In case you missed it

This fall as the leaves change, so does the journalism industry. Here are a few changes from The GH Spin’s “In case you missed it” file.

• Career inspiration? For those who think that news anchors sometimes look like Barbie Dolls, Mattel’s newest doll will likely make the holiday shopping list. According to its tagline, News Anchor Barbie has “a flair for journalism – and power pink!” If you don’t like it, blame yourself – Mattel conducted a survey via social media to choose the newest doll’s occupation. Read more here or buy it online here.

• CNN’s new boss: The person who changed Headline News to more than just news will now be in charge of transforming America’s first 24-hour cable news network. This is a big job – CNN’s ratings now trail MSNBC and the Fox News Channel. Read more here.

• New head for NBC: One of the last steps of Comcast’s merger with NBC is replacing the head of NBC. It will be interesting to see what, if any, changes we will notice as we watch “must-see TV” and breaking news shows. Read more here.

Media mogul oversteps boundary

Media mogul Mort Zuckerman recently told Fox News that he had helped write one of President Obama’s speeches. Zuckerman is the owner of the New York Daily News and U.S. News & World Report and a regular commentator on Sunday morning news shows.

Despite The Atlantic’s report that “Obama’s aides don’t remember consulting with Zuckerman,” Zuckerman’s claim blurs the relationship between journalists, media companies, and the people and issues they cover. Can media companies be an unbiased source of information if they also help create content for the same high-ranking officials on whom they report?

How would you react if the publisher of the Star Tribune wrote a speech for Governor Tim Pawlenty or the publisher of the Pioneer Press wrote a speech for Mayor Chris Coleman? Would you be skeptical of the newspaper’s future reporting, especially its investigative reporting? Or would you think it is just a reflection of the evolution of the media industry from unbiased reporting to slanted coverage (for example, the Huffington Post or Fox News)?

Certainly, a move like this would undermine the public’s respect for the media and public policy. But the question remains, how much would the journalism industry suffer?

Media companies are trying to stay relevant by redefining their niche in society. Speech writing for the President of the United States goes too far.

When the new world and the old world grammatically collide

The Associated Press has well-established principles that most newsrooms and reporters are expected to follow when they write a story designed for official publication on a Web site, newspaper, or magazine. These guidelines determine the official ways to reference and abbreviate, and most of the world follows.

But what happens when these same reporters and editors who follow AP style are encouraged to embrace social media and Twitter? Should the same rules apply to the 140-character realm as they do to a 1,200 word article? According to Bloomberg News Editor in Chief Matt Winkler, some tweets may not hold up to traditional newsroom standards.

Winkler was less than pleased by some of his journalists’ recent Twitter activity. The reporters were tweeting during a congressional hearing. Winkler did not appreciate that the journalists were broadcasting a running commentary of the testimony rather than factual information, as seen below.

Twitter post by Bloomberg reporter: “McCain thumping on the ‘’you big bankers make too much money.’ Blankfein looks really uncomfortable.”

Winkler comment: ((xxx thumping xxx is an assertion that can’t be reported. Authenticity of quotation is questionable followed by assertion/opinion as there is nothing substantiating subjective xxx uncomfortable xxxx and therefore inaccurate.))

Twitter post by Bloomberg reporter: “Is Levin too cranky by half? Wonder if he’s making GS boys sympathetic characters.”

Winkler comment: ((xxx cranky by half xxx is an assertion/opinion and therefore inaccurate. xxx wonder xxx invites judgment which can’t be verified and is therefore inaccurate.))

What makes Twitter valuable is its immediacy, but the staccato conversations that Twitter facilitates should not be devoid of facts and grammar. AP style is an important way to help organize the written word, and it is interesting to see how established media organizations are struggling to find a place between the new and old world.