Hiding images of one of Phelps wins?

He did it. Michael Phelps lived up to the media's hype and was able to nab eight gold medals.

The pressure that was put on him by the news media was incredible. Sure, no one had ever accomplished the feat before, but what if he had gotten eight golds and one silver? Still amazing and possibly true.

An article released Saturday, claims that swim officials are withholding the images of the Olympic men's 100 butterfly finish. I'm not sure if you caught the race, but it was so close that it was hard to tell. Phelps was declared the winner over Milorad Cavic by one-hundredth of a second.

Could it be that it was close enough that they could swing the win Phelps way and no one would question it? Was it to keep Phelps Olympic quest for eight gold medals alive?

Facebook Beacon violates several laws

A husband plans, researches and buys the perfect Christmas gift for his wife.

He can't wait to surprise her. Instead, all was ruined when a message was displayed on his Facebook news feed stating, "Sean Lane bought a 14K White Gold 1/5 ct Diamond Eternity Flower Ring from overstock.com." The news feed is able to be read by anyone looking at his Facebook site, including his wife.

According to an article, a group of irked Facebook members filed a class-action lawsuit against Facebook Tuesday that said the company's controversial Beacon advertising program violates several laws, including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), and the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA).

I don't understand why Facebook would take such risks and want to be a part of publishing sometimes private information. Were they just hoping that all Facebook members would be happy with the postings? Were they seeing how much more traffic those postings would bring and hope they would offset the negative feedback?

Facebook has not yet commented on the lawsuit, but it will be interesting to hear what they have to say.

Fake fireworks fly over Beijing

Were you able to watch the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics?

If you were, most likely you were watching it on your television from the comforts of your couch, which can't even come close to watching the fireworks live in Beijing.

Well according to an article, NBC added fake fireworks and didn't exactly show the event live. Does it really matter? Is it really that big of a deal if it made watching the ceremonies that much more spectacular?

Movies have digital effects. Television shows have enhancements. I guess I don't understand why making a televised show more visually interesting would cause this much debate.

Crime stories without information

Someone may have been arrested somewhere in town after a store may have been robbed.

Can you imagine reading headlines or stories with no actual information? It happened recently in Buffalo, NY when the Buffalo Police Department removed important crime information from a database that reporters have access to.

I don't understand the reason behind police wanting to hide information, especially in regards to crimes, from the public. Police are supposed to protect and inform citizens in whatever way they deem possible.

In the article, David J. Krajicek, a longtime police reporter, gave his feedback on the situation. “The five W’s and the H are questions that police reporters have been asking for 200 years or more,” he said. “For the Buffalo police to deny those answers runs counter to every trend that has been happening in law enforcement.”

The mayor of Buffalo indicated that he had not been aware of the situation, but as soon as it was brought to his attention, he ordered the police to restore the information.

End of Nancy Grace

I am not a fan of Nancy Grace. I find her highly offensive, rude and downright evil.

It just so happens that the end of her career could be near. A family is suing Grace for being responsible for their daughter's suicide.

Melinda Duckett was 21 at the time she appeared on Grace's CNN show. She was a young mother trying to find her missing son.

Grace accusingly questioned Duckett as if she were the one responsible for the missing boy.

In the article, it states that CNN and Grace argued that the wrongful death lawsuit brought by Melinda Duckett's family would "severely chill" journalists' coverage of missing-persons cases.

Even after hearing the argument, the judge has refused to dismiss the lawsuit.

Not all journalists treat guests in such a harsh and accusing manner as Grace does. I can only hope that soon, I no longer have to flip through the channels and see her.

Russert replacing Russert?

When I first read that Russert would be named NBC news reporter I thought I must have been reading an old article. Was Tim Russert coming back from the dead?

Sure I knew Russert had a son, Luke, but I also knew I had read that he recently had graduated. Was he ready to be a news reporter for a major station at such a young, inexperienced age?

In the article, it says that Luke Russert had extensive media experience. Was one appearance on "Larry King Live" and a being a co-host for an XM radio show enough?

I don't doubt that Russert will do a good job, but his father passing away was what opened the door for him. We will soon see how long the network keeps him around.

Sex sells news.

What will newspapers do to keep readers interested in the news?

The Sun, one of the most circulated daily tabloids, has an idea it thinks will work. A 21-year-old model named Keeley Hazell. According to a recent article, Hazell will be a downloadable widget, dressed in lingerie, sharing the latest news.

A quote from the article states that Ben Hughes, head of digital marketing at News Group Media, said, "We combined the latest technology, great Sun content and Britain's favourite Page 3 girl to offer our readers a product which leaves our rivals standing."

The Sun is published in the United Kingdom, but I am sure that it will soon be taking American males by storm. Wonder what American newspaper will follow in their footsteps? I'm sure it won't be long.

Reporting without bias on presidential candidates

At a recent convention in Chicago, a news correspondent asked her fellow colleagues if they could cover Barack Obama fairly. That correspondent, Mara Schiavocampo, is also a black woman. The colleagues she asked the question of are black as well.

To ask a white reporter if they felt he could cover John McCain fairly seems odd. What if you are a white Democratic woman and the question was asked of you? Most likely you are not a McCain supporter, but reporters are supposed to be unbiased and state the facts.

In her article, it appears to me that she asked four correspondents who are cleary Obama supporters the question, but did she ask any who were not? Do black Republicans not exist?
Or what about the white reporters who are equally as proud of Obama and what he has accomplished? Don't they face the same situation of trying to report on the candidate in an unbiased way?

Leno over Nightline?

Have you heard that Jay Leno is leaving the "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" show next year? Do you really care?

Frankly, I was happy to hear that I would no longer have to see the man with the huge chin telling bad jokes, and attempting to interact with his guests. I have never really been a fan of Leno.

I wasn't surprised that he announced he was leaving or that the station might be looking for something new to fill his place. What surprised me was to hear that ABC was considering picking Leno up, which could possibly mean the end of "Nightline." Is ABC crazy?

According to a recent article, "'Nightline' is a competitive No. 2 and has increased its retention from ABC stations' late local news from 39% in 2005 to 50%". This has happened while "Late Show With David Letterman" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" both saw declines. So why would ABC think that by bringing Leno to the station would boost ratings?

"Nightline" is a daily newsmagazine that "serves as a last word on the news and has its own sometimes serious, sometimes quirky take." I enjoy the show and have for many years. The show is like comfort food for the soul.

I couldn't agree more with the previous anchor of "Nightline," Ted Koppel, when he said, "I think it would be a terrible shame. There are plenty of good comedy shows out there. There are very few thoughtful television programs." Let's hope ABC makes the right choice and remains with a good thing.

A picture is worth...death?

Photojournalists take pictures that tell stories and capture audiences. Their job is to be quick on the draw and to get the best shot possible. In certain cases, they even put their lives at risk.

But what about the people in the pictures? What about putting their lives at risk? Do photojournalists think about how they will be affected?

Warren Zinn, an ex-photojournalist, ponders those questions in his article Richochet. He writes about an email he received in regards to a photograph he had taken, while embedded with a troop in March 2003. It was the beginning of the war in Iraq and he was a young photojournalist trying to make a name for himself.

Zinn was able to capture the perfect picture. It was of a soldier, Joseph Dwyer, carrying a young Iraqi boy who had been injured. It was such a heroic visualization of the war, that it ended up on the front page of the USA Today, as well as many news outlets around the world.

That was 5 years ago. Two weeks ago, Zinn received an email that read, "the soldier you made famous -- killed himself last Saturday -- thought you should know." Dwyer had died of a substance overdose. In an article posted on theage.com, it indicated that he had been sniffing aerosol in order to fall asleep.

Was it thoughts of the war that made him unable to sleep? Was it the fame that came with the picture? Was it because everytime he turned around he saw the picture and again was reminded of the war?

It leaves Zinn with many questions as written in his article. "Did this photo have anything to do with his death? News reports said he hated the celebrity that came with the picture. How much, I wondered, did that moment -- just 1/250th of a second when three lives intersected on a river bank in Iraq -- contribute to the burdens he'd brought home with him? If I'd never taken his picture, would he have ended up as he did? Would he still have been a casualty of war?"

Only Joseph Dwyer knew the truth and now he is gone. His memory will live on forever in the famous photograph taken by Warren Zinn. The very photograph that may had a part in the end to his life.

Politics, Religion and the Media?

What has America come to when we decide who our president will be based on who he decides on who his pastor is? The media certainly thinks it should.

Yes, religion is important. Yes, it is an important part of society. And yes, it is does reflect on who a person is. But, just because a person identifies someone as his pastor, should that mean that they also assume all responsibility going forward for that pastor and his actions?

In the Running on Faith article released Jul. 10 on the Pew Forum, it states, "Obama’s decisions to relinquish his membership with Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ and to sever ties with its controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, could influence voters’ opinions of him, especially since he is a relatively new figure in national politics."

Journalists are always looking for a new twist, a different kind of story or something that has yet to be reported on. They dig for dirt on all parties involved, especially in a presidential campaign. They give voters scenarios to ponder, as in the case of Obama and Rev. Wright.

I have people I trust and who I believe in. There are people I would say support me. However, if that trusted person decides to take actions that I don't necessarily approve or have any control of, I would hope that it wouldn't reflect negatively on me.

So, as long as I stay out of the spotlight and journalists don't have a story to tell about me, I won't let the people in my life influence others opinions of me.

Sunday mornings and the newspaper....a thing of the past?

Oh, how I look forward to Sunday mornings...nothing beats waking up to a good cup of coffee and the Sunday newspaper.

Doesn't anyone feel that way anymore?

With recent news of layoffs at major newspapers, it appears that my Sunday morning ritual may soon be a thing of the past.

Phil Rosenthal, a Chicago Tribune reporter, posted an article today, announcing the Tribune's plan to cut 80 newsroom positions by August. Just five days prior, the Los Angeles Times, announced they were going to cut 250 jobs, which included 150 from the news staff, as stated in an article by Michael A. Hiltzik, a Times staff writer. Both the Tribune and the Times are owned by Tribune Co.

How is a newspaper going to exist with such a shrinking news staff? The immediate answer is to cut the size of the paper. The Tribune will be cutting the number of pages by 13 to 14 percent each week, while the Times stated they were decreasing the number of pages printed by 15 percent.

Cut the size of the newspaper. Cut the staff. Cut the stories. Cut the ads. Oh wait...the ads. The ads are another major cause for shrinking papers. Advertising in print, is becoming a thing of the past for many companies. Consumers seem to find it more appealing to see the cherry-red Merecedes-Benz driving across their computer screen with full sound effect, than they do looking at a still, sometimes black and white, picture in the papger. Ok, I must admit that is a little more appealing to the senses.

Advertising is the backbone of newspapers. Without companies advertising in papers, the newspapers are taking a big hit. The money coming in to cover the cost of running and publishing a newspaper is diminishing.

In our world, we need to know the news as it happens. We don't have time to wait until the next morning when a newspaper is delivered. If there is a fire across town, why not click on the streaming live video, rather than to read about how big it was tomorrow. This need is having devastating effect on newspapers and quite possibly making them a thing of the past.

In the meantime, while newspapers are still around, I will open my door, grab my Sunday newspaper off of my porch, and sit down to read it with a good cup of coffee.