Tag: Journalism

Decline of News Media Industry May Hold Opportunities For You: Here’s Why

Pew’s recently released analysis of the state of the news media appears, upon first analysis, to be nothing but dismal. The report indicates that newspaper newsroom cutbacks left the industry down 30 percent since its peak in 2000–actually below 40,000 full-time employees for the first time since 1978! Instead of news as we know it, most of these “news” outlets are focused on reporting sports, weather and traffic. Even CNN’s news packages are down nearly half according to the report.

But, for businesses, business professionals and would-be thought leaders there’s a silver lining here.  Continue reading “Decline of News Media Industry May Hold Opportunities For You: Here’s Why”

Can You Believe Anything You Read?

I just finished reading Blur: How to Know What’s True in the Age of Information Overload  and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a topic that I’ve often pondered as I’ve watched the shift from traditional news coverage to the rapid expansion of information sources that allow literally anyone to have a “voice.” But how can we as consumers–or as journalists, which is a hat I often wear–separate fact from fiction from self-promotion.

The book offers some very in-depth insights and examples which I found fascinating–and helpful. In brief, the authors outline a process that involves asking the following questions: Continue reading “Can You Believe Anything You Read?”

Don’t Believe Everything You Read…Especially Online!

When I was a kid my dad frequently told me: “don’t believe everything you read.” This was most often in response to some nugget of information I chose to share which he didn’t believe. However frustrating this was to me as a child (and it was very frustrating!), I’m sure it played a large part in shaping what I consider my “healthy skepticism” about most things (and what others, I’m sure, generally find simply annoying). At any rate, this advice came to mind recently when I read a story about a San Francisco-based plastic surgeon who had made some egregious medical errors and yet Continue reading “Don’t Believe Everything You Read…Especially Online!”