MMMM #524 -- sloppy news writing, and Penn's "journalism".

     Two news writing problems over the weekend on network TV news shows.

     One was about the Uber Driver who was assaulted by a passenger.

     The Net reported that the passenger is now suing the driver for videotaping him and releasing the video without his permission. The network reporter said "now the tables are turned"...but that's not true. If the tables had "been turned", then the driver would have been attacking the passenger. Relatively small error but sloppy writing, especially on a Network level.

     The other story was the arrest of a suspect in a series of bank robberies in which the robbers wore "Scream" masks. Twice in the story the copy referred to the suspect being"unmasked" as they showed the mug shot. The online story makes no such statement.
     But if you presume innocence, as news people should, then he never had a mask on in the first place. So how could be be unmasked?

###

     60 Minutes featured an interview* with Sean Penn about his interview with the Mexican drug lord who escaped from prison. And he admitted he agreed in advance to let El Chapo read the finished product before publication.

"...it’s no longer journalism; it’s public relations for the subject who has the final say over the piece..."

     So concluded a San Francisco Chronicle column by John Diaz. 
     And The Sacramento Bee agreed, declining to even call it journalism:

"Real journalism about the Mexican drug cartels can get you killed. Just ask the families and colleagues of the 32 reporters and photographers murdered and another 30 who have disappeared since 1992 in Mexico, the vast majority while covering crime and corruption."

* You'll be able to watch the segment online at some point today at www.CBS.com.

ALSO:
Can we ban the inane phrase "What You Need To Know" from the on and off-line media. Really? If it's necessary for you to say that about a story, then I guess the rest of your material is just filler?


[The Monday Morning Media Memo is a regular feature of www.timlennox.com.]