read | Chris Aldrich

👓 The Demands of Positive Celebrity Coverage | Jezebel

Read The Demands of Positive Celebrity Coverage (The Muse)

It’s been a rough week to be a star, and a rough week to be someone who listens to what stars have to say. At least, that’s what social media tells me. Some of the most famous people making music today—Ariana Grande, Cardi B, and Justin Bieber (as well as Lizzo, a darling of critics and her fans but not quite of superstar status... yet?)—have shared their thoughts online regarding the state of media in 2019. None of it advocates for a free press, much less even contends with that notion. The gist is that journalism should be service journalism that primarily serves the powerful and their images.

👓 “You probably shouldn’t tweet that: Social Media Praxis and the University” | PressED conference 2019

Read “You probably shouldn’t tweet that: Social Media Praxis and the University” (PressEd Conf)

“Over the last 10 years, I’ve been invited to give many talks and run workshops about how to use social media in various different contexts across higher education, from developing a professional presence to using it to amplify events. In various job roles, I’ve been the go-to person to introduce it to a department or to offer advice for the new person wanting to try out for the first time. I always feel that I’m the person who can offer a gateway to getting started. However, in doing so, I have also experienced criticism about my own use and social media presence, sparking debate about the value and authenticity of social media – and what is considered ‘correct’. This twitter talk will explore the tensions in personal and professional identity as an academic and reality of enabling social media usage amongst others.

Using my research-practice experience of a digital media practitioner, which focused on developing critical media skills and increased digital participation in schools and community development settings, I discuss how my media education background has translated into (the attempts at) introducing social media as a pedagogical tool within FE and HE institutional environments.

Taking an auto-ethnographic approach, I will discuss the challenges of influencing and engaging with cultural change as an ‘outsider’ coming ‘within’ an institution (Holloway, 2009), which wants the benefits of an active and authentic social media presence and digital literate student and staff population, but struggle with political, cultural and social the change required in the workplace to enable authentic debate and dialogue. Drawing on this scenario, I will discuss how the ubiquity and opportunity to produce and consume content through digital, mobile media in our daily lives (Gauntlett, 2011; Jenkins, Ford & Green, 2013; McGillivray, 2013) can conflict with the universities’ need to manage expectations in administering, utilising, delivering and teaching education technology in a centralised, propriety manner.

Referring to examples available on twitter of past projects, I wish to propose that the universality of media education & the continued reflexive practice and structure within education can be mutually inclusive and can aid the professional development of educators– regardless of the educator’s discipline, job title or academic/non-academic contract. That is, in the selection and development of an appropriate digital method and educational technology for the task, each educator within each discipline can establish what is required for their course, their students – and for themselves.”

🎧 The Myth of Meritocracy | On the Media | WNYC Studios

Listened to The Myth of Meritocracy from On the Media | WNYC Studios

"Meritocracy" was coined as satire; the messaging for and against Medicare for All; and Dutch economic historian Rutger Bregman.

A college admissions scandal has highlighted what people refer to as "the myth of meritocracy." But actually, meritocracy itself is a myth. This week, On the Media looks at the satirical origins of the word and what they tell us about why the US embraces it. Plus, the messaging for and against Medicare for All, as well as a historical look at why we don't have universal healthcare. And economic historian and Tucker Carlson antagonist Rutger Bregman.

1. John Patrick Leary [@JohnPatLeary], professor at Wayne State University, on the history of the satirical origins of the word "meritocracy". Listen.

2. Paul Waldman [@paulwaldman1] of The Washington Post on the messaging war over Medicare for All and what the media is getting wrong about the proposal. Listen.

3. Jill Quadagno of [@floridastate] on the history of why the U.S. has shunned universal healthcare. Listen.

4. Rutger Bregman [@rcbregman] on the myths about wealth and who creates it. Listen.

Loved hearing about the early origins of the meaning of meritocracy. Obviously we haven’t come close to helping level the playing field.

Listened to No Notoriety from On the Media | WNYC Studios

After another mass shooting grips the media, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that she will never say the shooter's name.

The details are different but the story is the same. A mass shooting, scores of people dead, another nation traumatized. Although in the aftermath of the events in New Zealand last week there is a wrinkle. In her first speech to parliament since the attacks, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared that she will never speak the killer's name and she asked the press and others to follow suit.

Ardern said the shooter would not get notoriety, perhaps a nod to the group “No Notoriety” started by Tom Teves and his wife Caren. The Teves lost their son in the 2012 shooting rampage in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater and later formed the group to beseech news outlets not to turn mass killers into media icons. Bob spoke to Tom back in 2015 as jury selection was beginning for the trial of his son’s killer.