Sound Off – Rate this year's primary coverage?

It’s coming down the wire…

With that said, was the local media fair and balanced in its coverage when it came to Sen. Barack Obama and or Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Pennsylvania Primary?

Or did it find itself getting caught up in the “gotcha” issues and not the important ones similar to last week’s debate with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson?

How would you rate the election coverage this year? If you had the chance, what would you have changed?

Sound off…

Instructions to comment: Click on "comments" directly below then leave your statement in the comment box provided and press "publish comment."

Sound Off – ABC dropped the ball in Phila. debate?

Was ABC wrong in granting George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson almost a full hour on “gotcha” issues in Wednesday night’s debate between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton?

Was the tone in Wednesday night's debate anti-Obama?

Why weren’t critical issues such as the struggling economy, crime and the War in Iraq – topics affecting both Philadelphia and the country – avoided until the second hour?

And was it "bad ethics" for Stephanopoulos, who was a former Clinton employee, to ask questions for such an important debate?

Instructions to comment: Click on "comments" directly below then leave your statement in the comment box provided and press "publish comment."

300 of Color Lost Newspaper Jobs

An estimated 2,400 journalists left newsrooms in 2007 through a
combination of buyouts and layoffs, and nearly 300 of them were
journalists of color, the American Society of Newspaper Editors
reported on Sunday.

"Since 2001, newsrooms have lost an estimated 3,800 professionals, a
6.7 percent decline. But the largest loss came last year," the ASNE
said in reporting its annual diversity census.

"The percent of minority journalists working at daily newspapers grew
minimally to 13.52 percent from 13.43 percent of all journalists,
according to ASNE," a news release said as the society opened its
annual convention in Washington.

The figure had risen to 13.73 percent in 2006. The organization first
set a goal of reaching parity with the percentage of people of color
in the general population by 2000, then by 2025. In 2006, the general
population percentage was 34 percent, according to the census bureau.

In a conference call as ASNE prepared to release its figures, the
presidents of the associations of black, Hispanic, Asian American and
Native Americans, plus their umbrella Unity organization, unanimously
agreed that there is no way the industry will reach parity by 2025 at
the rate it is going, Mark Fitzgerald reported Sunday for Editor &
Publisher.

-Journal-isms

Sound Off - What do you think?

Sound off topic:

Do the media go over the top every time Hillary Clinton makes a
negative charge at Barack Obama? Could it be racial
bias or racial ignorance?

David Aldridge leaving Phila. Inquirer

Sports columnist David Aldridge, hit by layoffs at the Philadelphia Inquirer a year ago, then reinstated after protests that a disproportionate number of journalists of color were affected, is leaving the paper, he told colleagues last week on Thursday.
“I'm just tired,” Aldridge told Richard Prince’s Journal-isms. “I've been full-time with the Inquirer and Turner since the fall of '04 and it's been a grind,” referring to Turner Network Television. “I really enjoyed my time in Philly and I've come to really respect the fans there, who only want to win. I don't have anything else lined up other than continuing to work with TNT, which continues to be an excellent place to be.”
Aldridge becomes the third black columnist to leave the Inquirer sports department recently, following Stephen A. Smith, who was reassigned to be a reporter and instead left the paper, and Claire Smith, assistant sports editor and baseball columnist, who went to ESPN.
Sports editor Jim Cohen said in a memo, “David Aldridge will be leaving The Inquirer after next week. As many of you know, David has been juggling responsibilities for The Inquirer and a television network for a number of years, and that has become untenable for him. We will miss him for his reporting, maturity and professionalism. As someone who has worked with David in newspapers and television, I have always appreciated his dedication to doing journalism the right way, regardless of the medium and of the industry trends. At this time, David plans to devote his full attention to television. We wish David and his family well.”
Cohen told Journal-isms on Friday, “I feel very strongly that diversity is very important to our newspaper and our readers. I am committed to making us more diverse. I understand that actions speak louder than words, and I hope our actions in the future will speak positively for themselves.”
In January 2007, Aldridge was one of 71 members of the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia in the Inquirer newsroom who were notified that they would be laid off. After further negotiations between the Guild and management, he was reinstated.

-By Richard Prince’s Journal-isms

Election 2008: Without minority presence in Phila. debate, journalists argue news leaves out issues

Eric Mayes
Tribune Staff Writer

The fact that both moderators in ABC’s Democratic debate, to be held next week in Philadelphia, are white men has raised concerns among some, who agree that it raises broader issues about the lack of diversity among journalists covering this campaign.
“I think that considering the fact the debate is in Philadelphia, it’s a bit disingenuous,” said Denise Clay, a vice-chair for the Media Watch Committee for the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. “You’re in a city that is majority minority. I guess this is ABC’s show and they wanted their people. But couldn’t they find anyone?”
Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton are scheduled to participate in the event, which is to be held at 8 p.m. April 16 at the National Constitution Center.
It is to be moderated by the anchor of ABC’s World News, Charlie Gibson and the network’s Washington bureau chief George Stephanopoulos.
ABC said the two men were chosen to moderate the event because of their experience in the political arena.
“They certainly have the resumes for something like this,” said ABC spokeswoman Natalie Raabe.
Raabe said the network, on Thursday afternoon, would issue a statement further explaining the network’s position. It had not been received at the time story was published on Friday, April 11.
Clay said the network’s choice deprived voters of a broader voice.
She immediately suggested ABC anchor Diane Sawyer or former ABC correspondent Michelle Martin.
“There are too many journalists of color, too many women, too many people who could actually be a voice,” she said. “It’s a shame that in the year 2008 journalists of color are still fighting to get a seat at the table,”
Barbara Ciara, president of the National Association of Black Journalists agreed.
“Based on the rich diversity that Philadelphia has among its population, it’s reasonable to expect that would be considered when selecting a moderator,” she said. “I don’t think all white people think alike, nor do I think all Black people think alike. But the fact that there are so few African Americans in the journalism mix during this election cycle profoundly affects the vision, message and perspective that you see, hear and read in the media.”

To read story in its entirety: www.phillytrib.com/channel/news/301news6345.asp

Former Phila. columnist, Stephen A. Smith gives up radio show

Stephen A. Smith, the former Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist who is now an NBA analyst and commentator for ESPN, is giving up the radio show he began three years ago on ESPN's radio network, he told listeners to his show on Friday.
"ESPN wanted me to concentrate on television and I agreed," Smith told Journal-isms. "I'm a bit tired. It's a two-hour radio show. It was physically taxing. I don't think a lot of people realize that about radio."
Smith's New York-based show aired from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. In September, the last hour began airing nationally. Its final broadcast "for right now" will be Thursday, he said.
"You used to see me on TV" frequently, Smith said. "Now you might see me on Friday night or occasionally on 'SportsCenter.' Now you're going to see me a lot more."
Smith said he had to be in New York or at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., to do the radio show, which limited his mobility.
"I don't like to talk about people that I can't talk to, he said. "I want to be where I can see you. I don't want to be on the sidelines pontificating."
ESPN announced in September that Smith's radio show was going national, a month after the Inquirer stripped him of his column and reassigned him to the reporters ranks, an assignment he never accepted.
He also hired a high-powered attorney, Florida trial lawyer Willie E. Gary.
In January, the Inquirer fired Smith for job abandonment, and he shot back at the newspaper, saying through Gary, "What they have done to me is malicious, intentional and vindictive."
Smith told Journal-isms that without the radio show, he will have more time to write for ESPN: The Magazine and espn.com, although no arrangements with those units have been worked out.

–Richard Prince’s Journal-isms