Press
NMI... then and now
When I walked into the offices of the New Mexico Independent in September 1971 to deliver my first column, I smelled smoke, and oily ink, and hot paper. In late 1970, Mark and Mary Beth Acuff, and a few investors, had bought El Independiente and its flat bed press. Along with the equipment came a contract to sell legal advertising which kept the Acuffs’ cash flow going in good times and bad...
Iglesias on the Daily Show
King to sign shield law letter
State Attorney General Gary King will be signing a letter of support for a federal shield law for journalists this week.
If 36 state attorneys general sign on, the National Association of Attorneys General has said it will officially support the legislation at the national level, and possibly break a logjam in the U.S. Senate on S. 2035, the Free Flow of Information Act.
Beyond reporting
Arithmetic is not my strength, but I can handle even numbers. It was 50 years ago that I lucked into my first reporting job. The Bergen Evening Record in Hackensack, New Jersey assigned me to cover three growing commuter towns along the Hudson River. I got a better education motoring nightly from Mayor and Council to Board of Education, by way of Planning and Zoning boards and the cop shack, than I did working on a Master’s at Columbia University by day.
American fashion victim
Now that much of the primary election dust has settled, we can pause to take a look at another American event that captured quite a bit of attention at home and abroad over the past fortnight: Dunkin’ Donuts’ decision to yank a coffee advertisement because popular and perky chef Rachel Ray wore a "terrorist scarf."
"Daily Show" Puts Gov. on Obama's "Black and Tan" ticket
Anyone catch a Gov. Bill Richardson reference in the "Daily Show with Jon Stewart" last night, May 28? The show's "senior Black correspondent" Larry Wilmore explains Barack Obama's running mate choices, and our beloved Guv comes up as the "Black and Tan" ticket. Watch it, it's funny.
With this "fake news" TV outlet giving Richardson a teensy chance as a running mate, who knows, maybe the biggies with the supposed "real" insight will follow. As Jon Stewart would say, "Go on...."
'Body of War' hits Albuquerque
A film shown in Albuquerque, a new tell-all book and morning TV show interview all converged this week to cast light on the run up to the Iraq war -- a struggle that still rages five years after the 2003 invasion at a cost of thousands of lives.
Good news for journos
Amid a sea of bad news about the journalism industry, journos in New Mexico found a reason to smile this week. UNM's journalism school has been accredited, five years after department heads voluntarily withdrew an accreditation application after reviewers expressed concerns about the program.
TODAY'S TOP STORIES
Here's a summary of today's news from several New Mexico media outlets and newspapers.
Elizabeth Edwards takes press to task
In case you missed it, Elizabeth Edwards’ recent column in The New York Times is worth a look. In it, the wife of former Democratic presidential contender John Edwards pleads with the press to do its job: Write about the issues in covering campaigns, not the candidates’ polling numbers or bowling scores.