Obama to Host Another Concert While Scandals Rage
Fiddling while the organization around him is burning from the scandals surrounding Benghazi, the IRS, and AP, Barack Obama is hosting another concert in his “In Performance at the White House” series. On May 22, Obama and his wife will honor singer-songwriter Carole King in the East Room of the White house, who will be given the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
The prize has been given to musical luminaries Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, and Burt Bacharach and Hal David in the past; King will be the first woman honored. Other musical stars will perform in addition to King, including Billy Joel, James Taylor, Gloria Estefan, Jesse McCartney, Emeli Sandé, and Trisha Yearwood.
In 2002, King joined Democrat representatives from California who had dinner with Fidel Castro in Havana defying the Bush Administration’s insistence that Cuba-U.S. relations would not warm until Cuba embraced democracy and human rights. The dinner lasted from 9 p.m. Sunday until about 4:30 a.m. Monday. King warmed Castro’s heart by singing “You’ve Got A Friend” to him; later, she added a new song she had written, “Love Makes the World.”
King blathered, “My songs were a message I wanted to bring here. I came here to learn because my life, my work, is all about communication. We should be setting an example of good will.”
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BigGovernment/~3/7kOSl8ZYntw/story01.htm
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Covering legal cases
This week on Over to You we have been looking at the reporting of former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn case in New York.
What are the challenges facing an international broadcaster like the BBC when a high profile court case like this goes global?
Since former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was first arrested on charges of attempted rape on 14 May, the case has been obsessively followed by press on both sides of the Atlantic, and details of the allegations against him have been repeatedly leaked to the media.
But last week, the media itself became part of the story, after the New York Times ran an article in which law enforcement officials questioned the credibility of the accuser.
After his bail hearing later that day, Strauss-Kahn was released from house arrest, and scenes at the courthouse reached fever pitch.
So how has the American media reported the unfolding Strauss-Kahn case, and what challenges do they pose legally for international broadcasters like the BBC?
The BBC’s New York correspondent Laura Trevelyan who reported from the courthouse that day, and BBC World News Editor, Joanna Mills discussed these issues with me.
Laura explained how extraordinary the story as a clash of two very different worlds.
Laura covered the United Nations for the BBC where she would see Mr Strauss-Kahn on the global stage, and she contrasted that with the downtown Manhattan courtroom where she found herself waiting for him to appear from the cells to be brought into court.
One of our listeners pointed out that the outcome of the case would be settled by an American jury otherwise it would be a travesty of justice and I wondered whether this case showed that the American media is taking things too far.
Laura explained that in America the First Amendment of the constitution is freedom of speech and the press, so in an open society, information is a currency that everyone has access to.
I wanted to know from Joanna if she felt any responsibility to ensure that the justice system is not prejudiced by reporting – she explained that it is not the BBC’s role to see that justice is served, as that is the role of the justice system, but it is the BBC’s responsibility to make sure that it doesn’t undermine that system.
In a UK case, the BBC is governed by strict laws about what can be reported before the case is put to the jury, but no matter where the story is happening, there are three key principles for her – is the coverage accurate, is it fair, and is it impartial.
These principles apply whether it is reporting an uprising in Syria or a criminal case in New York.
I hope that gives you a sense of the complexity of covering legal cases as a global news organisation.
In the meantime, keep your emails and calls coming.
Rajan Datar is the presenter of Over To You.
Over To You is your chance to have your say about the BBC World Service and its programmes. Broadcast times can be found by clicking here.
Listen to previous episodes of Over To You
Subscribe to the podcast
Send the team your feedback by email (overtoyou@bbc.co.uk), telephone (44 144 960 9000), SMS (447786 202006) or by leaving comments on this blog
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/overtoyou/2011/07/this_week_on_over_to_2.html
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Acting IRS Head Who Took the Fall This Week Has Few Answers for Congress
Acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller is testifying in front of the House Ways and Means Committee this morning. It’s one of the Congress’ first opportunities to grill the agency on its use of politically loaded differentiation in assessing applicants’ non-profit status.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/acting-irs-head-took-fall-week-few-answers-140448146.html
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The media world
On this week’s Over To You we look into the wider media world and focus on the continuing coverage on the drought in the Horn of Africa.
As the worst drought in 20 years hits the region we look at how and when it became a major news story.
We explore the relationship between aid organisations, such as Oxfam and the DEC, and the media; how do they interact and how does this relationship influence the news?
We discussed this issue with Solomon Mugera, BBC Editor Africa Region.
Some listeners may remember Solomon joined us recently to discuss South Sudan’s independence and we couldn’t pass up this opportunity to get him back on the show.
Ian Bray, senior press officer for Emergencies and Disasters at Oxfam also joined us to explain a bit more about how aid organisations use the media.
They considered the challenges created by this particular disaster and a more general sense of how charities and news organisations work together.
The Over To You mailbag had plenty of variety this week.
You may remember that Sue Ellis joined us last month to discuss the Reith Lectures with Aung San Suu Kyi.
After the first lecture was aired, the Burmese government banned any political activity including further statements by Ms Suu Kyi’s party.
Now we don’t know that the statement and the ban are linked, but Sergio Joaquim Dique from Mozambique wrote in expressing his concerns about the implications of for her safety that her participation in the lecture has created.
We put his question to Sue Ellis, Chair of the Reith Lectures and asked how does the BBC assess the risk for participants in programmes.
Michelle Vigar, who hails from Cyprus, isn’t happy with how the BBC covered Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to Canada, in particular how the BBC chose to discuss Kate Middleton’s appearance and role.
And finally Carla Sutherland contacted us in with concerns about the BBC’s coverage of the Women’s Football World Cup.
We’ve got good news regarding the BBC’s ongoing coverage, and hopefully will assuage Carla’s concerns.
That’s all we’ve got space for this week, and as always please keep your comments coming.
Rajan Datar is the presenter of Over To You.
Over To You is your chance to have your say about the BBC World Service and its programmes. Broadcast times can be found by clicking here.
Listen to previous episodes of Over To You
Subscribe to the podcast
Send the team your feedback by email (overtoyou@bbc.co.uk), telephone (44 144 960 9000), SMS (447786 202006) or by leaving comments on this blog
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/overtoyou/2011/07/on_this_weeks_over_to.html
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Press Is Letting Bystander President Off the Hook
I am writing this piece from Moscow, which gives me a different perspective on the U.S. media’s “falling out” with President Obama. Our newly invigorated press appears to have awakened to the fact – post election, of course – that Obama is not the flawless figure they thought him to be. They are beginning to question their narrative of a set-upon president who has done his best to compromise with intractable opponents. They had interpreted criticism of Obama as partisan and without substance, driven in some cases by racism. Our press may have…
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