Author Archives: Ralph Hanson

Trying to Control the News

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

There’ve been several stories over the last few days of governments attempting to control the news.  Here are links to two of them: Judge forces Florida paper to “unpublish” information According to Columbia Journalism Review, a judge in Florida has … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

What’s wrong with a Bloomingdale’s ad that suggests you secretly spike your date’s drink? ‘Cause date rape is always in style, Bloomies… (To be fair, after they got ripped on social media, the store apologized. How do you make money … Continue reading →

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Guest Blog Post: Understanding Mizzou’s Melissa Click

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

The following is a guest blog post from Dr. Brian Steffen, professor and chair of the Department of Communication and Media Studies at Simpson College.  This was originally published on the Small Programs Interest Group (from AEJMC) listserv in slightly … Continue reading →

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Mizzou Protests: Media Attention Is Not A Faucet You Can Turn Off And On

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

If you follow the same kind of people and media outlets on Twitter as I do, you’ve likely been overwhelmed with the firehose of news and opinions about the events at University of Missouri (Mizzou) over the last few days. … Continue reading →

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Thinking About New Media Secrets: Everything is Data

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

When the second edition of Mass Communication: Living in a Media World came out as a CQ Press title back in 2007, one of the biggest new features was the introduction of the “Seven Truths They Don’t Want You To Know … Continue reading →

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Who was behind the brilliant @IsPaulSpeaker Twitter account?

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

I can’t believe that everyone interested in national politics wasn’t following the @IsPaulSpeaker Twitter account for the last couple of weeks.  The account, run by Topeka, Kansas attorney Angel Romero Jr (also a proud Washburn University grad), presented a series … Continue reading →

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No more nudes for Playboy; Maxim goes upscale – What will the lads read now?

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

In the past, supposedly enlightened men claimed that they bought Playboy magazine for the articles.  And for a long time, it could be a truthish claim – Playboy did run good articles and paid top writers good money for them.  And sometimes … Continue reading →

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Who Exactly Are The “Mainstream Media”?

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Overall, I’m with Fox News’ Howard Kurtz on this one.  I’m not sure how appropriate it was to report on the rumors of an affair by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.  On one hand, there were a lot of questions … Continue reading →

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When is a meme inappropriate?

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Long time readers here will know that I’m more than a little obsessed with the Star Wars movies. So the release of Star Wars VII – The Force Awakens directed by the ever brilliant J. J. Abrams on Dec. 18, … Continue reading →

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Julia Kozerski looks back at how losing 160 pounds made her feel miserable

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

UPDATE: 9/24/20 -Julia Kozerski’s web site is apparently no longer up and running.  Here are some links that are still working: NPR: Losing 160 Pounds, One Photo at a Time Good interview and a good collection of photos. The Guardian: Life … Continue reading →

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