ScissorTales » Media

Questions that matter

Ray Carter — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:10:08 +0000

The aftermath of the Newtown shooting unfortunately included erroneous reporting from some media outlets.

NBC, CNN and The New York Times all issued reports indicating that a rifle was found in the shooter’s car or only handguns were used in the killing spree. Those reports were later proven false, but some people continue to believe a rifle was not used in the shooter’s rampage and cite that “fact” when opposing gun-control efforts.

But that detail is largely irrelevant. Whether done with a rifle or handgun, the killing of 20 children and six adults is a tragedy.

The important questions to ask in any resulting gun control debate is not what type of gun was used at Newtown, but 1) whether proposed remedies are constitutional, and 2) whether proposed gun regulations would make citizens safer — or actually place them in greater danger by leaving them defenseless.

Letting the sun shine in

Owen Canfield — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:18:14 +0000

Ten public bodies in Oklahoma were applauded this week for the transparency of their websites.

A national nonprofit called Sunshine Review included the 10 in doling out its fourth annual Sunny Awards, which honor government entities “that make transparency a priority.” The Sunshine Review looked at more than 1,000 government websites and graded them against a 10-point checklist. In all, 247 received an award.

Those in Oklahoma were: the cities of Broken Arrow, Enid, Owasso, Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Norman; Oklahoma, Tulsa and Wagoner counties, and Edmond Public Schools.

Congratulations to the winners, and here’s hoping they have more company from Oklahoma next year.

Climate every mountain

J.E. McReynolds — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:59:30 +0000

Mitt Romney got a chuckle at the Republican National Convention when he mocked Barack Obama’s 2008 promise that future generations could look back at his presidency as the time “when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.” Obama’s adoring fans weren’t laughing. They turned the remarks back on Romney, oblivious to the fact that candidate Obama’s high-sounding words had no connection to reality.

Nevertheless, Obama promised that the weather would be warmer at his second inaugural than his first. It was. An Associated Press writer took this too seriously — and too subjectively for a news reporter: “While his policies can lessen or worsen future projected global warming in a large scale, they cannot do anything about Washington’s daily temperature on Jan. 21.”

Just how does one affect something that’s not necessarily happening but is “projected” to happen? Does far-reaching government policy change the thing or the projection of the thing? For Obama and his fans, there’s no difference. He said it and that’s all that matters.

Matt Damon’s wilderness adventure

J.E. McReynolds — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:10:13 +0000

Moses never made it to the promised land. Matt Damon’s movie “Promised Land” hasn’t crossed the river into profitability. In fact, it’s going further into the wildnerness by the day.

On its third weekend of release, this movie designed to raise awareness about hydraulic fracturing averaged only $774 per screen. By contrast, “Argo” averaged $2,021 per screen even though it’s been out for 14 weeks.

“Promised Land” has grossed less than $7 million to date, which is less than half of what it cost to make the movie. And that figure doesn’t include extensive marketing costs. No doubt, Damon won’t express regret for doing this regrettable movie and it won’t cost him more than money.

One of the Ten Commandments of Hollywood is to sometimes mix social awareness with all the big-budget movies whose characters ignore that “Thou Shalt Not Kill” thing.

Of twits and tweets

J.E. McReynolds — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 22:00:57 +0000

Any kid using the excuse that the Mayan calendar “ate my homework” has lost his leverage. The world didn’t end on 12/21/12, but things are getting curiouser as what was supposed to be mankind’s last year on all calendars trickles to an end.

The pope is now tweeting. The archbishops of Canterbury and York tweeted their Yuletide sermons. And the queen of England gave her Christmas message in 3D.

Pope Benedict XVI’s first use of Twitter (he’s @Pontifex in the tweet world) went out on Dec. 12. Since Twitter messages are limited to 140 characters, full sermons can’t go in one tweet. At least the subject is serious, unlike many tweets.

A 2009 analysis by a market research firm showed that more than 40 percent of tweets can be described as “pointless babble.” Another 10 percent were either self-promotion or spam.

Hard to say in what category to place the millions of tweets about the Last Day on Earth that turned out to be just another Friday.

The snowstorm that wasn’t

Owen Canfield — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 19:50:55 +0000

Oklahoma City weather forecasters are generally quite accurate when tracking the paths of tornadoes, or predicting the likelihood that developing storms will produce twisters. But their success rate seems to take a hit when winter arrives.

At midday Monday, we were warned (and warned and warned) that Oklahoma City would get 6-8 inches of snow, and perhaps more in pockets, by the end of Christmas Day. Instead we wound up with a dusting as the heaviest snowfall fell farther to the south.

How refreshing it would be to every once in a while hear a forecaster put it this way when dealing with the likelihood and location of winter precip: “The truth is, we’re really not sure what’s going to happen, because we’re dealing with Mother Nature.”

If only.

Spat over open records leaves a bad impression

Owen Canfield — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 14:00:58 +0000

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin’s staff is looking for reasons not to disclose how Fallin made the decision to return a $54 million federal grant last year after originally accepting it. Right or wrong, such maneuvering leaves the impression she has something to hide.

The Oklahoman sought emails from the governor’s office through an open records request. Fallin’s legal counsel rejected the request, citing executive privilege and attorney-client privilege. He said releasing such emails would hinder the ability of policymakers to have productive internal discussions.

But an expert in Oklahoma’s open records laws says once a personal note or memo becomes a recorded conversation or directive, it isn’t personal anymore. And executive privilege isn’t an exemption under Oklahoma law.

A 2009 opinion from the Oklahoma attorney general’s office was clear: “Emails, text messages, and other electronic communications made or received in connection with the transaction of public business, the expenditure of public funds or the administration of public property, are subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act.”

Fallin and legislative leaders accepted the $54 million grant to establish a federal health care exchange as part of the Affordable Care Act. Only after getting blowback from fellow Republicans did Fallin do an about-face.

The taxpayers who paid for the grant and who would have used the exchange deserve to know more about what went down.

Site is chuck full of data

Owen Canfield — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:09:31 +0000

The Oklahoma Policy Institute tilts leftward when the discussion involves spending of taxpayer dollars. But two new online databases compiled by OK Policy play it down the middle.

One database contains state- and county-level statistics covering such things as median personal income, crime rates, high school graduation rates and median cost to rent a home.

“Anyone interested in reliable, easy-to-use state and local data can access it here,” the think tank says.

The other database offers county “fact sheets” that include access to key demographic, social and economic indicators.

Both sites are easy to navigate and loaded with helpful information. They can be found by clicking on the “Fact Sheets & Issue Briefs” tab at okpolicy.org.

Let it go, cntd.

Owen Canfield — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:22:09 +0000

Oklahoma City Councilman Ed Shadid says we twisted his words when we wrote that he’s convinced his late cousin, New York Times journalist Anthony Shadid, didn’t die in Syria of an asthma attack but instead was killed. If so, that’s our mistake.

We wrote about it after a story in The Oklahoman about a speech by Shadid last week at a convention in Washington, D.C. There, Shadid said Anthony had called his wife before leaving for Syria and told her that, “If anything happens to me, I want the world to know The New York Times killed me.”

Councilman Shadid seems consumed by his cousin’s death. He had alluded to the manner of death at Anthony Shadid’s memorial service, and again in April when Anthony was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.

The councilman says “prudent, industry-wide precautions are needed for foreign correspondents.” We’re not sure what those would be, but feel certain that if Anthony Shadid, a Pulitzer Prize winner and greatly respected journalist, had wanted off his beat, all he would have had to do is say the word.

Our main point remains: Ed Shadid should honor the wishes of Anthony’s widow, Nada Bakri, who after the D.C. speech posted this on her Twitter account: “I do not approve of and will not be a part of any public discussion of Anthony’s passing. It does nothing but sadden Anthony’s children to have to endure repeated public discussion of the circumstances of their father’s death.”

Let it go

Owen Canfield — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 13:08:37 +0000

Oklahoma City Councilman Ed Shadid is convinced his cousin, the late New York Times journalist Anthony Shadid, didn’t die of an asthma attack while reporting in Syria this year but instead was killed. Ed Shadid raised this issue again last weekend at a convention in Washington, D.C., saying Anthony called his wife before leaving for Syria and told her that, “If anything happens to me, I want the world to know The New York Times killed me.” Shadid had alluded to the manner of death at his cousin’s memorial service, and again in April when Anthony was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame. The councilman should heed the plea of Shadid’s widow, Nada Bakri. “I do not approve of and will not be a part of any public discussion of Anthony’s passing,” she said on her Twitter account. “It does nothing but sadden Anthony’s children to have to endure repeated public discussion of the circumstances of their father’s death.”

Not mousing around

Lindsay Walle — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:08:50 +0000

Once upon a time, advertisements for junk food were part of Disney programs for kids. But in 2015, such ads on TV, radio and websites will be banished from the Magic Kingdom. The Walt Disney Co. announced new nutrition guidelines today, furthering a 2006 initiative to make food at its theme parks and resorts healthier. “The emotional connection kids have to our characters and stories gives us a unique opportunity to continue to inspire and encourage them to lead healthier lives,” CEO Bob Iger said. He hopes to influence not only children but also companies. Though advertising revenue may initially decline, Iger’s goal is for companies to eventually create products meeting Disney’s standards. Ultimately, individuals and families make the decisions about what food to purchase and consume; government attempts to set the menu aren’t the answer to our nation’s health challenges. Disney’s effort at self-imposed corporate responsibility and media pressure is a fresh approach. We hope this change will help children live happily, and healthily, ever after.

AP File Photo

Mourning paper

Lindsay Walle — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 16:08:38 +0000

Breaking news last week regarding New Orleans’ Times-Picayune concerned not the contents of its pages but the future of the newspaper itself. The 175-year-old publication plans to cut its daily circulation to three days a week and focus on online news. In a letter to the paper’s owner, New Orleans Saints and Hornets owner Tom Benson urged the organization to rethink its decision. As a major league city with a strong heritage, Benson believes New Orleans deserves a daily paper. If his challenge doesn’t succeed in overturning the ruling on the field, The Times-Picayune would be the largest metro newspaper in the country to cease daily circulation. Avid readers may be left feeling as if the digital age placed a bounty on their morning papers.

Tom Benson (AP File Photo)

Senior citizens save Big Bird?

Ray Carter — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:42:12 +0000

In the debate over OETA, supporters often cited children’s educational opportunities and the potential loss of “Sesame Street” as a reason to maintain funding. But on the House floor, it turned out senior citizens’ support of OETA and voting power may have been even more persuasive. “The last I checked, they’re the vast majority of the people that vote,” said state Rep. Jason Nelson. “They’re the ones that go to the polls every time.” Rep. David Dank, R-Oklahoma City, reminded his colleagues that senior citizens “constitute 38 percent of all the qualified and active voters in this state,” and predicted that “99 percent of that 38 percent are going to tell you, ‘Yes, keep OETA.’” The bill passed 53-28. The blue-haired Cookie Monster might be Big Bird’s friend on TV, but apparently blue-haired voters were his protectors in the Legislature.

Practice what you preach

Lindsay Walle — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:20:38 +0000

The National High School Journalism Convention in Seattle became the latest setting for an ideologue to proclaim tolerance while simultaneously spouting intolerant remarks. Keynote speaker Dan Savage, founder of the It Gets Better Project, used his anti-bully platform to blatantly attack Christians. When an already vulgar speech crossed the line, a group of students walked out. Savage heckled and cursed them. His movement, with the message of spreading hope to bullied LGBT teens, has reached over 40 million viewers with its YouTube videos featuring contributors ranging from Hollywood stars to President Barack Obama. The group’s pledge declares, “Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are… I’ll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work.” Sounds like Savage needs to work on practicing what he preaches.

Dan Savage (AP File Photo)

Paying by the word

J.E. McReynolds — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:16:30 +0000

President Obama’s remarks in Cushing ran to about 1,060 words. The cost of getting Air Force One here from a previous stop in New Mexico was an estimated $149,792. So the Cushing speech ran to about $141 per word, or slightly more if you don’t count the obligatory “Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.” The figure doesn’t include any other costs associated with the stopover. The words themselves were utterly forgettable, but that was by design. This was a photo-op so an image of Obama could be framed by pipes ready for the laying. A picture is worth a thousand words; this picture was worth about $150,000. The lucky few who attended the Cushing speech got something priceless to them — camera phone photos of the president’s brief sojourn in our midst.

President Barack Obama waves to the crowd as he arrives at the TransCanada Pipe Yard near Cushing, Okla., Thursday, March 22, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

An empty pipeline

J.E. McReynolds — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:51:33 +0000

We’ve noted before the tendency of lawmakers to waste taxpayer money with politically-charged press releases. State Rep. James Lockhart, D-Heavener, piggybacked on the presidential visit this week to thank the White House “for agreeing to allow” a pipeline project linking Cushing to the Gulf Coast. The project didn’t need White House support. Whatever agreement came from the White House is as hollow as an empty pipeline. What does need White House agreement is a pipeline from Cushing into Canada. For the record, Lockhart supports both segments. We know this because taxpayers funded a press release so that Lockhart and fellow legislators can campaign for re-election on the public’s dime.

AP File Photo

Unfriendly request

Lindsay Walle — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:50:26 +0000

Employers are now seeking information about prospective workers not only through interviews, references and background checks; they’re increasingly asking to step into applicants’ social media shoes. Checking a candidate’s social networking profiles is nothing new, but many users make their profiles private — so companies are asking them to “friend” human resources managers, log in during an interview or even hand over their passwords. Soliciting or sharing login information, not to mention accessing another’s account, violates Facebook’s terms of service. Questions about the legality of the practice have prompted legislation in Illinois and Maryland. On the other end of the spectrum, actors are critical of the personal information about them that is public. Profiles on the Internet Movie Database reveal birth dates and more. Stars are upset both when information listed is inaccurate and when it’s truthfully revealing, The Wall Street Journal reports. While celebrities might just have to get used to the fact that some fans are curious enough to compile information about them, regular people should be able to manage their digital interactions smartly and safely, without having to give up their password to get a job.

AP Photo

So much for openness

Owen Canfield — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:42:55 +0000

A bill that would have made legislators subject to state open record and open meetings laws bit the dust this week. House Bill 1085 by Rep. Jason Murphey was to be considered by the House on Thursday, the last day for the House to act on bills that originated there. But the bill got saddled with nearly two dozen amendments, and many members let it be known that they were uncomfortable with the idea. The bill’s language could be attached to another bill this session, but that’s a long shot. “There are a large number of members who are not prepared for transparency,” said Murphey, R-Guthrie. Instead they prefer the way business gets done now — which is too often in the shadows. We say again of lawmakers: Requiring nearly every other public official to abide by openness laws while not subjecting themselves to the same is the height of hypocrisy.

The Oklahoman Archives

OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION PUBLISHES THE OPEN MEETING / OPEN RECORDS BOOK

#TimesAreChanging

Lindsay Walle — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:18:18 +0000

Technology, typing and tweeting have joined traditional foundations of elementary education. Joining a growing group of classes using social media, an Illinois school has added these trending topics to its first-grade curriculum. Teacher Jodi Conrad has found Twitter a useful method of communicating with parents. In addition to daily tweets, her class has a blog, creates YouTube videos for a private account for parents and writes books with computer software. “These are tools that come standard in life right now,” Conrad said. Training youngsters in social media in the safety of a classroom environment recognizes the changing times and is a unique way to motivate students. Kids are eager to use the new technologies, and pressing the “tweet” button on the touch screen is a privilege. In a digital era, in which Encyclopaedia Britannica goes out of print after over two centuries, these 6-year-olds are simply following the trend.

And the Oscar for best film incentives goes to…

Lindsay Walle — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:29:16 +0000

Like the Oscar nominees they helped produce, state film incentive programs are in the spotlight. Of the nine films contending for best picture, eight got government financial assistance — five via state programs and three via tax credits to film overseas. The odd film out happened to be the Academy’s favorite, “The Artist.” Stateline.org has reported on the tension over disclosing dollar amounts of incentives for individual productions. Taxpayers desire transparency; the film industry values privacy. States jockey to be the most lucrative sites in which to film, and Oklahoma’s role in the contest is up for consideration. With a Legislature eager to trim the supporting cast of tax credits and exemptions, our state’s $5 million rebate program could join other incentives on the chopping block. Its effectiveness does warrant a review. The enticement hasn’t proved strong enough for a slate of stories set in Oklahoma but filmed elsewhere. The most recent episode: Kevin Durant’s upcoming movie, “Thunderstruck,” was filmed primarily in Baton Rouge.

Photo by Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman