Monday, February 24, 2025

Birds On a Wire



Brooke Gladstone compares the press to blackbirds perched on a wire, saying, “one bird will fly to another wire, and when it doesn’t get electrocuted, all the birds will fly to that other wire.” 

Senator Eugene McCarthy came up with that;  but what does it mean?

If 'courage and caution' are the 'yin and yang' of journalism,  when can a little bit of caution a good thing?


Friday, February 14, 2025

Canis Journalisticus



If journalists really are like dogs, 'barking at anything that moves', then Helen Thomas agrees.

Reporters are celebrated not because of the truth of their story, but according to whether their story fits the public's mood.

Without a free press doing its job as a journalistic watchdog, citizens are left to guess if their elected officials are doing their jobs, or if the people they have entrusted have earned that trust.

Monday, February 10, 2025

Superbowl Commercials


At more than $8 million for a 30 second spot, Superbowl commercials are 8x more expensive than what it cost to broadcast the original game in 1967. Why are companies willing to spend so much?