TV news is 'horrifying,' Asner says at conference

Leading journalists and others gathered January 13 for a conference about ethics, standards and editorial decision-making. Participants in "Reporting on Celebrities: The Ethics of News Coverage" included actor Ed Asner, L.A. Times managing editor Dean Baquet, and professor Leo Braudy. "Communication is the infrastructure of our culture, but it is also that which weakens, corrodes or debases, so why do we do it?" asked professor Jay Harris, who facilitated the forum. The conference was co-sponsored by USC Annenberg and the Poynter Institute for Media Studies.
12Writing in the Sacramento Bee, columnist Marjie Lundstrom (pictured, right) said the discussion revealed "the incredible tension within news organizations and quasi-news organizations -- and between competitors -- on how much is too much, and the blurring line between journalism and pap."
Daily Trojan article
Poynter Institute
Sacramento Bee column