Dead Poets Society, Robin Williams and mental illness

Robin Williams’s suicide has had an outstanding and powerful effect on many people, whether they knew and worked with him or just saw his movies. With iconic roles in movies like Aladdin, Good Will Hunting, Mrs. Doubtfire and Patch Adams,  almost everyone has laughed along with this funny man, but few ever thought of his … More Dead Poets Society, Robin Williams and mental illness

Feminism and empowerment in advertisement: A scam?

More and more recently, the idea of feminism and female empowerment has been the theme of advertisements– often for beauty products.  I guess it has been several years now since the Dove Real Beauty campaign started producing commercials and viral videos/images that promoted the idea that all women were beautiful. More recent examples include the … More Feminism and empowerment in advertisement: A scam?

Selfies at Auschwitz: Documentation in the Internet Age

Selfies are a widely discussed phenomenon in pop culture. People take pictures of themselves doing pretty much anything and everything. There is even a very annoying song about taking selfies. Everyone seems to want to understand the selfie, from explaining the history of self portraiture and calling selfies art, to applauding them as a tool … More Selfies at Auschwitz: Documentation in the Internet Age

When journalists take a stand: Taking sides and storytelling

Many people get into journalism hoping to change the world (or was that just a me thing?). It isn’t uncommon for people to become passionate about a topic that they feel is underreported. The journalists face many challenges in getting published, although most do not face the sort of problems Jose Antonio Vargas did today. Vargas, … More When journalists take a stand: Taking sides and storytelling

Defending passive voice

I remember the lesson about passive voice from my first journalism class very clearly, and not just because my professor threw something at me to prove a point. Avoiding passive voice has been firmly cemented in my mind. At the Writing Center I worked at, I often found myself struggling with a future scientist trying … More Defending passive voice

Readers and Editors disagree on front page stories

NewsWhip.com did a cool research project recreating front pages based on which articles from each news source was share and read most online. The results were very interesting. Many stories related to social media and health were moved to the front page, worldwide. Ukraine was on most front pages but removed almost every time by … More Readers and Editors disagree on front page stories