Judge orders Montana congressman who assaulted a reporter to be formally booked on assault charge, months after his election

A judge has ordered Montana Rep. Greg Gianforte to be photographed and fingerprinted for assaulting a reporter in May, opening the door for the congressman’s mug shot to be plastered in opponents’ campaign ads in next year’s election. […] The day after the assault, Gianforte defeated Democrat Rob Quist in the special election to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke as Montana’s only congressman. | Gianforte pleaded guilty in June. | Gianforte was fined $385 and ordered to perform…

20 hours ago in Current_Events, Ethics, Government, Journalism, Politics.

Shakespeare on Eclipses

Prepping for tomorrow’s first meeting of my Shakespeare class. In 1598, during Shakespeare’s lifetime, England experienced a total solar eclipse, with the path of totality tracking from Cornwall in the southwest up to Aberdeen in Scotland. As we in the twenty-first century prepare for the Great American Eclipse on Aug 21, let’s look at three of the ways Shakespeare used eclipses in his plays and poems: 1. An eclipse as an ill…

22 hours ago in Academia, Culture, Current_Events, Drama, Education, History, Humanities, Literature, PopCult, Science.

Trump Briefly Glanced at Eclipse without Protective Glasses

Donald Trump’s persona as a man who doesn’t like to be told what to do feeds into the spread of this image of him staring directly at the eclipse without protective glasses. I’ve seen it portrayed as if an aide warned Trump not to do it, and then he immediately did it anyway, on impulse. Naturally I investigated. Recalling the still photo taken of Trump appearing to ignore his own…

23 hours ago in Current_Events, Ethics, Journalism, Media, PopCult, Rhetoric, Science.

NASA: No, The Eclipse Won’t Blind Pets

I once heard a fellow grad student say Galileo went blind because the the Church tortured him, I said no, he went blind because he looked at the sun through a telescope. Turns out both stories are myths. Galileo did go partially blind from cataract and glaucoma in his 70s. “Galileo was well aware of the dangers of direct solar observations and seems to have predominantly used the projection technique…

3 days ago in Current_Events, Ethics, History, PopCult, Science.

Verify or Duck! Journalists should confirm all details they didn’t witness.

New instructional web page — Verify or Duck! Confirm all details you didn’t witness. #fridaynight #partylikeaprofessor.

4 days ago in Academia, Ethics, Journalism, Media, Writing.

My English major skills crushed the girl in Bananagrams.

Wildcard? You mean quitter tile!

How Not To Make Professional Contacts

Towards the end of my year-long radio news internship, I scolded a local TV reporter for filing a one-sided fluff story about ice cream at a summer festival. “Maybe you could have gotten an opposing view from someone in the natural foods store,” I said. “Or interviewed someone who’s lactose intolerant.”

Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. –Mr Dooley on the function of journalism

“Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”

I first heard that quote from a newsroom mentor. It’s now one of many pithy sayings I often used in my journalism classes. As I was prepping for this fall, I realized I had never researched its origin. Boy was I surprised!

Faculty/staff orientation begins @setonhilluniversity

Laying out our anti-socialization defenses & cleaning out the penitence shack for another year of homeschool.

Visiting Fort Ligonier. When the girl sat at this table in the officer’s barracks, I started humming the “Bilbo writing at Bag End” music. “Stop that,” she said. “You’re making me cry.”

How journalists should handle racist words, images and violence in Charlottesville

I have covered protests where people shouted angry slogans and waved signs at each other for as long as I had my microphone or camera out, but as soon as I put my gear away both sides went back to standing or marching silently. This article, written by two journalists with experience covering community conflicts sparked by “alt-right” white nationalist coalitions, says local reporters should inform themselves because there will…