Welcome To Philadelphia. Why Are You Here?

THOUGHTS?

By the way, you can learn more about the film here.

Think It's Easy Doing a Live Interview? Watch This:

A CNN REPORTER snagged Joe Jackson, father of the recently deceased Micheal Jackson, before the BET Awards.

Should The Athlete's Life Be Public Info?

Last week, Sixers' star forward Andre Iguodala was sued for child support, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Inquirer's story does not provide any details about Iguodala's performance on the court but it does talk about Iguodala's $80 million, six-year contract and other details of the guy's life. For instance:

The suit lists Iguodala's address as the Phoenix, a luxury high-rise in Center City. In January 2007, Iguodala paid $1.775 million for a house in Bryn Mawr, according to Montgomery County records. He also paid $600,000 in 2004 for a house in West Conshohocken.

Does the public really need to know these kinds of details about our sports heroes? Is it news? Should the athletes have some right to privacy?

Or do the stars relinquish their privacy when they sign contracts for millions to perform in front of fans?

TIME Mag Documents The Decline of Mankind.

BE AFRAID. Very afraid.

Why? Well, over the years, TIME magazine has told you why you should be scared. For instance, in this cover story (left), they say that children are under the constant assault of hucksters of porn. And that was back in 1976, way before the Internet.

TIME has also told you that the world will crumble because of crack babies, devil worshippers, foul language, drugs, Pokemon, fat people, guns and the population splurge.

Magazines focus on issues and trends rather than breaking news. But is TIME's documentation of such ridiculous, hysteria-inducing topics just a ploy to sell magazines? Or are they actually doing a public service?

Did The Blogger Do Ibanez Wrong?

A SPORTS BLOG insinuated that the massive season Raul Ibanez is having may be because of reasons less than natural (performance enhancing drugs?). The blogger appeared on ESPN with a pair of traditional media types. Check out their discussion.

Did the blogger do anything wrong? Or are the traditional media folks getting up on their high and mighty for no good reason?

The NY Times: "Like a Walking Colonial Williamsburg."

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THE DAILY SHOW visited the New York Times. Check it out.

You Are So Busted. And Now Everybody Knows.

THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES RECENTLY launched a website highlighting pictures of people arrested in their circulation area over the past 24 hours.

Check it out here.

There are people busted for everything from drug dealing to attempted murder. There are also DUI's, driving without a license, burglary charges, battery and a handful of people for whom charges are not identified.

Is it journalism? Does that information help readers in their everyday lives?

Is it a cheap way to draw eyes, appealing to people's inner voyeurs? Is it ethical to run images of people who have yet to be found guilty of crimes?

Would you run the photos?

If we had something like this in Philly, would you check it out?

Hyper-groomed Anchors Look Like Porn Stars?

DO YOU KNOW WHICH of the above dudes is a broadcast journalist and which is the professional fornicator?

Film director Steven Soderbergh, the man behind "Traffic" and "Ocean's 13," has a new film about hookers - "The Girlfriend Experience." It stars Sasha Grey, the reigning queen of pornography.

During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Soderbergh said, "When you look at people who are transmitting the news to you on television they all look like they're in porn, the way they're coiffed. It's really crazy. There's this like hyper-grooming thing going on now, men and women."

That led Gawker.com to examine and compare porn stars and broadcast journalists. Check out their pictures here.

Are TV news people too pretty these days?

(By the way ... that's ABC News' John Stossel on the left and porn legend John Holmes on the right.)

Not Saying N-Word Gives It Power?

IN 2007, THE NAACP symbolically buried the n-word. They said the word should never be used - it's divisive and derogatory.

As FOX29 was planning their evening newscast that day, an anchor dropped the word a few times - in the full version (not on air). He suggested that the full word be used on air. He said not doing so "ultimately gives the word itself more power," according to an Inquirer story.

Almost three weeks later, the anchor was suspended. That lasted until his contract was up, and then he wasn't renewed.

Now, the former anchor is suing his old workplace for discrimination. He says during the weeks before his suspension, he was left in a hostile work environment because of his race.

Does he have a case?

Watch Out For the Swine!

ARE YOU AFRAID? Do you run away when someone sneezes? Do you curl up in a fetal position and sit in the corner of your room because you are afraid of contracting the swine flu?

Are you tired of all the stories about the swine flu? Is the media going overboard? The president did discuss the issue (and suggested everyone wash their hands more frequently). But is the media hyping the story, thereby creating panic and hysteria?

Is it just a coincidence that this is a sweeps ratings period?

MacMillan: "The War Tends To Follow You When You Leave."

WHAT DID YOU THINK of today's guest, Jim MacMillan?

Here are a few things that stood out for me:

- Journalists are first responders: when everyone is running away from disasters, journalists are running in.
- The things journalists see can have an impact on their mental states.
- Few places deal with journalists suffering from trauma. The Dart Center is one.
- In Iraq, Jim survived two car bombs, three roadside attacks, two kidnappping attempts and he was shot in the helmet. He was also knocked unconscious at one point, and he suffered hearing loss.
- He did 200 combat missions while embedded with the military.
- 16 people he got to know died while serving the country.
- He lived in squalor with the troops.
- The war was not always portrayed in the American media as it existed in reality, Jim said.
- Being embedded is "a view through a straw."
- He was part of the team that won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage. But he said, "You can't celebrate when 100,000 people have died."
- He's now a new media guru.

Football Coach to Reporter: "Go Cover Soccer."

AFTER THE UNIVERSITY of Wisconsin-Whitewater football coach read an editorial in the school paper, he decided that student journalists were banned from covering his squad. Coaches and players were not allowed to speak to student reporters for the entire 2009 season.

"The door is shut," the coach told the paper. "Go cover soccer."

The coach was responding to an editorial that was headlined, "Spoiled athletes need reality check."

Can he really shut out reporters like that?

(FYI: the next day, the coach apologized and retracted his ban).

Did TV Cause Your A.D.D.?

NBC'S CHIEF WHITE HOUSE correspondent and political director, Chuck Todd, recently did a Q&A with RealClearSports.com.

He mentioned that television programming is built to appeal to an audience with attention deficit disorder.

"ESPN, on television, has always seemed to be ahead in dealing with societies ADD issue," he said. "We’re an ADD society now. We’re entering an age in which there’s no more context."

My question to you is this: does television programming provide you info that you can absorb quickly because people's habits are changing? Or are they actually creating/ perpetuating an attention deficit disorder society?

Or did you quit reading this because it was too long?

Academic Freedom or Temple of Conformity?

DAVID HOROWITZ, the former liberal crusader who became a conservative activist, spoke at Temple last week.

"The courses at Temple are devoted to indoctrinating (its students)," he said, according to the Temple News.

Specifically, he was referring to professors preaching liberal values rather than trying to teach students to think for themselves.

How do you feel about your Temple education? Are you getting a well-rounded education or do you feel like the profs have an agenda?

Please be honest, and write comments using your name. All opinions are welcome as long as you support your arguments.

Cops Gone Wild? Journalists Who Won't Listen?

WATCH THE ABOVE VIDEO by clicking here. Was the police officer acting properly in detaining the reporter? Or did the officer overreact? What is the best way to handle such a situation?

"I Hope You Get Short Bowel Syndrome."

EVERY SEMESTER, 34th Street magazine, a student publication at the University of Pennsylvania, runs an issue where students get to slam each other anonymously in a section called "Shoutouts."

To my roommate: We all know your secret. Leaving Smokes early to call phone sex hotlines is not a substitute for the real thing.

And that, to say the least, is a tame Shoutout. Other shoutouts deal with sexual encounters, annoying classmates, random stalking, Greek life, religion, nerds and a lot more hooking up stuff. And they can get awfully mean.

To the annoying Wharton girl in my Tuesday Nutrition class: You fu**ing suck. Stop asking questions. I hope you get short bowel syndrome. Yeah, diarrhea for the rest of your life. Your friend sucks too.

Apparently, when this issue hits the streets, it's hugely popular. And the mag prints extra copies, even sells a lot of extra advertising. The next issue is due out this week.

Is it journalism? Is it selling out? Is it providing a service to readers? Or is it just plain mean (and mean fun)?

Newspaper Calls Bull**it, Denies Coverage.

THE FOLKS AT THE Red Bluff Round Up rodeo in California weren't happy with the press coverage they received at their 2008 event. That year, a bull jumped into the stands and injured six spectators, including three children.

So this year, the rodeo organizers told the media that they would be escorted by rodeo officials to ensure "proper coverage." In the case of an emergency, the media would be escorted away to a designated area.

The journalists at the local paper, the Record Searchlight, didn't like the idea of being managed by public relations people. So they declined to cover the event.

They cited the principles of journalism as their support:

The reason we declined the press credentials is that one of the four basic ethical principles for journalists is to act independently. It's our job to bring you the news based on our best judgment, not to willingly submit to being "managed."

Should the newspaper have declined to cover the event? Did the PR people have the right to "manage" the media? Is the newspaper overreacting? Are they letting down their readers by not covering the event?

What if it was the Eagles or Phillies trying to control coverage? What would you do if they tried to control the message? Then could you ignore the game?

"You have to be nuts to be in this business."

WHAT DID YOU think of today's guest, filmmaker Tigre Hill?

Here are a few things that stood out to me:

- He approached the two campaign staffs before following the mayoral candidates in 2003. The Sam Katz team allowed coverage. The John Street team never responded.
- Tigre's goal was to become such a regular part of the scene that he was invisible with his camera.
- A television journalist was removed from covering the mayoral race after he badgered John Street during a press conference.
- Tigre was labeled a "conservative filmmaker" after his film was released.
- He relies upon facts, and doesn't start off the process with an established agenda.
- Once he's done gathering, he forms an opinion.
- He wants to have coffee with John Street.
- He said that while at Temple as a student, he was always thinking about what would be next, rather than appreciating the moment.
- His next film, The Barrel of a Gun, about convicted cop killer Mumia Abu Jamal, will be released in the fall.

What stood out for you?