{"id":15715,"date":"2011-11-14T12:00:21","date_gmt":"2011-11-14T12:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=15715"},"modified":"2011-11-13T23:32:51","modified_gmt":"2011-11-13T23:32:51","slug":"corporate-media-stumped-on-how-to-cover-the-occupy-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2011\/11\/corporate-media-stumped-on-how-to-cover-the-occupy-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"Corporate Media Stumped on How to Cover the Occupy Movement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Conventional journalism is increasingly irrelevant in a time of crisis. We find abundant proof in a recent\u00a0column<\/a>\u00a0from the\u00a0New York Times\u2019\u00a0<\/em>so-called \u201cPublic Editor,\u201d who is supposed to somehow magically represent the public interest and rarefied ethical values to the rest of the paper.<\/p>\n

In this column, he says the media is having difficulty figuring out how to cover Occupy Wall Street and its offshoots.<\/p>\n

What are the themes? How should The New York Times cover this movement that resembles no other in memory?<\/em><\/p>\n

Certainly, media organizations are intrinsically better able to cover snapshot moments like official actions and pronouncements than movements or complex and subtly if rapidly evolving situations\u2014like climate change, or Occupy.<\/p>\n

In any case, for answers, the Public Editor turns to colleagues outside\u00a0The Times<\/em>, and solicits their wisdom:<\/p>\n

Stephen Buckley,<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0dean of faculty, The Poynter Institute; former managing editor, St. Petersburg Times<\/em><\/p>\n

To my mind, the compelling question driving the Occupy Wall Street story is: How come these people are so angry? And maybe more compellingly: Why did it take them so long to get angry? (We\u2019ve been feeling the effects of a recession for more than four years\u2026.)<\/em><\/p>\n

[Snip]<\/em><\/p>\n

First of all, \u201cwe\u201d (being Mr. Buckley) presumably are not feeling the effects of the recession in quite the same way as those who lost their homes and jobs. Second of all, this is not a protest over the recession. It is the result of a few brave souls who finally had had enough of a lousy system and took to the streets, inspiring others to (gradually) follow.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another deep thinker:<\/p>\n

Jerry Ceppos,<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0dean, Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University; former executive editor, San Jose Mercury News<\/em><\/p>\n

This certainly must be the first significant movement for which I can\u2019t paint a picture of typical leaders and followers. How is that possible? Have I simply not followed the stories carefully? Or have we as journalists covered the forest and failed to profile the trees?<\/em><\/p>\n

Here are some ways I\u2019d identify the trees:<\/em><\/p>\n