SunRock17 — 11 years ago(December 27, 2014 06:04 PM)

COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW: The worst journalism of 2014
A recap of this years most cringeworthy news blunders
By David Uberti
News blunders tend to have short lifespans. Theyre outed by watchful eyes, social media erupts, and the gears of outrage begin to turn. But after a brief flourish of snarky finger-wagging, they typically disappear, lost amid the ever-expanding sea of digital content.
This year has been one of many triumphs for journalists, whove told the stories of political struggle at home and violent struggle abroad, a public health crisis and airline tragedies that drew the eyes of the world, and self-examinations of American racial, domestic, and sexual norms. There have also been plenty of screw-ups, and CJR has kept track of them so you dont have to.

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  When life gives you Lemon
  As one of the most recognizable anchors on CNN, Don Lemon has helped lead the cable networks coverage of the biggest stories of the year. Live television is exceedingly difficult to produce, of course, but Lemons gaffes this year offer a case study in how to choose words wisely or not.
  On March 20, he asked guests whether Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 could have been swallowed by a black hole: I know its preposterous, but is it preposterous? He later compared spanking children to training dogs and probed similarities between the release of US Army POW Bowe Bergdahl and the Showtime series Homeland. When an alleged Bill Cosby rape victim appeared on his show on Nov. 18, he lectured, You know, there are ways not to perform oral sex if you didnt want to do itMeaning the use of teeth, right? Less than a week later, as protests turned violent in Ferguson, MO, he described the scene: Obviously, theres a smell of marijuana in the air. Lemons job isnt easy. But hes earned a DART for going there. Obviously.
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  http://www.cjr.org/darts_and_laurels/the_worst_journalism_of_2014.php? page=all