Journalism

A rumor found its way onto the Internet recently. It involved a high-profile athlete. It was scandalous. And entirely unconfirmed. As skeptics might say, it was perfect for the Wild West territory of sports blogs. But an interesting thing happened to that bit of gossip about Lakers star Kobe Bryant. Blogs such as Deadspin and the Big Lead treated it with relative caution, while others ignored it altogether.

Despite declines in revenue and repeated staff reductions, most American newspaper editors remain optimistic that their publications will regain their footing by shifting news to online editions and by employing innovations like video and computer-assisted reporting, a study has found.

Spacious and airy, the newsroom of the National seems a newfangled journalistic field of dreams, with its stylish furniture, flat-panel monitors and roomy, uncluttered desks. Though the new United Arab Emirates newspaper has a daily circulation of only 70,000 to 90,000, it has grand ambitions and leaders who are bullish on print journalism. "Don't panic!" editor Martin Newland advises his counterparts in the West. "Don't head to the hills yet.

Thank you for color-coding each section title of The Times. Now, those who have trouble deciphering difficult words like "Sports" and "Business" will finally be able to understand which section they're reading. It's troubling that newspaper readership is declining and young adult consumers seem less concerned with the source and quality of news reporting. But chasing this elusive demographic by constantly changing The Times' appearance makes The Times appear as fickle as the twentysomethings it's trying to snare.

As the alleged scourge of American journalism, James Macpherson cuts a rather disappointing figure. In a crisp blue blazer, with slicked-back gray hair, the onetime garment manufacturer looks like a prep school headmaster. He speaks with the polite self-control of PBS' Jim Lehrer. Macpherson drew headlines and hate mail last year when it was revealed that his Pasadena Now website intended to report the news from Pasadena using writers in Mumbai and Bangalore, India.

The J. Paul Getty Museum, best known for its contested antiquities, Impressionist irises and gorgeous grounds, has been diversifying in gruesome black and white. Since 2003, the museum has bought up several photographic prints that count among the 20th century's most iconic journalistic images of death by violence: Malcolm Browne's picture of the 1963 self-immolation of a Vietnamese Buddhist monk; a print from the Zapruder film of the 1963 shooting of John F.

A research group said Thursday it is monitoring the output of nearly 50 U.S. news organizations to produce a weekly index of the topics receiving the most attention from TV, newspapers, the Internet and radio. The Project for Excellence in Journalism, part of the Pew Research Center, said it would publish its News Coverage Index online at journalism.org each Tuesday, beginning next week. Among the news organizations being monitored include the New York Times, CNN.com, Yahoo News, MSNBC.

THE Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem once remarked that in the Jewish hamlets of his native Ukraine there were only two people who really were serious about God. One was the local rabbi and the other was the village atheist. These days, American public life often seems awash in cheap piety and religious sentiment -- things quite distinct from genuine conviction.

IN the Libby trial testimony, we learned that the Bush administration considered "Meet the Press" a useful tool for getting out its political spin. Scott Collins acted surprised by this revelation, stating that "we" always thought Tim Russert was tough on the powerful ["Russert's Fault? A Lack of Outrage," Feb. 12]. Give me a break! Almost all of the TV news journalists fail in their responsibilities as truth finders. They seem to think that to ask provocative questions and then to permit their guests to spin is acceptable.