The Sternberg Effect
joshsternberg
Yet another bad Spring for media
A year after mass layoffs, we find ourselves repeating this story. A year ago, I was managing a team of media reporters that was covering one of the most brutal weeks of the media industry. Two weeks prior, the earth stood still as we all stood pushing up against the ocean of the coronavirus. Businesses … Continue reading
A fast rise and a faster fall
After a public backlash over decade-old tweets and supposed pulled ad revenue, Teen Vogue’s editor steps down. Hello! So it turns out that having a job is great (who knew?!) but is also very time consuming. A lot has happened since we last saw each other. (Image via HBO/Axios) A little more than a month … Continue reading
How do you know what you're reading is accurate?
A quick look at Gell-Mann Amnesia. You ever come across an article about a subject you know very well, and think: hmm, this is just…wrong? Everything from the premise of the article to some basic facts are off, and you just get mad? Like, irrationally mad? To the point where you fire off emails to … Continue reading
Twitter gives a boost to the "creator economy"
I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a tweet today. The “creator economy” got a boost yesterday, after Twitter announced at a virtual event that it was building out features to let people charge certain followers bonus content. Calling this new user-base, “Super Follows,” Twitter is opening the door for people to make money off their … Continue reading
The Cherokee Nation calls for Jeep to remove the name from the car
This has been a bad media week for the SUV brand. Jeep is, one could argue, as American as apple pie and baseball. The all-terrain vehicle was created to help American troops navigate the European theater during World War II. And over the next eight decades, the Jeep brand became synonymous with ruggedness, individualism, and … Continue reading
On the rise of media unions
And why they’re necessary The last few years have seen a spike of newsrooms organizing unions to address the inequities between management and staff, as the declining state of the media business has taken a much larger toll on workers than on executives. It’s always been interesting watching from the sidelines (I’ve never been part … Continue reading
The best things in life are free
You know, like links and content from people. Over the weekend, passengers on a plane flying from Denver to Honolulu watched in horror as an engine erupted, raining debris across lawns and fields in Broomfield, Colorado, a Denver suburb, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing back in Denver. And because we live in … Continue reading
Taking a snow day
And a hearty thank you to all. I am taking a snow day/mental health day today (and possibly tomorrow), so I can do the requisite shoveling and play with the kids. I’m trying to take as much advantage of not working as I can. (Obviously, it’s a much different situation here in New Jersey than … Continue reading
The anti-social media social network
U;Good? looks to break down communication and help with mental health. The last two decades have been engineered through our connections between the online world and the offline world. Sitting here, in 2021, in the 11th month of a pandemic, we are the product of almost twenty years of the promise of connectivity and communication. … Continue reading
The Hockey News is today's main Twitter character
An errant tweet highlights lack of diversity in both media and the NHL. Perhaps the second-most important tweet ever, it offers both advice and context to how Twitter, and the world-at-large, works. Don’t be the main character. I’d argue the most important tweet, Rule No. 1 of Twitter, whose origins escape me and one that … Continue reading
New administration, same bare-knuckle press tactics
Just when I thought we were out, they pull us back in. We are 42-days removed from when supporters of former president Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, serving as the apotheosis of the last decade of one political party’s descent into madness. As we grapple with the implications, as well as the first time a … Continue reading
The framing of 'Framing Britney Spears'
Or, how media needs to be better. Last night, I watched the New York Times documentary on FX, “Framing Britney Spears,” and my goodness, what an indictment on media and pop culture. Oh, and a heaping portion of sexism and misogyny. It is very tough to watch. The 75-minute documentary, which is ostensibly about Spears’ … Continue reading
The Super Bowl highlights two different Americas
There’s a line between viewing the world as it is versus how we want it to be. Two things emerged from last night’s Super Bowl LV. The first, Tom Brady, as much as it pains me to say as a Jets fan, is the greatest quarterback of all time. (Also, if it weren’t for the … Continue reading
On image and intentionality
A quick look at Super Bowl ads and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Images (moving or still) can be read as a text. We encode and decode the message of the image, of what it means, through camera angles (e.g., camera looking up denotes power), jump cuts, colors, framing, etc. We establish our understanding of an … Continue reading
NYT earnings reflects a new calculus for media companies looking at subscribers
Diversify, diversify, diversify! The New York Times today announced its Q4 earnings, and if it hasn’t been clear for folks, it should be now: the paper of record is now a paper of record for some, but not all. With revenue reliant on subscribers than advertisers, media companies run the risk of making decisions to … Continue reading
Unnecessary Journalism Phrases
- How about “lifeless body” when describing a dead person? Here’s a good (bad)...
- bobbymacReports: A growing number of stories with a growing number
- Alliterative Journalism Phrases
- Apologies on the lack of posts
- While not necessarily an unnecessary journalism phrase, friend...
- 50. Old Man Winter - 11/7/11
- Push The Envelope Submitted by unretrecissement and her...
- 49. A.M. in the Morning/P.M. in the Afternoon/Evening, at Night - 11/3/11
- 48. Emergency Situation - 11/2/11
- 47. Roll(ed)(ing) in his/her grave - 10/31/11
