Do We No Longer Care About Conflicts Of Interest For Journalists?

“Conflicts of interest, which used to be the third rail of journalism, now seem to have become like herpes instead: something you disclose if you want to build a real relationship, but maybe not if a brief assignation is all you’ve got in mind. And in an age when people are blithely receiving information straight from politicians and companies – Starbucks has a direct channel to 28-million latte lovers through its Facebook page, who can decide for themselves whether they agree with the message – perhaps it’s only crusty journalism profs who care about such things.”

The Great Tuba Theft Epidemic

“In the last few months, dozens of brass sousaphones — smaller tubas used in marching bands — were taken from schools in Southern California. Though the police have not made any arrests, music teachers say the thefts are motivated by the growing popularity of banda, a traditional Mexican music form in which tubas play a dominant role.”

Robert E. Hecht, Jr., Controversial Dealer In Antiquities, Dead At 92

“His death comes less than three weeks after the ambiguous end of his criminal trial in Rome on charges of trafficking in looted antiquities. Since the 1990s, Hecht had been at the center of an Italian investigation that traced objects looted from tombs in Italy through a network of smugglers, dealers and private collectors to museums across the United States, Europe and beyond.”

Startlingly High Proportion Of British Children Get Little Or No Exposure To Arts

“Four in 10 children have never seen the inside of an art gallery, while 17 per cent haven’t visited a museum with their parents. The research … also revealed that a quarter of children haven’t been to the theatre, while six in 10 have never heard or been to a classical music concert. … And half of parents admit they make little effort to educate their children on culture or history, relying on schools to do so.”

Australia’s Top Two State Ballet Companies Look To Leap Forward

With relatively stable finances, recent artistic successes and artistic directorships to fill, West Australian Ballet and Queensland Ballet have plans to raise their game by hiring more dancers, doing more touring in their regions and (if possible) overseas, and performing innovative choreography that keeps them from looking like mini-mes of the Australian Ballet.