North Korea threatens to launch a missile. Donald Trump insults someone. Some random celebrity did some random horrible thing. How are these things news? What is news, really and what is it that makes something newsworthy? If information truly equates to power then these are questions we need to ask ourselves and they demand answers.… Continue reading We have seen the news and the news is us
Why Woody? Why wouldn’t he?
Headline: Woody Harrelson doesn’t like Donald Trump…who cares? In other news: Woody Harrelson goes to a fancy dinner…oookaaayy. Newsflash: Woody Harrelson smokes pot…d-uh! Nothing in the story that Canadian news agencies ran about Woody and his experiences with “The Don” do anything to advance us as a people, culture or nation. It’s not interesting in… Continue reading Why Woody? Why wouldn’t he?
All the news that’s worth buying
The news media have a number of responsibilities and while it may come as a surprise to some, one of those responsibilities is telling the news. Long, long ago, it was decided that people needed to be kept informed about the world around. From town cryers to news papers to the Internet, the mechanisms used… Continue reading All the news that’s worth buying
Together we can rewrite history
So, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario has decided that Sir John A. MacDonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister and the person generally credited for bringing Canada together as a nation (well, for the most part, anyway), is actually a genocidal fascist. Consequently, his name is to be stripped from the sides of schools as he… Continue reading Together we can rewrite history
Building virtual teams…literally
Oscar Wilde wrote, “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth”. If Wilde had been alive today, he may have just as easily been talking about communication across the internet. It has given a voice to multitudes who may have previously… Continue reading Building virtual teams…literally
“One-on-one” on a global scale
We all know the most effective way to communicate with an audience is one-on-one. However, in a world of information overload, it is a greater challenge than ever to communicate directly on an individual level. Still, organizations must have the ability to engage their publics and keep their attention long enough to pass on meaningful… Continue reading “One-on-one” on a global scale
In the beginning…the earth was a formless void
Perspective. It’s that thing that you need now but probably only acquired in hindsight. We rely on news agencies to give us information and we generally expect it to be delivered in a balanced and unbiased way, devoid of opinion or editorializing, leaving us to draw our own conclusions. Our relationship with the news media… Continue reading In the beginning…the earth was a formless void