Pam Ward bandwagon picks up steam; TV Barn nominated for Mirror

I guess I'd be lying if I said I expected a strong, robust line of reasoning from the opponents to my story advocating Pam Ward as Your Next NFL Network play-by-play voice, but I must say the anti's are really letting me down. Most of their emails were of the, to quote one, "You may feel that Pam Ward is entertaining; I do not" variety. That really wasn't the main point, though, now was it? Rather, it was that the NFL needed an excellent voice for its contentious only-on-NFLN games, and better if it didn't hire an existing PBP away from its broadcast partners. Of course, that wouldn't satisfy the reader who helpfully suggested that "ALL voices from the press box" on all NFL games be removed, and that viewers at home hear only "crowd and ambient noises." Yes, because that worked so well when NBC tried it.

Scanning the blogs brought me no relief, either, as I uncovered only cheerfully sexist sites, like the one that claimed to chronicle the foibles of announcer regardless of gender, so what if all the names in big type were women's?

The pro-Pams, however, have been coming through, and from the darndest corners. Read Peggy Gagliardi's letter — she being coach John Gagliardi's wife — she's watched Pam Ward call the D3 football championship game several times, as have I. So if you find yourself agreeing with the all-time winningest college football coach, and Paul Harris, and this reader, and yours truly (and, UPDATE, the editor of Deadspin), maybe you should send these guys a note telling them what a neat thing it would be if PW did the PBP for the NFL in '08. Maybe start your letter this way: "Dear Commissioner Goodell: Yes, I want NFL Network, but only if ..."

***

Meanwhile, in completely unrelated news, yours truly has been nominated for a Mirror Award by the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. I'm up for best profile, for this story about the Al Jazeera English.

I am sorry to report, however, that the hope of having a genuine alternative to the American TV network coverage of the world appears to be fading fast. Memos that I, and other journalists, received earlier this year suggested internal turmoil going on at AJE, of people not getting paid, of directives being issued from Doha over the objections of Washington, who had been hired on the promise that they would have editorial autonomy from Al-Jazeera's Arabic headquarters.

Then, two weeks ago, Dave Marash, whom I interviewed on multiple occasions and who really seemed to be having a good time being Al Jazeera English's U.S. anchor, announced he was leaving, that he had been demoted and furthermore, that all that everyone was saying about the loss of editorial control was true.

But the loss of AJE as a reliable, scrappy news force doesn't mean there aren't other world news outlets ... that we also aren't getting to see. There's BBC World, France 24 and even poor benighted CNNi, not to mention the fine work of Link TV that is available on satellite but not on cable. In an election year especially, it's vital that viewers let cable operators know that they know what they are missing, and they don't like it.

Press release follows:

Download the original attachment

SYRACUSE
UNIVERSITY

S.I. NEWHOUSE
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS

Newhouse School announces finalists in second annual Mirror Awards

Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications today announced 22 finalists in five categories in the second annual Mirror Awards competition honoring excellence in media industry reporting. The competition drew more than 100 entries. The media’s top writers, readers and leaders will gather June 23 at 11:45 a.m. at the Rainbow Room, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, to fete the winners.

Finalists, chosen by a group of journalists and journalism educators, are:

Best Single Article

• Rachel Smolkin, “Justice Delayed,” American Journalism Review
• Ken Auletta, “Promises, Promises,” The New Yorker
• Emily Nussbaum, “Say Everything,” New York Magazine
• Evgenia Peretz, “Going After Gore,” Vanity Fair
• Michael Wolff, “Murdoch’s Private Game,” Vanity Fair

Best Profile

• Joe Strupp, "Getting Wired: New Image for AP," Editor & Publisher
• Aaron Barnhart, “Al Jazeera English: The News You Won't See,” Kansas City Star

—more—

Mirror Award Finalists—2

Best Profile continued

• David Folkenflik, "Seizures Hurt Memory, Ex-‘Times' Reporter Says," National Public Radio
• Jeff Coplon, "How Race is Lived in America," New York Magazine
• Richard Siklos, "Tilting at a Digital Future," The New York Times

Best Commentary

• David Carr, The New York Times
• Dan Kennedy, freelancer, for The Guardian
• Joe Nocera, The New York Times
• Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
• Clive Thompson, freelancer, for Wired

Best Investigative Piece

• Lowell Bergman, "News War: Secrets, Sources & Spin and the Future of Networks," “Frontline” (PBS)
• Brian Ross and Vic Walter, "To Catch A Predator: A Sting Gone Bad," “20/20” (ABC News)
• Sarah Ellison, Matthew Karnitschnig, Susan Pulliam, Dennis K. Berman, Susan Warren, Martin Peers, Steve Stecklow, Aaron O. Patrick and Andrew Higgins, "The Battle for Dow Jones: A Newspaper Covers Itself," The Wall Street Journal (four pieces)
• Dynasty's Dilemma
• Family Dynamics
• Mogul's Dream
• Calling Shots

Overall Excellence

• American Journalism Review
• Broadcasting & Cable
• The New York Times: Monday Media section
• The Seattle Times: The Democracy Papers

In addition, journalist Tim Russert will receive the Fred Dressler Lifetime Achievement Award, and CNN/YouTube will receive the i-3 award for impact, innovation and influence.

—more—

Mirror Award Finalists—3

The Mirror Awards, established by the Newhouse School in 2006, honor the reporters, editors and teams of writers who hold a mirror to their own industry for the public’s benefit. Honorees are recognized for news judgment and command of craft in reporting, analysis and commentary on developments in the media industry and its role in our economy, culture and democracy.