Did you see the New York Times op-ed debate between Bill Keller and Glenn Greenwald? It's about "the future of journalism," and the Times doesn't use that language lightly. If you're interested in the press, you should at least read a short commentary, like this one. But for a more thorough selection, see my relevant … Continue reading Adversarial journalism part 2
New York Times
Adverserial journalism part 1: disclaimer
DISCLAIMER: If you're a source and I want to interview you or someone else you work with, there's almost no chance (0.00%) that the story I'm writing will be an adversarial one. I've done some work in this vein, but what I do today isn't it. The nature of my recent freelance contracts isn't to … Continue reading Adverserial journalism part 1: disclaimer
Chicago: the greenest city *snicker*
Based on the frequency of news coverage about polluted soil or buildings in Chicago, you might think there really isn't much of that here. After all, only a single EPA National Priorities List site exists in Chicago. But it was tough to get listed because the city would rather not have those blemishes on its … Continue reading Chicago: the greenest city *snicker*
Mobile tech + democracy = awesomeness
So I'm in this class called mobile journalism, and we're doing a lot of cool stuff. Liveblogging Arianna Huffington was only the beginning—we've Skype'd with people in Africa and Japan on the same day about how they use their phones, Skype'd with Kevin Thau, a VP of Twitter about (what else?) the future of Twitter, … Continue reading Mobile tech + democracy = awesomeness
iPad commentary
Ello, love! My article on the iPad for the Columbia Chronicle was just released. Take a look! My audience? Students at my arts and media college in metro Chicago. I also wrote a completely different version for a much older demographic, published in the Wilmington (Ohio) News Journal. See here
Industry turmoil
The Chicago Tribune sports the largest newsroom in the midwest, according to its advertising campaign. I chuckle at that choice. I wonder how many other journalists do, too. (CC Flickr photo from Alex Barth) When I turned to the journalism field for my career, the thought that most plagued me was this: generally, to make … Continue reading Industry turmoil
Educational theory
I sent a letter to TED.org really early this morning asking if they have any internships available. They'd be a perfect fit for me, and I for them, I'm convinced. After I sent the message, I started to think about education again, because I had linked to a couple of my favorite articles in the … Continue reading Educational theory
And the Pursuit of Happiness review
What a name for a blog, And the Pursuit of Happiness. The blog's beautiful, but it's not really a blog. It's a place that, once a month, displays a new piece of written and visual art—created by author and illustrator of children's books Maira Kalman. It was one of the most popular items on New … Continue reading And the Pursuit of Happiness review
Writing for interaction
Spotted a story yesterday about the rise of (and grand question about) the cupcake boutique on the New York Times site, and I had to check it out. I'm sharing it with you not just because cupcakes generate more saliva than I have fluid in my body, but because there's a really interesting paragraph that … Continue reading Writing for interaction
Jeffrey Hollender on Toyota
The Toyota Corolla, a highly popular car in the U.S. (Jupiter Images photo) I'm into corporate responsibility in case you haven't noticed. (I was recently approached by someone wanting me to join a pyramid scheme. It was so laughable I wrote a satire piece about it. I'll let you know when it's published.) One of … Continue reading Jeffrey Hollender on Toyota
Who are these corrupt scientists? Leachates nearly unavoidable
Gladware, the type of food storage I have at home. I've heard soft plastics are more prone to have dangerous leachates, and this stuff is as soft as you get. (Creative Commons-licensed photo from Timothy Valentine's Flickr account) Nick Kristof's column Saturday dealt with Bisphenol-A, the chemical lots of people are worried about because, hey, … Continue reading Who are these corrupt scientists? Leachates nearly unavoidable
World’s biggest egotrip
Me standing next to a Bugatti 16:4 Veyron at Gold Coast Bentley, a few blocks from my house (Rush and Pearson, Chicago). Top speed: 253 mph. Cost: originally about a million, I heard. It's probably around $2 million now. (Photo by my mom, I think) This article is about the fastest production car in the … Continue reading World’s biggest egotrip
Grilled cheese-tasting
Goat cheese, fresh basil and tomatoes grilled on sourdough (Creative Commons-licensed photo from the Flickr account of nasunto) Last night I mentioned on Facebook the recipe I usually use for grilled cheese—lots of Jarlesberg, a few dashes of cayenne pepper, multi-grain bread and a slow cooking time following an initial braise. An old friend of … Continue reading Grilled cheese-tasting
Italian torture conviction to have no effect
A demonstration of waterboarding at Coney Island. [Creative Commons-licensed photo from the Flickr account of Salim Virji] The New York Times reported this morning on the conviction of 23 Americans in a case involving the practice of rendition, "in which terrorism suspects are captured in one country and taken for questioning in another, presumably one … Continue reading Italian torture conviction to have no effect
Lovely international reporting
Students in a Chinese classroom seem happy to learn English, or at least happy to be together. (Creative Commons-licensed photo by yewenyi) Yesterday the New York Times featured an informative and fun-to-read story about outlandish edicts put forth by China's legions of untrained local officials. Sharon LaFraniere did a great job reporting on a nation-wide phenomenon … Continue reading Lovely international reporting
Brandon Smith 