There's a category of media criticism we've often called "Seen and Not Heard." It's usually a protest that's covered via a photo and caption, with no accompanying story to inform readers about what seems like an important issue.

I came across this today in the Washington Post (9/16/11)--the caption headline (not pictured here) is "Nurses Rally for a Tax":

A little more reporting on what they're talking about would have informed readers about an issue the Post probably doesn't spend much time discussing. (Read this paper by Dean Baker about the $150 billion a speculation tax could raise every year--you'd think deficit-obsessed media would rally around this, right?) With any luck that article would include a better headline than "Nurses Rally for a Tax."

The Washington Post today:

Diplomatic Efforts Unable to Derail Palestinians' UN Gambit

"Gambit" is the kind of word that seems intended to send a certain message--as if there some kind of sneaky maneuver at work here.  That's especially true when it is contrasted with "diplomatic efforts."

In this case, the paper is referring to efforts by superpowers (like the United States) to tell people with very little power (Palestinians) to pipe down.  Whatever you think of Palestinian efforts to elevate their  status at the United Nations, an alternate headline--"U.S. Gambits Unlikely to Derail Palestinians' Diplomatic Efforts"--is hard to imagine.