Category Archives: Rhetorica

New Media triumphalism, chapter 93

An unintentionally hilarious analysis of the failings of Old Media buries in its last paragraph the serious caveat that, for New Media, “coming up with revenue models continues to be difficult.” And nowhere is it explained that all those much … Continue reading

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A sign of anti-Semitism at the New Yorker?

Barry Blitt’s cover illustration for the current (October 24) New Yorker is a post-modern version of cartoons from the late 19th century that savaged the trusts and Tammany Hall.

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Why more money is actually good for politics – and why editorial writers oppose it

A Washington Post report on the “fury at Murdoch” reveals a difference between British and American politics that challenges conventional wisdom on the role of money in elections.

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Is Schadenfreude healthy?

The announcement by News Corp. that it would be closing News of the World in response to allegations that the British tabloid engaged in phone hacking and possible criminal behavior will no doubt be received with joy by the countless … Continue reading

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The mind of a strategist

Announcing his plans to withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan this year, President Obama declared, “We are starting this drawdown from a position of strength. Al Qaeda is under more pressure than at any time since 9/11.”

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Saying the unsayable, again

The “Dirty Harry of the poetry beat” continues his “blood sport.”

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Refusing to play the sourcing charade

A New York Times story (February 9, 2011) on the internal debate at the Century Club over its ties to the all-male Garrick club in London shows how anonymous sources should be properly characterized:

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The sourcing charade (continued)

Some newspapers and media commentators belatedly addressed the shortcomings of anonymous sourcing several years ago. But the practice had been all too common for decades before then, and it continues today as if it had never been called into question.

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‘Blogs are not important now’

Technological triumphalists beware: After hearing about the transformative power of blogging for the past 15 years, of social media for the past five years, and of WikiLeaks for the past year, we now have evidence of how easily the disruptive … Continue reading

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