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This article reports that the Committee to Protect Journalists has labeled Syria the most dangerous place on Earth for the press as a result of the killing, wounding and kidnapping of journalists covering the uprising. Marie Colvin of Sunday Times of London, Remi Ochlik and Mika Yamamoto are cited as among 26 journalists killed there. The war coverage experience of Clarissa Ward of CBS News, Paul Schemmm of "Associated Press," and C.J. Chivers of "New York Times" are also related. INSET: One-Sided Coverage.

The article discusses a new understanding of the press' role in the first 5 months following the break-in at the Watergate office complex in Washington D.C. in June 1972. It notes how the continuing coverage forced flat denials together with the infamous non-denial denials left the White House unable to recoup the trust it lose through its refusal to be the first source of the bad news. It also points out that press coverage that suggested the involvement of higher-ups could have played a role in the harsh sentenced meted out by Districit Judge John J. Sirica It indicates that Watergate remains one of new media's finer hour.

The author reflects on the status of news organizations arguing that they need to act more boldly if they are to survive in the business. He describes the anxiety and uneasiness felt by journalists from a national magazine who gathered to discuss their future and how to prepare for it. Their major worries include whether they will be able to continue doing the job right with all the stresses and cutbacks, as well as how to maintain accuracy with less time.

This article examines the declining coverage of the war in Iraq. The high costs of foreign reporting and the dangers inherent in covering Iraq has drastically thinned the media corps who report on the war. This deficiency is hampering American's ability to understand this vital issue. Since the invasion in 2003, 133 journalist and media support staff have been killed. In many cases, they have become the targets of attacks, which is unprecedented in war coverage. Only the major cable news stations and three newspapers maintain bureaus in Iraq. INSET: A Blog of Heartbreak.

The article reports on the difficulties that journalists have had reporting on Fidel Castro during his sickness and transfer of power. Cuba has strict restrictions for the press. Several anecdotes are given from journalists who attempted to report on Castro. Many were turned back at the nation's international airport for not having the appropriate papers. Some slipped in. Others who were stationed in the country, such as Gary Marx, also relate their struggles in trying to gather information. The "Miami Herald" sent in reporters illegally. All journalists who were admitted into the country complained of being censored.

The article focuses on the challenge facing journalists with respect to the use of the term person of interest in federal cases. Journalists should know how to handle the vague term. Reporters use the term without pressing police to define it. Because of its lack of real definition, the interpretation of the term is left to the audience. Kristin Gazlay, deputy managing editor for national news at the Associated Press, said that the media need to look at why a person is a person of interest and to recognize that police use the term a technique to pressure people to talk.

This article discusses that despite that most U.S. news media have drastically underplayed genocide in Sudan's Darfur region, there are several journalists who did outstanding work regarding the event. As the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide was being observed in 2004, news managers once again were under fire, this time for scant coverage of the bloodletting in Darfur, where millions have faced torture, starvation, rape and murder at the hands of brutal Arab militias known as Janjaweed. Many of the stories on Sudan published in the nation's newspapers tended to be 500 words or less, giving short shrift to a complex conflict with powerful ethnic, religious and economic factors. Many accounts lacked historical context or perspective, often oversimplifying the bloodshed in Darfur. And few of them appeared on the front page. Only a handful of newspapers have sent their own correspondents to the scene. Foreign desks more often turn to wire service briefs or an occasional piece by a stringer. Serious reporting on the subject largely has been absent on the networks and on cable. Loren Jenkins, foreign editor for National Public Radio, which has paid more attention to the issue than most news organizations, agrees that much more needs to be done. While the overall media performance on Darfur has been disappointingly weak, some news organizations have covered the story with distinction. The Washington Post and New York Times have emerged as leaders in persistent, on-the-ground coverage, not just at the Chad border, where tens of thousands of survivors have fled, but deep in vast wastelands where the Janjaweed have left a trail of scorched villages, rape and wanton killing. INSETS: Untitled;The Roots of the Strife;Untitled;Untitled

This article discusses the story behind the media coverage of the revelation by former Oregon Governor Neil Goldschmidt that in the 1970s, when he was 35 and the city's mayor, he had an ongoing sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl. The Oregonian, the biggest paper in the Northwest, had been beaten on the story by Williamette Week, a Portland alt-weekly. In May 2004, Willamette Week reporter Nigel Jaquiss broke the news of a sex scandal involving Goldschmidt and a 14-year-old girl. Though Goldschmidt did confess to the Oregonian, his unburdening that on May 6 came just hours after Willamette Week confronted him with questions about the girl. When the Oregonian's story posited that Goldschmidt's deteriorating health and impending media accounts of the affair were equal parts responsible for provoking the confession, many journalists in town cried foul, saying that not only was not that fair to Willamette Week, it was not an accurate portrayal of the day's events. The weekly had been far ahead on the story and had posted its account the day before the Oregonian published its piece. The Oregonian's Friday morning paper symbolized the paper's failure to take real measure of Neil Goldschmidt. According to Oregonian columnist Steve Duin, hopefully, next time, the Oregonian will see more clearly, challenge the institutions, aggressively chase the seemingly impossible story.

Presents an article about the relations between U.S. military troops in Afghanistan and journalists covering the war. Experiences of journalists who were seeking protection from a U.S. military base in Gardez, Afghanistan; Way in which Afghan troops treated reporters under their protection; Response of military officials to requests of protection for journalists.

Examines the Russian government policies and treatment of journalists and television broadcasters. Political condition of Russia; Views concerning freedom of the press; Inculcation of espionage in media; Discussion on state-owned newspapers and television stations; Influence of businessmen and government on mass media. INSETS: A Hostile Takeover, by Sherry Ricchiardi;Under Siege.

Looks at the suppression of freedom of the press and of the expression implemented against the newspaper Res Publica in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Imprisonment of journalists; Ways by which governments limit press freedom; Libel lawsuit against Ryspek Omurzakov, a reporter of Res Publica.

The article highlights the government reporting program funded by a State Department grant for 8 Burmese journalists chosen by the U.S. Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar. The project was developed out a need for basic, professional news training that will benefit working journalists and residents of a country without history of a free press The training was held in Missoula, Montana which is near perfect in terms of openness and accessibility by journalists to government and nongovernment processes. The visiting journalists posted their experiences on Facebook and wrote about a rodeo, a gun show and a tip camp.

This article focuses on how China will cope with an invasion of 20,000 foreign journalists for the 2008 Olympics. China has a government-controlled domestic press and is known to be somewhat heavy-handed in dealing with foreign reporters who break its often ill-defined and ambiguous regulations. The Chinese government has added to the uncertainty by issuing new press regulations that require the international state-run Xinhua news agency to distribute information to Chinese consumers. These rules, which could allow Xinhua to censor news distributed within China, may have been aimed at media companies hoping for a share of the potentially lucrative Chinese market.

The article presents the views of journalists about confidential sources, based on a survey conducted by the "American Journalism Review." Seth Borenstein, a correspondent for "Knight Ridder," believes in the protection of the identity of a source after granting confidentiality. Jack Kresnak, a reporter for "Detroit Free Press," says that government offices have tightened the releasing of information. Robert McClure, a reporter for "Post-Intelligencer," stated that their policy on the use of anonymous sources is not to attribute information to unnamed sources except in exceptional circumstance.

Presents a narrative of the author's experience in covering the news about the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba. Reasons behind the sudden interest in the story; News coverage of different news agencies; Mistakes committed by reporters in their coverage of the news.

This article deals with the sanctions against the Baghdad office of Al Jazeera that send a troubling message for press freedom in the Middle East. It also reignited controversy about the U.S. government's commitment to support independent news media in Iraq. Iraqi officials said they closed the office of the Arabic-language news network on August 7, 2004 for a month because Al Jazeera had incited violence and racial hatred. Al Jazeera denied the charges. Al Jazeera News Editor in Chief Ahmed Al Sheikh said showing images of civilian casualties and hostages did not exacerbate or instigate those situations. The closure was the latest in a series of sanctions against Al Jazeera. Other Arabic-language news media also have been sanctioned, but the moves against Al Jazeera are especially telling because of its global influence. The Bush administration declined to criticize the interim government's decision to shut down the network's Baghdad office. But international journalism organizations protested the closure. During the 1980s, U.S. news media agonized over how to cover hostage-taking and plane hijackings, and those discussions continue today in U.S. newsrooms. Some journalists say Al Jazeera's increasing importance could help U.S. policymakers.

This article focuses on the 2004 State of the First Amendment survey, conducted by the First Amendment Center in collaboration with American Journalism Review. The poll shows a recovery from a post-September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks low in public support for the First Amendment in general, but U.S. citizens remain critical of the professionalism and ethics of the people and organizations that deliver the news. In the minds of too many U.S. citizens, freedom of the press is the least popular of the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment, only 15 percent mentions the press when asked to list those five freedoms. More alarming, four in 10 U.S. citizens believe the press has too much freedom. The news for the press is no better in responses to questions that have been asked in previous surveys. For example, while journalists and their critics continue to debate the promiscuous use of anonymous sources, 70 percent this year said they support the right of journalists to keep sources confidential. However, that is 15 points below the 85 percent who said so in 1997. Those who do not believe journalists should be able to keep their sources confidential doubled during that period from 12 percent to 25 percent. Journalists and their advocates need to find new and better ways to deliver that story to the U.S. public. These findings in the 2004 State of the First Amendment survey lend a new level of urgency to that assignment.

Reports on the decision of U.S. news organizations to reduce the number of journalists stationed in Iraq as of December 2003. Primary reason behind the decision; Total number of journalists embedded with the military; Status of conducting media coverage in Iraq.

Discusses the difficulty of acquiring press passes for online journalists and access for online organizations in the United States. Information on the first journalist, Stephen Trimble who was granted a press pass at the Pentagon in Virginia; Denial of press passes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament in 2000.

This article examines the issue of journalists being served subpoenas to testify against their confidential sources. To further the debate, RonNell Jones, of the University of Arizona, is trying to quantify the problem and provide hard data where there is none. Jones has created a survey for newspaper editors to answer regarding any subpoenas they are aware of. The 24-question survey begins with a set of queries aimed at all news organizations, including those that have not received subpoenas. These focus on newsroom policy on confidential sources, perceptions of the impact of subpoenas and whether the legal climate for the news media has changed. The next section addresses the number of subpoenas the news organization has received, who issued them and for what reason.

This article presents the author's opinion on the role and responsibility of the media as it relates to matters of politics and democracy. He feels the media did not display the requisite level of scepticism when presented with the claims by the administration of George W. Bush in regards to Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. He also denounces the trend to reporting a story without fact-checking, then allowing the other side to refute it. Doing so only give the appearance of objectivity because the journalist has allowed himself to be manipulated by lies.

The article emphasizes the social significance of the mass media. The media coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana depicts the commitment of journalists to live by their duties. Journalists were very brave to search for information about the hurricane and report it to the public. The media was able to provide the public an up-to-date news about the disaster. This hurricane coverage is of great significance not only to journalists but to the public as well. The job of journalists is very important and it is one of the jobs that serves the public during any disasters.

This section presents a list of notable incarcerations of journalists since 1990 from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

This article comments on the U.S. government's case against Judy Miller of the New York Times and Matt Cooper of Time as of April 2005. The author illustrates what it feels like in the matter of the government versus the press. The nation's ascendant conservative elements won their power fair and square. Now they are aggressively advancing their political agenda, and, according to the author, that is fair too. That is the way the game is played. The author notes that what troubles him is the part of their playbook that advocates open season on journalists. The author points out that he and other U.S. journalists bear a lot of responsibility for this sorry state. They have seen some spectacular ethical lapses, which further erode media credibility. They have arrogance issues. And the author thinks it is essentially true that they are out of sync with Middle America's values and mores. The author admits that he does not know the answer, but he does not think it is a federal shield law. According to him, journalists are not priests, and there are times when they should comply with prosecution request. In conclusion, the author maintains that courage is something every working journalist needs, especially today.

On April 7, 2004, a federal marshal confiscated the recorders of two reporters during a speech by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia at Presbyterian Christian High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Scalia has prohibited electronic recordings of his public appearances in the past. One of those journalists, 25-year-old Antoinette Konz, an education reporter at the "Hattiesburg American," talked to Melissa Cirillo of the "American Journalism Review" about that experience. At first, according to Konz, she was just really shocked. A lot of questions were going through her head, but out of a sense of professionalism and because Justice Scalia was still speaking and Konz did not want to be disrespectful, she complied. This is a strong issue surrounding the First Amendment, says Konz. There is no hidden agenda when reporters use tape recorders. This is strictly to report the news to the community, to make sure the report is accurate. Things like this, according to her, should not happen.

The article notes the decision of the editors of American Journalism Review to include the front-of-the-book sections, The Beat and Drop Cap, in the periodical as of April 2004. The Beat, which replaces Bylines, will include longer pieces on people in the journalism industry. Drop Cap, on the other hand, is simply a hipper name for a section that both addresses serious media issues and includes fun and funky items about the press. Readers of the periodical will also notice that columns and other departments in the periodical have been given a new look, one that is modern and inviting.