Beat the Press

Call it the world of wishful thinking. The media is salivating at the prospect of a televised Whitey Bulger trial. They'll lobby the courts. They'll seek a waiver from the federal government. They'll take it to the Supreme Court, but the reality is... it's NOT going to happen.

(From the May 17, 2013 show)

With its aggressive prosecution of whistle-blowers and leaks, the Obama Administration's relationship with the media has been tense for some time. But now, following revelations that the Justice Department secretly obtained Associated Press phone records, friction between the president and the press may be at an all-time high.

(From the May 17, 2013 show)

Another snooping scandal escalated this week, this one perpetrated by reporters at Bloomberg News who secretly accessed the accounts of Bloomberg's business clients. Bloomberg says it has put an end to it, but serious questions about what took place are just beginning.

(From the May 17, 2013 show)

Our Beat the Press panel's media rants and raves for the week of May 17, 2013.

After the attacks on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last September, which killed four Americans including Ambassador Chris Stevens, Fox News consistently framed the story as a cover-up, while most other outlets framed it as a political dispute. Those fault lines were resurrected in coverage of this week's congressional hearings.

(From the 5/10/2013 show)

One of the most horrifying kidnapping cases in years broke earlier this week in Cleveland, Ohio, where a man is charged with holding three women captive for a decade. But out of that horror, some in the media found humor in would-be rescuer Charles Ramsey.

(From the 5/10/2013 show)

This week, Bostonians' hearts warmed to the tale of a scrappy kid from Brookline who used Twitter to get into the college of his choice. But while the story got a lot of traction, it was also based on a false premise.

(From the 5/10/2013 show)

Our panel's media rants and raves for the May 5th, 2013 show.

Gays and lesbians can now get married in ten states, they can serve openly in the military and in Congress, and even the Boy Scouts are slowly coming around. So when NBA player Jason Collins came out this week, the media wrestled with how to place it in context.

(From the May 3, 2013 show)

Media critics aren't exactly movie stars, so their names and faces aren't household names. The one possible exception is Howie Kurtz, who rose to prominence at The Washington Post and CNN before taking a job with The Daily Beast. But now, the media critic himself is at the heart of the criticism.

(From the May 3, 2013 show)

Nearly three weeks after the Boston marathon bombings, the national media is still covering the story aggressively, camping out in Copley Square. That's reasonable as long as the story is still developing. But at some point, the national press may find that it's overstayed its welcome.

(From the May 3, 2013 show)

Our panel's media rants and raves for the week of Friday, May 3, 2013.

Beat the Press received a New England Emmy nomination for its December 14, 2012 show. Recorded on the evening of the Newtown shootings, our panel discussed the news coverage from that day and how the media deals with national tragedies.

News organizations have been covering the marathon bombings virtually around the clock for the past two weeks. A lot of that coverage has been outstanding, but as with any breaking news story there's often a combination of the good, some bad, and a little ugly.

(From the 4/26/13)

War correspondents knowingly volunteer for risky assignments and receive specialized training in how to ensure their personal safety. But the past two weeks have thrust local reporters into situations they never could have anticipated.

(From the 4/26/13 show)

Even with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev telling authorities why he and his brother carried out the attacks, conspiracy theorists are insisting the two were framed or that the bombings were faked. Now the mainstream media has a choice: cover the paranoia or ignore it.

(From the 4/26/13 show)

Networks are accusing a start-up with an unproven business model of directly threatening their business model. Is Aereo, as one network asserts, “stealing” their content?

Colorado's shield law hasn't stopped a Denver judge from threatening to toss a Fox News reporter in jail if she doesn’t reveal confidential sources.

It’s unlikely that Mother Jones faces legal jeopardy for publishing a secret recording of Sen. Mitch McConnell. Still, do news organizations encourage others to potentially break the law by publishing secret recordings with relatively little news value?

Less than a year after re-affirming the use of the term “illegal immigrant”, the AP says it no longer sanctions its use. Was it a sound decision or a cave to political pressure? Will it stick? Tell us what you think, or just watch the segment...

(From the April 5, 2013 show)

Our panel highlights some media hits and misses from the week.

(From the April 5, 2013 show)

Are the Boston Herald’s objections to The Boston Globe's "Driven to the Edge" series legitimate, or just expected nitpicking from a rival?

(From the April 5, 2013 show)

Should news organizations identify minors accused of misdeeds when they haven’t been charged with a crime?

(From the March 29, 2013 show)

Our panel highlights some media hits and misses from the week.  

(From the March 29, 2013 show)

For a politician who regularly mangles his speech, Boston Mayor Tom Menino has been masterful at managing the media over his 20-year term. How does his cultivation of the press play into his legacy?  

(From the March 29, 2013 show)

How did David Bernstein, who recently lost his job at The Boston Phoenix, beat every major news organization to the biggest political scoop in months?

(From March 29, 2013 show)

The coverage of the Gardner heist investigation has generally been excellent. But in reporting all the various suspects who might have been involved, does it serve the reader – or only leave them more confused?

Our panel highlights some media hits and misses from the week

NECN tweets the erroneous scoop Governor Patrick is seeking a third term. If, as the governor’s staff asserts, that it was clear he was only joking, how did NECN fall for it?