See also: our s@*t doesn’t stink Hi! It’s your friendly neighborhood gadfly, back to swing from your nose hairs for a moment. Common Dreams has a 90% excellent article up at the […]
That nosy journalist is defending you …
Journalists aren’t your enemy — they might be your last resort. Imagine you’ve been wronged. Someone, or some faceless corporation or other spineless institution, has caused you physical, emotional, or financial injury. […]
For the want of critical thinking, America has succumbed to tribalism
Antarctica is cold. I learned that in grade school. The record is 128.6 degrees Fahrenheit below zero set in 1983. Did you know the southernmost continent is also a desert? I know […]
Want to save local news? Kill off local newspapers. Really.
Consider this verdict based on the evidence of economics: Local print newspapers ought to die. Now. That’s what one observer believes, and he’s pretty convincing. Newspapers are on their deathbeds now, burdened […]
Anniversary journalism? Well, mostly it just sucks.
In early April 1970, I walked into the newsroom of my hometown newspaper and asked the editor if he knew anyone at the state department of natural resources. I’d just received my […]
American vs. unAmerican values, according to the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America
Values that run contrary to the Constitution of the United States of America are, by definition, unAmerican values. Let’s consider the rights defined by the First Amendment.
Unnamed sources? Journalists should teach readers why they were used
On Thursday, four journalists for CNN reported: The FBI has information that indicates associates of President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the release of information damaging to […]
The ‘enemy of the American People’ doesn’t work at your local newspaper
It engenders anger to know the president of the United States says that what I did for a living for 20 years — and what I’ve spent 25 years teaching — represents […]
Action plan #1: buy a damned newspaper
Unless you’ve missed every headline and item in your social media feed, you might have noticed that there’s a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth today. That’s okay. Get it out […]
In just a decade, ‘content’ trumped ‘news’ (and those who reported it)
Ten years has seen the evisceration of newsrooms; the alteration of form, function, and distribution of information; and the emergence of a distorted public discourse. Oh, joy. Since 2007, I’ve written about […]