Church view to the outside

In the World

Steve Thorngate on public life and culture

Telling both sides of the (misguided, patronizing) story

Mar 20, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

As I've said before, the objectivity-fetishizing conventions of straight news reporting make me crazy. It's not just the odd philosophical throwback of implying that reporters can somehow avoid writing as particular people situated in particular contexts. It's also the convoluted copy, in which even plain facts can't be stated plainly if they happen to be unpopular.

So I was glad when NPR released its new ethics handbook, in which among other things the network states that it favors "truth" over "the appearance of balance" and adds that "if the balance of evidence in a matter of controversy weighs heavily on one side, we acknowledge it in our reports."

Don't call me, I'll e-mail you

Mar 16, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

I certainly don't hear from as many PR people as David Roberts does, but when I do hear from them it tends to annoy me for most of the same reasons it annoys him: no hyperlinks, buried ledes, missing background info, generally little evidence that the sender knows what I do or cares if I consider his or her pitch. I particularly enjoyed item #6 on his list of tips.

What not to take from the "Why I left ______" articles

Mar 14, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

Two similar pieces are getting a lot of play this week: James Whittaker’s blog post about why he left Google and Greg Smith’s op-ed about why he left Goldman Sachs. Both talk of their high level of company loyalty and enthusiasm in the past. Both bemoan the changes in their respective corporate cultures that led them to leave. Neither seems all that hopeful about his company’s future.

What neither of them does, however, is demonstrate that the problem is that Google/Goldman Sachs used to care about more than just making money but doesn’t anymore.

Whose religious freedom?

Mar 09, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

Michele Chabin reports that Israeli postal workers are refusing to deliver Hebrew-language New Testaments. Mark Silk asks an interesting question.

Right-leaning celebrity gossip since 1884

Mar 09, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

I've heard the Century referred to as moderate, center-left, progressive, left-wing--all from some who meant these labels as compliments and others who very much did not. Here's one I have not heard before: the Century is a conservative magazine.

Colbert on "do" process

Mar 08, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

Colbert for the civil-libertarian win.

The VIDA numbers

Mar 07, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

Once again, VIDA has tallied the byline gender gap at several magazines. Once again, the Atlantic and the New Yorker did not do well on this test, and Harper's and the New Republic did even worse.

Links? Links.

Mar 06, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

Here are some things I read recently but didn't get around to blogging about.

My cat hides dead mice. What else is he hiding?

Mar 05, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

My wife and I have been joking with our neighbors lately about TV ads that a Super PAC supporting their cat, Kobie, might run against our cat, Owl. Now Scott Simon's reporting on an ad someone actually made.

Links? Links.

Mar 02, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

Here are some things I read recently but didn't get around to blogging about.