We, the media consumers, are a big part of the problem

Yes, the media are the ones engaging in these practices. But the reason that they’re doing so is because we – the public – are gawking at the public displays of pain. Our collective fascination with tragedy means that we encourage media practices that rub salt into people’s wounds, all for the most salacious story. …

“Give the people what they want” as a legal strategy

Journalists in Britain have traditionally justified shady practices by arguing that they are in “the public interest.” Asked by an inquiry lawyer how he would define that, Mr. McMullan said that the public interest is what the public is interested in. “British Inquiry Is Told Hacking Is Worthy Tool,” New York Times, 30 Nov 2011 …

Women and Girls Foundation honors “Women in Media” — including me!

(This is cross-posted on the Big Big Design blog.) Each year, the Women and Girls Foundation honors a group of women who are “engaged in dynamic work in exciting and challenging career fields in Southwestern Pennsylvania.” This year they are celebrating “Women in Media,” and I’m privileged to have been selected among the honorees. The …

Stories of Pittsburgh

Pittsburghers: The eyes of the nation are upon us. It’s time to stand up and share what we think of our town and our region. The Primary Pittsburgh Project is a “5-day blogging experiment to invite the Burghosphere to re-tell the primary story story of Pittsburgh to the rest of the country.” Here’s the scoop: …

Immersed in the environment

Continuing my Cambridge/Boston nostalgia trip: I ate lunch at Legal Seafoods. When I was an undergrad, my parents were apparently concerned that I would not eat properly. So my dad gave me a credit card, and instructed me to eat at Legal Seafoods once a month. He’d eaten there when bringing me up to school …

Futures of entertainment

Today and tomorrow I’m in Boston for the Futures of Entertainment conference at MIT. This conference is looking at "developments such as user-generated content, transmedia storytelling, the rise of mobile media and the emergence of social networking." (Find liveblogging by members of the Convergence Culture Consortium here.) This is conference month for me: Last weekend …