Media Picks

How British TV reports famine - “The documentaries have stopped, but the starvation hasn’t.” Pretty damn depressing.

Q&A White House Legend Helen Thomas - “Keep your standards high. Understand that your role is to seek the truth, wherever it leads you.” Wise words from the Queen of the White House press corps.

Emmanuel Jal: from child soldier to rap artist – an incredible event at the Frontline Club earlier this month.

Media Picks

Sarah Smith on the World News Blog – I have really enjoyed Sarah Smith’s reporting from the UN this week. Two of her great blog posts – Snubbed by Gordon Brown at the United Nations and How polluting are we journalists?.

Sorry, we can’t tell you. And we can’t tell you that we can’t – Journalism and the law – a special relationship.

Disappearing Iraq – A fabulous article from the Columbia Journalism Review looks at the relationship between the military and the media covering Iraq.

Obama’s ‘Red Carpet,’ Up Close and Personal - Helene Cooper, of the New York Times, provides an amusing pool report of world leaders arriving for dinner with President and Mrs Obama.

Mark Mardell’s America – More good writing and interesting analysis from Mark Mardell this week. I love reading his blog posts! I particularly enjoyed Inside the ‘Bubble’.

What makes a tech story? - A BBC technology blog post on what makes a good technology story. Some interesting stuff.

Media Picks

One year on, Lehman Brothers still haunts us – Intelligent analysis from Jon Snow.

How Carolinians see the race row – I am really enjoying Mark Mardell’s reporting from the US. Thoughtful, interesting and beautifully written.

The trouble with reporting on Sri Lanka – Nick Paton Walsh on the difficulties faced by journalists reporting the conflict in Sri Lanka. He raises some of the same issues recently discussed at an event at the Frontline Club. You can watch a video of the discussion here.

Bananas

Rachel Zoe cracks me up. This woman’s impression of her is scarily good!

Responding to 9/11

Eight years ago, the world was transfixed by the terrible images of what was taking place in New York.

Much has been written about the media’s response to 9/11 and it is now studied by students hoping to become journalists. There are certain bits of coverage that are indelibly imprinted in our minds but today, I wanted to post two pieces that struck me.

Catwalk to carnage – The story of the journalists and photographers who went to New York to cover fashion that September but found themselves witnesses to the horror of the terrorist attacks.

The Daily Show Returns – The Daily Show returned to the airwaves less than two weeks after 9/11 and Jon Stewart opened the show by delivering an emotional response to what had happened.

Media Picks

Newspapers find a new way to monetize their journalists – Reporters at the NYT are to turn teacher, leading courses in their specialist subjects. Is this the future of newspapers?

James Murdoch hits out at BBC and regulators at Edinburgh TV festival - Everyone predicted he would be critical of the BBC in his speech. He did not disappoint.

Embeds: The Good, The Bad, and The Accurate - The Columbia Journalism Review highlights US policy on military embeds.

Dominic Mohan named Sun editor – When I first started reading papers, I would always turn to The Sun’s Bizarre section first. Now the man who was editing it back then is in charge of the whole paper

Media Picks

A School Bus for Shamsia – Journalist Dexter Filkins reports on Afghan schoolgirls and finds himself compelled to offer them help.

Eunice Kennedy and the death of the great American dream – A beautiful reflection on the Kennedy family and its place in US culture.

Stuart Webb: under fire in Afghanistan – This video from Channel 4 News cameraman shows just how dangerous life in Afghanistan is.

Panorama: What are we fighting for? - Jane Corbin reports on life for Afghan woman, uncovering stories of great bravery and enormous tragedy. Video only available to UK viewers.

Media Picks

Boy held by al Qaeda, now free – A heartbreaking story by CNN’s Arwa Damon.

Confessions of a checkout girl at Sainsbury’s: A portrait of modern Britain from the other side of the till – A fantastic piece of writing that I found surprisingly touching.

The Nielsen revolt – Jeff Jarvis on the potential for TV companies to create their own measurement company.

And something cute…

Media Picks

The stickiness of UK newspaper sites compared – Some interesting figures but the commentators seem to be questioning the calculations.

Bill Clinton In North Korea To Free U.S. Journalists – The top photo in this story is so incredibly touching.

Next Week, New York Goes Mad for Mad Men – AMC’s marketing division are smart cookies.

Home at Last

Euna Lee and Laura Ling have arrived back in the US. So wonderful to see them back in the arms of their families.