Stories related to: journalist

There’s a “fascinating history lesson” in the documentary Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson , “a lively collage of interviews and found materials,” writes A. O. Scott in the New York Times . The film cements the journalist's “place in the great American parade of cranks, renegades and sages,” Scott adds. It's “all you could wish for in a doc about the man,” notes Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times . More »

“60 Minutes” reporter Lara Logan apparently found Baghdad to be a little more heated than most. The New York Post reports that the former swimsuit model has been called a homewrecker for seducing a married civilian contractor in Iraq, while at the same time carrying on a tryst with CNN reporter Michael Ware. Eventually, Logan’s two paramours got into a physical brawl, a source told the Post. More »

Getting the scoop proved costly for a Macedonian journalist who has been charged with the murder of two elderly women after reporting on their deaths in his newspaper. Police began to suspect Vlado Tanevski after realizing his articles about the murders contained details that hadn't been revealed to the public. His DNA was later found on the bodies, AP reports. More »

Deutsche Telekom apparently didn’t stop at looking through the phone records of board members and journalists in its bid to end leaks. The German phone giant also tracked their movements and may have snooped into personal bank records, Der Spiegel reports. Top executives also worked with a detective agency run by members of the former East German secret police. More »

It seems Chicago cops are dead serious about keeping the media on a short leash during the R. Kelly child-pornography trial: Today, deputies rejected doughnuts from radio reporter Brendan Greeley, worried it could be interpreted as a sign of favoritism. Greeley was told he was “being a distraction” and threatened with the revocation of his media credentials, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. More »

Journalists trying to cover the cyclone’s devastation in Burma find themselves obstructed and under surveillance by the military junta, the AP reports. The majority of foreign journalists, like aid workers, have simply been denied entry. Those inside must disguise themselves as tourists, watch out for government phone taps, and switch hotels frequently, as police seek to root them out. More »

On April 3, Barry Bearak was arrested in Harare on charges of "committing journalism" and locked in a Zimbabwean prison. The New York Times reporter now tells the story of his imprisonment, which involved four days of negotiating the murky legal system with the help of one of the country's top human rights lawyers,  and finally gaining his freedom. More »

New York Times reporter Barry Bearak and a British journalist were freed on bail today by Zimbabwean authorities, who arrested them last week for covering the country's presidential elections without government approval. Bearak was released to a clinic; he was injured in jail when he fell 7 feet from his bunk to the concrete cell floor.   More »

The US State Department is demanding the immediate release of Americans detained in Zimbabwe, CNN reports. Riot police entered a hotel yesterday and removed foreign reporters, including a New York Times correspondent now being held in a Harare jail. Another US citizen working for a democratic rights organization was also detained at the Harare airport, AP reports. The citizens were being held for no valid reason, said a US official. More »

Ticked-off journalists now have a forum to anonymously vent anger about the demands of their fast-changing profession: angryjournalist.com. A young former reporter created the site because he was disappointed by the direction of the industry and its high turnover, reports the AFP. "It's kind of depressing to see an industry that treat its workers so badly," says founder Kiyoshi Martinez. More »

The AP described superdelegates as "automatic delegates" in a story last night, just as the Clinton camp asked—and turned the news service into a spin "messenger," Josh Marshall writes on the Talking Points Memo blog. The campaign wants superdelegates to sound less privileged in case they nominate Clinton this summer. But a good reporter should cut through such word-wrangling, Marshall writes. Apparently unfamiliar with adages regarding pots and kettles, however, he singles out the AP's Mike Glover without giving him a chance to respond. More »

The helicopter ride through the burning World Trader Center's thick, chemical-laden smoke won Keith Meyers' 9/11 photos a share of the Pulitzer, but he says it cost him his health and career. "I could feel my skin tingling and burning," recalls the former New York Times photographer. Like Meyers, many journalists suffer illnesses matching those of Ground Zero workers, but their plight has drawn less attention—even in the media, reports Photo District News. More »

John McCain started to lose his temper with a New York Times reporter yesterday after being asked about John Kerry, ABC reports. McCain said there was no chance he would choose his friend Kerry for a running mate because of their "vastly different" views. He got testy when asked about a 2004 conversation where Kerry reportedly put the idea of Kerry-McCain to him. More »

A CBS photographer and translator have been kidnapped in Iraq, reports the Italian news agency ADN Kronos. Richard Butler, a Briton whose work has appeared in Newsweek and Time, and an Iraqi co-worker were forced out of their Basra hotel and into a car by a group of armed men, a police source said. A hotel employee told AFP about 10 men abducted the journalists. More »

Conservative pundits have piled on to the Rudy Giuliani bandwagon in greater numbers  and with more naked boosterism than in previous primary races, writes the National Review ’s Ramesh Ponnuru—who happens to prefer McCain. Why all the Rudy love—and willingness to forgive his weaknesses? Many right-wing journos live in New York and “are grateful to him for saving the city,” says Ponnuru. More »

One week after being labeled moral “pygmies” in a House hearing, Yahoo settled a lawsuit  brought by two Chinese journalists jailed when the Internet giant turned over their personal data to Beijing. The two men, now serving 10-year sentences on charges of leaking state secrets, sued Yahoo for providing the Chinese government with their emails and addresses. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. More »

Ten men were arrested today in the murder of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya last October, the Guardian reports. A Chechen organized-crime boss led the group responsible for the slaying, Russian authorities say. Those arrested are said to include current and former officials in the interior ministry and the security service. More »

As the one-year countdown to the Beijing Olympics begins tomorrow, activists and Olympic organizers alike have been vocal in their concerns about the host city. The government is under fire for press harassment: journalists were detained for several hours yesterday after a Reporters Without Borders conference, and six Free Tibet activists were arrested recently for unfurling a banner at the Great Wall. More »

A 19-year-old man arrested last week in a police raid on an Oakland bakery has confessed to shooting journalist Chauncey Bailey, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Detectives say Devaughndre Broussard, a self-described "good soldier," targeted the Oakland Post editor because he had been investigating the bakery and the controversial group that operates it. More »

The editor of an Oakland newspaper was shot dead in broad daylight today in what police say they believe was a contracted hit, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Chauncey Bailey was a fixture in the African-American community, known for aggressive coverage of issues and confrontational interviews with city officials. But the motives behind his killing remain unknown. More »