This is a perfect example of the need for librarians - clear-eyed arbiters of accurate information. Librarians as individuals and professional groups need to speak out about the state of reporting today.
Chris Graesser
Brown Rudnick
Hartford, CT
-----Original Message-----
From: Edrington, Dru [mailto:dru.edrington@puc.state.tx.us]
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2005 6:59 PM
To: law-lib@ucdavis.edu
Subject: RE: TVC Alert, 14 January 2005: Accuracy in Media
I agree with you, Michael. As for what's left of the "liberal" media, most of it has turned into a "Just give us the scoop, not the facts" media, as with the Dan Rather case. Another startling older example was when CNN "scooped" everyone by leaking the Drudge report (now there's a fine example to follow) trashing Wes Clark. Then the remaining major media fell all over themselves trying to get the report out, too. Of course, there was nothing factual about the report, but three days after a couple of major newspapers actually bothered to check the facts and apologize, CNN was still scrolling the trash talk. Turns out, The Drudge Report received the fabricated document directly from the RNC. But the RNC, aided and abetted by the "liberal" media thus took care of the only really viable Democratic candidate. Even the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts wrote that what was represented as "news" today is generated by no more than how many times links are clicked!
. That's what the owners and editors want.
Dru Edrington
Librarian IV
Public Utility Commission
1701 N. Congress Ave.
Austin, TX 78711-3326
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-law-lib@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-law-lib@ucdavis.edu] On Behalf Of Michael Ginsborg
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2005 3:36 PM
To: law-lib@ucdavis.edu
Cc: Tyburski, Genie (Phila)
Subject: FW: TVC Alert, 14 January 2005: Accuracy in Media
I value Genie Tyburski's updates so much that I consider it an unusual circumstance to question one of her references, but Ms. Tyburski's reference to Accuracy in Media (AIM) merits a wider hearing, given the large audience for the updates.
In what sense does AIM try "to correct biased news reporting by issuing its own press releases and reports?" The available evidence raises a legitimate question about whether the organization reveals biases or projects its own. For example, consider what Alex S. Jones, of the Shorensetin Center on the Press, said about it on the death of its founder, Reed Irvine:
''I think AIM really was the fountainhead of the effort to denounce the liberal media, and create the image of the mainstream media as very liberal,'' Alex S. Jones, the director of the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, said in a telephone interview yesterday. ''And that effort has proved quite successful.'' [NY Times, 11/19/04, Late Edition, 9]
Whether or not the NY Times, among other "mainstream media," fits AIM's criteria for Liberalmediaosis, it is far from clear that AIM will help librarians "spotlight problems with accuracy in news reporting." If the NY Times is right that the organization has paved "the way for the tide of conservative talk shows," AIM might reasonably be thought to have less than an unimpeachable claim to "fairness, balance, and accuracy in news reporting," just as its defense of another bastion of "real journalism . . . fair and balanced" - Fox News - creates at least a credible appearance of political bias. (For a recent defense, see http://www.aim.org/media_monitor/A1890_0_2_0_C/.)
I have nothing but gratitude for Genie Tyburski's commendable service. I do not know if Ms. Tyburski examined the nature and history of this organization, or if she rather found no comparable grounds for objection. In any case, the recommendation of AIM does nothing to diminish the value of her updates.
This e-mail and its content reflects just my personal view, and not the view of any other party.
Michael Ginsborg
P.S. I am not faulting mainstream media for "liberal" or "conservative" biases. I am rather questioning whether we can depend on AIM to identify verifiable misstatements of consequential facts or to remedy misleading and important omissions, when AIM gives every appearance of using an ideological litmus test.
-----Original Message-----
From: The Virtual Chase Alert [mailto:TVC-ALERT@VIRTUALCHASE.COM] On Behalf Of Tyburski, Genie (Phila)
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2005 5:13 AM
To: tvc-alert@virtualchase.com
Subject: TVC Alert, 14 January 2005
TVC Alert
The Virtual Chase
http://www.virtualchase.com
14 January 2005
TVC Alert, a free weekday news bulletin, reports on industry events and Web-based resources for library and legal professionals.
========================================================
HIGHLIGHTS
** Publication Note
** Research Q and A
** Track Company News via RSS
** Get MSN Search Results by RSS
** Thomson West Acquires Bill Tracking Co.
** Technology on the Move
** Accuracy in News Reporting
** Sentencing Commission Responds to Ruling
** Follow Up: Publisher's Practice
** Resources: Education Law ========================================================
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ONLINE ISSUES AND ARCHIVE
Today's Issue: <http://www.virtualchase.com/tvcalert/jan05/14jan05.html>
RSS/XML Feed: <http://www.virtualchase.com/rssfeeds/tvcalert_rss.xml>
Archive:
<http://www.virtualchase.com/tvcalert/index.html>
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Publication Note
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We will not publish an issue on Monday. We will return on Tuesday, 18 January 2005.
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Research Q and A
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On Wednesday, a research trainer asked about suggestions for assisting novices with finding primary sources of information. Responses come from Chris Pierre, an analyst with Intelysis Corp., Kathleen Fischer, an information consultant with Northwestern Mutual and me.
Chris Pierre: I have a few suggestions. First, if you know of a trusted source, such as a government agency or an academic institution, go to its Web site. For example, connect to the Harvard Law Library's Web site and search for your subject. Matches should refer you to resources for continuing your research.
Second, I find that sometimes it helps to enter my search terms as if they were a phrase appearing in a magazine. For example, if your reluctant judge is looking for Toronto crime statistics, he might enter "crime statistics in Toronto" in quotes. This search on Google produced a local university Web page, which referred me to a useful resource.
Another strategy resembles the game of Jeopardy. Make the search statement a question. Matching documents often contain headings that consist of questions.
Kathleen Fischer: First of all, ask a librarian or other information professional for help. If research were as simple as following a few rules or a checklist, everyone would be an effective researcher. One would never ask for a few tips on designing a building, or a few tips on structuring a contract--they would consult an architect or an attorney. Research is complex and requires knowledge, skill and experience.
Having said that, the beginning researcher should be made aware of the "hidden web"--the vast amount of content not accessible by search engines. There are many good primers and guides to navigating the hidden web (and those guides can be found using search engines!)
Editor: The answer to your question is more worthy of a book than the space provided here. As Kathleen (above) points out, the research process is a complex one. The fact that it's an art, and not a science, makes it more difficult--but not impossible--to teach.
At the risk of shamelessly promoting my work, I refer you to my recent book, Introduction to Online Legal, Regulatory & Intellectual Property Research by Thomson South-Western. The title's a handful and makes the book sound more like a text for law students. But the fact of the matter is, it's written for business people with little or no research or legal training. Chapter One contains 17 pages that address your question. Chapter Three presents several research scenarios that illustrate the strategies described in the first chapter. The book is available for sale directly from the publisher (see the link from our home page), as well as from Amazon.com.
Several articles and teaching Webs on The Virtual Chase also provide helpful suggestions for beginning researchers. You can borrow ideas and materials from the teaching Web, Teaching Internet Research Skills <http://www.virtualchase.com/researchskills/>, or refer students to it. While we no longer update this resource, many of the strategies and suggestions still constitute good advice.
An entire section of The Virtual Chase consists of articles on research issues <http://www.virtualchase.com/articles.shtml>. Many were written for lawyers, but several--for example, "It's the Source That Matters!" <http://www.virtualchase.com/howto/sources.html>--serve a more general audience.
Another section contains brief tips on how to conduct a specific research task <http://www.virtualchase.com/howto/>. These focus primarily on legal and public records issues, but the strategies are analogous to other subject areas.
If your training involves evaluative issues (e.g., the importance of verifying sources), you may--with permission--use materials from the teaching Web, Evaluating the Quality of Information on the Internet <http://www.virtualchase.com/quality/>.
******************ANNOUNCEMENT*********************
Looking for more research news and resources? Try The Resource Shelf <http://www.resourceshelf.com>!
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Track Company News via RSS
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<http://biz.yahoo.com/rss.html>
(14 Jan) Yahoo Finance lets you create RSS feeds for tracking news about public companies. Enter the stock ticker symbol in the search box. The RSS address will appear automatically below the search box. Click the My Yahoo icon to add the feed to your My Yahoo page. Or right-click the feed address and copy the shortcut to add it to an RSS aggregator, such as Bloglines. Feeds display headlines and lead sentences.
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Get MSN Search Results by RSS
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<http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/050112-081421>
<http://snipurl.com/bzdb>
(12 Jan) The MSN Search beta supports keyword-generated RSS, but it does not automatically create the RSS URL for you. First run a query. When the results page loads, add "&format=rss" (without quotations) to the end of the Web address. Then load the address in an RSS reader. The reader should then notify you when the query retrieves new documents.
RELATED, MSN Gets Ready to Expand RSS Support
eWeek, 12 January 2005 <http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1750970,00.asp>
<http://snipurl.com/c07c>
RELATED, Microsoft to launch RSS aggregator
Search Engine Journal, 12 January 2005 <http://www.searchenginejournal.com/index.php?p=1235>
<http://snipurl.com/c07f>
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Thomson West Acquires Bill Tracking Co.
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<http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/5185871.html>
<http://snipurl.com/c06z>
(14 Jan) Thomson West announced yesterday it has acquired NETSCAN iPublishing, a Washington D.C. area-based company specializing in tracking pending legislative and regulatory information for lobbyists and government affairs professionals. NETSCAN will operate as a business within Thomson West and will continue to provide its current awareness products and services to customers from its headquarters in Falls Church, Va. The NETSCAN management team, including President Harvey Golomb, will continue to manage the business. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
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Technology on the Move
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<http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,118795,00.asp>
<http://snipurl.com/c072>
(Feb 2005) PC World reviews PDA phones, smart phones, handheld computers and mobile IM (instant messaging) devices. It selects two PDA phones--PalmOne Treo 650 and RIM BlackBerry 7100t--for "Editor's Pick."
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Accuracy in News Reporting
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<http://www.virtualchase.com/quality/hoaxes_in_the_news.html>
<http://snipurl.com/9rc8>
(13 Jan) As you may be aware, we spotlight problems with accuracy in news reporting through a section of the Information Quality teaching Web. Yesterday, we added links to two related sites. Accuracy in Media <http://www.aim.org>, operated by the non-profit watchdog group by the same name, attempts to correct biased news reporting by issuing its own press releases and reports. RSS enthusiasts may follow news about inaccuracies using its four XML-based feeds.
Regret the Error <http://www.regrettheerror.com> tracks "corrections, retractions, clarifications, and trends regarding accuracy and honesty in North American media." It also links to the corrections sections for many U.S. newspapers.
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Sentencing Commission Responds to Ruling
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<http://www.ussc.gov/PRESS/rel011305.htm>
(13 Jan) The U.S. Sentencing Commission issued a statement in response to the Supreme Court's ruling in the Booker case. In summary, it says, "[T]he Commission will work with Congress, members of the federal judiciary's Committee on Criminal Law, the Department of Justice, the defense bar, members of the criminal justice community, and other interested individuals to ensure that we have a fair and just sentencing system within the bounds of our Constitution."
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Follow Up: Publisher's Practice
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<http://stlq.info/archives/001761.html>
(13 Jan) The Weblog, Scitech Library Question, reports on developments concerning Cornell librarian Phil Davis' discovery that over the course of several years, journal publisher Emerald published articles in multiple journals without noting the material originally appeared elsewhere. Davis' study will appear in an upcoming issue of Library Resources & Technical Services. In a later issue, the journal will publish a letter, which updates his findings. The letter reportedly claims the article duplication was more extensive. It involved "73 journals spanning a period from 1975 to 2003."
EARLIER, Publisher's Practice Questioned
TVC Alert, 23 November 2004 <http://www.virtualchase.com/tvcalert/nov04/23nov04.html#publish>
<http://snipurl.com/c098>
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Resources
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Issues on Fridays review and update annotations already appearing in our various research guides.
Legal Research Guide: Education Law
<http://www.eric.ed.gov>
ERIC (Education Resources Information Center): Sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education, ERIC produces a database of literature on education related issues. The database contains bibliographic citations dating back to 1966 and a small collection of full-text documents issued since 1993. You can search by a variety of criteria, including author, title or keyword. Results include annotated bibliographic references with information about how to obtain the full-text if it isn't in the database. You can also display the full record, which shows the subject indexing in order to expand a search. Another feature lets you limit queries to retrieve only full-text documents. (et)
******
<http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/>
EducatiOn-line: Brotherton Library at the University of Leeds offers this database of conference papers, working papers and electronic literature on education related issues. Browse the database by author, subject or title keyword; or conduct a query. Searchable fields include author, title, subject or any part of the record. A useful feature lets searchers query the database's thesaurus to discover related terms or the indexing of a particular word. You can display full-text documents in HTML or Word format. (et)
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