Is connecting with their audience key to journalism’s future? Shutterstock Jacob L. Nelson, Arizona State University Journalism is in the midst of an existential crisis: the profession has undergone decades of declines in readership, revenue and public trust, with no obvious end in sight. Many in the industry believe that the best way for … [Read more...] about Journalism needs an audience to survive, but isn’t sure how to earn its loyalty
The Polar Solution
“Where should poor children be frozen, at home or on the way to school?” By Daniel Sherman The polar vortex 2019 seems to have moved on, leaving behind substantial chunks of the population to whinge and whine and mewl about the dangers of cold weather, to wring hands about the devastating toll on less advantaged members of society, and give thanks for the provident … [Read more...] about The Polar Solution
A SOTU Gaffe and a General’s Candid Apology
The award of military decorations is a time-honored tradition of recognizing acts of valor, exceptional service or achievement, special skills or qualifications. It is usually a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medaillon. There is a specific way in which these medals and ribbons are worn, according to an order of precedence which each military service prescribes, always … [Read more...] about A SOTU Gaffe and a General’s Candid Apology
MOUTON DE PANURGE
I have wanted to write a post on the Ralph Northam auto-da-fé because, as a life-long skeptic, I smell a rat. A big rat, a gargantuan rat. I’ve waited, expecting to read articles depicting a decades-long list of racist actions and policies known to be Northam’s calling card – or at least some credible journalism that provides a keyhole view into his … [Read more...] about MOUTON DE PANURGE
Donald Trump and the spirit of Eddie Haskell
One of the memorable characters from the old days of television was Eddie Haskell of "Leave it to Beaver." President Trump no doubt remembers him. Haskell was sycophantically respectful toward parents to their faces, but always plotted and schemed when their backs were turned. To a generation, Haskell symbolized hypocrisy of the most annoying kind. Trump's address Tuesday … [Read more...] about Donald Trump and the spirit of Eddie Haskell
Elizabeth Warren Lied To Texas State Bar
If Elizabeth Warren were Pinocchio, then her nose would be a tree branch by now. Washington Post national political reporter Amy Gardner has discovered hard evidence that Warren lied about her ethnicity when she registered with the Texas State Bar. No, Warren wasn't simply mistaken. She knew that she wasn't a member of the Cherokee Nation. One did not make … [Read more...] about Elizabeth Warren Lied To Texas State Bar
The Best Films of 2018
2019 is underway and there are many new films and blockbusters to expect this year, all ranging from great to miserable. But, as we make our way through award season, we must look back on the previous year. 10. Upgrade Upgrade received little love and attention when it released in June, falling just short of earning $12 million domestically. And, while its release didn't … [Read more...] about The Best Films of 2018
The Dog and Pony Show; Trump’s SOTU
Trump's Address to Congress Unlikely to Bring Harmony Peter Baker / New York Times — WASHINGTON — President Trump was set to deliver what aides called a message of bipartisan unity on Tuesday night in his first address to Congress in the new era of divided government, but any hope of harmony was dispelled long before he left the White House. The true State of the Union? … [Read more...] about The Dog and Pony Show; Trump’s SOTU
What SOTU Guests May Say About Their Hosts
In contrast to some of my Democratic friends, I endured the entire, l o n g State of the Union (SOTU) address by the 45th president. “It wasn’t easy, but someone had to do it.” While Trump’s studied soaring rhetoric once again included inaccuracies, exaggerations, bombast, hyperbole, selective boasting, embellishments and just plain falsehoods, I will let the factcheckers … [Read more...] about What SOTU Guests May Say About Their Hosts
SOTU, 2019 – live blog
As we prepare for the 2018 State of the Union spectacle, it's important to note the ambiguous state of presidential appointments. Acting Whitehouse chief of staff Acting US Attorney General Acting Defense Secretary Acting EPA Administrator Acting Interior Secretary There is no chief technology officer. Alexander Hamilton thought that confirmations of … [Read more...] about SOTU, 2019 – live blog
Divorce Your Husband, Not the Father of Your Children
by Sandrine Perradin When we got married, we signed a contract. A marriage contract, between him and me. Just the two of us. When I birthed my first child, a new contract was signed (by blood, not by ink). A family contract. Those two are very different. One is between a wife and a husband. That’s it. The other is between a mother, a father, and children. When you … [Read more...] about Divorce Your Husband, Not the Father of Your Children
Should we judge people for their past moral failings?
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, accompanied by his wife, speaks during a news conference. AP Photo/Steve Helber Andrew Khoury, Arizona State University Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is facing a controversy after a photograph surfaced from his medical school yearbook showing one person in blackface and another wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood. The media alleged … [Read more...] about Should we judge people for their past moral failings?
Chris Christie is Desperate for Any Piece of the Action
As I soldiered through Chris Christie’s spin-memoir “Let Me Finish,” I found myself flashing back to September 2011, when he was being widely touted as the GOP’s “Next Big Thing.” One particular ego-stroking incident at the Reagan Presidential Library must surely be one of his personal favor-ites. With the 2012 White House race on the horizon, guest speaker Christie was … [Read more...] about Chris Christie is Desperate for Any Piece of the Action
Northam (Cartoon)
Teen Dating Violence: When Loves Becomes Abuse
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Young love often eventually fades, but for some teens, it can turn violent. An estimated 1.5 million high school students in the U.S. suffer physical abuse from a dating partner each year. February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, and multiple groups are taking the opportunity to educate teens about healthy relationships. Melissa Graves, chief … [Read more...] about Teen Dating Violence: When Loves Becomes Abuse
Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (Cartoon, Column and Video)
I learned something yesterday during Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s press conference. It’s very hard to get shoe polish off your face. Of course, why would I have known that? I’ve never felt the inspiration to put shoe polish on my face. I know that if you draw a mustache on someone’s face with a Sharpie, like your little sister while she’s sleeping, that’s hard to wash off. … [Read more...] about Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (Cartoon, Column and Video)
The real problem with posting about your kids online
‘Say cheese so I can show all my friends how cute you are – and unwittingly show corporations your age, race and gender!’ Fancy Studio/Shutterstock.com Priya C. Kumar, University of Maryland In a recent essay published in The Washington Post, a mother explained her decision to continue writing essays and blog posts about her daughter even after the … [Read more...] about The real problem with posting about your kids online
With God on Trump’s side, he can do anything
President Trump is on a mission from God. Thus spake the White House press secretary, at any rate. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, asked by the Christian Broadcasting Network this last week about Trump being the right man for the moment, replied: "I think God calls all of us to fill different roles at different times and I think that he wanted Donald Trump to become president, and … [Read more...] about With God on Trump’s side, he can do anything
The State of the Union: Petrified
TMV NOTE: Due to an error this was run under the wrong byline. This column is by E.J. Dionne. We regret the error. WASHINGTON -- One should never feel sorry for anyone working in President Trump's White House. They volunteered for this dreadful and chaotic administration. But it's hard to envy those tasked with writing drafts of his State of the Union address. Trump is an … [Read more...] about The State of the Union: Petrified
A Better Use of ‘Executive Time’ for the President
Whatever one may think of Trump’s premature “mission accomplished” declaration on ISIS, a conclusion since contradicted by his own intelligence agencies… Whatever one may think of Trump’s flip-flopping from “bringing our troops home from Syria “Now,” to doing so on a more “deliberate, coordinated, disciplined” basis as finally prevailed upon by “his generals”… Whatever … [Read more...] about A Better Use of ‘Executive Time’ for the President