If you think the media treatment of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign was not seriously marred by sexism, please proceed directly to social media, Fox News, my email or wherever trolls gather. Because the underlying idea here is that, among the many flaws of 2016 campaign coverage, was the disadvantage Clinton […] Read more »
Breaking News Consumer’s Handbook: Gender and Politics Edition
As of this weekend, more than 600 days remain until the 2020 presidential election. Reporters, news anchors, and pundits have 21 months worth of newsprint and air time to fill with coverage that informs and, on occasion, fails to inform the electorate. There will be shiny objects to chase and […] Read more »
Why Fears of Fake News Are Overhyped
After the shock of the 2016 presidential election, many Americans found psychological refuge in a simple explanation for why Donald Trump won: “fake news.” False or misleading information published by dubious for-profit websites had spread widely on Facebook, reaching millions of people in the final months of the campaign. This […] Read more »
The Struggle Comes Home: Attacks on Democracy in the United States
… The great challenges facing US democracy did not commence with the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Intensifying political polarization, declining economic mobility, the outsized influence of special interests, and the diminished influence of fact-based reporting in favor of bellicose partisan media were all problems afflicting the health of American […] Read more »
10 facts about Americans and Facebook
It’s been 15 years since the creation of Facebook, a platform that revolutionized social media in the United States and around the world. While Facebook remains immensely popular – and highly profitable – it has attracted scrutiny in the U.S. in recent years because of concerns over its ability to […] Read more »
‘We’re Having a Girl!’ The Tabloid Myths of Jennifer Aniston and Donald Trump
In a depressing news cycle, the cover of In Touch Weekly’s Jan. 21 issue was a beautiful sight. It was a blast from a less complicated past, with its vintage photograph of a beaming Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt staring out at readers from above the bold headline: “We’re Having […] Read more »