Trust is valuable

Most people haven't thought much about what distinguishes a piece of journalism produced by, say, the Miami Herald from a piece of journalism produced by, say, World Net Daily. Neither are the subtleties dividing a Huffington Post roundup on protests in Iran and BBC story on the same topic much debated around the dinner table.

In the past, the more consistently credible reporting came bundled in a newspaper or beaming out of the radio; the less credible stuff got passed around in glossy tabloids, partisan newsletters or by word of mouth. Now all of it arrives on the same screen and often through aggregation sites that don't distinguish the well-researched, impartial story from the breezy opinion piece. Wheat and chaff are linked to side by side - and there's nothing to say any two people will agree on which is the wheat and which is the chaff.

That's not to say people don't know the difference between what Townhall does and the Los Angeles Times does - although the lines between opinion and straight reporting are getting more blurred, and not to the benefit of the reader.

Which is why the intellectual appeal to readers to pay for quality journalism, produced with high standards and under the rigors of honest editorial review, will probably never work. Instead, news organizations should come up with new ways to communicate clearly what standards and ethics they subscribe to. It will require publications to think through issues that they are too often on auto pilot about. Slogans ('Fair and Balanced') won't do the trick. And there will have to be a level of engagement with and accountability to readers that goes beyond feedback for the sake of feedback (as most online comments, reader surveys and letters to the editor are these days).

Bits of information might be passed around the Internet such that everything gets covered in the same mud, but serious readers will track information back to an original source. Original sources that have clearly laid out why their reporting is trustworthy will have a value that distinguishes them in the eyes of advertisers and potential subscribers/donors/micropayers.

After journalism

For journalists who are thinking about leaving the profession, or are being forced out - the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has put together a panel with you in mind. On Wednesday, April 29, SPJ hosts “Journalism Ethics in a Post-Journalism World: How to Regain Your Career Without Losing Your Soul.”

Here's how the panel discussion is billed:

In the continually shifting media landscape – and particularly in today’s brutal economy – more and more reporters and editors are finding themselves forced to contemplate or confront an unplanned and often unwanted change of career from professional journalism. Their skill set equips them for a variety of communications, research, political and advocacy work, but they may well be wondering how to retain and integrate into a post-journalism career the traditional SPJ values and ethics of openness and transparency, honesty and accuracy, accountability and responsibility that have been the foundation of modern professional journalism.

Here's the panel:

• Aaron Curtiss – member of Sitrick and Company strategic communications firm, former Los Angeles Times staff writer, editor, advertising manager, online-transition leader
• Laureen Lazarovici – Senior Communications Consultant with the Kaiser Permanente Labor-Management Partnership, former staff writer for L.A. Weekly, communications staff member for the AFL-CIO in Washington, DC, and United Nurses Association of California
• Allan Parachini – Public Information Officer, Los Angeles Superior Court; former Los Angeles Times staff writer; Director Of Public Affairs, ACLU-Southern California; Vice President For Communications for California Community Foundation
• Ted Rohrlich – researcher/investigator for Service Employees International Union Local 721, former staff writer and investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times

For more information about the discussion, email SPJLosAngeles@gmail.com or call (323) 259-3350.

Brewer to go

The LA school board voted to buy out Superintendent David Brewer's contract. Brewer said yesterday he'll take the money and go.

Team of hopefuls*

The Los Angeles Times looks at the possible successors to Rep. Xavier Becerra, who might be leaving office to become U.S. Trade Representative under President Barack Obama. As predicted, LA Councilman Eric Garcetti is on the list, along with state Sen. Gil Cedillo and LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina.

*UPDATED: Becerra is said to be meeting with Obama today in Chicago. Not sure if this is a second meeting between the two about the job (Politico reported that the two were set to meet yesterday in Chicago), but it looks to me like the deal is being sealed.

Becerra, I hardly knew ye (Updated from yesterday)

President-elect Obama has reportedly tapped Rep. Xavier Becerra, who happens to be my congressman, for the position of U.S. Trade Representative.

From CQ Politics:

Becerra is weighing whether to give up his House seniority and newly won spot as vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus to take the Cabinet-level post, a source close to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus said. But another Democratic source said the job has been offered and accepted.

If the offer was made, I'd guess he'll take the job.

Question: If Becerra leaves, will L.A. City Councilman Eric Garcetti, a fervent Obama supporter, run for the open seat? Garcetti is up for re-election on March 3 and that could complicate things.

UPDATE: Becerra took the time to write a nice press release congratulating Bill Richardson on his nomination to be Commerce secretary. Interestingly, one of the responsibilities of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is to coordinate policy with the Department of Commerce.

From the press release:

Bill Richardson is an exceptional choice to lead the Department of Commerce as we confront one of the most economically challenging times in our history. Governor Richardson brings a wealth of experience and a keen understanding of today’s global economy to the position. Bill will be a skilled and fierce advocate for the interests of American businesses and workers at home and around the world.

UPDATE II: Becerra will meet with Obama in Chicago and is expected to express some concerns, Politico reports:

California Rep. Xavier Becerra, who’s under consideration to become the U.S. trade representative, is meeting today in Chicago with President-elect Barack Obama. Close colleagues say Becerra, a rising Democratic star in the House, is concerned the job isn’t officially a Cabinet level post and wants assurances about access to Obama.

Time to kill the rhyme

First off, just because something rhymes does make it wisdom. So let's put a bullet into the tired phrase "No drama Obama" so no more lazy political writers can use it to evaluate the president-elect's cabinet choices and campaign style.

I say this as Hillary Clinton's people confirm to the New York Times that she will take the secretary of state job. Much has been written about the Clintons introducing drama into Obama's drama-less inner sanctum were she to accept the position.

Obama is a drama magnet. The very nature of his candidacy - first African-American presidential candidate - was dramatic. His win was dramatic. His win in the midst of great economic upheaval and two wars is dramatic. His beating Clinton in the longest primary ever recorded followed by an election campaign that made "palling around with terrorists" a household term is dramatic. Rev. Jeremiah Wright surfaced in a most dramatic way and Obama responded with a dramatic speech. And the entire campaign was compared to a television political drama (The West Wing).

The fact that his campaign aides didn't leak much information is not "no drama."

If you want to argue that Obama prefers to be the calm in the midst of a roiling storm, then you might have an interesting point. Then you might ask: Doesn't he court drama? If so, isn't Hillary Clinton a natural choice for secretary of state?

To be the calm at the center of a storm one needs a storm.

Another effigy

This time it's an Obama effigy, hung from a tree on the University of Kentucky campus.

Voter registration

Final day to register to vote in California is Monday, Oct. 20.