Prioritizing Sludge

 

“If we’re prioritizing toxic sludge, if we’re prioritizing anger, hate, conspiracy theories — everything that feeds on your fear and your us-against-them — then you’ll also preclude the best of humanity, the miracle of how we do impossible things together.”

—Maria Ressa, co-founder of Rappler, the Philippines’ news organization known for its unflinching investigations of President Rodrigo Duterte, and co-winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for her “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.” See Carmen Nobel, “How to hold the line: 4 journalism survival tips from 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa,” The Journalist’s Resource, Dec. 9, 2021.

 

• Editorial Comment: See SPJ Code of Ethics: Minimize harm.

• Public Service Announcement: Friend of the WORD Dr. Mardy Groth, the undisputed King of Quotes, has released yet *another* amazing collection of quotations — this time, a website of Great Opening Lines. The quotes themselves are, indeed, great, and Mardy’s brief contextual comments make you wonder how he could have read all these things. More than just an entertaining and educational way to spend an hour or a minute, this collection will beef up anyone’s to-read list.  

 

PeezPIX 

Mill Creek in flood, 2015

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

In January, Senior News takes A Walk on the Creative Side.

FREE! TODAY'S WORD ON JOURNALISM This free “service” is sent to rafts of subscribers worldwide 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: Don’t shoot the messenger. I just quote ’em, I don’t necessarily endorse ’em.)

 

“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

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Edward C. Pease, Ph.D.
Professor & Department Head Emeritus
Department of Journalism & Communication
Utah State University
Today's WORD on Journalism