Media quickly dropped coverage of Iran turmoil for the death of troubled pop star Michael Jackson

The almost instantaneous shift in coverage away from Iran to Michael Jackson’s death raises two concerns for me: one is about the merits of the two stories, and the other is about the ease of covering the two stories.
Concerning the merits of what gets covered, did you notice how quickly the media stopped covering Farrah Fawcett’s death [...]

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Thanks social media for telling Neda Agha Soltan’s story

Neda Agha Soltan, the 26-year-old woman who was shot dead at a demonstration in Iran, has become a galvanizing figure world over.  She risked — and lost — her life supporting calls for freedom and justice in Iran after the highly-contested election that kept Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power.
The be precise, it is the image of [...]

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Media doesn’t even pretend to be objective anymore

Any day now, I expect to see this promo:
Tonight on XBC, we explore “The First Five Months: President Obama’s Sock Drawer.”
With unprecedented access, XBC goes behind the scenes to explore President Obama’s sock collection. Never before has a president chosen so brilliantly the socks he wears to lead the free world.
XBC’s top reporters studied President [...]

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Facebook goes oh-so-Washington in response to privacy issues

Faced with challenges to its privacy policies, Facebook did a familiar thing here in the Washington, D.C. area. It hired a lobbyist.
But not just any lobbyist. Facebook hired Timothy Sparapani to help shape bureaucrats’ view of FB, the third most-viewed site in the world.
The irony is that Sparapani used to be one of Facebook’s most ardent [...]

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The value of Twitter and Facebook is in connections

Denmark-based super communicator Allan Jenkins‘ comment on my post below, “Speaks, Tweets, and Leaves” brings clarity to the exploding phenomena of Facebook and Twitter. It’s all about connections.
Facebook now has more than 200 million active users. More 100 million users log onto Facebook every day. Twitter now has 17 million monthly visitors, up from just over 1 [...]

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Media darling turns down Matt Lauer and the Today show to work in our flowerbeds

A simple sightseeing trip June 10 in Washington, D.C., turned into a media storm for friend Susie Towater.
Susie came to Washington to attend a Volunteers for America event, then to stay with us at our home in Vienna, Virginia. Susie and my wife Marilyn, Chi Omega sisters from undergraduate school, planned a simple visit, mostly working in [...]

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Speaks, tweets, and leaves: The IABC World Conference

As stated in my previous post, I attended the IABC World Conference June 5-10 in part to see old friends on the IABC staff and from the membership. In addition to professional development, one of the greatest aspects of my career-long IABC membership is the friendships I’ve made with people worldwide.
I treasure my conversations with [...]

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F2F, an idea whose time has come (for a week anyway)

I’m off to enjoy IABC’s World Conference in San Francisco June 5 – 10. What I will enjoy most is seeing old friends on IABC’s staff and from the membership. I plan to enjoy this annual face-to-face (F2F) experience, perhaps more than ever.
I joked in my Facebook status update today that I was going with [...]

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Want proof the Chinese are taking over? Check my gumbo

The Potters recently met good friends Katherine and John at a famous restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia, that is noted for its Southern food. This landmark has great Cajun dishes, my personal favorite.
I had a dish appropriately named “Death by Gumbo.” It won’t kill you, but it will make you think you have died and gone to [...]

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