Media

Researchers found that exposure to uncivil comments can polarize opinion on news issues.

Science

The 'Nasty Effect': How Comments Color Comprehension

5:56pm March 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

At its best, the Web is a place for unlimited exchange of ideas. But the uncivil discourse that unfolds in comments sections can be poisonous. A study in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication suggests that rude comments on articles can change the way we interpret the news.

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The Media Frenzy Surrounding Oscar Pistorius

2:52pm February 25, 2013

South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius is accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in their Pretoria home. The trial has set off a media frenzy and the coverage varies widely around the globe and in sports publications.

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Electric Car Review Dust-Up May Put Brakes On Tesla Profits

1:19pm February 25, 2013

by Steve Henn

After The New York Times published a scathing review of Tesla's Model S electric car, the automaker's CEO took to Twitter to slam the reporter. Disputed facts aside, the timing of the spat could hurt Tesla, which is under pressure to improve its financial performance.

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Despite its dark themes (slavery and the Civil War are hardly feel-good topics), Lincoln, like other Oscar nominees, has done very well at the box office. Disney has spent about $10 million campaigning for the best-picture prize, hoping for a payoff down

Arts

Despite Dark Themes, A Big Oscar Bounce

6:47pm February 22, 2013

by Bob Mondello

At the Oscar ceremony on Sunday night, there'll be lots of talk about excellence — the movie industry honoring its own. But as NPR's Bob Mondello notes, there has always been another side to the Oscars: money.

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CNBC Adopts Tougher Tactic In Booking Wars

10:26am February 22, 2013

by David Folkenflik

CNBC is far and away the ratings leader in the financial cable news business — and its executives, producers and reporters are working hard to keep it that way. They're telling some guests they can't appear on rival channels amid breaking news.

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New York Times Plans To Sell 'Boston Globe'

6:11pm February 20, 2013

by David Folkenflik

The New York Times Co. announced Wednesday that it plans to sell The Boston Globe and its related properties.

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People read newspaper headlines in Athens. In 2009, there were 39 national dailies, 23 national Sunday papers, 14 national weekly papers and dozens of TV and radio stations for a population of 11 million.

Greece's Economic Crisis Reveals Fault Lines In The Media

7:05pm February 18, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

A system of favors among Greek media outlets, politicians and banks helped produce one of the most inflated media sectors in Europe. But the media have been hit hard by the country's massive austerity drive, and have taken a huge loss in terms of credibility.

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'Onion' Photo Pokes Fun At Outgoing Energy Secretary

12:28pm February 08, 2013

It's a fake story from The Onion with a doctored photo showing Energy Secretary Steven Chu in bed with a solar panel. Chu played along. On Facebook, he said he wouldn't confirm or deny the charges, but clarified his stepping down is unrelated.

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A shop in Tahrir Square is spray-painted with the word "twitter" after the government shut off Internet access in February 2011 in Cairo, Egypt.

'Distant Witness': Social Media's 'Journalism Revolution'

2:22pm February 04, 2013

by NPR Staff

When protests broke out across North Africa and the Middle East, NPR senior strategist Andy Carvin followed the events in real time online. In his book Distant Witness, Carvin explains how he cultivated social media sources into a new form of journalism where people on the ground controlled the news.

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Jimmy Cliff in a Volkswagen "Get Happy" commercial.

Sports
Arts

For Super Bowl Ads, More Social-Media Savvy

7:17pm February 01, 2013

by Elizabeth Blair

For years, Super Bowl ads have gone viral after they've aired. But these days brands like Doritos and Volkswagen are turning to social media to crowdsource ad creation — and to boost the buzz long before the big Sunday kickoff.

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