How Ferguson Cops Bullied the Media

. . . N.Y. Daily News Mariachi Cartoon Called Stereotypical

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists Sunday denounced a cartoon in the Daily News in New York as stereotypical and demanded a public apology.

The cartoon, a commentary on New York's grading of taxis, was published Sunday. It showed mariachis on a train to illustrate "an example of what some may find annoying," the cartoonist, Bob Eckstein, tweeted to NAHJ member Julio Varela, founder of LatinoRebels.com, according to NAHJ.

NAHJ President Mekahlo Medina said in a statement on the NAHJ website, "Our community, for far too long, has been the subject of these stereotypes for the sake of jokes or entertainment. It's disturbing that a journalism organization like the New York Daily News would allow a negative depiction to be used to engage readers on an issue that is important to citizens. The cartoon, for Latinos, is an example of engaging them on the issue of grading transportation . . ."

• Ruben Navarrette Jr., Washington Post Writers Group: A heckler's reasoning
  
  
• Jose Parra, Fox News Latino: What's in a name pronunciation? For Latinos, plenty
  
  
• Geraldo Rivera, Fox News Latino: Immigration frustration
  
  
• Bob Ray Sanders, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Fort Worth Herd drovers get a lesson in their own culture

No More Mug-Shot Galleries for Missouri Paper

The Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader is dropping its regular publication of mug shots because "Greene County's system to distribute mug shots of daily arrests had gone down, and our system to capture them was as useless as an iPhone in western Kansas."

Moreover, Paul Berry, executive director of news and engagement, told readers Sunday, "I'd been thinking lately about the mug shots and our role as the community newspaper. As I've said countless times since getting here, our success hinges on our ability to produce quality journalism that impacts our community.

"Good journalism seeks to bring clarity to confusion, helps us ask informed questions and provides us with the information we need to make informed decisions for our families, businesses and communities.

"We've been struggling with how these galleries fit into our approach. While they serve as a record of arrests in our area, they raise significant questions. Was the arrest justified? Were formal charges filed? What is the condition of the person arrested?

"Without proper context, the galleries serve as little more than a place for people to gawk at those who have been arrested. Many of those who are arrested need our community's help, not our ridicule. . . ."

Berry also wrote, "We'll continue to report on the serious crimes against people in our community, as you've come to expect from us. And we won't shy away from holding people accountable for their actions, including publishing their photos.

"But for now, mug shots are a machine we won't be turning back on again. . . ."

Pitching the Press, With Diversity

The centerfold of the Washington Post's Capital Business section Monday featured a photo of its diverse staff and an invitation to "learn about how to get your news in Capital Business and pitch to reporters one-on-one, speed-dating style."Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres are to be served at the Post building on Oct. 28.

From left, Jonathan O'Connell, Mohana Ravindranath, Shawn Selby, Madia Brown, Amrita Jayakumar, Dan Beyers, V. Dion Haynes, J.D. Harrison, Abha Bhattarai, Steven Overly, Catherine Ho and Kathy Orton.