This Just In...

Edelstein Laid Off from the Loaf

After 11 years as editor, Ken Edelstein on Monday was fired from Creative Loafing. “This was an involuntary termination,” he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an article published today. According to the AJC, neither side would comment on Edelstein’s layoff. Creative Loafing Inc., the alternative newsweekly’s parent company based in Tampa, Fla., recently declared bankruptcy.

Creative Loafing Senior Writer — and Atlanta Press Club board member — Mara Shalhoup told the AJC that members of Edelstein’s staff followed him outside, many of them crying. “He’s the pillar of the newsroom,” she told the AJC, “and when you take that out, it’s devastating.”

Senate Debate Cancelled

Atlanta Press Club cancels U.S. Senate debate

Thursday, November 20, 2008, 04:39 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A few minutes ago, the Atlanta Press Club officially canceled its plans for hosting U.S. Senate runoff debate for Sunday, executive director Lauri Straus said.

Neither Democrat Jim Martin nor Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss would commit — each citing scheduling conflicts. Martin pointed to a visit from former Vice President Al Gore, and the Chambliss campaign said it had a fund-raiser on its calendar.

Press club debates involving two other runoffs, for Public Service Commission and the state Court of Appeals, will be held Sunday.

Have you attended recent APC events?

Would you care to share your comments about them?

We’ve had some fantastic recent programs, including one with the National Press Club and Georgia Public Broadcasting, and a lunch featuring Ted Turner. If you attended any one of our recent events, please tell us what it was like! One person can’t be everywhere…we’d love to have more “guest bloggers” write about our programs after they occur.

Thanks!

APC Salutes America’s Veterans

Happy Veterans Day from the Atlanta Press Club!

Nichols’ Death Penalty Trial Begins

Today is the day that a jury begins deciding whether Brian Nichols lives or dies for murdering four people during a shooting spree in March 2005 that began at the Fulton County Courthouse.

I still have vivid memories of that day, as I started my morning with coffee with some other freelance writer friends. As I was heading home in my jeans and sweater, my editor from The Washington Post national desk called: there had been a shooting…could I make it? I almost turned around on the highway but was there in a flash. I spent that day and subsequent ones covering the frightening events for The Post and Newsweek. One of the most upsetting moments of that March 11 was watching court reporter Julie Ann Brandau’s best friend wandering around in tears, asking us reporters if we’d heard anything about who had been shot. (At that point, we had not.) I was later standing beside her when someone whispered quietly that her friend was a victim.

As this trial finally — finally winds down and we soon learn the fate of Brian Nichols, I’ll take a moment to remember that frightening few days surrounding the shocking events. I trust many others who covered those events will, too.

What was it like?

I would imagine I am not the only Atlanta Press Club member curious to hear from fellow journalists about what it was like to cover this historic presidential election. If you were out there in the thick of it — whether it was covering local reaction to the presidential results or following local or Congressional races, please share your thoughts about being part of this Election Day of a lifetime. You can comment or, if you’d like to share your views in a “longer” format, perhaps you’d be interested in being a guest blogger! Please let us know!

Election countdown…

Coverage of Election Day is becoming more urgent and — in some instances — a bit shrill. Many of the local stories are focusing on problems and issues associated with early voting (which, for full disclosure, I did this week with zero problems during the two-hour wait). As that is a “new” and relatively unexplored angle, I’ve found much of the coverage interesting. I could do without the coverage of the annoying local robocalls (we know they are annoying) and the continued interest in the nastiness of each presidential candidate’s campaign.

Please remember there are LOCAL races going on, and one more set of Atlanta Press Club debates, scheduled to be taped and air on November 2. Visit atlantapressclub.org for more information.

Good luck covering — and voting in — these crucial elections!

Female Newscasters, Kicking A**

I love this article in Salon about the rise of women journalists and commentators during this presidential campaign. “While pondering the meaning of this year’s 18 million cracks in the White House ceiling, we might easily have missed the shower of shards falling from other glass domes, like those atop television newsrooms,” writes Rebecca Traister.  

Horrifying Crime Against Ark. Anchor

After hearing about the murder of 26-year-old Arkansas TV anchor Anne Pressly this weekend, I was just horrified. This young woman — the same age as my brother — was in the prime of her life and career. Though it seems the police believe it was a random robbery, my first thought was that she was targeted by a stalker-ish fan (perhaps I watch too many cop shows on TV). Regardless, we all know how close media consumers can feel toward us journalists. They watch us on TV, listen to us on the radio, read our words. We’re not as “popular” as movie or rock stars, but I’d like to think that those who follow our careers — our “fans,” if you will — do so because they believe in what they were doing. As colleagues at Arkansas station KATV and Ms. Pressly’s family mourn their loss, our hearts and thoughts go out to them. You can watch some video clips of Anne Pressly’s work, courtesy of KATV, here.

Coverage of “The Race Card”

With such a short time between now and the election, I’ve been intrigued by how much of the current coverage focuses on race, and how the two presidential candidates are “handling” the issue. I caught a bit of Campbell Brown’s show on CNN last night (if you click the link, check out the video excerpts on the right) and was struck by some of the comments of the politicos. Their general take: it seems race can’t NOT be an issue.

Congressman John Lewis went so far as to compare McCain and Palin’s rhetoric to the late Alabama Gov. George Wallace, whose hateful segregationist agenda permeated much of the Civil Rights movement. McCain shot back. Then the Obama camp stepped in with its own statement, which Fox News calls “the middle path,” disagreeing with the comparison between McCain and Wallace but not with the overall message of Lewis’ remarks.

Though I am disheartened that the color of someone’s skin appears to be a “hot-button” issue in this day and age, I am pleased that at least there is discussion of the topic of race…some of it even deep! What are your thoughts about media coverage of “the race card”?