Tom Arenberg
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tomarenberg.bsky.social
Tom Arenberg
@tomarenberg.bsky.social
230 followers 320 following 35 posts
Former news/sports journalist. Now journalism instructor at U of Alabama. I write an educational (I think!) and noncommercial blog on journalism for my students and anyone else who's interested.

http://www.tomarenberg.net/the-arenblog-archive
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tomarenberg.bsky.social
There’s so much to dislike about the media’s involvement in sports betting. A 3-minute blog post: www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/11/12/sports-medias-embrace-of-gambling-seems-like-a-loser

#Journalism #Sports
Sports media’s embrace of gambling seems like a loser — Tom Arenberg
On the final play of last Sunday’s Houston-Jacksonville NFL game, with his team leading by one point, a big, fat Houston defensive lineman grabbed a fumbled ball out of the air and started lumbering t...
www.tomarenberg.net
November 17, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by Tom Arenberg
grammarpurist.bsky.social
I hope a brain study is done to see if this young man had CTE.

What a tragedy.

Cowboys DE Marshawn Kneeland dies in apparent suicide at 24

www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
Cowboys' Kneeland dies in apparent suicide at 24
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland died Thursday morning from an apparent suicide following a police pursuit and vehicle crash, according to authorities.
www.espn.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:32 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
NEWS UPDATE: Indiana University has reversed itself under pressure, and the fired media adviser has sued.

Last week's blog post (w/update) ICYMI:
November 2, 2025 at 10:06 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
From blog reader and journalism educator Steven Chappell: "A stellar summary. I’m glad you mentioned the New Voices movement, which now seems stalled."

Yes, according to the Student Press Law Center, the most recent state to adopt such a law was Minnesota in May 2024.
October 29, 2025 at 6:26 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
Some universities don't learn the lesson. A 2.5-minute blog post: www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/10/25/dont-mess-with-student-journalism

#Journalism #StudentJournalism
Don't mess with student journalism — Tom Arenberg
People take up for college journalists faster than they will for the pros, so when a university administration decides to trample on campus media, it can get really embarrassing really fast for the ad...
www.tomarenberg.net
October 27, 2025 at 3:09 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
Reporters and writers have long believed their bosses won’t always stand up to power. Now those suspicions are rising. And not just the cases you already know about. A new blog post (2.5 min): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/10/12/its-not-just-big-newsrooms-that-are-surrendering
It’s not just Big Media that are surrendering — Tom Arenberg
While everyone knows of the national media organizations that have altered their journalism for political reasons, it’s equally alarming when this happens in smaller places around the country. Lik...
www.tomarenberg.net
October 13, 2025 at 3:19 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
Reporters aren’t dupes but sometimes they get duped. And it’s their fault. A new blog post (3 minutes, lots of horror stories and bonus of multiple Kate Middleton references): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/10/3/fooling-journalists-is-funny-if-you-like-dark-humor

#Journalism #NewsMedia
Fooling journalists is funny … if you like dark humor — Tom Arenberg
Oh what must thousands of Royal Family fans around the world have thought when they realized – gasp – that Kate Middleton’s morning beauty routine actually isn’t five easy steps. Multiple outlets...
www.tomarenberg.net
October 7, 2025 at 1:47 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
From a blog reader: 'Taken together, Dowd, Watters, and Kilmeade are Exhibit A in my case against cable news. It's not informative; it's inflammatory.'
September 17, 2025 at 2:24 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
Right after Charlie Kirk’s tragic death, two TV commentators made controversial remarks. One lost his job; one didn’t. Those outcomes were exactly backward.

My latest blog post (2 min): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/9/13/amid-grief-over-kirk-two-networks-play-politics

#JournalismSky #CharlieKirk
Amid grief over Charlie Kirk, two networks play politics — Tom Arenberg
In the early moments after Charlie Kirk’s death, MSNBC commentator Matthew Dowd cautioned against premature conclusions by suggesting the shooting could have been a supporter’s gun going off in celebr...
www.tomarenberg.net
September 14, 2025 at 4:22 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
Quit expecting campus sports reporters to cheer along with you. The latest (and always free) blog post (2 min): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/9/9/student-sports-writers-should-call-em-as-they-see-em

#JournalismSky #StudentJournalism
Student sports writers should call them as they see them — Tom Arenberg
Another college football coach publicly chastised another sports writer after a game Saturday, but this one was bizarre. Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz took offense that a student beat reporte...
www.tomarenberg.net
September 12, 2025 at 6:58 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
A guest blog post by son Sam, a college prof who explains his unconventional teaching. You might think it's innovative. Or the further collapse of higher ed. (1.5 min) www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/8/19/guest-post-three-unusual-things-i-did-to-boost-learning-in-my-class

#AcademicSky
Guest post: Three unusual things I did to boost learning in my class — Tom Arenberg
This is a guest post by son Sam, assistant professor of economics at the University of Houston. He explains how he taught his 2025 summer class differently from how his father and most professors teac...
www.tomarenberg.net
August 19, 2025 at 6:21 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
In Gaza, there’s a military war, a war against hunger and a war of persuasion. My latest post, on the third of those (2 min): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/8/9/photography-failures-escalate-gaza-propaganda

#journalism #gazawar
Photography failures escalate Gaza propaganda — Tom Arenberg
The propaganda part of the Gaza war is being fought largely with photos. Rhetoric is a lot of it, too, but photos pack more of a wallop. A July 24 New York Times story about civilian starvation highl...
www.tomarenberg.net
August 10, 2025 at 2:23 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
Sorry, but Pat McAfee is horrendous. My latest (and always free) blog post, on the lesson he (maybe) learned (1.5 min read): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/7/...

#sportsjournalism #sportsmedia
July 28, 2025 at 3:19 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
News organizations need to give credit where credit is due. It’s jerky and unethical not to. The latest Arenblog post (2.5 min): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/7/...

#journalism
Stop the steal (journalism version) — Tom Arenberg
A University of Alabama football fan went viral when national TV showed him wearing a crimson t-shirt amid a vast Penn State whiteout during the Nittany Lions’ home game against Auburn in September 20...
www.tomarenberg.net
July 14, 2025 at 3:18 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
In combat, the fog of war is a problem. But in public relations, hawkish politicians love it. And try to create it. The latest post on my 100% noncommercial journalism blog (2 min): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/6/...

#journalism
Government specialty: Lying about war — Tom Arenberg
Iran was close to having a nuclear bomb. Or not . Either way, U.S. strikes obliterated those facilities. Or not . War and military actions of other sorts have always been ripe for exaggeration...
www.tomarenberg.net
June 25, 2025 at 5:14 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
With as much practice as they’ve gotten lately, you’d think the news media would be better at covering political protests. The latest blog post (3 min): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/6/10/the-many-problems-with-media-coverage-of-protests

#journalism #newsmedia
The many problems with media coverage of protests — Tom Arenberg
The organizer of a local protest asked the big newspaper in town if it planned to cover the event. The answer was no. The organizer paused. “Then maybe we won’t do it.” I heard that anecdote at some ...
www.tomarenberg.net
June 13, 2025 at 12:27 AM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
Correct spelling isn’t always easy, but we ought to be better than this, professionals included. A 2-minute blog post.

www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/5/25/students-pro-writers-going-through-a-bad-spell

#journalism #writing
Students, pro writers going through a bad spell — Tom Arenberg
The past three winning words in the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, which begins today for the 100th time, were “abseil,” “psammophile,” and “moorhen.” Did I mention that it’s for ages eight to ...
www.tomarenberg.net
May 27, 2025 at 4:10 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
Like everyone else in the business, Alabama’s busiest news website is looking for more revenue. So it decided to stop being a paywall holdout. My latest blog post (3 min): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/5/1/would-you-run-through-a-wall-for-alcom

#journalism
Would you run through a wall for AL.com? — Tom Arenberg
In my mind there were only two mysteries of the world: How was Stonehenge built and why doesn’t AL.com have a website paywall? We’re down to one now. The popular site – AL.com, not Stonehenge! –...
www.tomarenberg.net
May 5, 2025 at 4:09 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
@wkuchuckclark.bsky.social @byclaycarey.bsky.social @ainsleyplatt.bsky.social @greezbock.bsky.social @leahisonline.bsky.social
grammarpurist.bsky.social Steven Chappell @grammarpurist.bsky.social · Apr 21
Here’s an excellent explanation of why student journalism is journalism — and it should be both lauded and protected by campus administrators.
tomarenberg.bsky.social Tom Arenberg @tomarenberg.bsky.social · Apr 21
Trump and some universities have made it riskier to be a college journalist. But the student press, including the Crimson White, is doing its job anyway. Latest blog post (3 min): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/4/...

@grammarpurist.bsky.social

#studentjournalism #UniversityofAlabama
April 23, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by Tom Arenberg
grammarpurist.bsky.social
His confirmation was proof positive the entire GOP has become the party of stupidity and evil. They don’t care about the country. They care about getting rich. Who dies does not matter to any of them.
maddow.bsky.social Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · Apr 21
"Unlike the chat in which The Atlantic was included, the newly revealed one was created by Hegseth. Named “Defense | Team Huddle,” it included his wife and about a dozen other people.... He used his private phone, not his government one, to access the Signal chat."
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/u...
Hegseth Said to Have Shared Attack Details in Second Signal Chat
The defense secretary sent sensitive information about strikes in Yemen to an encrypted group chat that included his wife and brother, people familiar with the matter said.
www.nytimes.com
April 21, 2025 at 3:03 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
Trump and some universities have made it riskier to be a college journalist. But the student press, including the Crimson White, is doing its job anyway. Latest blog post (3 min): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/4/...

@grammarpurist.bsky.social

#studentjournalism #UniversityofAlabama
Student journalists find success, peril at the same time — Tom Arenberg
One group of journalists faces an obstacle that no others do.
www.tomarenberg.net
April 21, 2025 at 3:15 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
More newsroom courage in the past day: Wall Street Journal bashed Trump on Harvard, Abrego Garcia case. LA Times columnist bashed Trump and the Dodgers about White House visit.

#journalism
April 16, 2025 at 5:23 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
It only takes a few owners and a few bad decisions to make the national news media look compromised. But individual newsrooms are nonetheless pressing on. Latest blog post (3 min): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/4/...

#journalism
With a lot at stake, Big Media tries rising to the occasion — Tom Arenberg
You might think the national news media are courageously exposing the dangers and harms of the Donald Trump administration. Or you might think they’re cowering and groveling in the face of Trump’s l...
www.tomarenberg.net
April 15, 2025 at 1:14 AM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
The Trump administration had disgracefully tried to deflect criticism for Signalgate onto The Atlantic. When you offer every possible rebuttal, that means you have none. The latest Arenblog post (2 min): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/3/...

#journalism
How guilty people attack the news media — Tom Arenberg
Having been caught using an unauthorized messaging service to discuss details of a military bombing operation with a journalist inadvertently invited into the chat, members of the Trump administration...
www.tomarenberg.net
March 30, 2025 at 2:12 PM
tomarenberg.bsky.social
As Donald Trump runs roughshod over one of the world's largest news organizations, other national media need to find some more courage, and do it in public. Latest blog post (2 min): www.tomarenberg.net/blog/2025/2/...

#Journalism
Trump’s fight with the Associated Press is about more than one word — Tom Arenberg
The worst part about President Trump renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America is that John Mellencamp has to re-record “Pink Houses” and it isn’t going to rhyme anymore. That, and the T...
www.tomarenberg.net
February 19, 2025 at 4:11 PM