A timeline of finger-pointing: Blame flies as loose as facts in wake of Sherrod ‘scandal’

July 26th, 2010 · No Comments

Old habits die hard. White House officials, political pundits and TV networks baited by the Shirley Sherrod “racism” hoax have been as quick to pass the buck for their stake in the phony story as they were to spread its apocryphal content in the first place.

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The ‘news’ in 2010: fewer facts, more fiction

June 25th, 2010 · 3 Comments

The news is big business. Given the historic media mergers planned this summer, you can expect network news to reveal even more bias than before. Contrary to popular belief, network television’s fiction-before-facts approach isn’t nearly as politically motivated as it is the result of internal measures made to reiterate and reward networks’ preexisting profit structure.

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What’s Wrong with the Internet? A Manifesto.

June 7th, 2010 · 4 Comments

People say a lot of dumb things. This has always been an unfortunate feature of ours, but it’s especially apparent given the volumes we’re now able to transmit and receive. The Internet’s biggest achievement seems to have been its ability to give a soapbox to those who least need it. For users seeking access to legitimate, unbiased information, the advent of our infinite library comes as somewhat of a Pyrrhic victory.

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Reality TV product placement has gone too far

April 2nd, 2010 · 6 Comments

It’s a sight I’m sadly getting used to. During a recent episode of “No Reservations,” Anthony Bourdain offers to pay for dinner at an Istanbul restaurant. “Let me get this,” he says emphatically, as the camera cuts to a close-up of his Chase Sapphire Card. As a fan of the show, I’m disappointed.

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America’s eating problem

March 5th, 2010 · 3 Comments

This article, featured in the March issue of O’Dwyer’s, asks a question that affects everyone in today’s economic climate yet is often overlooked: why are the most affordable foods in the U.S. always the ones that are bad for you?

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Media needs to dissociate from blog sensationalism

March 1st, 2010 · 2 Comments

Our top news networks are co-opting the lowest, most sensationalistic denominators of celebrity and gossip news in a desperate attempt to lure viewers, resulting in an aesthetic that lies somewhere between a performance art installation and the lost scenes from a Felini film.

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Since when have Republicans been for small government?

February 22nd, 2010 · 1 Comment

In this new essay I show that every Republican leader of the past 35 years has consistently worked to expand the presence of government at every level, contrary to their constituency’s core party ‘values.’

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The Politics of Climate Change

February 9th, 2010 · 3 Comments

Here’s the first feature article I wrote for the newly re-launched O’Dwyer’s magazine. I prove many of the same U.S. corporations touting popular “green” initiatives are simultaneously funding anti-climate trade groups to sway public opinion as well as D.C. lobbyists to push polluter-friendly legislation.

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Dowload / view / print magazine PDF here.

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Supreme Court silences democracy’s “voice”

January 25th, 2010 · 1 Comment

Democracy took a dive on Thursday after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that corporations may now spend unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose the Congressional or Presidential candidates of their choosing.

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More than 420 magazines driven to extinction in ‘09

January 5th, 2010 · 1 Comment

150 more magazine titles were shuttered than launched in 2009, according to a tally by magazine database resource and directory publisher Oxbridge Communications. In total, 428 magazines were shut down in 2009 while 275 were launched.

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