Lessons from Hollywood

.
Popcorn & History

“Historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. said, ‘The fact that film has been the most potent vehicle of the American imagination suggests all the more strongly that movies have something to tell us, not just about the surfaces but about the mysteries of American life.’ Today’s movies also tell us a lot about the changing nature of teaching.” . . .

“As long-form journalism retreats, newspapers and television networks consolidate bureaus and the attention span for international news shrinks, the movies are a critical rough draft of history that affects higher education. It is imperative that Hollywood’s best pictures continue to get these stories right, because they lay the groundwork for the next generation's understanding of the world and help inform a basic narrative of our politics and policies for years to come.”

—Zach Messitte, president and political science professor, Ripon College, “History lessons, with popcorn, for America’s undergraduates,” The Los Angeles Times, Feb. 14, 2014

• Editorial Comment: Speaking of infamy, everything my kids know about WWII comes from “Pearl Harbor.”  

PeezPix by Ted Pease 
 

Ted, Leaving Tsunami Zone










PeezPix. ted.pease@gmail.com
 

TODAY'S WORD ON JOURNALISM is a free “service” sent to the 1,800 or so misguided subscribers around the planet. If you have recovered from whatever led you to subscribe and don’t want it anymore, send “unsubscribe” to ted.pease@gmail.com. Or if you want to afflict someone else, send me the email address and watch the fun begin. (Disclaimer: I just quote ’em, I don’t necessarily endorse ’em. But all contain at least a kernel of insight. Don’t shoot the messenger.) 
 
Ted Pease, Professor of Interesting Stuff, Utah State University, Logan, Utah. ted.pease@gmail.com. (Be)Friend Dr. Ted, Professor of Interesting Stuff

“Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” —Tom Stoppard
.