Monday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

Coping with media layoffs - Nieman Reports

Number of Journalist killed by war - Brown University

How student journalists are making national news local - Nieman Lab

Inside the News/Media Alliance’s fight to protect publishers - E&P Reports

A first-of-its-kind survey reveals just how glued kids are to their phones - Poynter

The Tampa Bay Times announced the launch of its Environment Hub - Tampa Bay Times

Important Events From This day in History April 7th

 

1949 U.S.A. "South Pacific"

1949 : Rodgers and Hammerstein debut their hit musical "South Pacific" on Broadway. The production continues to be a favorite among high school and community theater groups today. Some of the best loved songs from the musical include "Bali Ha'i," "Some Enchanted Evening," "Younger than Springtime," "A Wonderful Guy" The partnership of Rodgers and Hammerstein created some of the most well known musicals in modern history working as a team with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and included Carousel South Pacific The King And I The Sound Of Music Find More What happened in 1949

2001 U.S.A. Mars Odyssey

2001 : The Mars Odyssey spacecraft took off on a six-month, 286-million-mile journey to the red planet. It reached Mars on October 24, 2001. It is designed to orbit the planet Mars to hunt for evidence of past or present water and volcanic activity to help answer the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars.

2008 France Olympic Torch Relay Protests

2008 : Olympic Torch Relay arrives in Paris, France where due to the large number of protests the route is shortened at the demand of Chinese officials following widespread protests by pro-Tibet and human rights activists and due to problems the flame is extinguished five times. 2008

1906 Italy Mount Vesuvius

1906 : Mount Vesuvius erupted causing gray ash and liquid lava erupted from the volcano burning homes built on the hillsides as it continued down the mountain.

1933 U.S.A. Beer Available Again

1933 : After years of prohibition since Midnight of January 16, 1920 when the Eighteenth Amendment was put into effect which included importing, exporting, transporting, selling, and manufacturing of intoxicating liquor illegal. On This Day 1933 beer is sold once again in 19 of the 48 states and the District of Columbia.

More about the 21st Amendment

1934 U.S.A. Farmers Aid Bill

1934 : Congress pass the Jones-Connally Farm-Relief Act putting a larger number of products under the control of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration ( AAA ) who were charged with delivering farmers from the woes of the Depression by slashing production and increasing prices, but the agency only helped the large farmers leaving sharecroppers, and small and tenant farmers with little benefit from the agency's programs.

1940 U.S.A. Annular Solar Eclipse

1940 : An Annular Solar Eclipse is seen for the first time in North America since 1930 and the sun was blocked completely out for 6 to 7 minutes by the moon with a narrow circle of brilliance around it's rim. A solar eclipse is when the moon gets between the earth and the sun during it's orbit. Austin in Texas had the closest to a full eclipse with 93% of the sun covered at 3.16 PM followed by Tallahassee in Florida at 6.22 PM.

1948 Switzerland World Health Organization

1948 : The World Health Organization (WHO) established as a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health.

1954 U.S.A. Cold War "Domino Theory"

1954 : President Dwight D. Eisenhower coins the Cold War phrase when he suggests the fall of French Indochina to the communists could create a "domino" effect in Southeast Asia. The so-called "domino theory" dominated U.S. thinking about Vietnam for the next decade.

1957 U.S.A. End of Electric Trolley New York

1957 : New York City's last electric trolley completed its final run from Queens to Manhattan.

1963 Yugoslavia President Tito

1963 : Tito is named as the president for life of the newly named Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

1968 Germany Jim Clark

1968 : Motor racing world champion Jim Clark is killed in a car crash during a Formula Two race at Hockenheim.

1969 U.S.A. Stanley v. Georgia

1969 : The US Supreme Court rules on Stanley v. Georgia " 394 U.S. 557 (1969) " on the grounds of the 1st and 14th Amendments declaring "The State may not prohibit mere possession of obscene materials for personal use" and helping to define personal "right to privacy" in U.S. law.

1978 U.S.A. Neutron Bomb Production Put On Hold

1978 : President Carter delays Neutron Bomb production. The Neutron Bomb is designed to kill people while minimizing damage to property unlike a conventional nuclear missile which destroys everything in it's path, this is achieved by producing a small blast but massive amounts of lethal radiation.

1986 England Sinclair ZX Spectrum

1986 : Sir Clive Sinclair has sold the marketing and merchandising rights to his inventions which include the ZX Spectrum for £5m to computing rival Amstrad. Sir Clive Sinclair a brilliant inventor who introduced miniature televisions, pocket calculators and digital watches to Britain in the 1960s and 1970s, and the ZX80, a home computer priced at less than £100 in 1980, following on was the Sinclair ZX Spectrum which was the most popular home computer sold in England and was sold in the US as the TS2068 from Timex.

1990 U.S.A. John M. Poindexter Convicted

1990 : Former national security adviser John M. Poindexter is convicted on multiple felony counts for conspiracy, obstruction of justice, defrauding the government, and the alteration and destruction of evidence pertaining to the Iran-Contra Affair . ( The convictions were reversed in 1991 )

1990 Myanmar Ferry Sinks

1990 : A ferry sinks in a violent storm and strong winds in the Gyaing River in Myanmar and 215 of the ferry’s 240 passengers drowned.

1990 Norway Ferry Sinks

1990 : The Scandinavian Star, a Danish-owned ferry, carrying 493 passengers and their cars and trucks from Oslo, Norway, to Frederikshaven, Denmark is engulfed in a fire. Most passengers make it to lifeboats, but due to panic and problems with most of the crew only speaking Portuguese 110 died, mainly from smoke inhalation.

1990 U.S.A. Robert Mapplethorpe Photographs

1990 : A display of Robert Mapplethorpe photographs "The Perfect Moment" a traveling exhibition of his work opened at Cincinnati's Contemporary Arts Center, the center and its director were indicted on "pandering obscenity". The area of his work that caused the controversy was his frank, erotic photography of male nudes.

1994 Rwanda Civil War

1994 : Civil War breaks out in Rwanda when Hutu extremists murder an estimated 800,000 innocent civilian Tutsis in the worst episode of genocide since World War II, Earlier in the day Rwandan armed forces killed 10 Belgian peacekeeping officers to discourage the International Community from intervening in the forthcoming Genocide.

2001 U.S.A. Cincinnati Riots

2001 : An unarmed black man wanted on 14 misdemeanor warrants was fatally shot by a white police officer in Cincinnati, sparking three days of riots.

2003 U.S.A. Ku Klux Klan

2003 : The Supreme Court voted 6-3 to uphold a 50-year-old Virginia law making it a crime to burn a cross as an act of intimidation, The practice of "Burning A Cross" is widely associated with the Ku Klux Klan. The United States Supreme Court ruled that burning a cross at a Klan rally is protected by the First Amendment, but could not be burned as a form of intimidation.

2006 U.S.A. More storms in the Midwest

2006 : At least eleven tornadoes have hit ten Tennessee counties, and an F3 tornado (with winds of 158-206 mph) killed seven people in Gallatin. Other tornadoes have killed three people in Warren County. A number of homes and businesses have been destroyed, and heavy rainfall and hail has fallen in some areas. Above average temperatures and the low level moisture in the boundary layer have coupled with upper level dynamics to form the severe weather. This is the second wave of deadly storms to hit Tennessee in less than a week.

2007 U.S.A. Protests for Undocumented Immigrants

2007 : Thousands of people have marched in Los Angeles to demand citizenship rights for the illegal immigrants there. A 15,000-strong crowd that carried American flags and signs saying "Amnesty Now" have paraded through the streets in the direction of City Hall. Many people were protesting against the leaked White House plan by which illegal migrants would be charged considerable sums for work visas and residency.

2010 Egypt to ask for the return of ancient artifacts

2010 : Antiquarians have gathered in Cairo to plan for the recovery of ancient artifacts they say were stolen from their countries. The two-day conference will be attended by delegates, deputy culture ministers and museum directors from sixteen countries. Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (S.C.A.) has said that the forum will discuss 'the protection and restitution of cultural heritage.' Delegates have been asked to draw up lists of missing artifacts. The S.C.A. has asked for these to be returned to their country of origin. The conference will be calling on the United Nations cultural body, U.N.E.S.C.O., to amend its convention on the banning of export or ownership of the stolen antiquities that were acquired after 1970. The delegates include Libya, Greece, Italy, China and Peru. The artifacts in question will include the British Museum’s Rosetta Stone and Berlin’s bust of Queen Nefertiti.

2010 Kyrgyzstan Protests

2010 : Protesters take control of a government office in Talas on April 6, and on April 7 clashes between protesters and police in the capital Bishkek turned violent. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev reportedly flees the country, as the government steps down and a new provisional government headed by Roza Otunbayeva is formed. Protests began following rising energy prices, sluggish economy, and follow the government's closure of several media outlets.

2011 United Kingdom British Man Sails Across Atlantic on Raft

2011 : Former BBC presenter, Anthony Smith, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean with a crew of three on a twelve meter long raft made of pipes. The eighty-five year old made the sixty-six day journey from England to the Caribbean in hopes of raising awareness of the lack of clean water much of the world faces as well as money for the charity WaterAid. By the time the crew landed at St. Maarten, an island in the Caribbean Sea, they were able to raise over fifty thousands pounds for their charity.

2012 United States Painter Thomas Kinkade Dies

2012 : Famous US painter Thomas Kinkade died at the age of fifty-four of natural causes. Kinkade was well-known for his paintings of landscapes, churches, cottages and other idyllic scenes.

2014 Costa Rica Solis Wins Costa Rica Presidential Election

2014 : Luis Guillermo Solis won the presidential election in Costa Rica. Solis is a member of the Citzen Action Party, a leftist third party, and had seventy-eight percent of the vote in an overwhelming victory. The election of Solis was somewhat notable in that Costa Rica had a traditional two-party political system and Solis won the election from a third party. It is also important to note that up to forty-three percent of the voting population abstained.

Today in Labor History April 7th, 2025

 

This was a peaceful protest

Prohibition ended for beer. Once again, unions could freely organize workers in the bars and workers could drink freely. As Oscar Wilde said, “Work is the curse of the drinking class.” - 1933

National Labor Relations Board attorney tells ILWU members to “lie down like good dogs,” Juneau, Alaska - 1947

Some 300,000 members of the National Federation of Telephone Workers, soon to become CWA, strike AT&T and the Bell System. Within five weeks all but two of the 39 federation unions had won new contracts - 1947

Fifteen thousand union janitors strike, Los Angeles - 2000

EZ Kayak Youth Adventure Program

 

Noah Sinclair

Youth Engagement Director

EZ Kayak Tours & Rentals

 +1-702-910-7100

 community@ezkayaktours.com

 ezkayaktours.com

Saturday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

Center for Public Integrity Is Shutting Down - Columbia Journalism Review

2025 Daily Californian Hall of Fame and Alumni of the Year Event - Californian

Radio Free Europe says US shut off its Russian broadcast - Agence France Presse

Hollywood Reporter Launches en Espanol With Tasty Media - Hollywood Reporter

Trump says he’s giving TikTok another 75 days to find a US buyer - Associated Press

Important Events From This day in History April 5

  

1987 U.S.A. Fox Broadcasting

1987 : Fox Broadcasting Co. made its prime-time TV debut with Its first prime time shows, starting on Sunday nights beginning April 5, 1987, A comedy about a dysfunctional family (Married... with Children - which aired for 11 seasons ) A variety series (The Tracey Ullman Show). Which spawned the longest-running sitcom and animated series in U.S. history: The Simpsons Find More What happened in 1987.

1933 U.S.A. Gold Compulsorily Purchased

1933 : President Franklin Roosevelt signs "United States Executive Order 6102" which prohibited the "hoarding" of privately held gold coins and bullion in the United States. The government required holders of significant quantities of gold to sell their gold at the prevailing price of $20.67 per ounce. Shortly after this forced sale, the price of gold from the treasury for international transactions was raised to $35 an ounce.

1936 Tornadoes strike Tupelo, Mississippi and Gainesville, Georgia

1936 : Two small towns in Tupelo, Mississippi and Gainesville, Georgia are devastated by tornadoes, killing 200 people in one of the deadliest spates of tornadoes in United States history. A total of 466 people were killed over four days of nearly continuous twisters. Another 3,500 people were injured.

1951 U.S.A. Rosenberg's Trial

1951 : At the end of the trial against the Rosenberg's for giving the secrets to the Atomic Bomb to the Soviet Union, death sentences are imposed against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg when found guilty of conspiring to transmit atomic secrets to the Soviet Union.

1955 UK Sir Winston Churchill Retires

1955 : Sir Winston Churchill, the 80 year old British leader who guided Great Britain and the Allies through the crisis of World War II, retires as prime minister of Great Britain.

1969 U.S.A. Anti Vietnam Demonstrations

1969 : One of the greatest coordinated demonstrations in modern times starts on this weekend against US involvement in Vietnam with demonstrations in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and other major cities. Just in Washington alone were believed to be over 250,000 in protest at the Vietnam War.

1970 Guatemala Count Karl von Spreti

1970 : West Germany's Count Karl von Spreti the ambassador to Guatemala is kidnapped and shot dead.

1976 U.S.A. Howard Hughes

1976 : One of the world's richest men, eccentric American billionaire Howard Hughes dies at the age of 70. He had spent the last 20 years living as a recluse in hotel penthouses around the world.

1976 UK James Callaghan

1976 : Britain's new Prime Minister, James Callaghan, arrives in Downing Street for his first day in office.

1986 Bomb Exploded In Berlin Disco

1986 : A bomb is exploded in the crowded La Belle disco in Berlin, Germany, killing two and injuring at least 120. This follows a bomb planted earlier that wrecked a German-Arab club in the city and injured seven Arabs. The West German foreign minister, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, said a special group would be set up to investigate the possible involvement of a foreign country in the attack and 10 days later, the US government retaliated by bombing Libya killing at least 60 people.

1988 Hijack Kuwait Airways Jumbo Jet

1988 : The hijackers of a Kuwait Airways jumbo jet have released 24 women passengers and one man with a heart condition after landing in Iran.

1992 U.S.A. Abortion Rights Activists March

1992 : The abortion rights activists march and demonstration in Washington, D.C. attracts several hundred thousand people who are concerned that the high court, with its conservative majority may overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that made abortion legal.

1994 U.S.A. Kurt Cobain

1994 : Modern rock icon Kurt Cobain lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the rock band Nirvana commits suicide with a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.

1999 Libya Gives Up Wanted Terrorists for Pan Am Flight 103

1999 : Libya surrendered two suspects in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland to a U.N. representative.

2001 England Illegal Immigrants

2001 : A Dutch lorry driver is sentenced to 14 years in prison for his part in the deaths of 58 Chinese illegal immigrants found during a routine search at Dover Ferry Port Last June.

2006 U.S.A. Katie Couric

2006 : Katie Couric announced she was leaving NBC's "Today" show to become anchor of "The CBS Evening News."

Today in Labor History April 5th, 2025

 

Columnist Victor Riesel

Columnist Victor Riesel, a crusader against mob infiltration of unions, was blinded in New York City when an assailant threw sulfuric acid in his face. He was also an FBI informer for decades, a proponent of the McCarthy era blacklisting that weakened unions for over a generation, and a crusader against unions connecting with anti-war student activism in the 1960's and 70's - 1956

 
Some 14,000 teachers strike Hawaii schools, colleges - 2001

A huge underground explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, W. Va., kills 29 miners. It was the worst U.S. mine disaster in 40 years. The Massey Energy Co. mine had been cited for two safety infractions the day before the blast; 57 the month before, and 1,342 in the previous five years. Three and one-half years after the disaster Massey’s then-CEO, Don Blankenship, was indicted by a federal grand jury on four criminal counts - 2010

Now Hiring: Night Crew Production Supervisor

Location: Claremont, CA

Shift: Night Crew

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Ensure Safety & Quality – Enforce safety protocols and quality control measures to meet the newspaper’s production standards.

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Sinclair becomes first broadcast media company to pilot drones over people

 

Press Release

Sinclair, one of the nation’s leading media companies, has achieved a groundbreaking milestone in drone journalism. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has accepted Sinclair’s Declaration of Compliance for Operations Over People, making Sinclair the first broadcast company authorized to fly drones over individuals and moving vehicles without needing an FAA waiver for newsgathering under FAA rules.

The FAA’s authorization allows Sinclair to operate specially modified drones while adhering to strict safety protocols and procedures that meet federal requirements.

“This approval represents a significant step forward in our ability to deliver high-quality, innovative journalism,” said Scott Livingston, senior vice president of news for Sinclair. “By incorporating expanded drone footage, we enhance our coverage of breaking news, local events, weather and community stories — offering our audiences more compelling and dynamic storytelling. Our ongoing partnership with Virginia Tech has been instrumental in ensuring the highest safety and training standards.”

Sinclair’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) program, launched in 2016, operates across 50 newsrooms nationwide and has completed over 40,000 logged flights to date. The program includes 148 FAA certified pilots and 540 trained visual observers.

Sinclair is committed to ensuring its drone operations are conducted safely and responsibly. All Sinclair drone pilots undergo rigorous training at Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP), an FAA-designated UAS test site. This partnership ensures pilots are equipped with advanced skills and knowledge in drone operations and safety procedures.

“Our dedication to safety is paramount and this achievement is the result of more than a year of extensive preparation, testing and collaboration with industry and government partners. We’ve also conducted community outreach meetings in each market where we operate drones, engaging with first responders, Homeland Security, education officials, local government agencies and the FAA,” said Jeff Rose, Sinclair’s UAS chief pilot.

Commenting on the partnership, Tombo Jones, director for the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, said, “We have worked for years with Sinclair, helping to train their pilots, and I have always been impressed with their professionalism and commitment to safety. We were proud to build on that theme by using our FAA-approved test method to test a modified drone that allows Sinclair's pilots to meet the FAA's stringent safety requirements for operating over people or traffic.”

With this new FAA approval, Sinclair continues to lead the industry in integrating cutting-edge technology into broadcast journalism. This capability applies to Sinclair’s fleet of drones and trained pilots, ensuring compliance with the highest safety standards while expanding the scope of aerial news coverage.

About Sinclair:

Sinclair, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) is a diversified media company and a leading provider of local news and sports. The company owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 86 markets affiliated with all the major broadcast networks; owns Tennis Channel and multicast networks Comet, CHARGE!, TBD/ROAR and The Nest. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors and the nation’s largest streaming aggregator of local news content, NewsON. The company regularly uses its website as a key source of company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.

Friday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

Your newsroom needs an AI ethics policy - Poynter

Leveraging video, Dynamo is set for launch - E&P Magazine

America's Newspapers welcomes Reuters into membership - America's Newspapers

How the U.S. public and AI experts view artificial intelligence - Pew Research Center

Creating and sharing deceptive AI-generated media is now a crime in New Jersey - AP

Important Events From This day in History April 4

  

1968 USA - Martin Luther King Jr. Murdered

1968 : Martin Luther King Jr. is shot to death by James Earl Ray at a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. His assassination led to riots in more than 100 US cities and a call from the United States President Lyndon Johnson for citizen's to reject the blind violence that has taken Dr King who had lived by non-violence. James Earl Ray was convicted of his murder and sentenced to 99 years in prison.

1958 UK - Aldermaston Peace March

1958 : 10,000 protesters arrive in Trafalgar Square, London as part of the CND / Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament the protesters including mothers pushing children in prams and singing peace songs, over the next four days march over 52 miles in rain and snow from London to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston. The march was held again in 1959, 1961 and 1962 when over 150,000 took part. In 1963 anarchists became involved which resulted in bad press for the peaceful march.

1939 U.S.A. - Glen Miller Records "Moonlight Serenade."

1939 : Glen Miller records the wildly popular "Moonlight Serenade." It becomes a standard throughout the big band era and beyond.

1964 U.S.A. - The Beatles

1964 : The Beatles hold an unprecedented record of twelve positions on Billboard Hot 100 singles chart,

The songs were

"Can't Buy Me Love"

"Twist and Shout"

"She Loves You"

"I Want to Hold Your Hand"

"Please Please Me"

"I Saw Her Standing There"

"You Can't Do That"

"All My Loving"

"Roll Over Beethoven"

"From Me To You"

"Do You Want To Know A Secret"

"Thank You Girl" .

1973 U.S.A. - New York's World Trade Center Completed

1973 : New York's World Trade Center The twin towers of the World Trade Center rising 1,350 feet above Manhattan officially became the world's tallest buildings.

1850 U.S.A. - Los Angeles and San Francisco become cities

Following California becoming the 31st State in 1850 Los Angeles and San Francisco become Cities ( Los Angeles with a population of 1,610- April 4th ) and ( San Francisco with a population of 21,000 - April 16th ) on the same year.

1818 U.S.A. - Stars And Stripes

1818 : Congress decided the U.S. flag would consist of 13 red and white stripes represent the original Thirteen Colonies that rebelled against the British crown and became the first states in the Union, and 20 stars, with a new star to be added for every new state. The act specified that new flag designs should become official on the first July 4th (Independence Day) following admission of one or more new states.

1902 UK - Scholarships for Americans at Oxford University

1902 : British industrialist Cecil Rhodes left $10 million in his will to provide scholarships for Americans at Oxford University in England.

1916 France - World War I Battle Of The Somme

One of the most costly battles in modern wartime is fought near the Somme Region and over 2 years when this small area of countryside saw the deaths of over 1 million men from both sides of the war.

1920 Palestine - Riots

: Violence erupts between Arab and Jewish residents in British-controlled Jerusalem from This Day to the April 7th with 9 killed and 216 injured.

1933 U.S.A. - Dirigible Airship The Akron

1933 : The dirigible airship The Akron crashes in New Jersey, killing 73 people in one of the first air disasters in history, it was the largest airship built in the United States when it took its first flight in August 1931.

1949 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Established

1949 : The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is established by 12 Western nations: the United States, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Iceland, Canada, and Portugal

1967 U.S.A. - Martin Luther King, Jr Says US Should Leave Vietnam

1967 : The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. says in a speech that the United States stop all bombing of North and South Vietnam and declare a unilateral truce in the hope that it would lead to peace talks.

1975 Vietnam - Transport Plane Evacuating Vietnamese Orphans Crashes

1975 : A U.S. Air Force transport plane ( C-5A Galaxy cargo plane )which was part of "Operation Babylift" evacuating Vietnamese orphans crashed shortly after takeoff from Saigon, killing 138 people, including 127 of the orphans, this was just under half of those who were on board.

1979 Pakistan - Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Hanged

1979 : Pakistan's former Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, has been hanged in spite of international calls for clemency. Many believed his trial and the sentence were manipulated by the ruling military regime, led by General Zia ul-Haq,. He was sentenced to death for the murder of a political opponent following a trial which was widely condemned as unfair. Mr Bhutto had been Pakistan's leader since 1973 and was deposed in a military coup 18 months earlier. The country stayed under martial law until 1985.

1984 England - Greenham Common Peace Demonstrators

1984 : The women from the main peace camp at Greenham Common in Berkshire have been evicted with more than 30 arrested after bailiffs backed up by 300 police officers moved in. By the following day women had returned to Greenham Common to re-establish their camps around the smaller gates and remained at the base throughout the time Cruise missiles were there. The last of the missiles was flown back to the US in 1991 and most of the protesters left the site believing they had helped to keep the base in the Public Eye which forced the government to end the of Cruise missiles in England.

1991 Scotland - Children Taken BY Social Services For Satanic Abuse Charges against Parents

1991 : Three children are taken from their families after allegations of satanic abuse in the Orkney Islands off Scotland. The case was thrown out of court by Sheriff David Kelbie who criticized the social workers who took the children away from their homes for failing to produce any evidence supporting the allegations.

Today in Labor History April 4, 2025

Martin Luther King Jr.

The first issue of The Labor Review, a “weekly magazine for organized workers”, was published in Minneapolis. Edna George, a cigar packer in Minneapolis, won $10 in gold for suggesting the name “Labor Review”, The Labor Review has been published continuously since then, currently as a monthly newspaper. – 1907

The unemployed rioted in New York City’s Union Square. – 1914

Longshoremen union leader Harry Bridges was convicted of lying about being a Communist. – 1950

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, where he has been supporting an AFSCME sanitation workers’ strike.  In the wake of this tragedy, riots broke out in many cities, including Washington, DC. – 1968

 

Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere

 The end of the hard copy newspaper is nearing

How to leak to a journalist - Nieman Lab

Local radio revenue to break $12 billion mark - Inside Radio

Automated document printing service launches in UK - Print Week

Prize-Winning Lessons on Explaining Government - Second Rough Draft

Four questions every digital media salesperson must ask - E&P Magazine

UK journalists face growing battle for information access - Journalism UK

The Mercury News put all its news on the web for free 30 years ago - Poynter

Newsprint continues to be exempt from administration tariffs - News/Media Alliance

How Robotics are Reshaping Productivity & Workforce Dynamics - Printing Impressions

Important Events From This day in History April 3

 

1968 U.S.A. - Martin Luther King Jr

1968 : Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "mountaintop" speech to a rally of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., less than 24 hours before he was assassinated Find More What happened in 1968

1860 U.S.A. - Pony Express Service Starts

1860 : The Pony Express a new faster mail service using riders on a horseback relay instead of the traditional stagecoaches begins service between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif. The Pony Express reduced the time for mail to travel from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to around ten days. After only 1 year in March 1861 after suffering large losses and not gaining the mail contract The Pony Express Company ceased trading.

1936 U.S.A. - Bruno Richard Hauptmann

1936 : Bruno Richard Hauptmann is executed in the electric chair for the kidnapping and the death of the Lindbergh baby

More about the Lindbergh Kidnapping

1948 U.S.A. - Marshall Plan

1948 : U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs into law the Foreign Assistance Act, commonly known as the Marshall Plan which channeled more than $13 billion in aid to Europe between 1948 and 1951

1954 UK - 100th Boat Race

1954 : Oxford ( Dark Blues ) wins the 100th Boat Race by four-and-a-half lengths from Cambridge ( Light Blues ) in rough conditions on the River Thames.

1955 Mexico - Train Crash

1955 : An express train is derailed and falls into a canyon near Guadalajara, Mexico leaving 300 dead after the crash.

1972 U.S.A. - North Vietnamese Invasion Of South Vietnam

1972 : Following the invasion of North Vietnamese on South Vietnam The United States prepares hundreds of B-52s and fighter-bombers for possible air strikes to blunt the recently launched invasion.

1974 U.S.A. - 148 Tornadoes

1974 : 148 tornadoes hit North America from Georgia to Canada within 16 hours and at times there were as many as 15 separate tornadoes on the ground at one time. The Super Outbreak affected a total of 11 US states and Ontario in Canada.

1974 U.S.A. - Watergate Scandal

1974 : Following the start of the investigation into the Watergate scandal, President Nixon was also facing serious questions about his taxes and agreed to pay $432,787.13 plus interest in back taxes for the years 1969 through 1972

1987 Switzerland - Sotheby's Auction Windsor ( Wallis Simpson ) Jewels

1987 : The late Duchess of Windsor's ( Wallis Simpson )Jewels has been sold for £31m ($50m) during an auction in Switzerland. Bidders filled Sotherby's Auction Rooms around the world including New York to have their bids relayed to Geneva.

1993 UK - Grand National

1993 : The English Grand National ends in chaos after a series of events at the start including protesters getting onto the track near the first fence and ended with only some of the riders competing in the race. The decision was made by the Jockey Club to declare the race void

1996 U.S.A. - Unabomber

1996 : Theodore John Kaczynski is arrested by the FBI accused of being the Unabomber, the elusive terrorist blamed for 16 mail bombs that killed three people and injured 23 during an 18-year period.

1998 U.S.A. - Dow Jones Over 9,000 First Time

1998 : The Dow Jones industrial average climbed above 9,000 for the first time.

2000 UK - Asylum Seekers

2000 : Asylum seekers in the UK are to receive vouchers to buy food and clothes and £10 a week in cash. This follows weeks of adverse publicity over begging on British streets involving asylum seekers.

2000 U.S.A. - US Microsoft Antitrust Case

2000 : A case started in 1998 was a set of consolidated civil actions filed against Microsoft Corporation by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and twenty U.S. states claiming Microsoft abused it's monopoly power in its handling of operating system sales with it's bundled web browser ( Internet Explorer ) to eliminate competition in the Browser Wars between Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator and Opera.

The main issue in the case was that Microsoft embedded it's Own Browser in it's Operating System for free .

On This day 2000 , Judge Jackson issued a two-part ruling: his conclusions of law were that Microsoft had committed monopolization, attempted monopolization, and tying in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act, and his remedy was that Microsoft must be broken into two separate units, one to produce the operating system, and one to produce other software components.

2004 Spain - Madrid Railway Bombers

2004 : Five suspects in the Madrid railway bombings blew themselves up in a building outside the Spanish capital.

2006 United States - Moussaoui is eligible for the death penalty

2006 : Al-Qaeda's Zacarias Moussaoui has been found eligible for the death penalty by a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia. This is the first U.S. trial for the 9-11 terrorist attacks. The jurors agreed with federal prosecutors that Moussaoui's lies to F.B.I. agents had resulted in multiple deaths. The jury had reached their verdict on the fourth day of deliberations. Moussaoui refused to stand in court, and showed no reaction to the verdict until the jurors had left.

Today in Labor History April 3, 2025

 

Pietro Botto, the socialist mayor of Haledon, New Jersey invited the Paterson silk mill strikers to assemble in front of his house. 20,000 showed up to hear speakers from the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), Upton Sinclair, John Reed and others, who urged them to remain strong in their fight.  The Paterson strike lasted from February 1 until July 28, 1913. Workers were fighting for the eight-hour workday and better working conditions. Over 1,800 workers were arrested during the strike, including IWW leaders Big Bill Haywood and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. Five were killed. Overall, the strike was poorly organized and confined to Paterson. The IWW, the main organizer of the strike, eventually gave up. – 1913

Sailors, escorted by police, destroyed the IWW building in Kansas City after the U.S. declared war. The action inspired similar attacks in Detroit, Duluth and other towns that had a large IWW presence. – 1917

Martin Luther King Jr. returned to Memphis to stand with striking AFSCME sanitation workers. That evening, he delivered his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech in a church packed with union members and others. He was assassinated the following day. – 1968

Wednesday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

E&P’s Masters of Media 2025 - E&P Magazine

Newsquest now employing 36 ‘AI-assisted reporters’ - Press Gazette

The ACOS Alliance: Protecting a free and independent press - E&P Magazine

Media Alliance urges administration to forgo targeted newsprint tariffs - Media Alliance

How to grow and sustain readership when you run your own news project - Journalism UK

Important Events From This day in History April 2

 

1982 Falklands Islands - Argentina invades Falklands Islands

1982 : Argentina invaded the Falklands Islands, and quickly overcame the small garrison of British marines at the town of Stanley on East Falkland, this led to the Falklands Crisis ( Both sides never used the word war all throughout the conflict although the popular press in both countries did ), . The final official date of the conflict is given as 14th June just 6 weeks after the Argentinean Invasion with Britain back in full control of the Islands. Find More What happened in 1982

1980 U.S.A. - Windfall Act on Oil Industries High Profits

1980 : Following the increases of petrol in the mid to late 70's President Carter urged Congress to create legislation that would take advantage of the oil industry's high profits . And the "Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act" did by collecting roughly $227 billion dollars over the next 10 years .

1801 U.S.A. - The Battle of Copenhagen

1801 : Twelve British ships commanded by Horatio Nelson aboard HMS Elephant engaged with Danish ships, following an agreement between Nelson and the Danish commander, Crown Prince Frederick to call a truce Nelson landed in Copenhagen and on May 19th, 1801 was awarded the Viscount Nelson of the Nile and of Burnham Thorpe in the County of Norfolk.

1917 U.S.A. - US Troops To World War I

1917 : President Woodrow Wilson tells Congress "The world must be made safe for democracy." asking Congress for a declaration of war and to send U.S. troops into battle against Germany in World War I .

1932 U.S.A. - Lindbergh Pays Ransom

1932 : Charles Lindbergh, whose son was kidnapped paid $50,000 ransom in a New York cemetery to a man who promised to return his kidnapped son. ( His son is later found dead after being murdered by Bruno Hauptmann, who was executed )

1941 Africa - Rommel Continues Advance Into Libya

1941 : Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel, "the Desert Fox," resumes his advance into Cyrenaica, modern-day Libya, signaling the beginning of what nine days later will become the recapture of Libya by the Axis forces.

1956 U.S.A. - "As the World Turns"

1956 : As the World Turns the first half-hour serial is aired at 1:30 PM airing each weekday on CBS. Currently the show is one hour long set in the fictional town of Oakdale, Illinois, with between over 13,000 episodes being shown.

1972 U.S.A. - Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States

1972 : Following 20 years of self imposed exile after he was accused of "un-American activities" as a suspected communist sympathizer during the era of McCarthyism. He returned only to receive an Honorary Oscar at the Academy Awards, and went back to his home in Vevey, Switzerland.

1974 France - President Georges Pompidou

1974 : The French President Georges Pompidou died from Waldenström macroglobulinemia in Paris.

1977 UK - Red Rum Grand National

1977 : Red Rum the diminutive horse with the heart of a champion wins the English Grand National for a record third time after winning in 1973 and 1974. The Grand National is widely recognized as one of the testing races in the world with the majority of horses falling or refusing to continue. This year was no exception with 9 of the 42 starters completing the 4.5 mile (7.2 kilometre) course at Aintree in Liverpool.

1979 Russia - Anthrax Epidemic

1979 : The world’s first anthrax epidemic begins in Ekaterinburg, Russia by the time it was finished 62 people were dead. The town did contain a biological weapons plant, and in 1992 the cause was confirmed as starting at that plant

1982 Falklands Islands Argentina invades Falklands Islands

1982 : Argentina invaded the Falklands Islands, and quickly overcame the small garrison of British marines at the town of Stanley on East Falkland, this led to the Falklands Crisis ( Both sides never used the word war all throughout the conflict although the popular press in both countries did ), . The final official date of the conflict is given as 14th June just 6 weeks after the Argentinean Invasion with Britain back in full control of the Islands.

1986 Greece - Bomb Explodes on TWA Boeing 727

1986 : Bomb Explodes on TWA Boeing 727 tearing hole in the side of the aircraft which sucks four passengers including an eight-month old baby from the aircraft. The TWA Passenger Jet was flying over Greece, on its way to Athens, when the bomb exploded

1987 U.S.A. - Speed Limit Increased to 65 MPH

1987 : Congress passed laws which allowed each state to increase the speed limit on rural roads from 55mph to 65mph. observed on our country's roads

1989 Cuba - Soviet Leader Visits Cuba To Patch Up Relations

1989 : Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana to meet with Fidel Castro . Much of the problems stemmed from Russia's inability to continue large scale aid to Cuba due to it's economic woes.

1992 U.S.A. - John Gotti

1992 : Mob boss John Gotti often referred to as "The Teflon Don" because of the number of times he was charged but not convicted is finally convicted in New York of racketeering, murder, obstruction of justice, hijacking, illegal gambling, extortion, tax evasion and loan sharking largely helped through the testimony of an ex high ranking member of the Mafia who had turned informant Salvatore Gravano. John Gotti is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, where he died in 2002.

1998 France - Maurice Papon

1998 : A Former cabinet minister Maurice Papon is sentenced to 10 years in jail after proof is published in the press showing his signature on papers deportation 1,690 Jews of Bordeaux to Drancy internment camp from 1942 to 1944 during World War II.