Media, design & epistemology
1. Journalism is not the same thing as media.
2. Journalism is a species of public relations.
3. Public relations is a variety of discourse.
This is my personal blog. I can be a bit of a skeptic. I’m interested in media, public discourse, PR, journalism, philosophy, science. Politics.
I’ve been experimenting with private blogs, team blogs, internal blogs, and micro blogs, lately.
At work
Professionally, I do brand development, graphic design, illustration, document layout, and communications at Pink Sheep Media .
Writing
Here’s a list of posts about journalism, epistemology, and design.
dispatches from my personal blog
White supremacy, doing journalism, and the explanatory comma
Code Switch is a great NPR podcast.1 I recently re-listened to an episode they first published in 2016 which…
Headlines, cognitive processing, and problematic information
Headlines matter. Publishers know it. Good headlines help with the understanding, reach, and impact of a story. Headlines frame…
Three unforgettable moments in [my] hockey history
Where I grew up in Northern Alberta, hockey was a big deal. My big brother played hockey. And my…
Idea: Journalism is a convenience store
I like to imagine different metaphors for journalism. Consider that the press is a giant inertia machine, for example.1…
Journalism is the business of influence
Good journalists do what they do because they care. They have interests. The organizations that employ journalists also are…
Journalism’s allergy to substantive regulation
Misinformation is a big deal. Hate online is a big deal. And as the public catches up to their…
Paul Wells, conservatism, satire, and Maclean’s footprint
I like Maclean’s about as much as I like the National Post. They’re rightwing, partisan, and legacy. On my…
The look, and the social nature of knowledge
When I was growing up I was bad with context. Super bad. My young logic-oriented self just did not…
Hyperlinking in Canadian journalism (Case study, IPBES report)
If news orgs are serious about being good partners in mitigating misinformation, they need to link meaningfully to relevant…
The dominant press is a giant inertia machine
But here’s an old idea: what if dominant journalism, by and large and in the long run, is actually…
The dream of proportional representation dies again; long live pro rep
I campaigned during the first and second referendums we had here in BC regarding proportional representation. We won the…
Tsleil-Waututh Nation versus Bill Morneau, the duty to consult, and the public interest
Say it with me. The duty to consult Indigenous people does not conflict with the public interest…
Trinity Western University continues to defend anti-gay community covenant
The Supreme Court of Canada, happily, was not moved by Trinity Western University’s claims that they weren’t hurting gay…
Canadian journalism fails at nuance when it comes to jihad
On my view the news media in Canada have, by and large and in the long run, misrepresented the…
Some notes on why jihad is good
If you read Canadian journalists on the topic, you might not understand that jihad has some very nice meanings.…
More nuanced theories of journalism needed
A good theory of journalism helps us understand what media are not journalistic. And, equally important, a theory helps…