Author Archives: Ralph Hanson

A Motorcycle Ride to the United 93 Memorial on a Rainy Summer Day

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

This has nothing to do with the media. It’s a brief story about a ride I took on my motorcycle to the United 93 Memorial on a rainy June day back in 2004. It was written shortly after I had … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

What’s going to happen now that Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox now owns National Geographic magazine? National Geographic magazine, long known for its serious presentation of complex scientific issues, is now owned by a climate change skeptic.  What could possibly … Continue reading →

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Sex and the News

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Over the last several weeks sex has been finding its way into the news in a variety of ways.  Here’s a quick summary of a couple of these stories: Duke students object to having Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel  Fun Home on … Continue reading →

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Rachel Maddow Praises Local Journalism

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Regardless of how you feel about Rachel Maddow’s progressive politics, one thing about her and her MSNBC show that I think we can all admire is the degree to which she pays attention to and praises local news.  She and … Continue reading →

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When journalists are shot and killed while on the air

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

UPDATED As you can’t help but know by now, yesterday morning two Virginia television journalists were killed when a former employee of the television station showed up at their live broadcast and shot them.  The gunman then fled the scene, … Continue reading →

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Reporting a cable/internet outage via cable

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

I’m at home tonight trying to get work done to get ready for the semester that starts Monday, and the internet is not working well.  As I’m being frustrated, I see tweets flow slowly in, including one from my local … Continue reading →

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How we pay for mobile service is changing

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Up until recently, if you live in the United States the purchase of a mobile phone was tightly linked to your purchase of a multi-year wireless provider contract.  If you got a simple flip phone or basic internet enabled phone, you … Continue reading →

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The Joy of a Great Movie Theater

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Forty-seven years ago my parents drove our family from small-town Iowa to Des Moines so we could see the movie 2001 – A Space Odyssey at the River Hills 70 mm theater. For you too young to remember, that was … Continue reading →

Posted in Chapter 8 | Tagged | 1 Comment

Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

After a couple of weeks of motorcycle travel posts, we’re back to your regularly scheduled media content. Why were so many people upset by Gawker outing a top Conde Nast executive? The gossipy blogging site Gawker has a long history … Continue reading →

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Gone Riding – Headed Home

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

After parting company with the Biker Priest in Duluth and picking up a couple more Whispering Giants, it was time to start the long ride home. My first stop along the way was St. Paul, Minn. where I spent the … Continue reading →

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