Author Archives: Ralph Hanson

A History of Fake Quotes – Lincoln, de Tocqueville & Alcott

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

Fake quotes, especially fake Abraham Lincoln quotes, are a popular thing online. Just this week, the Republican National Committee got caught out with one in a tweet celebrating Lincoln’s birthday that read: “And in the end, it’s not the years … Continue reading →

Posted in Chapter 14 | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Media News Keeps Changing – PewDiePie and Playboy

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

One of the challenges of writing a media literacy/intro to mass comm textbook is keeping it up to date.  Even with new editions coming every two years, current events have a way of   changing the media world we live … Continue reading →

Posted in Chapter 1, Chapter 10, Chapter 5, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Live Stream Opens up Appeals Court Hearing on on Trump’s Travel Ban

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

By today (Friday afternoon), the big news is that the 9th District Appeals Court did not strike down the court-ordered stay on President Trump’s executive order banning then entrance of traveller from seven Muslim-majority countries and limiting entrance to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Chapter 13 | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Women’s Magazines Covering Politics

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

Journalist Lily Herman had a great Tweetstorm the other day pointing out the big contributions that women’s magazines have been making to political journalism lately.  Without comment, here are her tweets with links.  Lots of good reporting here.  (And a … Continue reading →

Posted in Chapter 10 | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Politics, Lady Gaga & the Super Bowl Halftime Show

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

A couple of weeks ago I put up a post that considered the intriguing, if extraordinarily unlikely, possibility of Lady Gaga singing a protest song by 60s & 70s folksinger Phil Ochs during her Super Bowl halftime show. However much fun … Continue reading →

Posted in Chapter 9, Pre-class video | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

First Look at 2017 Super Bowl Commercials

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

So far, I’ve seen two new Super Bowl commercials which I admit I come to with complex reactions. The first commercial is for the Mercedes AMG Roadster and was shot by the Coen Brothers of Raising Arizona, Fargo, No Country for Old Men, and Hail, … Continue reading →

Posted in Chapter 11 | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Pre-Class Video – In Spite of Ourselves

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

This is a somewhat rude, but very old-fashioned song about a really dysfunctional relationship sung by John Prine and Iris DeMent.  But a great way to introduce students to the witty songwriting of John Prine.  

Posted in Chapter 7 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Real Radicals Part II – I.F. Stone’s Weekly

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

I had a strange journey through the wilds of the radical and protest movements of the 1960s and 70s yesterday morning that I had not anticipated taking. Here’s part 2 of that journey. Radical journalist I.F. Stone was an investigative journalist who … Continue reading →

Posted in Chapter 6 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Real Radicals Part I – Lady Gaga & Phil Ochs

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

I had a strange journey through the wilds of the radical and protest movements of the 1960s and 70s this morning that I had not anticipated taking. Here’s part 1 of that journey; part 2 will come tomorrow. It all … Continue reading →

Posted in Chapter 7 | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Pre-class video: Elvis Costello Anne Sofie Von Otter – For the Stars

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

My list of favorite Elvis Costello recordings is likely somewhat different from yours: Here’s “From the Stars” from an album of covers he did with classical singer Anne Sofie Von Otter.  

Posted in Pre-class video | Tagged , | Leave a comment