Comments on: Cincinnati News Media Grades: Average-to-Failing

By: Chris Martin

Chris Martin — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 18:26:50 +0000

I appreciate the feedback. We had limitations in how many outlets we could cover (due to the number of analysts available), but I agree — we should have included the Post. A practical difficulty, though — the Post (in its paper version) doesn’t make it up to Oxford, at least not where I can find it. I know on Brian Griffin’s blog (cincinnati.blogspot.com) there is debate that the Post doesn’t deserve much discussion because it will be toast after the JOA expires, but even if that is so (please reconsider, Scripps), it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be giving it the credit it deserves. My initial sense is that it would have done well, grade-wise.

We limited our analysis to daily news, although certainly the weeklies and monthlies have great merit in what they do. It’s just not as easy to compare them, and we’d have to develop a grading scheme beyond what Grade the News has to handle them.

NPR stations do good work, too. I think local affiliates WMUB and WVXU (and WKNU, although we have a harder time of hearing it up here) deserve scrutiny, too. Personal gripe: I like WVXU’s local news, but it’s beyond me why they use taped news bits from Clyde Gray in the afternoon. Those reports belie the NPR style — they’re just an audio recap of the evening news crime block.

Lisa Warren: I appreciate your invitation, too. I think the JournalNews does good reporting, subject-wise. The main thing that drew down the score was the generally short length of stories, which doesn’t allow for many sources.

I recently communicated with Michael Stoll of Grade the News and they have a more sophisticated news grading method they have sometimes used (apparently different from the one linked above). We might take a look at that for next time we do this. As always, grading is a bit reductive (ask all of my journalism students!), so I worry about getting it right.

By: Brian Griffin

Brian Griffin — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 22:40:29 +0000

Also missing were WVXU and WLW to represent radio. WNKU could be included as well, I don’t listen to their news broadcasts much, so I don’t know how much news they are able to do at this time.

Is adding in WMUB hitting too close to home for this study?

By: Joe Wessels

Joe Wessels — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 00:36:22 +0000

I have to agree: The study is incomplete – my biases noted – that you did not include a number of local Cincinnati news outlets, not only The Cincinnati Post and The Kentucky Post (where I’m earning most of my bacon these days), but CityBeat and the Business Courier.

I think your study is a nice start, but you cannot randomly exclude news sources that (a) publish daily or (b) publish legitimate news, even if on a weekly basis. Heck, even Cincinnati Magazine – a monthly publication – has great news and scoops in their pages.

Had you included these news sources I think your study would have been much more compelling and be a better barometer of local news. Without, I’m afraid, it actually borders on being a disservice to readers of your Blog.

Like JournalNews Editor Lisa Warren who commented above, most journalists welcome criticism and would like to know how you think they rate. I know I would have.

By: News Junkie

News Junkie — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 17:39:58 +0000

I definitely think The Cincinnati Post and Cincinnati City Beat should have been included in the review. As area news sources go, those are two of the best, in my opinion.

By: C. Aquino

C. Aquino — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:39:46 +0000

I am shocked that you did not include The Cincinnati Post, which does strong work in covering local issues and writing clear, detailed articles that equip readers with information and background needed to form opinions and take action on important issues that affect us all.

By: Lisa Warren

Lisa Warren — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 16:08:08 +0000

Thank you for your study of the media; we welcome criticism. As a recent journalism instructor at MU Oxford, and as the editor of the JournalNews & the Middletown Journal, I would enjoy talking with your class so we could have a fuller discussion and some give & take on local journalism.

By: Chris Kelley

Chris Kelley — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 05:14:26 +0000

Great job on a worthwhile topic. It is late, and I may have missed it. Is there a link that takes us to the report? I have had my own battles with Cincinnati television news in two areas. First, the tendency to use political think tanks with an ax to grind without telling the viewer where the group’s politics lie–a favorite of a number of our local television news stations is the Buckeye Institute–a Libertarian think tank that can never find a good thing to say about taxes or regulations.
Second, is the use of video news releases without letting the viewer know who produced the segment. The “Center for Media and Democracy” have released two reports on the use of VNRs–one by private companies and the other by government agencies–and Cincinnati television stations have been cited as chronic violators of the public trust.

By: andrew martin

andrew martin — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 01:37:32 +0000

This seems like an obvious question arising from this kind of research and perhaps it has already been done. If not, next semester Miami…
It would be interesting to see how A newspapers or tv stations fare against C newspapers or tv stations in similar markets in terms of the overall economic health of the newspapers. I’d be curious if “socially responsible journalism” translates into more readers/viewers.

By: Alex Parker

Alex Parker — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:18:03 +0000

Cool to see Miami getting some props on Romenesko. I’d love to see grade the media on student media. The Miami Student has lost some luster since my days at MU, just three and a half years ago. How does it measure up to papers at other schools Miami compares itself to? First in 2009!