AAN News
Secrecy Laws Leave Dentists' Patients Vulnerablenew
Because state law keeps secret most accusations made to the New Mexico state dental board, the public has little opportunity to find out if their dentist has been the subject of complaints, Brendan L. Smith writes in the Santa Fe Reporter. The paper's examination of some publicly available records uncovers cases in which the board approved licenses for dentists who had been convicted in other states of molestation and drug abuse. The patients of one Santa Fe dentist accuse her doing unnecessary and substandard full-mouth reconstructions.
Eyewitness Testimony Is Suspect in Wrongful Convictionsnew
Because of the advent of DNA forensics, thousands of convictions in the United States have been overturned in light of new physical evidence. According to recent studies, 80 percent of these wrongful convictions were based upon false or mistaken eyewitness testimony. David S. Bernstein of the The Boston Phoenix reports on the outmoded techniques the Boston Police Department uses for eyewitness identification. He describes three convictions that merit another look.
Anonymous Sources Are No Longer Frightened Little Mennew
"The source seeking anonymity isn’t 'bucking the system' -- he is the system," David Ehrenstein writes in L.A. Weekly. It's not just the Jayson Blairs of the news industry who deceive readers; it's those reporters who publish dubious information supplied by public relations representatives whose identity and motives remain concealed. In some journalistic circles, shoe-leather reporting has been replaced by a formula Ehrenstein describes this way: "Promise the bosses at your paper that you will get scoops, then cut deals with highly placed individuals to serve as their conduit to the front pages."
Tags: L.A. Weekly
Washington Post Columnist Speculates on Identity of Iraq Memo Writernew
Writing in "The Reliable Source," Richard Leiby (pictured) presents evidence to support the theory that Michael Rubin wrote the memo that was the subject of Jason Vest's story for the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies last week. Leiby describes Rubin as "a thirty-something neocon intellectual" who served as a Coalition Provisional Authority political officer in Iraq for nine months. He is now a scholar at the "hawkish American Enterprise Institute." Rubin wouldn't confirm or deny that he wrote the memo.
Washington Post |
04-26-2004 7:47 am |
Industry News
Memo Blames More Than White House
04-26-2004 9:04 am |
Letters to the Editor
Songwriter Michael Fracasso Pursues Art over Hitsnew
When singer Michael Fracasso "finds, as he frequently does, a certain inflection, he can break your heart or stir your soul on the beat," Dave Marsh writes in The Austin Chronicle. Marsh profiles the talented Austin singer whose wife says he doesn't want fame for himself, only his songs.
Text of Redacted Memo by U.S. Official in Iraq Posted
The memo that was the subject of Jason Vest's article for many Association of Alternative Newsweeklies papers is published here. The memo writer begins by emphasizing the positive: the sincere gratitude of the Iraqis and bustling commerce in Baghdad. But he warns that the Coalition Provisional Authority is isolated by its "security bubble" and must be careful not to project weakness to insurgents and corrupt Governing Council members. The memo writer, whose name was redacted in the text Vest obtained, warns that it would be "a grave mistake to transfer authority to the United Nations." He claims that an audit of the UN oil-for-food system has already uncovered "serious wrongdoing in banks, and discrepancies of billions of dollars." AAN is making the memo available because of high reader interest and the number of media queries that have come in since Vest's article was posted.
(FULL STORY)
04-23-2004 5:59 pm |
Industry News
Politics of Newsweeklies' Owners and Editorial Staffs Conflictnew
Seattle Weekly writers bash George W. Bush, but the president might take some consolation in the generous contributions he gets by way of the paper's co-owner, Goldman Sachs. The financial investment company's employees "have donated $436,199 to Bush over the course of the president's political career -- and a startling $301,225 in this year's election cycle alone," Josh Feit reports in The Stranger. Goldman Sachs is one of three investors in the Weekly's parent company, Village Voice Media.
The Stranger |
04-22-2004 3:48 pm |
Industry News
Democracy Now! Host Doesn't Follow Media Sheepnew
Amy Goodman's "bare-knuckled, sometimes confrontational interview style and fiercely progressive politics distinguish her from the rest of the tapioca field in commercial and public broadcast media," Alexander Zaitchik writes. The show she launched eight years ago on a Pacifica affiliate station in New York now airs on 200 radio and television stations. In this New York Press interview, Goodman reveals both her optimism (she believes war can be eradicated) and her toughness.
U.S. Errors Could Inflame Deeper Conflicts in Iraq, CPA Official Warns
The postwar stabilization of Iraq is not going well, a Coalition Provisional Authority official wrote in a memo in early March. The result: "Baghdadis have an uneasy sense that they are heading towards civil war." The memo describes corruption within the Iraqi Governing Council, resentments about the centralization of power in Baghdad, insufficient security in the Green Zone where CPA officials stay, and black-market sales of U.S.-supplied weapons by Iraqi police. Investigative reporter Jason Vest obtained a copy of the memo from a Western intelligence official and was commissioned to write an article about it for the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. His piece, "Fables of the Reconstruction," is being published simultaneously on the Web sites of scores of AAN papers.
(FULL STORY)
04-22-2004 8:40 pm |
Industry News
Tags: Editorial, Electronic Publishing
Bakeries Lose Business As Dieters Go Low-Carbnew
Sales are down not just because of the 10 million Americans who are on a low-carbohydrate regime like the Atkins diet. Perhaps more influential, writes Lissa Harris for Boston's Weekly Dig, "is the general protein-good, carbs-bad theology of the Atkins diet that is gradually pervading conventional wisdom." The food industry's response has been a little schizophrenic, she observes, with bakers developing more low-carb goodies at the same time they are trying to restore carbohydrates' good name to the public.
Swedish Firm Plans Launch of Free New York City Tabloidnew
Metro International, which already has free dailies in Boston, Philadelphia and Europe, is expected to launch a New York edition May 5. Executives are also eyeing expansion into San Francisco and Washington, Jon Fine reports in AdAge. Some advertisers aren't persuaded of the value of these and similar free dailies, which appear to have been "hastily assembled with scissors and a pot of glue," according to Fine. The risk of losing ads is borne by alternative weeklies, he reports, quoting Jane Levine, executive vice president of Chicago Reader, about the impact.
AdAge.com |
04-21-2004 12:16 pm |
Industry News
Readers Want to See Memo
04-20-2004 3:33 pm |
Letters to the Editor
