Author Archive

Articles by Edward B. Colby | Email the Author

 

1. Behind the News

   NYT, LAT, Wires Get the Story in Somalia

   September 19, 2006 03:36 PM

   Underreporting from Africa is nothing new. But following an attack on Somalia's president yesterday, readers of American newspapers -- in a welcome turn -- could actually find a substantial amount of coverage on the bombing this morning. Abdullah... Continue reading

2. Behind the News

   Tamara Jones on One Extraordinary 9/11 Mother

   September 15, 2006 05:30 PM

   Tamara Jones' story "Sons of the Mothers," an account of one woman's quest to understand the 9/11 hijacker who killed her son, was published in the Washington Post on Monday, the fifth anniversary of September 11. Jones, 48, has... Continue reading

3. The Audit

   The Sun-Times, and the Lure of Beans

   September 15, 2006 05:05 PM

   CVS really knows how to sell its talking points. The drugstore chain, now expanding in the Windy City, gave a tour of a newly converted store in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood yesterday, getting impressive "value" in a Chicago Sun-Times article today.... Continue reading

4. The Audit

   Reporters Jump on Reports from Reporters

   September 13, 2006 06:00 PM

   On USA Today's homepage this morning, a leading headline was "Speculation swirls around Ford." Simultaneously, the digital front of the paper's Money section carried the headline "Ford speculation grows." Clearly, this is some special speculation -- it's exhibiting the characteristics... Continue reading

5. Politics

   Press Considers ‘2nd Run’ for Gore — Er, ‘3rd’

   September 12, 2006 03:15 PM

   In February of this year we deigned to call the Associated Press the "official home of the 2008 election-related non-story," based on its "compulsion to cover the least consequential bits of (non-)news about the 2008 presidential election." Later, in... Continue reading

6. The Audit

   ABC Loves Tennis Star, ‘Marketing Engine’

   September 8, 2006 01:20 PM

   "The Highest Paid Female Athlete On The Planet; Why Sharapova Is So Hot" blared an ABC News/ESPN Sports headline yesterday, adding: "Maria Sharapova Is One of the Best Tennis Players in the World, a Moneymaking Machine ... and a... Continue reading

7. The Audit

   Apple Gets Reporters With Same Old Trick

   September 7, 2006 02:25 PM

   Ah, fall. Time for the kids to return to school, the birds to fly south, and the publicity wizards at Apple Computer Inc. to milk our tender reporter emotions with strategically planted rumors about yet another big, "mysterious," and therefore... Continue reading

8. Behind the News

   Carl Hartman On One Long Career

   September 5, 2006 02:15 PM

   Carl Hartman, 89, retired this summer after a 62-year career at the Associated Press that made him the AP's longest-serving newsman. Hartman reported from bureaus across Europe for the wire service before moving to its Washington bureau in 1978,... Continue reading

9. Behind the News

   Fewer Beacons of Light in Akron

   September 1, 2006 05:00 PM

   Mary Ethridge grew up with Knight Ridder, and with the Akron Beacon Journal, where her father was editor. Her brother was managing editor of Knight Ridder's Charlotte Observer for much of the 1980s. And so when she landed a... Continue reading

10. Behind the News

    What’s More Important — Plants, or People?

    August 29, 2006 05:10 PM

    On page four today the New York Times carries an 887-word piece from the Canary Islands -- Spanish territory off the coast of southern Morocco home to unusual evolutionary habitats "that fascinated Charles Darwin more than 100 years ago,... Continue reading

11. Politics

    Fox Looks Into Future, Concludes It’s Cloudy

    August 25, 2006 01:20 PM

    As 2008 creeps ever closer, speculation about presidential contenders will surely heat up, especially after November's midterm elections. But for now, with nearly a year and a half to go until the big '08 showdown, the picture is as muddled... Continue reading

12. Behind the News

    Putting a Story Archetype To Rest

    August 24, 2006 05:35 PM

    Been hankering for a good shark-attack story infused with fear, hype and trend-mongering? If so, ABC News' Web site is not the place to look this afternoon -- but it is, refreshingly, where you can find convincing evidence for why... Continue reading

13. The Audit

    No Slaves Here, Folks, Move Along Please

    August 23, 2006 03:00 PM

    Apple Computer Inc. recently investigated itself, concluding (lo and behold) that there was no evidence of "forced labor" at a Chinese iPod factory, although some of its subcontracted workers there may work too much. "The probe by the... Continue reading

14. Behind the News

    Media Covers Previous Coverage of Ramsey Case

    August 17, 2006 04:00 PM

    JonBenet is back -- or, at least, the "story that dominated the headlines when it happened and is doing so again tonight," as Campbell Brown put it while leading off the NBC Nightly News yesterday. The arrest... Continue reading

15. Behind the News

    ABC Shows That Little Errors Add Up

    August 15, 2006 01:55 PM

    It's been a while since we took a major TV network to task for producing less than stellar online content. So it's time for a short update, spurred on by two error-filled items we spotted on ABCNews.com within the last... Continue reading

16. Politics

    Abroad, Ahmadinejad Launches Blog; At Home, Calame Outs Keller

    August 14, 2006 01:48 PM

    Proving that the blogosphere is indeed an ocean teeming with an endless assortment of wildlife, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the latest to leap into the water. Yes, Ahmadinejad The Blogger made his debut Friday with a 2,000-plus-word post "recounting... Continue reading

17. The Audit

    Reporter Qualifies for Wal-Mart Job … in China

    August 11, 2006 05:10 PM

    We were pretty sure that an Associated Press story that we critiqued yesterday had secured its spot as the week's most repetitive and mediocre article about people who work for Wal-Mart. But long-term rival Reuters kept itself in the... Continue reading

18. Behind the News

    A Chicago Paper Faces Up to the Facts

    August 11, 2006 01:30 PM

    Here's a fun little guessing game, inspired by a story we read yesterday about a Chicago newspaper company's business troubles. In an article titled "Circulation fraud still haunting S-T," a staff reporter in Chi-town wrote that "Circulation fraud... Continue reading

19. The Audit

    Reporter Qualifies for Wal-Mart Job

    August 10, 2006 03:53 PM

    On Monday Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced that it will implement a 6 percent wage increase for new employees at 1,200 of its stores, while capping the wages of veteran workers for the first time. OK, so it's not... Continue reading

20. The Audit

    Weighing in on Bono and His New Toy, Forbes.com

    August 7, 2006 01:15 PM

    U2 rocker Bono has taken a major investment in Forbes Media, and the earliest returns from the blogosphere are mixed. David Carr reports in today's New York Times that Elevation Partners, Bono's private equity group, bought on... Continue reading

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