| Blogs |
The on-going “Occupy” protests, and the protests and demonstrations at the NATO summit in Chicago this week, are once again highlighting the issue of citizens photographing police activities in public places. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
One of the criteria both judges and reporters use in determining whether or not to publish what may be dangerous material is, is the hazard resulting from the publication real, or is it merely theoretical? READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
Remember all those cute school assemblies and plays where the children were in adult roles? They pretended to graduate from school, drive cars, have jobs, get married, and sometimes even have children. Almost everyone talked about how cute the kids were. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
How many of you remember the myriad of stories you heard as children about the self-made millionaire? READ MORE »Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
It seems the government is charging Apple and several book publishers with anti-trust violations, claiming they were involved in price-fixing. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
The recent Supreme Court arguments regarding the health care lawsuits have sparked numerous calls for a more open court, specifically real-time, or at a minimum, delayed video coverage.
with Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
Life used to be so easy. Some 40 years ago comedian George Carlin told us there were only seven dirty words you couldn’t say on radio. Now, thanks to the New York City Department of Education there is a list of more than 50 words we shouldn’t use. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
The United States Supreme Court is hearing arguments this week about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, perhaps the most far-reaching piece of legislation in decades. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
I remember back in high school I did a term paper about Julius Caesar. One of the sources I used for information about Caesar’s assassination was William Shakespeare. But, although the Bard was undoubtedly a tremendous poet and writer, I don’t know that his Julius Caesar death scene was all that historically accurate. READ MORE »Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
One of the continuing questions about free speech asks, “Are lies a protected form of communication?” Within some narrow circumstances involving advertising and defamation, false statements are, in fact, protected. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
This Friday, March 9th, marks an unusual coincidence in anniversaries and significant dates in the media. In 1954 on this date, C-B-S news reporter Edward R. Murrow aired his famous Joseph McCarthy broadcast. READ MORE »with Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
How many of you remember where you were and what you were doing 50 years ago? READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
There’s an old, old saying that you can run but you can’t hide. And a corollary for the Internet age is that you shouldn’t post anything anywhere that you wouldn’t want you grandmother to see. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
Remember when Sergeant Joe Friday used to say “Just the facts”? And remember when the heart of journalism was gathering facts and then writing a story based on those facts? READ MORE »Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
BBB Identifies Misleading Advertising, Products and Services Middle Tennessee Consumers and Businesses Can Do Without. Your Better Business Bureau has identified the following businesses as offering services and products, which have resulted in numerous complaints alleging misleading ads/offers, unsatisfactory services and misrepresented products. READ MORE » |
Almost everyone agrees that broadcasters should be prohibited from broadcasting “indecent” material. READ MORE »with Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
Let me start with what I think is true: information we got from newspapers, magazines, radio and television in the 50s, 60s and 70s was pretty accurate. All of these media forms had matured, and there was a kind of self-checking process at work, fueled by the competing interests of a limited number of news outlets. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
What do the printing press, telegraph, telephone, television, and everything about the Internet have in common: they are all devices for delivering information. READ MORE »Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
One of the hot button issues around these days relates to the notion of “paternalism”: the government telling us what we can and cannot do in our own best interest. But what happens if the government just makes suggestions? READ MORE »Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
Get out your copy of the Constitution and the First Amendment, and read what it says about journalists. Have you found that part yet? No? Actually, you probably won’t, because those documents don’t mention journalists at all. READ MORE »Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
At the moment former speaker of the house Newt Gingrich appears to be leading other republican presidential contenders in the polls. I say “for the moment,” because by the time I finish writing these comments someone else may very well be the front runner.
Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
This week December 7th is the 70 anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Many people recall hearing James Daley make the news announcement about the attack, and today that tape is standard fare in history and broadcasting classes.
Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
I don’t know how many times we’ve said it, but let’s try again: the only thing worse than bad publicity is trying to cover up bad publicity. No, wait, there is something worse: being found out trying to cover up a good publicity. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
Ever since the early days of broadcasting, nearly 100 years ago, the law has had an almost impossible time trying to keep up with technology. Every time legislators think they have the technology figured out, a new wrinkle comes along that changes all of the rules.
Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
It’s hard to believe, but the Watergate break-in was nearly 40 years ago, but somehow it has become the scandal that keeps on giving. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
It’s been said that all politics is local, meaning the most important political decisions are really made at the local level, not the state and national. And if that’s true, then it follows that the most important examples of political and public information are also local. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
350 Middle Tennessee business people were in attendance at the BBB Middle Tennessee 50th Anniversary Celebration event held at the Renaissance Nashville hotel, November 1. Jennifer Kraus, Investigative Reporter, NewsChannel5 welcomed attendees and served as Emcee for the evening. READ MORE » |
I made a silly mistake in class last year, and asked my students how many of them remember the riots that helped end the Vietnam War. Of the 40-some students, only one was old enough to remember those days of demonstrations, tear gas and arrests. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
Quick, answer this question: how many candidates are running for president? For extra credit, how many candidates are republicans and how many are democrats? READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
My father had a saying he used more often than I liked: “If a job be great or small, do it right or not at all.” READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
BBB alerts consumers to a time-share resale scam operated by Legacy Closing Services, claiming to be located at 3200 West End Ave, Nashville, TN., and Accent Event Management claiming to be located at 5909 Expressway, Oklahoma City, OK. READ MORE » Better Business Bureau |
They say “the devil is in the details,” but a news story from Knoxville shows we sometimes need to step back and look at the big picture. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
When was the last time you thought about the Supreme Court? If you’re like most people, the answer is, “probably never.” But three cases being heard in this court’s new term could have a direct impact on your daily life. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
BBB warns consumers of the business practices of Dontre Jones, owner of NatureScapes Landscaping & Lawn Care located in Clarksville, TN. READ MORE » |
A couple of years ago I was outside the White House taking pictures of a bomb disposal robot that was being used to inspect a suspicious package. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
If you’re a woman who owns a business, you’ve got plenty of company. In fact, women own more than 10 million U.S. companies, and women-owned businesses account for about 40% of all privately held firms in the U.S., according to the Center for Women’s Business Research. Clearly, the good news is that women like you are entering the small-business arena at a rapid pace. The not-so-good news is that you may be facing a retirement savings gap in comparison to male business owners. READ MORE » Lee Colvin, Edward Jones Financial Advisor |
A White House report detailing efforts by the Obama administration to increase government transparency is causing some interesting reactions from both the right and the left. And as is pretty typical in today’s political climate, both sides are split on just what the report means. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
Here are some elementary lessons about public relations that beginning P-R students learn, but that have apparently been lost on some members of the community. It seems that organizers of a 9-11 event in Franklin decided to close the event to the media. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
Last week the Federal Communications Commission formally ended 83 different regulations, including the controversial Fairness Doctrine. The commission voted to end the rule in 1987, but it has never been formally taken off the books. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
Over the past few years, if you’ve taken out a mortgage or another consumer loan, you’ve probably welcomed the low interest rates you may have received. But as an investor, if you’ve kept any retirement savings in fixed-rate investment vehicles, you may have seen low rates in a less favorable light. READ MORE » Lee Colvin, Edward Jones Financial Advisor |
| Flash Media A couple of years ago one of the most popular videos on the Internet was of people dancing in the Antwerp, Belgium main train station. In what was obviously a staged event, hundreds of people appeared to begin spontaneously dancing to the “Sound of Music” song, “Do, Re, Mi.” The video has been viewed on You Tube alone more than 2-million times. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
| Stock Market The Dow Jones Industrial Average has taken almost everyone on a long roller coaster ride for the last couple of weeks. Price swings in the 400-dollar range have not been uncommon, and the only people who seem happy are makers and sellers of head ache remedies. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
| King James Bible Back in college I took a course called “Bible as Literature,” a non-religious look at the history, prose and poetry of the Bible. I remember the instructor stressed that no matter what you think about religious and theological issues, the impact the Bible has had on society is undeniable. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
BBB Identifies Misleading Advertising, Products and Services Middle Tennessee Consumers and Businesses Can Do Without. Your Better Business Bureau has identified the following businesses as offering services and products, which have resulted in numerous complaints alleging misleading ads/offers, unsatisfactory services and misrepresented products. Each business identified in this BBB Accredited Business Member/Media Update has been contacted by BBB concerning their business practices, unresolved customer complaints, and failure to discontinue the cause of customer complaints. READ MORE » Better Business Bureau |
| Airbrush I won’t ask how many of you ever wondered how much the Playboy centerfolds were airbrushed, but I bet you have wondered if you could ever look like those airbrushed, drop-dead models in all of those personal care ads. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
| Comics How many of you remember reading comic books when you were younger? Mickey Mouse, Superman, Captain America, or maybe Archie, Jughead and Veronica. The comics were simple, cheap entertainment. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
| Harry Potter A few years ago the movie “The Golden Compass” was going to lead to the end of religion as we know it. And then “The daVinci Code” was going to destroy the Catholic Church. And of course Harry Potter was going to do all of this and more as it allegedly lead us down all sorts of paths of destruction. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, MTSU Professor of Journalism |
| Space Coverage How many of you remember where you were and what you were doing on October 4, 1957? That was the day the former Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, Professor, MTSU School of Journalism |
| Frugality Is In Recently I has been checking around on prices for tires on my 1994 Ford Ranger pickup truck. To my surprise the prices were through the roof, both shops quoted me about $440.00 for a set of 4 tires. 1st Chance Tire and Lavergne Tire Center usually has some good prices in Smyrna and Lavergne, but they both told me the prices are high because they are rare since no one uses them anymore. READ MORE » Mike Sparks, 49th District State Representative |
| Video Games Last week the U-S Supreme Court ruled that a California law restricting sales of violent video games was unconstitutional. But did the ruling open the flood-gates for selling violence to unsuspecting children, or did it simply reaffirm First Amendment protections for art and expression? READ MORE » Dr. Larry Burris, Professor, MTSU School of Journalism |
