In Digital Detroit, TV Stations Trump Papers

Posted Friday, September 30, 2011 10:08 am

By: Callum Borchers | NetNewsCheck.com

Detachment stands as an ethical pillar of journalism, right beside the marble columns of fairness and accuracy. But in Detroit, an urban symbol of the American recession, it is almost impossible, some journalists argue, to report local news in the dispassionate form taught by J-school textbooks.

“I absolutely think we have a responsibility to show people in Detroit -- and beyond -- what positive things the city has to offer,” said Lisa Ray, the managing editor at NBC affiliate WDIV, whose website, ClickOnDetroit.com, is the most popular online news source in the market, according to a fall 2010 report from The Media Audit.

It is from that perspective that Ray’s station partnered with the city’s most recognizable journalist, Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom, to launch a public service media initiative called “The Heart of Detroit.”

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In Digital Detroit, TV Stations Trump Papers

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