By: Halilu Usman

Halilu Usman — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 06:55:55 +0000

NILES- kindly recall my comment on independent journalism sometime ago. While I thank you very much for, once again bringing to the forefront the vextious issue of ethical journalism, I am confident that the Online Journalism practitioners can take the lead in the business of telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. In my opinion that is the only way we can make a difference and force the traditional media practitioners to take the cue. We all need to realize the fact that if we are not telling the truth, we are simply lying.

A wonderfull year ahead to you, Shafqat Islam, Robin Miller, Hong Hung, Juli Schatz, Jean Yung, Tish Grier, Maryn McKenna, Cody Stasiak, Michael Parks, Xeni Jardin, Chris Jennewein, Anthony Moor, Lisa Stone, and every other person at OJR.

By: Dave Bullard

Dave Bullard — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 11:42:52 +0000

Thank you, thank you, thank you for suggestion number five.

I’m a small-town journalist and probably am in no position to talk, but I am sick to death of national journalists serving as stenographers — when they know what they’re writing is crap.

The best journalism of the year is the stuff that debunked what we thought we knew or what we had been told — Charlie Savage’s Globe pieces are a remarkable example.

But I’m afraid that suggestion #5 will remain largely a suggestion. I am not hopeful that corporate journalism organizations will support stories that leave them vulnerable to attacks simply because they have gone where the herd is not.

Real press criticism seems to have gone to the blogs, where it becomes instantly partisan and therefore easy to ignore.

I am, however, glad that an influential publication such as OJR saw fit to link truth-telling to business growth.

Comments on: Five lessons from 2007

By: Halilu Usman

By: Dave Bullard