Author Archives: Ralph Hanson

LIAMW Holiday Music – Joseph, Who Understood

Today’s song is my absolute favorite contemporary Christmas song, and it is done by a band with the unlikely name of The New Pornographers.  A friend of mine asked recently why a band doing such a nice song has such … Continue reading

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LIAMW Holiday Music – Robin & Linda Williams: Shotgun Shells on the Christmas Tree

I love this song by Robin and Linda Williams that tells the story of an unexpected Christmas tree with unusual decorations.

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LIAMW Holiday Music – John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together

Back in 1979, long before Disney had bought out Jim Henson’s Muppets, there was a TV special John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together. it was full of the silliness and fun that you would expect from a classic … Continue reading

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LIAMW Holiday Music – Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas”

Back in 1984, Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats and others helped assemble a big group of British and Irish musicians to to produce a music video to build awareness of and raise money for famine relief in Africa.  This … Continue reading

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LIAMW Holiday Music – Sigourney Weaver & Buster Poindexter sing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”

Today I’m starting a series  of holiday and Christmas music videos that aren’t the routine ones you see or hear everyday at the mall or Walmart. Today’s is Sigourney Weaver and Buster Poindexter (aka David Johansen of the New York … Continue reading

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Star Trek and Ethics

I gave my introduction to media ethics lecture in JMC 100 this morning and made mention of the movie Star Trek 2 – The Wrath of Kahn. Here’s a link to my blog post about how ethics are portrayed in … Continue reading

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When Words Matter

The words we use matter intensely.  Sometimes they tell others a lot about who we are.  Sometimes when we use the wrong words we hurt people we hadn’t intended to.  And sometimes we don’t have any idea what the actual … Continue reading

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Why Media Bias is Complicated

If you want to ever get involved in a no-win scenario argument about the media, start talking about media bias.  Critics on both the right and the left maintain that there is either a liberal or a conservative bias in … Continue reading

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Worst automated story promo placement ever?

So, this probably wasn’t the story promo you were hoping to pair with the Nebraska senior pictures story…  

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Link Ch. 15 – Dangers of reporting from Syria

With the war raging in Syria, it’s a very dangerous place for reporters trying to cover the fighting.  Here are several articles on the subject: Journalism in Syria, impossible job? – Reporters Without Borders Islamic State claims it executed American … Continue reading

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