Mark Obbie's Blog, page 45

Ethics held hostage

Given that there’s no point in expecting every branch of a competitive news media on an undeniably compelling story like the Cleveland kidnappings to show restraint, what can responsible journalists do in response to the frenzy just witnessed in the … Continue reading →

This is not another Jodi Arias story

I guess I live in a bubble. According to Arizona Republic‘s Laurie Roberts, The [Jodi] Arias trial is a national obsession. It is 50 shades of shocking played out all day every day on TV screens and computer screens across … Continue reading →

Welcome, people of the Nook

Good news for users of the Barnes & Noble Nook tablet: Now you’ll be able to download the free Kindle reading app to read Amazon-exclusive e-books like God’s Nobodies. Until now, Amazon provided its app for every platform, from PCs … Continue reading →

New and valuable resources on crime reporting

Thanks to this panel discussion on news coverage of mass shootings and community trauma, part of this Columbia Journalism School symposium last week put on by the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, … Continue reading →

Turning away from injustice

I’m on my way home from the excellent writers conference put on by the American Society of Journalists and Authors (side note to freelance journalists: the group, and its conference, are an essential investment, IMHO). While there, I picked up … Continue reading →

E-singles resources

Welcome, ASJAers! As an add-on to the panel discussion I’m moderating on April 25 in New York, at the annual conference of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, I’ve prepared this list of links to resources. The talk is … Continue reading →

A victim’s grace under pressure

Is it possible to sit next to a mother of a murder victim and talk about the need to understand criminals better? Should she fight back when she hears someone say we need smarter policies that don’t just bring the … Continue reading →

Firefighters, death, and duty

I just drove past my small town’s fire station, where the parking lot is clogged with trucks and cars for a training exercise. Halfway across the country, in tiny West, Texas, eight volunteers went to their deaths less than three … Continue reading →

America’s Least Trusted News Sources

Here we go again. Another big story, another example of flat-out false reporting that probably is destined for a day’s worth of tongue-clucking before we move on. What will it take to inject a sense of responsibility and caution into … Continue reading →

Shaming the Bronx

William Glaberson’s magnificent series “Justice Denied,” which concludes today in The New York Times, is not just a triumph of accountability journalism, though it most certainly is that. It’s also a triumph of common sense. Rather than drone on for countless column … Continue reading →