Friday, July 22, 2011

Sure, Dallas Morning News, you can steal my scoop

Around 1:30 pm on Thursday, July 21, The Dallas Morning News ran the Oswald t-shirt story on their website's main page, on their "Scoop Blog." Initially, they credited me with breaking the story and linked to my original story on Yahoo. An hour later, using quotes gleaned by their reporter, they changed the story, dropping any mention of me and re-writing the story as if they dug it up themselves. I guess they define "scoop" as taking someone's work without the courtesy of an acknowledgment.

A basic rule of thumb in journalism requires that you cite your original source if you did not break the story. That does not always apply on national stories, but in this case, they should have at least acknowledged that I broke the story. On Friday, they wrote a feature story about it for their online and print editions and still did not even give me a shout out. Or a mention, Or a link. Or even the finger. I guess when you are the big dog, you can blow off independent journalists like myself and use our work as your own.  

A big thanks to NBC-DFW, Pegasus News, and the other sites who linked to my story and gave me credit. As a freelance writer for Yahoo, a portion of my pay is based on readership. When The Dallas Morning News doesn't have the courtesy to acknowledge my story, which they used to write a story on their own on a page full of ads, it costs me in actual dollars. Stay classy, Morning News.

Is the Texas Theatre's Oswald shirt in bad taste?

A new T-shirt being sold by the historic Texas Theatre in Dallas is getting a lot of attention - and criticism - from local residents. Detractors say the shirt is in poor taste, while supporters say it is art that reflects the theater's history.

The shirt in question features the mugshot of Lee Harvey Oswald , the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy. Oswald was arrested at the Texas Theatre a short time after the assassination, forever linking the tragic events of 1963 with the movie house located in the north Oak Cliff section of Dallas . Some critics are claiming that the T-shirt, which can be viewed at The Texas Theatre's Facebook page, is disrespectful of the tragedy and is using Oswald's infamy to make money.

Jason Reimer of Aviation Cinemas, who operates the Texas Theatre and created the T-shirt, said it is about accepting history. For better or worse, Oswald's arrest at the theater (which Reimer prefers to call "the incident") has defined the theater's identity. "Dallas has not come to terms with a lot of its history," he said. "Oswald is a part of the theater's history. Everyone knows it. We are acknowledging it."

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Try saying "Calatrava Bridge" three times fast

I had the chance recently to write about Dallas' new Calatrava Bridge and the plans the city has for the area. To read it, just click right here.

Monday, July 11, 2011

7-11's Free Slurpee Day celebrates an American tradition

Mark your calendars, America: Monday, July 11, is Free Slurpee Day at 7-Eleven. To commemorate its 84th birthday, the convenience store chain plans to give away 5 million free Slurpees to hot, thirsty people at over 8,600 locations in North America in an event officially known as 7-Eleven Day.

One might think that giving away so many free Slurpees would put a dent in 7-Eleven's bottom line, but according to the company, they sell enough Slurpees each year to fill 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools. It sounds like they can afford it.

The free Slurpee tradition began in 2002 with 7-Eleven's 75th birthday , but for most of us, the personal tradition of shopping there goes back much further. Indeed, 7-Eleven is part of our social fabric, a concept uniquely American yet shared with the rest of the world at over 41,000 global locations.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Not everyone's a Pepper, apparently....

I had the chance to cover the lawsuit Dr. Pepper is bringing against Dublin Dr. Pepper for apparently being too successful and offering a great product. Seriously.


To read all about it, and see how fans are reacting, click right here. There's even a "I Support Dublin Dr. Pepper" page on Facebook.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

The Old Oak Cliff Conservation League's Preservation List

I failed to post a link to my article about the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League's efforts to save significant structures around the area. It was posted to Yahoo News two weeks ago, but you can read it for yourself right here. You can find out more about the League right here.