Comments on: What journalists can do: The AP’s water story

By: Brian Angliss

Brian Angliss — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:39:57 +0000

This is the kind of journalism that I’d love to do, but can’t. No media outlet would ever pay me what I need to make to cover my various debts and maintain my standard of living, and deep investigative reporting like this takes a huge amount of time. The times I’ve tried it took a solid a month of my free time (part time, of course – the day job takes precedence) to do what I felt was a decent job.

The world, not just the U.S., needs more reporting like this, not less. Alas, that’s not the trend today, and people like me, working for free or even a dollar or two a word, can’t make ends meet doing journalism like this. The only “journalism” that seems to pay any more is the kind that chases down Brittney and Paris. And that’s just not real journalism.

By: Janell Watkins

Janell Watkins — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:09:49 +0000

I’m writing a speech for a college class and will be refering to the AP probe. What I’m wondering is: What prompted the probe? When my mother died of cancer, a friend of mine asked a scientist at the place where she works, Why is there such a high rate of cancer in Arkansas? He was quick to answer, Because of the medical waste disposal plant at Texarkana. That was 8 years ago, but nobody seems to have done anything about it. Does no one care that our ground water is killing us?

By: Djerrid

Djerrid — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:00:07 +0000

Kudos for giving praise where it’s due. We can often be too quick with the stick and not generous enough with the carrot.

By: Dr. Slammy

Dr. Slammy — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:57:24 +0000

We often carp about what journalism has become and complain that it could be, SHOULD be, doing better.

How wonderful to have the point so well illustrated.

By: Support this story on Stirrdup

Support this story on Stirrdup — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:23:53 +0000

What journalists can do: The APÂ’s water story…

This story has been submitted to Stirrdup. Your support can help it become hot….

By: JS O'Brien

JS O'Brien — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:13:21 +0000

Nice article, Doc. In keeping with points I’ve made before (and I’m sure you’re tired of hearing), I think it’s significant that the AP makes its money on surfacing content. In other words, their journalists make money for them instead of being considered a cost of doing business. A good story gets picked up in more places and generates more money for the AP.

The part of the media that depends mostly on advertising for revenue is the part that’s sucking wind, assuming that ad revenues are down (as they are for newspapers).

To badly belabor a point, newspapers need to find a way to make money on content, and that probably requires a change in law.

By: www.buzzflash.net

www.buzzflash.net — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:08:10 +0000

What journalists can do: The APâ€™s water story…

Journalists broke this story. Not a government agency. Not a corporation. Not a whistleblower. Not a blogger. Well-trained, experienced journalists did â€” with the backing of a news organization willing to dedicate resources to do for the public what …