It’s hard to think of many other journalists who have slogged through such a thankless beat for so long. It’s hard, too, to think of many other beats that are more important to give such tireless coverage.
Advertisement, Newspaperdom, March, 1894.
Makers of Linotype: The Film announced yesterday that they’re in the final stages of editing in preparation for their world premiere on February 3, 2012 in New York City.
The film is all about the most revolutionary innovation in mass communication technology that you’ve never heard of. We here at practical obscurity* have been excited about this film since May! Here’s hoping for a Twin Cities screening!
The tune for “Hark, The Herald Angels Sing” comes from a song Felix Mendelssohn wrote in 1840 to honor Johann Gutenberg and the bicentennial of the invention of the printing press.
Thanks to my big sister Erin for tossing this little knowledge nugget my way after church this morning.
An alternative take on last week’s scandal, from MinnPost web editor Corey Anderson.
Print headlines - hilarious! (Hat tip: Practical Obscurity)
That’s what I’m talkin’ about…
If you haven’t been following the scandal involving State Senator Amy Koch, this headline might make you think Minnesotans take holiday neckwear very, very seriously.
(Bonus points for the unfortunate juxtaposition of the headline below the Koch story.)
In the pre-Web days, someone like Ms. Cox might have been one more obsessive in the lobby of a newspaper, waiting to show a reporter a stack of documents that proved the biggest story never told. The Web has allowed Ms. Cox to cut out the middleman; various blogs give voice to her every theory, and search algorithms give her work prominence.
BUT! It’s a bit more complicated than most of the media are reporting (as usual). If you look for the words “even if” in the opinion (scroll down), you’ll see why Cox would be on the hook for the $2.5. million regardless of whether she was considered a journalist.
The Oregon shield law at issue doesn’t apply to civil defamation cases, so not even The Oregonian would be protected by it.
Broadly speaking though, it’s a good example of why, as NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen tweets, “courts should protect acts of journalism, not kinds of people.”
A decidedly one-sided report at this point, but the Wiki-leaker’s lawyer is citing the Obama administration’s own reports for the claim.
Some interesting comments on the media “blackout” during the eviction of Occupy Wall Street this week. 2:33. Hat tip to Meagan.
(I wonder, though, whether it was Stelter or Carr who was like, “I know! Let’s wear scaaaarves.”)
The only thing I’m occupying today is study carrell number 294 in Wilson Library. But little reminders on the shelves just outside my door remind me of more important things afoot today than writing about the telegraph, newspapers, and libel law in the late nineteenth century.
