Why does this matter? Well, when people's troubles don't connect to what are called the issues, or when issues don't speak to troubles, democracy — and journalism — are working poorly indeed.
16/
Why does this matter? Well, when people's troubles don't connect to what are called the issues, or when issues don't speak to troubles, democracy — and journalism — are working poorly indeed.
16/
My paraphrase: Troubles are the things people are actively worried about in their lives.
Mills: “An issue is a public matter: some value cherished by publics is felt to be threatened.” 15/
My paraphrase: Troubles are the things people are actively worried about in their lives.
Mills: “An issue is a public matter: some value cherished by publics is felt to be threatened.” 15/
Journalism is political. It should not be politicized. 14/ pressthink.org/2020/05/you-...
Journalism is political. It should not be politicized. 14/ pressthink.org/2020/05/you-...
When TV journalists with Sunday morning shows push back against major party candiates who are floating poisonous charges without evidence, that is a political act... 13/
When TV journalists with Sunday morning shows push back against major party candiates who are floating poisonous charges without evidence, that is a political act... 13/
Refuge-seeking includes common practices like false balance, "both sides do it," steering the story "down the middle," and the depiction of "dueling realities" in a divided nation. 12/
Refuge-seeking includes common practices like false balance, "both sides do it," steering the story "down the middle," and the depiction of "dueling realities" in a divided nation. 12/
Truth-seeking needs no definition. It is finding out what actually happened— and telling us.
Refuge-seeking involves telling the story in a way that protects against anticipated attacks... 10/
Truth-seeking needs no definition. It is finding out what actually happened— and telling us.
Refuge-seeking involves telling the story in a way that protects against anticipated attacks... 10/
Media is the attention industry
Journalism is a social practice
The press is a key institution in a democracy
Put it all together: Journalists who work in the media carry forward "the press." 9/
Media is the attention industry
Journalism is a social practice
The press is a key institution in a democracy
Put it all together: Journalists who work in the media carry forward "the press." 9/
The press — to my way of thinking — is the institution that endures over time as journalists come in and out of it. 8/
The press — to my way of thinking — is the institution that endures over time as journalists come in and out of it. 8/
I think of the media as the attention business, an industry whose product is audiences.
Journalism is a social practice, the purpose of which is to keep publics informed and hold power to account. 7/
I think of the media as the attention business, an industry whose product is audiences.
Journalism is a social practice, the purpose of which is to keep publics informed and hold power to account. 7/
When people share common problems but don't realize it, they are an "inchoate" public. (John Dewey.)
One reason the presidential debates used to be such a big deal is that they are one of the few occasions when the audience is the public and vice versa.
6/
When people share common problems but don't realize it, they are an "inchoate" public. (John Dewey.)
One reason the presidential debates used to be such a big deal is that they are one of the few occasions when the audience is the public and vice versa.
6/
An audience is not a public.
"Audience" suggests people attending to a common object, typically a performance or spectacle.
A public is people with different interests who live in the same space and share common problems. 5/
An audience is not a public.
"Audience" suggests people attending to a common object, typically a performance or spectacle.
A public is people with different interests who live in the same space and share common problems. 5/
If I write, "bending is not the same as breaking, well, who said it was? That one is going nowhere. But "naked is not the same as nude..." That's an idea with legs. 2/
If I write, "bending is not the same as breaking, well, who said it was? That one is going nowhere. But "naked is not the same as nude..." That's an idea with legs. 2/
Not sure where he got it, but in grad school one of my teachers taught me that.
This (long) thread is about the key distinctions I rely on as a critic. There's a Twitter version from 2021. This one builds on that one.
I will post them one at a time. Ready?
Not sure where he got it, but in grad school one of my teachers taught me that.
This (long) thread is about the key distinctions I rely on as a critic. There's a Twitter version from 2021. This one builds on that one.
I will post them one at a time. Ready?
definitely not psychically damaging
definitely not psychically damaging
I can see many useful applications.
(thanks to RedRaptor on the LRR Discord)
I can see many useful applications.
(thanks to RedRaptor on the LRR Discord)
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...