Illustration of a news team, selling ads, writing copy and tweeting.

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 guided by interests. They have purpose. The Washington Post wears their mission on their sleeve. Their tagline is “Democracy dies in darkness.” This stated vision is shared by many in journalism. If true, journalism has a…

A jumble of letters, spelling "fake news"

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 reach and impact, we’ll see more and more talk about regulation of media. Interestingly, news organizations love talking about regulating Facebook. But journalists, and their overlords, are allergic to talking about regulating news. So allergic are…

Maclean's cover mash up of Conservative figures; Maclean's is right wing.

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 view they have courted hate and burned trust, undermining journalism along several dimensions.1 Also. I will admit it. I often don’t get sarcasm.2 When I saw the “the resistance” cover by Maclean’s, I thought it was…

A small human stands on cliff overlooking a great divide in Norway.

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 understand humans and their social “nuance.” I’m still trying. Perhaps I’m practical-intelligence deficient. But, luckily, I’ve had a fleet of friends and colleagues who’ve helped me and I am grateful. They’ve held my hand tight, so…

Waning eclipse as seen in the middle of the day through a protective lens.

Waning eclipse today

Managed to take this photo of the waning eclipse today after figuring out how to set my phone to manual and squishing it up against a pair of community eclipse-glasses at the coffee shop I was at today. I loved how everyone came out and gathered around and told stories and took turns sharing the glasses. It also helped that the folks I was meeting with were also out looking at the eclipse. See you again in 2024 @wulfnbearhugger