Interviews, Going the Way of the Linotype?

These are thought-provoking points, and I've certainly interviewed people (and been interviewed) by e-mail. But let me say a word in defense of face-to-face discussions, or even telephone chats. When you see someone's expressions or listen to someone's voice, you get a sense of the person that words on a screen lack. A back-and-forth in real time often leads to illuminating moments. And, of course, typed answers can be rather bloodless -- and they make it impossible for me to write, he said with a smile:). I understand the skepticism toward the way reporters edit interviews. Since journalism is the art of compression, it's not a bad idea for news organizations to post transcripts or videotape of entire interviews so readers and viewers can judge the process for themselves.

Rosen is also spearheading an effort to marry citizen journalists with professional editors, on the theory that there is wisdom in numbers. His online venture, Assignment Zero, in collaboration with Wired magazine, ordered up reporting about a project called the Citizendium, an alternative to the all-volunteer online encyclopedia known as Wikipedia.

The result is a somewhat unwieldy collection of draft articles, addendums to drafts, sidebars and spinoff questions, such as: "We hear that the word on the virtual street is that Citizendium offends the standards and practices of online culture . . . by having standards and practices. Is this true?"

"In the beginning we were shocked by how many people signed up and wanted to contribute," Rosen says, with more than 900 volunteering their efforts to Assignment Zero in areas from writing to graphics to fact-checking. "When we had that burst of enthusiasm, we did not have the right system in place for handling or directing it, and by the time we had something better in place we did not have the same enthusiasm. Also, I don't think we found a clear path to participation for all these potential contributors."

On the plus side, volunteers come cheap.

Debating Fox

The pundits differ on who won last week's GOP presidential debate on Fox News, which drew 2.4 million viewers. But the cable network is winning plaudits in some unexpected places.

"The network hosted the most interesting and innovative debate so far in this election season," Slate's John Dickerson wrote. "Moderators asked probing questions of the 10 candidates and pressed those who ducked them."

AOL blogger David Knowles, who has criticized Fox for what he calls "overwhelmingly conservative bias and shoddy reporting practices," gave "full praise to the network and its big three moderators. Brit Hume, Chris Wallace and Wendell Goler did what MSNBC's Chris Matthews could not. They played hardball, asking tough questions and inciting the candidates to spar with one another." Ken Rudin of National Public Radio said the Fox moderators "stayed out of the picture, asked sensible questions and gave the candidates ample time to answer them."

But when the Democratic Party last week announced its schedule of 2007 debates, Fox got stiffed. There are two on CNN, two on MSNBC, and one apiece on CBS and ABC. Several Democrats, under pressure from liberal bloggers who denounce Fox News as unfair and unbalanced, last month pulled out of a proposed Fox debate in Nevada.

"They're a bunch of wimps," Fox host Sean Hannity told viewers. "And they're a bunch of cowards. And they don't have the courage of their convictions to stand before objective, discerning reporters." While several of the Democratic candidates have appeared on Fox, the top tier has been shying away, even as the Republicans have debated on MSNBC.

A Democratic National Committee spokeswoman declined to comment, but party Chairman Howard Dean has called Fox "a propaganda outlet of the Republican Party."

Tabloid Ethics

In the course of denouncing a potential lawsuit against the paper by fired gossip writer Jared Paul Stern, the New York Post made a striking admission Friday.

The paper said that Page Six editor Richard Johnson, in 1997, accepted a $1,000 "Christmas gift" from restaurateur Nello Balan, who was frequently mentioned on the gossip page. (An affidavit provided to Stern by Ian Spiegelman, another former Page Sixer, says it was payment for a favorable mention.) The payment came to light two years ago. Editor-in-Chief Col Allan was quoted as saying Johnson "made a grave mistake" and was reprimanded.

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