Poll reveals declining trust in news media

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Broadcast Engineering reports the findings from a new Sacred Heart University poll showing a significant decline in the percentage of Americans who say they believe all or most of media news reporting (compared to a 2003 poll).

“Currently, 19.6 percent of those surveyed said they believe all or most news media reporting, down from 27.4 percent in 2003. Just less than one-quarter in 2007 said they believed little or none of the reporting, while 55.3 percent suggested they believed some media news reporting.

The poll revealed that Americans generally gave the national news media poor ratings in six different areas measured. The average positive ratings were:

* Quality of reporting — 40.7 percent
* Accuracy of reporting — 36.9 percent
* Keeping any personal bias out of stories — 33.3 percent
* Fairness — 31.3 percent
* Presenting an even balance of views — 30.4 percent
* Presenting negative and positive news equally — 27.5 percent

Additionally, the poll showed a growing perception that the media try to sway public opinion, 87.6 percent, up from 79.3 percent in 2003, and public policy, 86 percent versus 76.7 percent in 2003.”

Hmm. Only a third of those surveyed think the media keeps personal bias out of stories. In 35 years, I’ve never met a reporter who didn’t believe he or she was totally objective and free from personal bias. Wonder who’s right?

“Big Brother” software knows if you’re happy

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Microsoft is developing what a British newspaper (TimesOnline) describes as “Big Brother” software that will allow employers remotely to monitor their workers’ productivity, competence and physical well-being to a degree never before seen.

Among other data, wireless sensors will provide employers with workers’ heart rates and stress level, and determine whether they are smiling or frowning.

“The systems work not only through desktop or laptop computers but even through mobile phones or handheld PCs, meaning that even out of the office the employee can still be monitored. In its most advanced format, the system will monitor users’ private interests.

The system works by recording and analyzing what words and numbers are used or websites visited, and by watching the user’s heart rate, breathing, body temperature, facial expressions and blood pressure. The patent application explains: “The system can also automatically detect frustrations or stress in the user via physiological and environmental sensors and then offer or provide some assistance accordingly.”

This just seems to far-out and scary to be true. For the record… I am happier than I appear.

“Merchants of Trivia”

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In the January issue of Rolling Stone, Matt Taibbi asks why the media insists “on reducing one of the most exciting presidential primary seasons in American history to a simple horse race.” I’ve highlighted my favorite (?) points.

“Every reporter who spends any real time on the campaign trail gets wrapped up in the horse race. It’s inevitable. You tell me how you can spend nearly two years watching the dullest speeches known to man and not spend most of your time wondering about the one surefire interesting moment the whole thing has to offer: the ending.

Stripped of its prognosticating element, most campaign journalism is essentially a clerical job, and not a particularly noble one at that. On the trail, we reporters aren’t watching politics in action: The real stuff happens behind closed doors, where armies of faceless fund-raising pros are glad-handing equally faceless members of the political donor class, collecting hundreds of millions of dollars that will be paid off in very specific favors over the course of the next four years. That’s the real high-stakes poker game in this business, and we don’t get to sit at that table.

Instead, we get to be herded day after day into one completely controlled environment after another, where we listen to an array of ideologically similar politicians deliver professionally crafted advertising messages that we, in turn, have the privilege of delivering to the public free of charge. We rarely get to ask the candidates real questions, and even when we do, they almost never answer.”

Macworld: Day Two

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Winding down here at Macworld. Hit the exhibit floor again and watched a very cool demo of Photoshop Elements 6 for the Mac. Out in March. Show continues through Friday but I head home tomorrow.

Devo150Last night our gang attended a Devo concert at the historic Warfield Theater. I lasted about 15 minutes. Not sure if it was the head-exploading decibels or the depressing sight of a bunch of guys my age (or very close) dressed in yellow coveralls and orange plastic hats.

Dinner tonight at some fancy-pants French restaurant. More on that later.

Macworld: Day One (SF: Day 3)

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In line at 4:30 a.m. for Jobs keynote. Waited in the cold and dark for a couple of hours… and a couple more inside the convention center. Got in to the keynote room just as Jobs began speaking. If we (Mark Snell was with me) had gotten in line 5 minutes later, we wouldn’t have gotten in. We would have stood in line for almost 5 hours…for nothing. Glad I had the experience. But the keynote looks pretty good online.  I’m just saying.

After the keynote, we had lunch and then hit the exhibit floor. The Hot New Thing was/is the MacBook Air [Ad – Tour]. They have a long (150 feet?) table set up with 40 or 50 of these little beauties on display. But for the first couple of hours, you couldn’t get close. The crowd was three deep with people who just wanted to see, touch and hold The Worlds Smallest Notebook Computer. We got a few minutes with it and I must say it is impressive. But I am easily impressed.

Lots of other interesting stuff in the keynote but others will report on those. I’m looking forward to renting movies from iTunes. If it works as advertised, this could eliminate the need for Netflix.

I have some video of the day’s adventures and will post that later.

San Francisco: Day One

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Rice_roniOur little band swooped into San Francisco about midday, checked in to the hotel and headed  for Fisherman’s Wharf to stock up on T-shirts and balloon animals. We also had some tasty chowder and crab cake sandwiches at a place called Lou’s.

We strolled around a bit before hopping a cable car back up (down?) town. We hung out in the Apple store for a bit (lots of folks and most of ’em were buying). Taking a break before dinner. The Big Show starts tomorrow.

PS: First time to stay in a hotel with HD TV sets (and channels) in the room. Nice, very nice.