Monthly Archives: October 2011

Portrait of the Tablet User

The Pew Foundation has a new report out on how people are using their tablet devices.  According to Pew (and what do we learn about the media these days that doesn’t come from Pew Foundation studies…), here are few things … Continue reading

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Link Ch. 3 – Re-imagined Disney Princesses

Because Halloween is coming up, and because I can…. You may remember a couple of years ago when illustrator Jefrey Thomas gave us an evil take on Disney princesses, such as Zombie Little Mermaid: UPDATE: He did a second round of these … Continue reading

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News about News

Chicago Defender facing financial trouble One of the nation’s oldest and most storied black-owned papers has laid off its top editors and is behind on its rent. Disney tells ABC affiliates not to talk to Johnny Depp about his new … Continue reading

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Stuff Siri Says….

As you may know, Apple has just released its new iPhone 4s.  Analysts and the stock market were not impressed, with Apple’s stock taking a pretty significant hit in the days that followed.  And then Apple reported selling 4 million … Continue reading

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David Frum & the Problem with “Balanced” Commentary

UPDATED: (Here’s a link to Frum’s farewell conversation on the show.) Today, center-right commentator David Frum stepped down in his role as a commentator for American Public Media‘s business radio news show Marketplace. Frum, a former speech writer for George W. Bush, has … Continue reading

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Writing Issue-Oriented Feature Stories

This blog entry is really for my feature-writing students, but the rest of you are welcome to read some great issue-oriented feature stories: Omaha World-Herald: Living The Gluten-free Life Living with celiac disease in the heartland. Washington Post: Loving the … Continue reading

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Link Ch. 10 – Everything Is a Remix looks at The Matrix

The folks at Everything is a Remix look at all the cyberpunk quotes in the Matrix movies.  The argument at EIAR is not that The Matrix is ripping off previous movies and books, rather that everything in popular culture is … Continue reading

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Link Ch. 3 Steve Jobs – A Hero not a Saint

Steve Jobs died today, Oct. 5, 2011, following a long battle with pancreatic cancer.  As I am writing this, cable news hosts and commentators are lionizing him and Internet trolls are savaging him. To me, Steve Jobs was a hero. … Continue reading

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Should ESPN have fired Hank Williams Jr. for comparing Obama to Hitler? Or comparing Boehner to  to Netanyahu?  Jon Stewart says no: “Have you met him?”  BTW, Williams’ comparison of Obama to Hitler is a great example of Godwin’s Law. … Continue reading

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