Add another state title for the Warner Robins American Little League (WRALL). The WRALL all-star baseball team returned home to a hero's welcome after winning the state crown over Columbus Friday. They're now headed to the Southeast Regional tournament, which gets underway later this week.
Click here for the full story, courtesy of Macon.com
GNB is online at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/georgianewsbeat, on Facebook, and can be contacted via e-mail at georgianewsbeat@gmail.com.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Tensions on redistricting rise to the top
Lawmakers won't meet for a special session on redistricting until mid-August, but already, there appears to be rising tension on Georgia's political maps will be redrawn. Read on to find out more on how the Peach State's political landscape will be shaped in the years to come.
Click here for the full story, courtesy of the Morris News Service/Rome News-Tribune
GNB is online at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/georgianewsbeat, on Facebook, and can be contacted via e-mail at georgianewsbeat@gmail.com.
Click here for the full story, courtesy of the Morris News Service/Rome News-Tribune
GNB is online at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/georgianewsbeat, on Facebook, and can be contacted via e-mail at georgianewsbeat@gmail.com.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Macon voters head to polls Tuesday
Voters in Macon/Bibb County will head to the polls to decide who should represent them for at least the next four years. The Democratic nomination for mayor has four candidates vying to represent that party in the November general. That includes incumbent Mayor Robert Reichert.
Click here to read the full story, courtesy of macon.com.
GNB is online at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/georgianewsbeat, on Facebook, and can be contacted via e-mail at georgianewsbeat@gmail.com.
Click here to read the full story, courtesy of macon.com.
GNB is online at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/georgianewsbeat, on Facebook, and can be contacted via e-mail at georgianewsbeat@gmail.com.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
CRCT Cheating Scandal (Update)
The investigation continues to unfold into cheating on standardized tests within the Atlanta and Dougherty County school systems. Click the select links below to find out more about the ongoing probe, and the ensuing fallout from it.
Albany Herald
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CNN
GPB News
U.S. News & World Report
WAGA-TV Atlanta (Fox 5)
WALB Albany
GNB is online at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/georgianewsbeat, on Facebook, and can be contacted via e-mail at georgianewsbeat@gmail.com.
Albany Herald
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CNN
GPB News
U.S. News & World Report
WAGA-TV Atlanta (Fox 5)
WALB Albany
GNB is online at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/georgianewsbeat, on Facebook, and can be contacted via e-mail at georgianewsbeat@gmail.com.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
GNB Q&A--University of Georgia journalism Barry Hollander on Casey Anthony trial coverage
University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism professor Barry Hollander
Photo courtesy of University of Georgia
Editor's Note: University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism professor Barry Hollander talked with GNB to offer his thoughts on the recently concluded Casey Anthony trial, and how the media had an impact on how it was perceived. For more information about Hollander, please click here to visit his website, or click here to visit the What People Know blog.
Georgia News Beat: How much attention has the Casey Anthony case received as far as online and traditional media coverage was concerned, in your opinion?
Barry Hollander: The case received an enormous amount of attention as trials go, in large part thanks to three years of buildup, especially by the Nancy Graces of the world. The mainstream TV networks spent a lot of time on the trial because drama sells. Newspapers and traditional online news sites spent less time, which is typical. But for Headline News and Nancy Grace, this case proves that good journalism and good television are not necessarily the same thing.
GNB: What about social media? How and where did most, if not all, people, learn of the verdict?
BH: A lot of people learned about the verdict via Twitter. That's how I learned of it. Most people could not sit at their television sets waiting for the jury to make a decision, and frankly most people thought it would take longer than it did for the jury to reach a decision. That's especially true for those who predicted a guilty verdict. But most people are not on Twitter, so in terms of sheer numbers it'll probably come down to learning via online in some other way or by word of mouth and then going to the TV to verify the news. What's interesting is how people used Twitter and other social media like Facebook to vent after the verdict. A number of mainstream news organizations also encouraged people to comment. For a lot of folks, some people picked up on it via Twitter or other online sites or TV news, emailed or texted friends, and that sent people scurrying to CNN or ABC News or online to various sites.
GNB: As a veteran journalist, how would you have covered a trial like this?
BH: Journalists for the most part covered the trial more or less as I would. Let's set aside Nancy Grace, who is a little bit nuts. Tot mom? What the hell's that about? And do we have to put "little" in front of the victim's name? No real journalist does that. I've covered a few trials in which a child died and it's never easy. But a number of news organizations such as HLN decided that taking sides makes for better ratings. and they sold their journalistic soul in how they handled the case. Covering trials, even big trials, is usually dull. There are few surprises. Every little "surprise" in this case got blown far out of proportion by not just HLN but also CNN and the rest.
The reporters did a lousy job of, in advance, telling why it was possible she would be found not guilty. By failing to do so, people were so stunned that the only result could be anger -- especially when that kind of anger is fed by various TV talking heads.
GNB: After the trial ended, attorneys for Casey Anthony blasted the extensive media coverage of it. What are your thoughts on that?
BH: I halfway agree with them here. The trial, objectively, did not deserve the amount of coverage it received. On TV, though, whatever drives ratings makes it more newsworthy. TV ran with this story early on, saw that it clicked somehow with people, and that fed a viscous circle of growing interest, so more time on air, so more interest. And anger. Let's not forget anger. Some of the TV talking heads spent most of their time feeding anger about the case instead of covering the story. Plus I don't want to even get into some of the half-assed "experts" HLN often put on to discuss the case. Shoddy shoddy journalism, all around. Most newspapers and serious news organizations covered it more or less the way it deserved.
GNB: Do you have any final comments/thoughts?
BH: This is one of those rare cases that had a little bit of everything, so much of the coverage comes from the unusual nature of the story -- a mom accused of killing her child. That last big story I covered as a reporter was that kind of situation. It has sexual molestation, it had torture, and it had a mother accused of murdering her 18-month-old daughter. But we handled it with a sense of proportion, of keeping in mind that you can't obsess on a single story.
Barry Hollander: The case received an enormous amount of attention as trials go, in large part thanks to three years of buildup, especially by the Nancy Graces of the world. The mainstream TV networks spent a lot of time on the trial because drama sells. Newspapers and traditional online news sites spent less time, which is typical. But for Headline News and Nancy Grace, this case proves that good journalism and good television are not necessarily the same thing.
GNB: What about social media? How and where did most, if not all, people, learn of the verdict?
BH: A lot of people learned about the verdict via Twitter. That's how I learned of it. Most people could not sit at their television sets waiting for the jury to make a decision, and frankly most people thought it would take longer than it did for the jury to reach a decision. That's especially true for those who predicted a guilty verdict. But most people are not on Twitter, so in terms of sheer numbers it'll probably come down to learning via online in some other way or by word of mouth and then going to the TV to verify the news. What's interesting is how people used Twitter and other social media like Facebook to vent after the verdict. A number of mainstream news organizations also encouraged people to comment. For a lot of folks, some people picked up on it via Twitter or other online sites or TV news, emailed or texted friends, and that sent people scurrying to CNN or ABC News or online to various sites.
GNB: As a veteran journalist, how would you have covered a trial like this?
BH: Journalists for the most part covered the trial more or less as I would. Let's set aside Nancy Grace, who is a little bit nuts. Tot mom? What the hell's that about? And do we have to put "little" in front of the victim's name? No real journalist does that. I've covered a few trials in which a child died and it's never easy. But a number of news organizations such as HLN decided that taking sides makes for better ratings. and they sold their journalistic soul in how they handled the case. Covering trials, even big trials, is usually dull. There are few surprises. Every little "surprise" in this case got blown far out of proportion by not just HLN but also CNN and the rest.
The reporters did a lousy job of, in advance, telling why it was possible she would be found not guilty. By failing to do so, people were so stunned that the only result could be anger -- especially when that kind of anger is fed by various TV talking heads.
GNB: After the trial ended, attorneys for Casey Anthony blasted the extensive media coverage of it. What are your thoughts on that?
BH: I halfway agree with them here. The trial, objectively, did not deserve the amount of coverage it received. On TV, though, whatever drives ratings makes it more newsworthy. TV ran with this story early on, saw that it clicked somehow with people, and that fed a viscous circle of growing interest, so more time on air, so more interest. And anger. Let's not forget anger. Some of the TV talking heads spent most of their time feeding anger about the case instead of covering the story. Plus I don't want to even get into some of the half-assed "experts" HLN often put on to discuss the case. Shoddy shoddy journalism, all around. Most newspapers and serious news organizations covered it more or less the way it deserved.
GNB: Do you have any final comments/thoughts?
BH: This is one of those rare cases that had a little bit of everything, so much of the coverage comes from the unusual nature of the story -- a mom accused of killing her child. That last big story I covered as a reporter was that kind of situation. It has sexual molestation, it had torture, and it had a mother accused of murdering her 18-month-old daughter. But we handled it with a sense of proportion, of keeping in mind that you can't obsess on a single story.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
CRCT cheating scandal resources
The investigation into possible cheating by two Georgia public school systems has gained national, and even worldwide attention. Click the links below to find out more.
Albany Herald
Associated Press
Baltimore Sun
Creative Loafing
Champion Newspaper (DeKalb County)
CBS News
Daily Mail (United Kingdom)
GPB News
Huffington Post
Time
U.S. News & World Report
Warner Robins Patriot
WSB-TV Atlanta
GNB is online at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/georgianewsbeat, on Facebook, and can be contacted via e-mail at georgianewsbeat@gmail.com.
Albany Herald
Associated Press
Baltimore Sun
Creative Loafing
Champion Newspaper (DeKalb County)
CBS News
Daily Mail (United Kingdom)
GPB News
Huffington Post
Time
U.S. News & World Report
Warner Robins Patriot
WSB-TV Atlanta
GNB is online at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/georgianewsbeat, on Facebook, and can be contacted via e-mail at georgianewsbeat@gmail.com.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Wildfires can draw business to Southeast Georgia
The spread of wildfires are usually bad for the communities affected by them. But in southeast Georgia, they can actually be good for certain businesses. Read the following article to find out why that may be the case.
Click here for the full story, courtesy of the Georgia Times Union
GNB is online at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/georgianewsbeat, on Facebook, and can be contacted via e-mail at georgianewsbeat@gmail.com.
Click here for the full story, courtesy of the Georgia Times Union
GNB is online at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/georgianewsbeat, on Facebook, and can be contacted via e-mail at georgianewsbeat@gmail.com.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
State hearings for two school boards
Two school boards are under scrutiny from the state. Click here to find where they're located, and why they're facing such hearings, courtesy of GPB News.
GNB is online at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/georgianewsbeat, on Facebook, and can be contacted via e-mail at georgianewsbeat@gmail.com.
GNB is online at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/georgianewsbeat, on Facebook, and can be contacted via e-mail at georgianewsbeat@gmail.com.
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