“Here’s what you can
do to keep the insanity to a dull roar.
“Consider actually reading that
story before you share it on social media. It’s astonishingly common to see a
story hit Twitter and see it retweeted with outraged commentary even before it
could possibly be digested. Headlines are only a hint, after all, and the fine
print in the 19th paragraph may change your mind about what you think, or what
you say to your Facebook friends in your next blistering post.”
—Margaret
Sullivan, media columnist, “How to stay (slightly) sane this week: A user’s guide to the media maelstrom ahead,” The
Washington Post, Sept. 24, 2018.
• Editorial Comment: Wait. “Maelstrom ahead”? Crap, you means it’s going to get worse?
PeezPix
FREE! Get TODAY'S WORD ON JOURNALISM in your email This free “service” is sent to 2,000,000 or so subscribers around the planet more or less every
weekday morning during WORD season. If you have
recovered from whatever illness 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. Don’t shoot the messenger.) Ted Pease, Professor of Interesting Stuff, Trinidad, California. (Be)Friend The WORD
“I
don’t think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If
you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a
little.” —Tom Stoppard
No comments:
Post a Comment