This is some of what’s caught my attention in the past hours:
- Express man who duped Hitler | Sunday Express – The charming world of psy-ops: "If this 'black' broadcasting was to deceive efficiently then the principal speaker had to be totally convincing – and Der Chef was ideal. He had to sound like a Right-wing, patriotic German who was outraged at the incompetence of many in the Nazi hierarchy who were profiting at home from the massive sacrifices of the decent German soldier fighting abroad.
Der Chef frequently used the type of language used by ordinary soldiers. In his very first broadcast, the Prime Minister was called “That flat- footed bastard of a drunk old Jew Churchill.” It was designed to add to the overall effect of a genuine German speaking his mind."
- The National Enquirer: Ur-Text of the Tabloid Age | Newsweek Culture | Newsweek.com – The Enquirer doesn't compete with newspapers like The New York Times or newsweeklies like Time or NEWSWEEK, but with celebrity magazines like People, Us Weekly and OK! It uses methods scorned by the mainstream media—rifling through trash cans, stalking subjects and, most of all, paying for information.
- Understanding the financial crisis for non-finance majors | Mohamed Nanabhay – "This American Life and NPR News produced The Giant Pool of Money. It's an hour long radio show that tells the story of the morgage crisis from the guy taking a loan all the way up the chain to the Chinese bankers. This is one of the best pieces of economics reporting that I've ever come across."
- It takes a flight to UK to read the other version of the newspaper and examine the ethics of media | Palestine Think Tank – An unhappy Telegraph blogger writes…
- Electioneering Communications Brochure – Each statement disclosing electioneering communications must include:
The identification of the person who made the disbursement, or who executed a contract to make a disbursement, and the person's principal place of business if the person is not an individual;
The identification of any person sharing or exercising direction or control over the activities of the person who made the disbursement or executed the contract;
The identification of the custodian of books and accounts from which the disbursements were made;
The amount of each disbursement or amount obligated in excess of $200 during the period covered by the statement, the date of the disbursement, or the date the contract was executed, and the person who received the funds;
All clearly-identified candidates referred to in the electioneering communication and the elections in which they are candidates;
The disclosure date, as defined by 104.20(a)(1); and
The name and address of each donor… - India relaxes restrictions on foreign media | FT.com – The move to liberalise the media market means magazines such as Newsweek, BusinessWeek and The Economist can launch Indian editions supported by local advertising without restriction on content. But curbs on ownership remain, with foreign media companies limited to stakes of no more than 26 per cent in Indian publishing ventures.