^CategoryMedia

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 24, 2022

Categorized
Media

Tagged
Bothsidesism, David Mastio, Gannett newspaper chain, Joe Concha, journalism, Journalists vs public on journalism 2022, Pew Research Center on journalists vs. public, USA Today and David Mastio}

This Isn’t Fake News: Mainstream Media Are Very Out of Touch

_{Massively so, if recent survey research is any guide. But how did they get SO far out of touch?} _{Denyse O'Leary

June 24, 2022

6

Media}

From media and culture analyst Joe Concha at The Hill, which reports on the doings of Congress, we learn about a new in-depth survey by the non-politically affiliated Pew Research Center: Per Pew, 65 percent of the nearly 12,000 journalists surveyed say the media do a solid job of “covering the most important stories of the day” and reporting news accurately. But a solid majority of the American public at large has the opposite view, with just 35 percent feeling the same way. That’s a 30-point perception gap. Joe Concha, “The media bubble is real: Study shows massive disconnect between journalists, public” at The Hill (June 22, 2022) Some other contrasts: ● “serving as a watchdog over elected leaders” Journalists:…

Female politician talking on media press conference, public relations, event

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 20, 2022

Categorized
Media, Philosophy, Religion, Science

Tagged
Carl Sagan, David Klinghoffer, Nicholas Wade on COVID origin, Nicholas Wade on science writing, Population bomb claims, Sabine Hossenfelder, Science writers, Science writers and credulity, Steven Novella on science writing}

Why Science News Sucks — A Response to a Disgusted Physicist

_{There are reasons why science journalists can't usually be skeptical in the way that other journalists can. Here are some of them} _{Denyse O'Leary

June 20, 2022

7

Media, Philosophy, Religion, Science}

In her usual forthright manner, theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder asks, by blog post and Youtube video, “Why does science news suck so much? It’s hardly an original question but among her suggested answers are some thoughtful reflections, including 9. Don’t forget that science is fallible A lot of media coverage on science policy remembers that science is fallible only when it’s convenient for them. When they’ve proclaimed something as fact that later turns out to be wrong, then they’ll blame science. Because science is fallible. Facemasks? Yeah, well, we lacked the data. Alright. But that’d be more convincing if science news acknowledged that their information might be wrong in the first place. The population bomb? Peak oil? The new ice…

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 16, 2022

Categorized
Media, Social Media

Tagged
Amy Coney Barrett, Bill Maher, Brett Kavanaugh, Joe Kahn, Marvin Olasky, media bias, Print media as obsolete, Twitterati}

Have Newspapers Simply Lost Touch With the Mainstream Public?

_{The depressing stats tell a tale that’s a bit more complex: Readers tolerate out-of-touch media less now because they we need them so much less} _{Denyse O'Leary

June 16, 2022

5

Media, Social Media}

Earlier this week we looked at the way a flailing newspaper chain decided to cut back on editorial and opinion pages. The decision should not be a surprise in an age when so much opinion is available for free — and by no means is all of it foolish. One familiar response has been to say, well, media are too “liberal” (or “leftist” or “progressive”) for the readers — and that’s why newspaper are losing them. It’s a factor but there is more to the story. First, we are dealing with a fact: Pious disclaimers notwithstanding, as a group, media personnel are generally more likely to support progressive causes than average Americans. A variety of explanations is offered, including this…

Toilet paper shortage coronavirus panic buying man hoarding carrying many rolls at home in fear of corona virus outbreak closing shopping stores.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 10, 2022

Categorized
Information Theory, Media, Social Media

Tagged
Being as Communion (book), Big Tech authoritarianism, Brownstone Institute, COVID-19 panic, Information (characteristics of information), Jeffrey A. Tucker, William Dembski on nature of information}

Economist Faces Painful Truths About COVID-19 Information Dump

_{Jeffrey A. Tucker admits he was wrong to think that just giving people more information would reduce panic — or that Big Tech was a force for human freedom} _{News

June 10, 2022

6

Information Theory, Media, Social Media}

Economist Jeffrey A. Tucker, president of the Brownstone Institute, shares some thoughts about what he learned about the spread and management of information from the response to COVID-19. Two things he learned are especially worth noting. At one time, Tucker, who describes himself as a “Victorian Whig” (an old-fashioned liberal), believed that merely giving people access to more accurate information would improve our response to crises. He had good reason to believe that: Historically, dictators like Stalin, Hitler, or Xi have restricted access to information in order to keep the public easy to control. So what happened when, in the Western world, the internet opened the dam? The speed and abundance of information actually amplified error. At the height of…

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 10, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Media, Social Media

Tagged
Alejandro Mayorkas, Chuck Grassley, COVID-19 vaccines, Disinformation Governance Board, Face masks against COVID-19, Josh Hawley, Lab leak theory (COVID-19), Whistleblowers, Yoel Roth}

Dox Show Disinformation Board Was For Use Against Americans Too

_{A whistleblower leaked a cache of documents to two U.S. senators who have put them online} _{Denyse O'Leary

June 10, 2022

6

Censorship, Media, Social Media}

On Tuesday, Senators Chuck Grassley (R – Iowa) and Senator Josh Hawley (R – Missouri) publicized whistleblower documents that make clear that the Disinformation Governance Board, currently on hold, had much greater ambitions than we have been led to believe. Here are some highlights from the documents publicized June 7, 2022: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas explicitly told CNN that the new Governance Board was not intended to spy on U.S.citizens: Mayorkas: Ministry of Truth won’t “monitor American citizens … the board does not have any operational capability. What it’ill do is gather together best practices … & disseminate those best practices to the operators that have been executing & addressing this threat for years” pic.twitter.com/VbHF6Wek2Y — Tom…

Social media censorship, political war between US president banning social networks. Tiny person on the laptop keyboard looking at the forbidden sign on the screen. Internet communication risk concept

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
May 18, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Media, Social Media

Tagged
Bill Maher, Disinformation Governance Board, Elon Musk, Mark Steyn, Nina Jankowicz, Taylor Lorenz}

New U.S. Disinformation Board on Hold Amid Flak From Both Sides

_{Most current controversies are not clear divisions between True and Untrue or Right and Wrong. Government would merely reinforce the Establishment} _{Denyse O'Leary

May 18, 2022

5

Censorship, Media, Social Media}

If you’d blinked, you’d have missed it: The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday paused a new and controversial board’s work on disinformation and accepted the resignation of its leader, capping weeks of concerns about impinging on free speech rights and at times frenzied conspiracy theories about the board itself… The Disinformation Governance Board’s director, Nina Jankowicz, wrote Wednesday that the board’s future was “uncertain,” according to a resignation letter obtained by The Associated Press. Nomaan Merchant and Amanda Seitz, “New ‘disinformation’ board paused amid free speech questions” at Associated Press (May 18, 2022) A recommendation as to whether the Board should continue will be offered, we are told, within 75 days. The Washington Post knows who to blame: “How…

Business crisis manager stopping falling dominos from collapsing

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
May 17, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Media, Social Media

Tagged
Brendan O'Neill, Elon Musk, Elon Musk (Twitter buy opposition), European Union (on Musk Twitter buy), Media (support for censorship), Project Veritas (Twitter buy leak), Siru Murugesan, Twitter}

Who Opposes Musk’s Proposed Twitter Takeover Deal?

_{Four groups to watch are Twitter employees, left-wing action coalitions, legacy media, and the European Union} _{Denyse O'Leary

May 17, 2022

7

Censorship, Media, Social Media}

First, the state of play: Elon Musk’s foray into buying Twitter remains on hold amid disputes about how much of Twitter is dominated by bot accounts. Musk believes that 20% of the accounts are spam. Spam bots on Twitter are automated accounts that can take actions like real humans, such as sending out tweets, following other users, as well as liking and retweeting other users’ posts. Such accounts can be programmed to try and drive traffic to a product or service as part of a commercial endeavor or spread content as part of a social or political influence operation. Tom Ozimek, “Musk Says Twitter Deal on Hold Over Spam Bots” at Epoch Times (May 13, 2022) That’s something Musk says…

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
April 15, 2022

Categorized
Media

Tagged
China, China (racism), Disney, Robert Carle}

How China Controls Hollywood — and Your Mind?

_{That is, if you pay any attention to Hollywood’s products} _{News

April 15, 2022

2

Media}

King’s College prof Robert Carle offers some thought about China and Hollywood at MercatorNet. On an elaborate apology tour (his words) Disney boasted that few people had seen its Kundun film. Good business strategy? Hey, it gets worse: By the turn of the century, Hollywood directors and producers had learned not to broach subjects (Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tiananmen) that offend the Communist Chinese. They had also standardised a lobbying process to get China’s approval for its films. Early in the movie’s life cycle, international distributors meet with Chinese film bureau officials. American studios have to satisfy layers of Chinese bureaucrats before a movie hits the market. Schwartzel recounts dozens of stories of how American films have been edited…

Newspapers and Laptop. Different Concepts for News - Network or Traditional Tabloid Journals. Data Sources - Electronic Screen of Computer or Paper Pages of Magazines, Internet or Papers

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
February 2, 2022

Categorized
Media, Social Media

Tagged
Erasmus Klaus Nielsen, Felix Salmon, Knight Foundation (on trust in media), Media (trust in media), Poynter (on trust in media), Reuters Institute (on trust in media), Social media (as personal news channels)}

The Cultural Changes That Destroyed Trust in Media

_{The critical question isn’t whether traditional media are trusted but whether their model can even survive the tsunami of the internet} _{Denyse O'Leary

February 2, 2022

6

Media, Social Media}

Felix Salmon, chief financial correspondent at Axios, shares the gloomy news: For the first time ever, fewer than half of all Americans have trust in traditional media, according to data from Edelman’s annual trust barometer shared exclusively with Axios. Trust in social media has hit an all-time low of 27%. Felix Salmon, “Media trust hits new low” at Axios (January 1, 2021) But the trust issue is highly polarized: When Edelman re-polled Americans after the election, the figures had deteriorated even further, with 57% of Democrats trusting the media and only 18% of Republicans. Felix Salmon, “Media trust hits new low” at Axios (January 1, 2021) But even if media are willing to just write off Republicans, it can’t be…

Portrait of guy on blue neon light digital interface background. Young man with beard. Censored concept.

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
January 25, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Media, Medicine and Health, Social Media

Tagged
Anthony Fauci (flipflops), COVID-19 (misinformation issue), COVID-19 (Wuhan origin controversy), National Public Radio (judges' face masks controversy), Nicholas Wade (on COVID origin), Nina Totenberg, Royal Society, Trust (in media), Trust (in science)}

Royal Society: Don’t Censor Misinformation; It Makes Things Worse

_{While others demand crackdowns on “fake news,” the Society reminds us that the history of science is one of error correction} _{Denyse O'Leary

January 25, 2022

8

Censorship, Media, Medicine and Health, Social Media}

A leading science organization, the Royal Society (Britain’s equivalent of the National Academy of Sciences), has put out a report discouraging social media censorship, with special reference to the COVID-19 pandemic: The Royal Society, the U.K.’s academy of sciences, published a study of online scientific and health misinformation Wednesday, investigating its root causes and brainstorming possible solutions. The scientists concluded that censoring content deemed to be misinformation is often harmful and antithetical to the principles of scientific inquiry… The report found that online censorship risked pushing misinformation underground and off of major social media platforms, where it is less likely to be exposed to countervailing opinions. Censorship also risks removing or suppressing content that may be true or helpful to…

^{Type
post

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
January 6, 2022

Categorized
Media, Science

Tagged
Canceled Science (book), Eric Hedin, Jerry Coyne (on Eric Hedin)}

“Woke” Comes Back to Bite the Darwinists — and They Deserve It

_{Intelligent design people stood up not only for our colleagues and those who think as we do but we also stood up for freedom for people} _{Michael Egnor

January 6, 2022

5

Media, Science}

Darwinist Jerry Coyne has been at the forefront of efforts over the past couple of decades to censor advocates of intelligent design and anyone who questions the Darwinian paradigm. Read More ›

Information censorship - Typewriter locked with a chain

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
December 29, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Law, Media

Tagged
George Cardinal Pell (and media), Jeremy Bentham (on publicity for trials), Media gag orders (and fair trial), Media gag orders (and internet), Michael Cook (on Pell case)}

Are Media Gag Orders Fair in an Internet World?

_{Editor Michael Cook says no, based on the Pell sex abuse case Down Under. New ways must be found to ensure that a jury is not prejudiced} _{News

December 29, 2021

9

Ethics, Law, Media}

This article by editor Michael Cook tackles the problem of media gag orders in an internet world. Australian media outlets were recently fined A$1.1 million for contempt of court for publishing information that was widely available elsewhere concerning the trial of George, Cardinal Pell on charges of sexual molestation. Significantly, they could not publish information that cast doubt on the fairness of the trial, that they were in a better position to understand than foreign media would be. Cook suggests new approaches going forward. The article first appeared at MercatorNet on June 9, 2021 under the title “They’re still picking up the pieces after the Cardinal Pell fiasco.” A media pygmy, MercatorNet spends much of its time complaining about the mainstream media…

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
September 16, 2021

Categorized
Business and Finance, Events, Machine Learning, Media

Tagged
Abundant World Institute, COSM 2021, Featured, John Schroeter, Moonshots (book), Popular Electronics (magazine), TechnicaCuriosa}

Publisher of Popular Electronics To Speak at COSM 2021

_{Futurist John Schroeter is an author as well as a publisher and developer} _{News

September 16, 2021

2

Business and Finance, Events, Machine Learning, Media}

John Schroeter has many accomplishments as a futurist but also as an author, publisher, and developer: ➤ He is Executive Director at Abundant World Institute, a think tank for leading technologists, futurists and entrepreneurs seeking to create more abundance in the world: Their foundational book, Moonshots—Creating a World of Abundance, won the 2019 Gold Medal by Axiom Business Book Awards, and was recognized by Kirkus Reviews as a “Best Book of 2018.” After Shock (2020) marks the 50-year anniversary of Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock. ➤ He is also the publisher, at TechnicaCuriosa, of iconic mags such as Popular Electronics and Popular Astronomy. “Our iconic titles have literally changed the world. Take Popular Electronics for example. Just one landmark issue was…

press and media camera ,video photographer on duty in public new

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 25, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Media

Tagged
Andrew Cuomo (COVID-19), COVID-19, Media obsessions with Cool figures, Ross Barkan, Sexual harassment}

Media Try But Fail To Learn From Their Romance With Cuomo

_{Revoking Cuomo’s Emmy, amid facile self-reproach, is hardly a substitute for unpacking the bigger facts of what the recently resigned New York governor did wrong} _{Denyse O'Leary

August 25, 2021

6

Ethics, Media}

In a revealing article in Columbia Journalism Review New York City journalist Ross Barkan talks about the many media fails in covering the misdeeds of recently resigned New York State governor Andrew Cuomo. And yet, somehow, Barkan deftly pulls the punches. His omissions tell us a good deal about what is wrong with mainstream media today. Cuomo was brought down by credible sexual assault and intimidation allegations over many years. One reason justice took so long was the media’s infatuation with Cuomo, ignoring on-the-ground realities of all types — some deadly, as we shall see. Barkan gets a lot of stuff right: Cuomo was not nearly as skilled at handling the COVID-19 epidemic as major media painted him: But Cuomo’s…

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 19, 2021

Categorized
Business and Finance, Media

Tagged
Amanda Silberling, Andrew Sullivan, Ben Smith, Clio Chang, Jonathan Malesic, Rod Dreher, Substack}

Why So Many Mainstream Media Figures Really Hate Substack

_{The subscription newsletter service allows good writers to reach their audiences without a horde of censors and gatekeepers, as is usually the case in mainstream media today} _{Denyse O'Leary

August 19, 2021

8

Business and Finance, Media}

Substack — a newsletter site where popular writers can make money via private newsletters — has thoroughly rattled many traditional legacy mainstream media. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in San Francisco, it essentially ensures that the writer, not the medium, is the primary financial beneficiary of the writer’s talent. It also doesn’t need to censor writers on account of, say, money from China. One result is that many well-known writers from, for example, the New York Times, Vox, and BuzzFeed quit their jobs and started writing for newsletter subscribers who pay for premium content, print or podcast, typically $5 a month or $50 a year. Only a few thousand subscribers are needed to generate a nice income for a talented…

Crowd of people walking street wearing masks

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
August 2, 2021

Categorized
Business and Finance, Media, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Ashley Rindsberg, Bari Weiss, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), COVID-19 lab leak hypothesis, Lab leak theory (COVID-19), New York Times (and CCP), New York Times (and lab leak), The Gray Lady Winked (book)}

Why did the New York Times Discredit the Lab Leak Theory?

_{The Times led the way in zealously discrediting the quite reasonable COVID-19 lab leak theory. But what underlay its zeal?} _{News

August 2, 2021

5

Business and Finance, Media, Medicine and Health}

Ashley Rindsberg, author of The Gray Lady Winked (2021), offers an eye-opening look at the close links between the New York Times and Chinese propaganda media. It may have been these relationships that caused the Times to go to considerable trouble to discredit the “lab leak” theory on the origin of COVID-19. It remains a viable theory despite powerful attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to discredit it. (For background, see “Lab leak theory vindicated: What that means for fighting COVID-19.”) Sound like tinfoil to you? Then consider this: In the opening months of the pandemic, the lab leak hypothesis was actively discredited by the media and scientific establishment, with anyone associated with it smeared as “racist”. The question we…

^{Type
post

Author
Caitlin Bassett
Date
July 28, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Media

Tagged
Alexa, apple, Audrey, Cortana, Microsoft, Mohamad Awad, Roz Burch, Siri, Smart Adaptive Voice "SAV", text-to-speech technology, Website Voice}

You Can Now Hear Our Articles When You Are Driving or Sweeping Up

_{Curious about that "loudspeaker" icon that has recently appeared in our articles?} _{Caitlin Bassett

July 28, 2021

3

Artificial Intelligence, Media}

You may have recently noticed a new icon that’s appeared on your screen at the beginning of our articles. If you press the little black button with the loudspeaker icon, you will find our article being read aloud for you. This exciting new application – which will make it easier for our readers to enjoy our content even while driving, doing chores, or running errands – is made possible by WebsiteVoice advances in artificial intelligence technology. WebsiteVoice is a text-to-speech application that converts blog posts and online articles into audible material. It serves over 4,000 clients worldwide in 30 different languages. Founded by Mohamad Awad and Roz Burch, the WebsiteVoice team calls itself “a group of avid readers and podcast…

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 18, 2021

Categorized
Business and Finance, Media

Tagged
AmaZen, Amazon, Mindful Practice Room, Mindfulness, ZenBooth}

Amazon’s “Mindful Practice Rooms” Backfire

_{It turns out the human soul needs far more than a telephone booth with a computer} _{News

June 18, 2021

5

Business and Finance, Media}

Amazon posted a video this week featuring a “mindful practice room” – a new company initiative to give employees a mental and emotional break during their work day. The room is just one component of their WorkingWell program, which is intended to ease worker stress by providing them with tools and training for better physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The video did not go over as hoped, however, and Amazon took it down. The Guardian called the rooms “coffin-like booths”, Gizmodo called it “a dystopian solution” to long work hours and harsh conditions, and Twitter users went to town with their own sarcastic tweets and memes. The now-deleted video featured Amazon worker Leila Brown, creator of the “ZenBooth”, which she…

Science laboratory research and development concept. microscope with test tubes

^{Type
post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
June 10, 2021

Categorized
Media, Medicine and Health, Science

Tagged
Anthony Fauci, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), COVID-19, COVID-19 lab leak hypothesis, Dr. Shi Zheng-Li, EcoHealth Alliance, Katherine Eban, National Institute of Health (NIH), Nicholas Wade, Nicholson Baker, Peter Daszak, SARS-CoV-2, Vanity Fair, WHO COVID-19 investigation in China, World Health Organization (WHO), Wuhan Institute of Virology}

Lab Leak Theory Vindicated: What That Means for Fighting COVID-19

_{What was the U.S. government's role in downplaying the lab leak theory?} _{Heather Zeiger

June 10, 2021

5

Media, Medicine and Health, Science}

Vanity Fair adds to the growing number of investigative articles pointing to a lab accident as the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article looks at the U.S. government’s role in downplaying that lab leak theory. Behind closed doors, however, national security and public health experts and officials across a range of departments in the executive branch were locked in high-stakes battles over what could and couldn’t be investigated and made public. Katherine Eban, “The Lab-Leak Theory: Inside the Fight to Uncover COVID-19’s Origins” at Vanity Fair At a time when the Mainstream Media has sullied its reputation by parroting experts rather than seeking multiple viewpoints and checking sources, several articles stand out as excellent pieces of long-form writing and…