Obscure Box

Poor Andrew Sachs. Thrust into the world news after an ill-thought out radio prank on his answer machine backfired on two BBC presenters who should have known better. The details of the prank are plastered far and wide on websites, including a comprehensive coverage on the BBC’s site with a handy Timeline. It comes complete [...]

Radio wag in Brisbane needs to wake up and smell the web. Running out of time on his morning talkback show this morning he tells me he hasn’t time to bring me the diary of a dog and a cat he’s just discovered. Never mind, he says suddenly remembering he’s not in tomorrow. “I’ll tell [...]

Just reading a whole bunch of stuff about how traditional journalism is dead and we’ll all be replaced by the rise (hasn’t it already risen) of online journalism. Students and academics tell me online is the only way to get news out to people straight away, as it happens, without having to wait for tomorrow’s [...]

Who first mentioned the link between Hillary Clinton’s ailing campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination and the scene with the Black Knight from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail? This Monday the ABC’s Tony Eastley introduced a piece “Clinton’s hopes of nomination grim” (Monday 12 May 2008) on the AM program with reference [...]

All these reports from the US media on the presidential campaign (enough already) has brought to light a new meaningless media cliche. Along with “it remains to be seen” and “only time will tell” is another phrase that allows a reporter to say something when they’re really adding nothing to a story. The US media [...]