More than six months ago, Ray Rice was caught on surveillance video beating his then-fiancee unconscious in an Atlantic City hotel elevator. In July, the National Football League disciplined Rice for the incident, suspending him from the first two regular season games.
Throughout the summer, the league came under heavy criticism in the press. Activists, reporters and columnists came down hard on the NFL for having stiffer penalties for players charged with illegal drug use.
On Monday, TMZ published the video. Within hours, the Baltimore Ravens cut dies with Rice and the NFL suspended him indefinitely from playing for any other team.
Nick Schwartz, USA Today: “ESPN’s Keith Olbermann accuses Roger Goodell and the NFL of a cover-up”
David Zurawik, Baltimore Sun: “On Ray Rice story, God bless TMZ”
Jonathan Mahler, New York Times: "Celebrity gossip website extends its reach with scoops on stars from a different field"
Editorial, Baltimore Sun: “What did the Ravens know?”
TMZ Staff: “Ray Rice elevator knockout: Finacee takes crushing punch (VIDEO)”
Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports: “Ray Rice cuts by Ravens, indefinitely banned by NFL amid fallout”
Lane Filler, Newsday: “Filler: Let’s talk about the real Ray Rice issue”
Mike Hashimoto, Dallas Morning News: “New Ray Rice video leaves NFL boss with much to answer”
Roy Peter Clark, Poynter: “The new Ray Rice video reminds us that seeing is more than believing”
Catherine Taibi, Huffington Post: “Fox & Friends’ hosts really don’t get the problem with Ray Rice hitting his wife”
Re-'Meet the Press'
A visibly-nervous Chuck Todd took over Sunday morning as the moderator of NBC's flagship political program, "Meet the Press." The show took a ratings-dive under his predecessor, David Gregory. That's lead many to wonder if the days of the Sunday morning talk show are long passed -- or if Todd has the power to turn things around.
Sunday's program featured and exclusive interview with President Barack Obama and several new segments, including "Who Needs Washington" and "What Everyone In Washington Knows But Won't Say" -- all designed to make D.C. politics relevant again to people in America's heartland. Will it work or has the viewing audience had enough?
Manuel Roig, Franzia, Washington Post: “Chuck Todd’s ‘Meet the Press’ debut: A straight-talk work in progress”
Alessandra Stanley, New York Times: “Meet the host: Defying the rules”
Matt Sullivan, The Guardian: “Chuck Todd’s Meet the Press: Still trying too hard to make you care about DC”
Dylan Byers, POLITICO: “Review: ‘Meet the Press’ more ‘lively, engaging’”
Brad Knickerbocker, Christian Science Monitor: “Chuck Todd (helped by Obama) launches his ‘Meet the Press.’ So how did he do?”
Jack Mirkinson, Huffington Post: “Chuck Todd’s ‘Meet the Press’: The same, but in a different way”
Leslie Savan, The Nation: “Who needs ‘Meet the Press?’”
Lessons Learned from Ferguson
The Excellence in Journalism conference in Nashville included a panel called "Lessons from Ferguson." Journalists who spent time covering the story talked about their experience. Absent from the panel? Reporters and editors who covered the story -- and work for St. Louis-based publications.
After hearing of the criticism lodged at the Society of Professional Journalists and Radio Television Digital News Association for this oversight, the Online News Association is working to broaden the discussion its planning for its late-September conference in Chicago.
Kristen Hare, Poynter.org, "EIJ's Ferguson panel also included no STL media outlets"
Trevor Knoblich, ONA, "Our Ferguson keynote planning process, revisited"
Elizabeth Hernandez and Melodi Erdogan, EIJ "In case you missed the Ferguson panel: Storify of the discussion"
Updating the SPJ Code of Ethics
SPJ updated its code of ethics at the EIJ conference. The new code attempts to address all people who identify as journalists as well as addressing paying for interviews, anonymous sources and undercover tactics. But, some say it doesn't go quite far enough.
Al Tompkins, Poynter: "SPJ Approves New Code of Ethics"
Steve Buttry: "New SPJ Code of Ethics: An improvement but a disappointment"
Reporting close to home
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg returned to the media empire he founded, Bloomberg LP. It was the New York Times that first broke news of his return to the chief executive position. That upset many reporters and editors at Bloomberg who disagree with the company's long-standing editorial policy not to report on itself.
Ravi Somaiya, New York Times: “Bloomberg stands out with editorial policy to not report on itself”
Chris O’Shea, Fishbowl NY: “Bloomberg has no comment on Bloomberg”
Margaret Hartmann, NY Mag: “First rule of Bloomberg LP: “You do not talk about Bloomberg”
Chris Roush, Talking Biz News: “Why Bloomberg News didn’t cover Bloomberg’s return”
Lukas I. Alpert, Wall Street Journal: “As Michael Bloomberg returns to run his firm, landscape has shifted”
Politico editor resigns abruptly
Rick Berke issued a memo to employees at Politico over the weekend, resigning his position as the organization's executive editor. Berke cited a difference in vision with the site's co-founders.
Ravi Somaiya, New York Times: “Politico’s top editor quits over strategic differences with founders”
Michael Calderone, Huffington Post: “Politico executive editor Rick Berke resigns over newsroom strategy differences”
Erik Wemple, Washington Post: “Politico’s executive editor, Rick Berke, abruptly resigns”
Tom Kludt, Talking Points Memo: “Top Politico editor resigns abruptly over strategic differences”
‘9/11 truther’ to cover national security for Huffington Post
The Huffington Post has hired Donte Stallworth, a former NFL wide receiver known for his "truther" beliefs to cover national security in the organization's Washington, D.C. office.
Dylan Byers, Politico: “Huffington Post hires 9/11 truther to cover national security”
Adam Edelman, New York Daily News: “Huffington Post hires ex-NFL player, 9/11 ‘truther’ Donte Stallworth to cover national security”
Associated Press: “Huffington Post hires Donte Stallworth as national security correspondent”
Gayle Fee, Boston Herald: “The Huffington Post’s hiring of Donte Stallworth may be alient concept”
Derek Hunter, Daily Caller: “Huffington Post welcomes Donte Stallworth, former NFL player and 9/11 truther, as national security fellow”
Andrew Beaujon, Poynter: “Why HuffPost won’t crowdfund Donte Stallworth’s fellowship”
