they could to delegitimatize Rabin ...

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-47766373390170531752009-09-25T22:41:00.005-04:002009-10-01T11:19:38.501-04:00

I've had my IPhone for a little more than a month. I admit I'm hooked. I rely on it for phone and e-mail, of course, and also for music, calendar, video, games, directions, tip calculations, audiobooks, reservations and even places that provide public restrooms. Anyone else who has an IPhone can relate, I'm sure.And yes, this newspaper junkie -- the former president of the newspaper journalists'

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-44388367496019481892009-09-09T15:14:00.010-04:002009-09-25T23:34:04.944-04:00

At a memorial for veteran CBS newsman (and early Newspaper Guild activist) Walter Cronkite, President Obama remarked:"Too often we fill that void [lack of serious journalism] with instant commentary and celebrity gossip and the softer stories that Walter disdained, rather than the hard news and investigative journalism he championed.""'What happened today?' is replaced with 'who won today?'"(

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-42882488801570301632009-09-02T09:48:00.004-04:002009-09-02T10:02:30.210-04:00

Watch this video of TV journalist Maria Bartiromo of CNBC, who asks 44-year-old Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) why he isn't on Medicare since he thinks it's so good. It would be nice if so-called reporters actually knew what the truth was before they asked questions of policymakers.

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-73676838283552375912009-08-27T15:38:00.011-04:002009-09-03T15:05:44.594-04:00

I had the privilege of seeing Sen. Edward Kennedy speak at numerous rallies and conventions during my time as a national union officer. Needless to say, he was always inspiring. He was a champion for everything I worked and fought for throughout my adult life. I didn't know him personally, but I did get to say "thank you" to him in person.I was flying to Boston from Washington in the late 1990s.

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-48202288692606814322009-08-24T15:46:00.023-04:002009-08-27T16:23:28.277-04:00

Former CBS Newsman Dan Rather has been promoting the idea that President Obama should establish a commission to make recommendations on saving journalism jobs and creating new business models for news organizations. In his Aug. 18 Huffington Post blog, my pal, Josh Silver, Executive Director of Free Press, seconded the motion. Personally, I don't think a broad commission (even a presidential one)

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-77608070123977982892009-08-14T16:16:00.013-04:002009-08-24T21:31:23.421-04:00

The truth is supposed to set you free, but lately it appears that outright lies have taken the debate on health care reform hostage.Whenever our TV set shows some wacko broadcasting that Obama is a Nazi or a racist (or worse); or that health care reform will kill grandma; or that Nancy Pelosi should be poisoned, my husband has the same reaction. “It’s because we don’t have the Fairness Doctrine

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-33534068461175614152009-08-12T10:46:00.000-04:002009-08-24T21:35:27.445-04:00

I remember thinking, “He looks shorter in person.” That was my first reaction upon being introduced to Walter Cronkite as he entered The Newspaper Guild’s Freedom Award Fund Banquet in April 2004.Cronkite had been a member of the Guild in the 1930s and 40s while he reported for United Press International. In fact, he was an early Guild activist at UPI, leading an effort to garner the union’s

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-12112173860118874202009-08-07T16:31:00.021-04:002009-08-15T18:20:57.316-04:00

Today’s word is: “Ochlocracy – Government by mob or a mass of people or the intimidation of constitutional authorities.” In other words, mob rule.Mob rule is the latest “strategy” unleashed by former Bush supporters whose candidates lost in the 2006 and 2008 elections. After being swamped at the ballot box, they think that now by shouting and shoving, and, in some cases, throwing punches at

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-78805112125685896502009-07-30T11:25:00.008-04:002009-08-07T17:09:34.542-04:00

Second quarter ‘09 profit reports for newspaper companies recorded significant gains. Why? Because there’s been a whole lotta cost-cutting going on. According to Ken Doctor of ContentBridges, McClatchy, Gannett, Media General and the New York Times all cut their operating expenses by more than 20 percent in the quarter ending June 30.Any company’s ability to cut production costs is limited. The

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-55850051188188427232009-07-06T14:55:00.014-04:002009-07-07T09:35:39.157-04:00

It seems that elitism is just as prevalent in “new media” as it was in the “old media.” Jeff Jarvis, the godfather of media blogger pundits, makes no secret for his disdain of traditional journalism. But his BuzzMachine’s holier-than-thou attack on Cleveland Plain Dealer Columnist Connie Schultz for her idea that original newspaper content should be copyrighted for 24 hours before it can be

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-29654880584475162152009-06-29T14:22:00.020-04:002009-06-30T08:16:56.471-04:00

Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Connie Schultz came upon an interesting idea to help preserve the commercial value of newspaper content. She has written about a proposal to amend copyright laws so newspaper content is protected from reuse for 24 hours after publication. Just like the old "exclusive" moniker that used to appear on printed stories. She points out that online aggregators such as

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-23208916343374030532009-06-28T22:44:00.013-04:002009-07-30T12:45:11.753-04:00

It’s always inspiring when people speak truth to power, a vital first step toward democratically driven change in a society. Thanks to Twitter and the internet, the people of Iran have been able to touch a global nerve. The world has been riveted by thousands of firsthand reports of their struggle for free and fair elections. We have been amazed by their technical ability to stay several steps

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-49564907812119039232009-06-18T11:56:00.004-04:002009-07-30T12:50:35.315-04:00

Ink-stained wretches are an endangered species.By the end of 2005, exactly 55,000 journalists were employed by newspapers in the United States, according to figures compiled by the American Society of Newspaper Editors. By the end of last year, there were less than 47,000. Paper Cuts, a website that tracks newsroom job losses, reports that in 2008, a staggering 15,500 additional print journalists

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-46855486467060529252009-06-17T11:30:00.012-04:002009-06-17T16:52:40.932-04:00

Corporate America's hue and cry surrounding arbitration as a way to resolve negotiations over contracts for newly unionized workers rings so hollow the echoes drown out their wining.The strongest opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow for arbitration of a union"s first contract with an employer if agreement isn't reached within 120 days, are among the biggest proponents of

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-2955130235901861842009-06-12T16:49:00.007-04:002009-07-30T12:55:11.540-04:00

The drama engulfing the Boston Globe shows why the newspaper industry is in the throes of its own demise.While many believe the internet is destroying newspapers, the real culprits responsible for the death spiral sucking journalism down the drain are newspapers themselves.Since the 1970s, newspaper companies began a wave of consolidation that continues to smother the industry .Newspaper owners

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483760130535673435.post-18668771676999703922009-06-11T12:11:00.000-04:002009-11-17T12:30:23.892-05:00

Reaction to the state's filingDavid ProtessNovember 16, 2009On October 10, the State’s Attorney’s Office (SAO) filed a 54-page document alleging my students paid witnesses in their investigation of the Anthony McKinney case. Breathless accounts by journalists rapidly appeared in print, broadcast and on-line publications across the country. Unfortunately, reporters focused almost entirely on the

Linda K. Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266056527790179625noreply@blogger.com