The Comment Conundrum

Tune into the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists’ Web site to view streaming video of the event tonight if you cannot attend.  Full video, photos and an event recap will be posted soon!

CLICK HERE for streaming video – 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. CST

When: Tuesday, September 29 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Where: University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Campus
3M Auditorium in Owens Science Hall (MAP)*

Cost: This event is free and open to the public and sponsored jointly by the Minnesota News Council and the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists.

What are news outlets doing to ensure civil discourse on their sites? What happens when inappropriate content is posted on comment sites? What are the legal ramifications for news outlets? For the commenters? What draws readers to comment on stories? Which sites have the best and worst commenters?

Come discuss journalism’s comment conundrum.

When: Tuesday, September 29 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Where: University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Campus
3M Auditorium in Owens Science Hall (MAP)*

Cost: This event is free and open to the public and sponsored jointly by the Minnesota News Council and the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists.

Panelists include:

David Brauer, MinnPost.com (Moderator)

Mike Knaak, Assistant Managing Editor – St. Cloud Times

Terry Sauer, Assistant Managing Editor/Digital – Star Tribune

Leita Walker, Associate – Faegre & Benson

You’ll also hear reactions from local reporters whose stories are often the target of comments that range from helpful and constructive to angry and libelous.

Selected reading list:

Newspapers take renewed aim at the comment cesspool – MinnPost.com

Racism, Attacks Lead News Sites to Disable Story Comments – Poynter

When Comments Cross the Line – Poynter More »

We are pleased to offer our monthly newsletter in an online format. If you have not signed up to receive this monthly update, please sign up to join our mailing list at the top of our homepage.

In this issue:  you’re invited to our fall forum, The Comment Conundrum; tell us how YOU think public trust in journalism can be improved; and support our work with a financial contribution today!

You can view Newsworthy Online by clicking here.

Volume 3: Issue 7

We are pleased to offer our monthly newsletter in an online format. If you have not signed up to receive this monthly update, please sign up to join our mailing list at the top of our homepage.

In this issue:  read about upcoming fall events, mark your calendars for the 24th Annual Silha Lecture, sign up for a digital journalism skills course coming to Minnesota and read more about upcoming events!

You can view Newsworthy Online by clicking here.

An interesting piece in the on-going conversation about the coverage of health care-related issues was published in the August 17 issue of The Nation.

Reporters Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum explore the disappearance of science reporters from the nation’s newsrooms.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Watch video and view photos from our June forum on the news coverage of health care.

We found this advertisement after dusting off a few boxes in the News Council office — and there are plenty more where that came from! This particular cartoon was done for the News Council by Richard Guindon.

We’ll post more as we find them!

Volume 3: Issue 6

We are pleased to offer our monthly newsletter in an online format. If you have not signed up to receive this monthly update, please sign up to join our mailing list on our homepage.

In this issue:  Welcome Brian Crist and David Kaplan, our new development consultants; pledge a donation to our member matching fund; tell us what types of programs you’d like to see; find us on Facebook; and read a report on the role of press councils throughout the world.

You can view Newsworthy Online by clicking here.

In last month’s newsletter, we asked our friends and members to respond to the Washington News Council’s decision to open its hearing process to the public with a virtual hearing. Here is one comment from Stanley E. Cohen that makes an interesting point:

“The model you offered from Seattle serves the contemporary culture’s short interest span, but it is no substitute for the unifying role of the advertising supported press in providing fair and true information that enables voters to make responsible judgments on serious public issues.

To the contrary, the Internet is a reincarnation of the polarizing Party Press system where true believers relied on sources that reflect what they already believe without exposing them to new perspectives.”

Do you have a comment regarding WNC’s virtual hearing? Send us your thoughts at info@news-council.org and we’ll post it to our site!

Check out the Minnesota News Council on Facebook — and become a Fan to stay up to date on all the latest MNC news!

Why does journalism matter? When some 100 journalists, technologists, academics and citizens gathered March 1-4, 2009 at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., documentary videographer Melissa Cornick asked that question. The participants were part of the Journalism That Matters gathering, “The New News Ecology.”