Frank Catalano
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frankcatalano.bsky.social
Frank Catalano
@frankcatalano.bsky.social
Author. Journalist. Former edtech industry CMO & advisor. Onetime broadcaster and science-fiction writer. Posts here mostly about writing and journalism. Newest words: https://authory.com/frankcatalano
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People, in an era of non-stop Internet streams and memes, remember: We are all reporters and editors now. Verify what you share. #journalism
For those following me online: I've deactivated my Facebook profile for now. Dormant on LinkedIn. If I post, it'll be here.

Meanwhile, here's the last image I put on Facebook at the end of October's pumpkin season. Happy fall (from Bellewood Farms in Lynden, near #Bellingham).
November 13, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Thought I'd explore the latest at Claude. Set up an account, was immediately presented with three options.

Really glad I don't write #marketing copy anymore (even when I kept my hands in it as a CMO, acting as editor/mentor).

Want to sound like everyone else? Don't need to stand out? Rely on AI.
November 12, 2025 at 6:09 PM
CDN's staff is staying on top of #Bellingham business developments. The latest: a well-known bar and mini-golf pub is calling it quits, just before Christmas.
November 5, 2025 at 4:56 PM
I've begun unpacking the dozens of boxes in my house holding professional and personal memorabilia from the last five decades. And beyond.

My storage room has decided to share anything interesting found inside it. Follow @catalanostorage.bsky.social for the reveals (and storage room commentary).
November 3, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Reposted by Frank Catalano
Funny twist on the old "did not respond to a request for comment."
www.theregister.com/2025/10/29/m...
November 1, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Pro #writer / #journalist tip:

It's Daylight Saving Time, not "Savings."

It ends Sunday morning, not begins.

We are returning to Standard Time. Like it or not.

Unless you're in the UK or EU, where the more clearly named Summer Time is already over.
November 1, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Good tip, and a link high in the story takes you right to the Google search setting that you can change to set your news source preferences.
October 27, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Study: Leading AI assistants from Google, Microsoft & others misrepresent #news content in nearly half of their responses.

I've seen this when searching for source material in Google. AI conflates & combines conflicting sources.

Never rely on just AI results for news. Double check or ignore it.
AI assistants make widespread errors about the news, new research shows
Leading AI assistants misrepresent news content in nearly half their responses, according to new research published on Wednesday by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the BBC.
www.reuters.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:27 PM
And this is kinda why it's important to support local news startups like @cascadiadaily.com.
State of Local News Report: 40% of local US papers have vanished since 2005, 213 counties have no local outlets, and 200+ papers changed owners in the past year (Zach Metzger/Local News Initiative)

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October 21, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Reposted by Frank Catalano
In the past three weeks, I asked senators whether they agreed with RFK Jr. that circumcision increases the likelihood of autism and the Speaker of the House why the president posted a video of himself dumping poop on protesters. So basically, what I expected from journalism school.
October 21, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Very nice for my essay to be excerpted and included as item 2 in this #scifi news zine.

I mean, as I've said repeatedly, I can't not write. Even if it's about writing.
October 21, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Four years old. Not at breakeven. One funder. He's 85.

A professionally run newspaper / news site is "community infrastructure." That's the power of local #journalism.

Time for more of us to step up to maintain its momentum.
In the next few months, Cascadia Daily News will be introducing the publication to more people in growing Whatcom and Skagit counties while exploring multiple paths towards sustainability. Read more about CDN's plans for the future in this letter from the owner.
Letter from the Owner | Cascadia Daily News
Let's celebrate CDN's success — and work to ensure its future
www.cascadiadaily.com
October 20, 2025 at 6:43 PM
It’s rare to be able to revisit three long-term #career commitments in the span of a short few months. But I did. And I left with three lessons that could apply to any profession.

The underlying question: Did the professions change, or did I change?

franksplaining.substack.com/p/profession...
October 19, 2025 at 4:38 PM
"There are many forms of patriotism. And telling the truth is one of them." - Anderson Cooper, CNN, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert #journalism
October 18, 2025 at 3:14 AM
After the trolls start pissing in the pool, why would anyone else want to jump in?
Social media is broken. Our newspaper can't fix it, but we can take one small step toward civility and are doing so by suspending comments on stories we post on Facebook, increasingly a swamp of boring invective, writes Ron Judd, Cascadia Daily News' executive editor.
Facebook comments have become a game of Whack-A-Troll; we're tired of playing | Cascadia Daily News
Stubbornly clinging to civil discourse, CDN suspends comments on Facebook posts
www.cascadiadaily.com
October 18, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Follow up from my final CDN Business Briefs column on Sept. 30: the last two Faithlife exterior signs in downtown #Bellingham, atop the iconic Flatiron Building, are now gone.

New owner Place has re-placed them.

Hat tip and photo credit to Dee Dee Catalano from atop a city parking garage.
October 13, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Thoughtful ideas on how to use AI tools — carefully — for organizing and editing writing (NOT producing the final writing) from @tonywan.wtf.

And this: "if AI is inserting assertions or claims — or, more dangerously, adding citations and references — please for the love of God check the sources."
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Vibe Writing
It’s more important than ever to help young writers develop critical thinking skills and know how to use AI effectively while maintaining their authentic voice.
www.reachcapital.com
October 7, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Fall > Bellingham, Whatcom County > Whatcom Falls
October 5, 2025 at 12:48 AM
In this week's Cascadia Daily News letters section.

It's always nice to have made a difference, no matter how small. I'm thankful.
October 1, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Faithlife, leaning into its Logos Bible study software brand, is shrinking its downtown #Bellingham footprint as the iconic Flatiron Building was sold to Place. And it's named a new CEO. More in my (final) Business Briefs column for @cascadiadaily.com. www.cascadiadaily.com/2025/sep/29/...
Briefs: Faithlife exodus, pharmacy expansion, company confidence | Cascadia Daily News
Business news for Whatcom and Skagit counties
www.cascadiadaily.com
September 30, 2025 at 1:22 PM
All things end. Including, now, deadlines. After more than three years, I'm ending my regular business contributions to Cascadia Daily News.

It's been a good run. And worthy of a brief essay for a Frank assessment of business in #Whatcom and #Skagit counties.

Thank you, CDN. Because #journalism.
After 13 quarters, a business columnist closes the books | Cascadia Daily News
CDN contributor Frank Catalano’s departing observations
www.cascadiadaily.com
September 29, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Props to Whatcom Museum (and a well-known local LEGO master) for this very #Bellingham fundraiser: Slothy.

A build-your-own sloth, tree and freeway sign? Yes.

If you know, you know. www.whatcommuseum.org/lego-instruc...
September 28, 2025 at 4:38 PM
CDN's Exec Ed Ron Judd on political comedians and #1A: "... the principle that allows their existence matters more than ever. Because from his gold leaf throne, a malignant-narcissist president now asserts the right to go after, punish, marginalize and yes, cancel any and all who don’t praise him."
Kimmel's benching won't be the end of Trump's anti-American assault on free speech | Cascadia Daily News
Our nation teeters at a tipping point for its First Amendment founding ideals
www.cascadiadaily.com
September 26, 2025 at 2:17 PM
I may not agree with where Cascade PBS made its latest cuts, gutting its newsroom. But I do agree that what had been Crosscut did fine reporting in the decade after merging into Cascade PBS. It's worth a reminder of what was accomplished through its #journalism.
Last words: What Washington is losing with the demise of Crosscut • Washington State Standard
COMMENTARY | As a nearly two-decade venture in nonprofit news comes undone, it underscores the precariousness of public service journalism.
washingtonstatestandard.com
September 25, 2025 at 2:16 PM
In the #Seattle area, Sinclair owns ABC affiliate KOMO-TV. I predict a lot more people in Seattle checking out the Jimmy Kimmel Live clips on YouTube as an alternative — especially to find out what Kimmel says upon his return Tuesday night. www.youtube.com/jimmykimmell...
Sinclair says it will preempt Jimmy Kimmel's show on its ABC affiliate stations starting Tuesday as it discusses the show's potential return with ABC (Loree Seitz/The Wrap)

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September 22, 2025 at 11:42 PM