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Global study questions press freedom --- Michael Hedges December 10, 2007
Press freedom is a fundamental human right, so the Convention says. Ask people, though, and that Western view of a free press is sometimes muted. A global poll commissioned by the BBC World Service points to the striking relationship between the exercise of free press and its popular support.

Engaging the Future: The BBC – Global Voice to the World --- Michael Hedges April 4, 2007
The world finds its bearings each day from broadcast news. Through radio and television sounds and images, facts and reality are sorted and chosen by billions. Though times are changing broadcast news will continue to inform and educate like no other medium for generations to come. News brands have expanded to meet increasing demand; CNN has global television reach, Al Jazeera is a new force and the BBC lofts above them all.

RFE/RL and VOA in Russian Sights --- Michael Hedges July 10, 2006
International broadcasters are increasingly backed against a wall when it comes to finding easy broadcast licenses for the taking. Governments can prevent access to distribution or, at the very least, make life very uncomfortable for local media affiliates. The enduring rule of media and politics is that no government takes criticism easily, particularly from foreigners.

Pattiz Era Ends at BBG --- Michael Hedges - January 12, 2006
Norman J. Pattiz has resigned from the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the oversight board which controls American government international broadcasting. His five-year tenure at BBG was fraught with controversy over new radio and television services targeting the Middle East. Pattiz met with BBG staff on Tuesday then issued the following statement, which was emailed to BBG, IBB and VOA staff by Bert Kleinman, Executive Vice President of Middle East Broadcasting Network.

Tale of Three Berlin FM Frequencies --- Michael Hedges - December 5, 2005
Berlin radio listeners will soon hear a very different “American” channel as the MABB again rocks the boat.

US Broadcasting Agencies Under Investigation --- Michael Hedges November 7, 2005
After meeting for three days at an undisclosed location the US Corporation for Public Broadcasting board accepted the resignation of former chairman and current board member Kenneth Y. Tomlinson Thursday night. This week Tomlinson will appear before a Congressional subcommittee investigating Arabic television channel Al-Hurra. Tomlinson currently chairs the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees all US government overseas media programs, including Voice of America and Al-Hurra television.

Hurricane Katrina Has Changed American Journalism Forever: No Longer Are Reporters on the Ground Just Innocent Bystanders Describing Tragedy -- Now They Get Involved --- Philip M. Stone September 5, 2005
A fundamental of American journalism training is that the journalist provides just the facts, no opinions, and the people, armed with that information, are left to make their own opinions and decisions.

Radio Teddy: Another Stumble for German PSBs --- Michael Hedges August 29, 2005
A radio channel for children seems such a brilliant undertaking. It can be educational, entertaining. Just think of the possibilities!

Big News: Planning Required --- Michael Hedges August 1, 2005
Covering news events can be like a military operation: Broadcasters rush to deploy reporters and crews, deliver supplies, to the right locations at the right times. And then, everything changes as the event unfolds.

Another Russian Oligarch Gets The Phone Call --- Michael Hedges June 6, 2005
Vladimir Potanin gives up his majority stake in daily newspaper Izvestia. Financial analysts say it isn’t worth the trouble. Political analysts say it certainly isn’t worth the trouble.

Two of America’s Most Respected Newspaper Icons Say Reader Lack of Trust is a Major Reason Why Western Circulation Numbers Are Down --- Philip M. Stone June 6, 2005

Do As I Say, Not As I Do --- Michael Hedges May 23, 2005
Independent American public broadcaster NPR seeks Berlin radio license. And the US government isn’t happy.

English Language Radio in Paris --- Michael Hedges - September 1, 2004

Truth Is, There’s A Big Problem With Social Media --- Michael Hedges October 11, 2021 Follow on Twitter
Brands have good weeks and bad weeks. Winning with a dazzling performance gives a sports brand a very good week. Losing through mistakes or slovenly play is very bad. Consumer brands have outstanding weeks by introducing a product or service at just the right moment. Being beaten to the punch, so to speak, is bad. The discovery of bugs - animal, vegetable or mineral - in the soup, figuratively, is very bad. The public relations industry has become quite effective at highlighting the good things and spinning the bad backwards, for both they are generously compensated.

In The Whistleblower Era No Company Is Safe --- Michael Hedges October 25, 2021 Follow on Twitter
Embarrassing moments have long plagued companies. The very large have secured their borders, so to speak, with legions of public relations experts, not to forget lawyers, bolstered with copious amounts of money. Medici Bank was one of the first, arguably, to succumb to out of control managers. That was in 1494. Medici Bank disappeared as King Charles VIII of France invaded Italy.

The Great Advances In Media Technology Flow Easily Across The World --- Michael Hedges January 11, 2023 Follow on Twitter
News shifts quickly in these post-modern days with attention spans barely existent. Journalism watchers blame too many stories that are too complicated. Others say listeners, viewers and readers are tuning out in favor of celebrities, fake news and sports scores. Their attention has migrated to TikTok and such, where seven seconds is an eternity. Reality is slipping from the agenda.

Murdoch To World: Don’t Mess With Us! --- Michael Hedges November 22, 2010 Follow on Twitter
Rupert Murdoch wants nothing more than universal acceptance of his media power. From competitors to kings, sultans to lesser politicians Clan Murdoch demands the quid pro quo for its favors. Even when it gets bigger and bigger it’s rarely rejected.

Telecom Streaming Out Of Service --- Michael Hedges May 19, 2021 Follow on Twitter
Phone company jokes have never gone out of vogue. Long represented as that anonymous voice on the line at dinner time demanding payment for a bill already paid or the customer service line that’s always out of service, the phone company is a model irritation. Now called telecoms, the old habits never fade. Nobody, however, laughs about the money they make.

When You See The Money Coming, Don’t Put Your Foot Down --- Michael Hedges March 1, 2023 Follow on Twitter
Media is just another product. Brands seek to satisfy customers and reap the due reward. Market research exists to inform brand executives of customer preferences and aversions. The result, say business scholars, is more efficient allocation of resources leading to higher profits and investor returns. This is the crux of the modern free market. Media brands are very familiar with these concepts and their executions.

Media Business Slaps Down Culture Warriors --- Michael Hedges May 22, 2023 Follow on Twitter
Even before early printing presses enabled access to ideas book bans and similar censoring of literary works was widespread. Somebody always finds offense in ideas. Indeed, the printing press was once considered threatening, even subversive. Fortunately, formalized education has taught skills of discerning value. That, too, is under threat.

Gannett Announces Total Q3 Revenue Will Be Some $300 Million Less Than Q3, 2008 So What Happens – Its Shares And Those Of Other Newspaper Companies Surge! --- Philip M. Stone October 1, 2009 Follow on Twitter
Gannett, the largest US newspaper publisher, shocked the financial world this week, estimating its expected Q3 earnings would exceed most analyst estimates, even though total revenue would be down $300 million compared to the same quarter a year ago. Its shares and those of other newspaper companies surged because the financial people have became believers that the cost-side is really under control.

Yearning For Connection, New Perspectives, Not Singing Along --- Michael Hedges November 22, 2021 Follow on Twitter
The analytic mind in the Western intellectual tradition tends to examine all things through contrast. How is this bird different from that one? In time, ages actually, that exploration helped reveal much about human behavior. To better sell products and services market segmentation is the natural extension. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

Defamation Suits Have Consequences, Some Unintended --- Michael Hedges August 23, 2022 - Follow on Twitter
Defamation and libel lawsuits in relation to media houses arise on occasion, seemingly with greater recent frequency. Publishers or broadcasters can be stung for issuing false, defamatory or libelous claims against persons or entities with intent to do malicious harm. But media houses, too, use these lawsuits, often to punish critics with egregious legal fees. Around the world, different jurisdictions have varying approaches to defamation and libel laws. Punishment is the thread through them all.

New Radio Channel "Couldn't Be Better" --- Michael Hedges November 10, 2011 - Follow on Twitter
Private sector media operators have long called for reducing public broadcasting’s output. The overwhelming might of legacy, publicly funded radio and television stifles competition, they say. Politicians, sympathetic for various reasons, have been reluctant to make changes, fearing voter backlash. One of the first newly privatized radio channels has signed on to both criticism and praise.

Legislation On Track To Smack Abusive Lawsuits Against Journalists, Observers Wary --- Michael Hedges May 2, 2022 - Follow on Twitter
For a certain set of lawyers, life is about filing lawsuits. Sometimes these are to set right claims and grievances, the right to litigation being well-established. The big league in legal practice, which includes mergers and acquisitions, is defamation suits. The intent is to harm, injure and abuse as well as, for the lawyers, collect money. These lawsuits have been running wild.

Remain Calm And Support Flows In --- Michael Hedges February 3, 2020 Follow on Twitter
Public radio broadcasting, conceptually, is on a different wave-length. This has made it lauded by fans, listeners and supporters. At a time when commercial radio, talk stations in particular, are filled with ranting, raving and screaming public stations are unique. Public radio does the job and remains calm.

Violence Added To Public Radio Threats --- Michael Hedges March 17, 2011 Follow on Twitter
What adds measurably to the media landscape is a diversity of voices. Sometimes that’s accomplished by policies opening access to the media space. Sometimes it’s accomplished by balancing public and private media. All the time it’s to “enrich man’s spirit.”

Attention Span And Return On Investment --- Michael Hedges March 28, 2022 - Follow on Twitter
Editors weigh carefully the allocation of resources. There is a pattern to sports and election coverage, even the Eurovision Song Contest. Well-established formulas, monitored by clever accountants, dictate personnel requirements to the minute. Every other cost is detailed. Executives weigh all of this against return; advertising, subscriptions, even reputation. Wars change the calculation only somewhat.

Should Your Digital And Traditional Media Sites Be Singing From the Same Editorial Hymn Book? --- Philip M. Stone January 13, 2011 Follow on Twitter
The very messy way that some reputable news organizations handled the Tucson shootings has brought into view that not all sections of an organization’s news operations keep to the same standards. ABC TV, for instance, did not falsely report that Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords had died, but for about 10 minutes its abcnews.com did, quoting other news organizations.

Reporting The Chaos, The End And Moving On --- Michael Hedges January 3, 2022 - Follow on Twitter
A shortened attention span is the overriding fact of life for the news media. Place blame on social media, if you want. The average user "scrolls through" TikTok 45 minutes each day. Every item is "breaking news" of one sort or another. Google Trends enumerated 57 subjects attracting top attention throughout 2021, only 10 for more than a fortnight. Coronavirus, obviously, held attention all year.

Post Journalism And The Attention Deficit --- Michael Hedges April 5, 2012 Follow on Twitter
Theater and journalism generally keep their separate spaces. Both, though, are venues for a good story, which attracts viewers, listeners and readers. The values of journalism – objectivity and facts – seem passé in an attention-obsessed world. Welcome to post-journalism.

Media Workers Reveal Cognitive Dissonance, Face Zombies --- Michael Hedges March 22, 2022 - Follow on Twitter
Television is supposed to be a happy place, not just for game shows and goofy ads for pillows. With dreadful viruses and wars on the loose, not to forget the chanting people with pitchforks, television has become very unhappy. Caught up in that emotion, in different ways, are TV people.