Student (shouldering backpack and heading for door): Why does MLA Style have to keep changing? Me (checks clock): Well… Similar:More delightful #steampunk control panels. These are computationally efficient bitmap rect…PersonalTexty Cloak of Darkness in ProseBelow is a snippet from “Texty Cloak of …GamesAcademic study concludes that teaching kids to touch-type can make them better writersImproving…
I posted a new handout with tips on surviving group projects in college. Employers value applicants who can work in groups. Most college students say they hate group work, but in the real world, few people work alone. Your assigned partner for a class project may be slow to respond because he or she is dealing…
Shad and co say bots play a particularly significant role in the spread of fake news soon after it is published. What’s more, these bots are programmed to direct their tweets at influential users. “Automated accounts are particularly active in the early spreading phases of viral claims, and tend to target influential users,” say Shao…
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After using examples from Warsaw and Prague, the 2007 edition of my journalism textbook predicts: The threat is no longer simply from government censorship. With new technology, government is more likely to subvert the press by trying to discredit its integrity and dilute its influence. It has more tools to do that in the twenty-first…
A good example of the power of satire. Trump used Tuesday night’s rally to denounce the “fake news” media for being mean, dishonest, bad, America-hating and an all-around pain in his keister. […] After spending 15 or so minutes complaining about the media, he said of the media: “For the most part, all they do…
The journalist chose to spotlight a little girl who’s both a Trump supporter and an aspiring journalist. This is how journalists can be creative — by choosing what details to focus on. “What happened in Charlottesville strikes at the core of America,” Trump said, appearing to read from the teleprompters placed on stage. “And tonight,…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
New instructional web page — Verify or Duck! Confirm all details you didn’t witness. #fridaynight #partylikeaprofessor. Similar:Let there be light The Irish have a weakness for puns, …AestheticsI actually don't mind Canvas — it just happens to be the course management system I have …Academia'Our worst nightmare': New legal filings detail reporting of Rolling…
Wildcard? You mean quitter tile! Similar:This time of year I trust the process. Students are learning why a "yes/no" rese…PersonalStage Right's 'Seussical' offers songs, messagesThe Tribune-Review does a great job cove…Current_EventsClickbait Tactics Drive the Writing of Headlines on ABC NewsI probably should not be surprised, but …BusinessSomeone seems to have slipped this over my transom.…
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.”
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!
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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.” Similar:STEM Education Won't Solve the World's ProblemsI love STEM. My SAT score for math was e…AcademiaThe Complete Deaths: all of the Bard's 74…
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…
I was surprised a few years ago to learn during a curriculum design meeting that I was the only faculty member in the room to require a 20-page paper. When I took a 300-level Shakespeare course as an undergraduate, we read one play a week and were expected to write a 10-page research paper every…
The director of our counseling and accommodations office sent out a Word document with tips on how to interact with service animals. (Basically, ignore the animal, who is busy working. You can silently push the “door open” button if you see a person and service animal approaching the door, but don’t expect the person to…