I just saw this Agence France-Presse Photo that I find to be strikingly similar to one I shot. I’ll be waiting by my mailbox for my royalty check.

Mine (top), AFP’s (bottom):

Coincidence? I think not.

What I’ve decided the world needs is another story about Paris Hilton. That’s what the NYT thought too. But their angle was good; they wrote a story about the media covering Paris. Much more interesting, and depressing.

Apparently, ABC is sad because NBC outbid them for Hilton’s “exit interview”. This is what’s wrong with media in this country. They’re trashy. They are accountable to “corporate” for their profits and budgets. Pretty much everything that you think could go wrong in a country with an “independent press” has.

Here’s the thing – paying for an interview conducted by a news outfit is fundamentally wrong. On SO many levels. It violates the core of ethics of journalism, the values that keep the press “free.”

Here’s another thing – “news” decisions are being driven more by ratings than any other single factor. Ratings equal ad revenue, it’s that simple. If you get the juiciest, most salacious interview, it becomes a de facto win for the network. And that’s all that matters. When money’s on the line, interviews with world leaders, marginal political candidates, and Nobel laureates are worthless.

None of this is new news. It’s the same old story people have been crying themselves to sleep over for years. The bottom line is that “news” doesn’t sell. It’s a harsh reality, but it’s true. And you can’t really give people what they don’t want. Perhaps if paying for interviews with celebrity convicts is the best way to fill your hour, then go for it.

Just don’t ever call it news.

KATU.com reported on a sad story, but that’s no excuse for not copyediting. Here’s the offending sentence:

“Friends of the two teenagers said both were students at Sultan High School, and that the girl was the driver’s boyfriend.”

I mean, for crying out loud.

The good ol’ New York Times is one of the few papers, I think, that’s really doing a bang up job of creating specific web-content to make up for what they might be loosing in traditional subscribers. In particular, their interactive features have always been rather shiny and engaging. Today, in a story about gas prices, they put up a standard example of one of their charts. I just wanted to share it with you, because I just love the way it’s presented: nice, tidy, informative. And, it kinda makes you gulp about going to the pump, too. Check out the graph here, but hurry, as their online content never lasts too long.

“Singapore Aquarium puts Chips in Fish”

Absolutely lovely. You can read the story here.

Just yesterday everyone’s beloved tech blog, Engadget, made a bit of a blunder in publishing a false rumor. They relayed information from an Apple insider e-mail claiming that the highly anticipated and much drooled over iPhone would be delayed several months, and that the new Mac operating system would be even further delayed. It’s not the first time in recent history that Apple has announced a product delay, and all the pieces of the e-mail seemed to add up. So, Engadget wrote up a quick post and hit the submit button. Seconds later, the market reacted and by the end of the day Apple shares had taken a 3% hit, according to PC World. In the end, it turned out the e-mail was a hoax.

All of this comes back to the hot question – should blogs be considered a form of journalism? It’s a huge question with so many implications that there has yet to be a clear answer. But, this case demonstrates that readers will react to an apparently true story if they accept the credibility of a source, regardless of the medium. So, in a sense, we’ve seen the market treat blogs as a form of journalism.

[Read more]

I received this story from three separate people today, so I figured it’s well worth a mention. The AP today reported a ranking of US cities according to their incidents of road rage. Miami, not too surprisingly, rated the worst. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Portland, which ranked the best.

And this sums up in one little nutshell why I rarely drive down here. It’s a frustrating experience that is far from healthy (not to mention the obvious risks). I’ve driven in aggressive cities before. And, there’s something very efficient about motoring where everyone’s watching out, driving a bit too fast, being a bit too aggressive. It forces everyone to be focused on the driving. In Portland, it’s rare to find anyone completely focused, but we drive slower and more casually. It’s just a fuzzier place to drive.

Miami, on the other hand, is the worst mixture of shamefully poor drivers and raw aggression. Motorists here pay even less attention to the road than Portlanders. And some drive at wickedly fast speeds, while the other half drive 10 below. There’s no rhyme or reason to lanes or lights. It’s pure chaos, and it self-perpetuates. I agree that Miami is one of the road-ragiest cities to drive in. You’d have to be nuts to get behind the wheel here.

This story hot off the Miami Herald wires. It’s almost too unbelievable to be true.

Police chase armless, one-legged driver

NEW PORT RICHEY –

(AP) — Authorities were led on a high-speed vehicle chase by an armless, one-legged man, and they said this wasn’t the first time the 40-year-old eluded police.Michael Francis Wiley taught himself to drive after losing both arms and a leg in an electrical accident when he was 13. He spent time in prison for kicking a Florida Highway Patrol trooper after an accident in 1996. He led police on a 120 mph chase in 1998.

On Tuesday, Wiley sped off in a Ford Explorer when police approached him at a convenience store, New Port Richey police Capt. Darryl Garman said. Officers pursued, but called off the chase after eight minutes because they did not want to put others in danger, Garman said.

Wiley was arrested the next day on charges of fleeing from police and habitually driving without a license. He also is awaiting trial on separate drug charges and traffic violations. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Defense attorney John Hooker said his client has paid off previous traffic fines that got his license suspended and tried to get a new driver’s license, but he was rebuffed by state officials. Wiley’s license has been revoked so many times it is now a felony to drive.

”What makes him do it?” Hooker said when asked why Wiley keeps getting behind the wheel. “I think it’s an urge he has that makes him feel as important and as good as anyone. It gives him a sense of self-esteem.”

Hooker said he had not had a chance to talk to Wiley about the most recent charges.

Even before Wednesday’s arrest, prosecutors were seeking to send Wiley to prison for at least five years for felony drug and traffic charges.

”He has a hideous record,” Assistant State Attorney Mike Halkitis said after an August 2006 arrest. “It’s just got to end.”

Wiley was being held in the Pasco County jail on $500,000 bond.

[youtube]8HEjMhqC5sE[/youtube]

I don’t even know what to say…especially when it gets to the rapping. But, Colin Mochrie (my favorite Canadian), why oh why did you have to be involved in this? Jeezy Creezy. There are too many possibilities with this. Bush to Rove: “You’re Fired.” Huh? Rove: “I like ripping the tops off of animals.” Sherwood: “You like ‘em topless?” What?!? This segment is a fountain of fodder. So, here’s my advice. Hit the pause button, clear your schedule for the next 8 minutes, grab a pack of Orville Redenbacher and schedule an appointment with your therapist. Hit the play button and enjoy.

Well, this is it. We drove over 3800 miles (I know, I still haven’t done a tally of the real miles) for this day. I’ve got all my stuff put together, and I’m ready to go. First I’m going to shower, though.

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This is the biggest I could find this image, but as you can see, it’s a rather nifty representation of a sports tournament bracket in the form of a hoop. Sometimes the NYT really pulls it together with cool stuff. If anybody has a copy of today’s paper, let me know how it looks in real life. Cheers!