Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
Trump’s masterful manipulation. CREDIT: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster One of the guiding principles for the media in covering the President of the United States is that the things the president says and does are, by definition, newsworthy. This is why there is a White House press corps and a “protective pool” that follows the president around…
Like many populist leaders, Donald Trump skillfully exploited the media obsession for immediacy and page views. In French journalism, especially in radio and TV, we have an expression that says it all: “He (or she) is a bon client”. Literally, a good customer, an endless provider of soundbites and juicy quotes that will jump to the top…
The political conflict of the Harry Potter novels was simple yet insightful: Some witches and wizards are racist scumbags who only value pureblood families, and the worst of them joined Voldemort’s crusade against muggleborns. J.K. Rowling explored this fascist allegory through examples of everyday discrimination, magical hate crimes, and the rise of an oppressive government,…
Trump’s contempt for women is astonishing. Decades of progress are now at stake Donald and Melania Trump walk with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill, Washington, 10th November, 2016 ©Molly Riley/AP/Press Association Images It was supposed to be a historic moment in American politics: the first woman elected to the presidency. Women took their…
The press must defend all norms, not just those that pertain to themselves. On Tuesday night, Donald Trump committed a huge no-no. This was nothing trivial like empowering white hate groups or waging public and legal vendettas against his enemies—he’s been doing those things all along. For the first time since winning the presidency last…
Are Americans racist and xenophobic? As usual, two package deals angrily competing for our attention. The first says: Americans are obviously racist and xenophobic. The second says: No, you’re just being paranoid. Neither package deal sees America clearly. For racism, Avenue Q has it right: while (almost) everyone’s a little bit racist, the key word…
The election of Donald J. Trumpgives the Republicans in Congress a chance to act ontheir often-stated desire to get rid of Obamacare, a wish that Mr. Trump mostly says he shares. Aaron E. Carroll and Austin Frakt, our health policy columnists, discuss: Then what? Aaron: I think it’s safe to say few in Congress thought they’d have this…
So your brand is the victim of fake news. Now what? Pepsi and New Balance are dealing with boycotts. Experts share tips on how to smother the viral flames Last week, the proliferation of fake news on social media ignited a debate over its influence on the election. And two global brands, Pepsi and…
Perhaps I found myself in the viral content world because I made the careless mistake of taking an arts degree at university. For over half a decade afterwards, I was lucky enough to work as an actual journalist for a few quasi well-known publications. But after years of trying, I gave up pursuing work with…
Green Day kept its plans to blast President-elect Billie Joe Armstrongmade a last minute decision to include the political message.We’ve got a call in to their reps. TMZ. Source: GREEN DAY ANTI-TRUMP CHANT WAS SHOCK TO ABC