mediacrit.com » Internet

Why Does Anyone Take Andrew Breitbart Seriously?

Christopher Martin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:08:42 +0000

Andrew Breitbart has a job to do and he does it well. Breitbart’s job is to lie and distort the truth in order to advance a right-wing agenda, embarrass liberals, and undermine the Obama administration. Breitbart is not a journalist, researcher, or pundit. He is a propagandist. Read the entire post by Peter Dreier and Christopher [...]

Links to News Reports on ACORN Study

Christopher Martin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:52:31 +0000

Harold Meyerson, “For ACORN, Truth Lost Amid the Din,” Washington Post, September 23, 2009. University of Northern Iowa, “Profs: Why ACORN was in the news in ‘07-’08, and what the media got wrong,” Romenesko, September 23, 2009. Alicia Shepard, “The ACORN Videos: Did NPR Ignore Them?” NPR, September 23, 2009. Michael Calderone, “Study: Media’s been wrong on ACORN,” [...]

Manipulating the Public Agenda: Why ACORN Was in the News, and What the News Got Wrong

Christopher Martin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:18:58 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A study by Christopher R. Martin, Ph.D. and Peter Dreier, Ph.D. Using the controversy over ACORN as a case study, this report illustrates the way the media help set the agenda for public debate, and frame the way that debate is shaped. It describes how “opinion entrepreneurs” (primarily business and conservative groups and individuals) [...]

Mourning in America

Christopher Martin — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:22:30 +0000

Tim Russert, the host of NBC’s Meet the Press for 17 years who died suddenly on June 13, seemed like a thoroughly decent guy to me. In the following days, Washington journalists, politicians, and his viewing public lauded him as a fine political analyst, a straight shooter, and a great family man. In fact, we [...]

WE SURVIVED THE STRIKE! Of course we did.

Christopher Martin — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:24:09 +0000

Back around November 5, when the Writers Guild of America first called a strike against the major entertainment studios, there were almost hysterical reports in the news media -- what are we going to do without new episodes of our favorite TV programs? Like, Omigosh! The January 25 Entertainment Weekly even had a special "Strike Survival Guide" issue with cover of a bearded Conan O'Brien (who, along with David Letterman, used the time off the screen to watch his facial hair grow) that boasted "67 tips to beat the entertainment dry spell."

No Time to be Neutral on Net Neutrality

Christopher Martin — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 21:06:45 +0000

But now major telephone companies and cable companies, which control 98 percent of broadband access in the U.S. (through DSL and cable modem service), would like to dismiss net neutrality give faster connections and greater priority to clients willing to pay higher rates.

The End of Shock Jocks?

Christopher Martin — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:56:58 +0000

What Imus hadnâ€™t counted on is the replay of his comment by hundreds of thousands of viewers on YouTube and the Media Matters website. Mr. Imus, welcome to the new world of media watchdogs and the Internet.

October Surprise?

Christopher Martin — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 21:48:53 +0000

I was just a bit wary of politics at play when gasoline prices topped out over $3 a gallon during the summer, then dropped more than $1 this fall. I find that Iâ€™m not alone in my mistrust. A nationwide USA Today/Gallup Poll conducted in late September found that 42 percent of Americans think â€œthe Bush Administration has deliberately manipulated the price of gasoline so that it would decrease before this fallâ€™s elections.â€

Hey, Look at Me, My Space, My Face

Christopher Martin — Wed, 17 May 2006 06:17:17 +0000

Facebook feels a bit like an old-style high school yearbook, where you write an amusing little note in all of your friendsâ€™ books at the end of the year. On Facebook, though, you can post amusing little notes to your friendsâ€™ pages every day, or even several times a day.

Blogging the News, Gossip, and Pet Peeves

Christopher Martin — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 18:15:02 +0000

A 2005 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that more than 8 million U.S. adults have created a blog, and 27 percent of Internet users report that they read blogs. Of course, the vast majority of the Internetâ€™s millions of blogs donâ€™t have many readers, and typically read like a diaryâ€”a diary that blog writers must sometimes forget that millions of people could read.