It’s pretty incredible how quickly the phrase fake news has permeated public discourse. The term itself has been around for a long time – but it really blew up during the 2016 presidential election. Our lead item in this edition focuses on the role of social bots, which continue to hold some sway despite the retirement of those dumb egg photos. We’re also reading about how being a journalist can be bad for your mental health, how one ski bum got political, how blue dogs (not the political kind) descended on India and a look at who really makes Trader Joe’s popular products. With that, here’s Recent Reads. First Evidence That Social Bots Play a Major Role in Spreading Fake News — Fascinating and relevant to the PR industry, this article explores findings from a first-ever systematic study of the way online misinformation spreads. The key finding: social bots are the main player in the spread of fake news soon after it is published. One way to combat this problem, according to the authors, would be to outlaw specific social bots. However, knowing which bots to outlaw is challenging because many social bots spread legitimate information. A modern day conundrum that was unimaginable even a decade ago now challenges our ability to make informed decisions, based on facts, that align with our values. Maybe that’s dramatic, but the fake news problem is anything but trivial. – Pam Munoz When Being a Journalist is Terrible for Your Mental Health – Many journalists (perhaps too many) have written about their personal struggles over the past few years, as traditional outlets have been forced to adapt, sometimes painfully, and layoffs have decimated newsrooms. But this article addressed journalists’ mental health, a topic that probably doesn’t get enough attention. Throw in the vitriol directed at the news media – and the fact that the journalists covering the most important news are people, too – and it’s no wonder that many of them are likely struggling. – Paul Wilson From Ski Bum to City Council – As a college student in Colorado, I had plenty of friends who longed for the ski bum lifestyle. So it was refreshing to read about Eric Balken, a long-time ski bum at Utah’s famed Alta Ski Resort, and his transition from ski bum to City Council member. As a bum, he learned that vacationers to resort towns largely take things like public transportation, affordable housing, taxes and other community issues for granted. Seeing an opportunity help his town, Balken leveraged his years growing up in Utah and working at a local non-profit to add his voice to the issues. Now, who’s going to fill Balken role in the ski bum trade? – Padraic Swanton Blue dogs roaming India lead to discovery of chemical firm’s river contamination – When a group of activists in India saw dogs and birds turning blue, they knew something was amiss. The critters had been wandering around an industrial area in India, which led the state pollution control board to investigate the strange occurrence. They found that Ducol Organics, a plant that exporters, manufacturer and supplies pigments, was releasing untreated waste, specifically blue dye, into the air and Kasadi River in Taloja. Officers immediately shut down the facility. As for the animals? Don’t worry – they’re safe. Blood tests performed on some of the affected dogs showed the dye was water soluble and no threat to the hounds’ health. – Dana Provost What Brands Are Actually Behind Trader Joe’s Snacks? — Using big data (publically available via government filings), Eater uncovered the origins of Trader Joe’s private label snacks and food. While the conclusions are hardly earth-shattering, I like the way the reporters used data was used to uncover and support the hypothesis that Trader Joe’s food isn’t as hip or boutique-y as it seems. The authors then went a step further, with primary research (taste tests) to further support their findings that the food tasted no different from its name-brand counterparts. – Kevin Iredell

It’s sort of hard to imagine, but many business owners in the Middle Ages were focused on helping their communities. That sort of bucks all the stuff we learned about feudalism, but we suppose it’s nice to know that doing the right thing isn’t just a product of worrying about bad press going viral. Also in this edition, some thoughts on Silicon Valley’s effect on journalism, LaCroix’s world takeover and the curious case of increased investment in malls. With that, here’s Recent Reads. The Ben & Jerry’s of Medieval Times – Patagonia, REI, Ben & Jerry’s. All these companies share one common thread – a strong social conscience. It’s probably easy to find a majority of companies not interested in this unless they’re able to slap a hashtag on it. But this concept of “compassionate capitalism” actually dates back to the Middle Ages. And that’s exactly what two researchers from the University of Manchester set out to prove in looking at entrepreneurial and philanthropic behaviors between the 5^th and 15^th centuries and the relation to today’s current environment of corporate social responsibility. – Christian Erard When Silicon Valley Took Over Journalism – In the olden days of 2012, Christopher Hughes bought the New Republic in what was viewed as a profound step in the “future of journalism.” Franklin Foer, Hughes’ editor, writes a first-person account with some important takeaways amid some definite navel-gazing. Here’s my favorite passage: “Journalism may never have been as public-spirited an enterprise as editors and writers liked to think it was. Yet the myth mattered. It pushed journalism to challenge power; it made journalists loath to bend to the whims of their audience; it provided a crucial sense of detachment. The new generation of media giants has no patience for the old ethos of detachment.” – Paul Wilson These ‘9 Cans of LaCroix’ paintings are Warhol’s ‘soup cans for millennials’ – fnnch, a Californian artist, has uniquely captured the current state of American culture through his collection of paintings “9 Cans of LaCroix.” LaCroix, the fizzy drink replacing the soda cans that once relentlessly occupied Americans’ hands, has become the staple of starving artists and tech billionaires alike. fnnch’s exhibit stands to act as a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the obsession with this particular brand of seltzer water, and we thank him for forcing us to confront and question our own willingness to conform. – Jordan Niezelski Reporter Goes from Source to Sea – In a Canoe – Most people in Chicagoland and Illinois (and those elsewhere who care about our politics) know ABC 7’s Paul Meincke. We’re used to seeing him on our televisions talking about what’s happening in Springfield, at City Hall or at the State Fair, or wherever politicians congregate. What we’re not used to is seeing him in a canoe on the Mississippi – with a huge beard. Meincke traveled from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico courtesy of what he estimates were 950,000 paddle strokes. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the river “from source to sea,” likely a testament both to growing up on the Mighty Mississippi and his years of political reporting. But this story isn’t about the river, it’s about “river angels,” the kind folks across the country who provided warm meals and cold beers at every stop. When thinking about adventure, isn’t it always as much about the people as the place? – Padraic Swanton If Retail Is Dying, Why Is Money Pouring Into Malls? – Given the evolution of retail from brick-and-mortar to e-commerce, it’s easy to wonder why money is being poured into malls. In fact, more than $1.6 billion went to construction spending on shopping centers in June, the most in a month in nearly a decade. It’s partly because malls need to renovate or die. Still, mall owners are betting that consumers will opt for a classic trip to the mall, dining out or shopping on a Friday evening, over filling their virtual carts on Amazon. – Lauren Kokoskie

It turns out that Wendy’s Twitter feed is downright hilarious. When Wendy’s took a swing at Hardee’s about offering a similar promotion, their rival responded that being first didn’t make it best. Wendy’s response: “Tell us the fourth person to walk on the moon without googling it.” We have more thoughts on Wendy’s Twitter acumen in this edition of Recent Reads, along with articles about “truth decay,” whether music improves your focus and warehouse workers competing with robots. Also, a multimedia piece about homes people used to order from Sears (you read that right) and a podcast recommendation about self-improvement. With that, here’s Recent Reads. You Want Snark With Those Fries? No One Is Safe From Wendy’s Tweets – I don’t fall within the Millennial demo Wendy’s is looking to target – and fast food isn’t a staple of my diet. But after reading this WSJ piece on Wendy’s snarky Twitter feed, I am craving their infamous chocolate frosty with a side of fries. Instead of coming out with the latest 10-pound burger or fancy chicken sandwich, Wendy’s has found an even better way to stand out in the burger wars: contentious tweets. I think what they’re doing is hilarious and am particularly amused that many of their competitors can’t take the heat and have taken measures to block them. Wendy’s social media team has successfully created a brand personality and extended the chain’s market reach, all while likely keeping many struggling comedians employed. Win, win. – Lisa Seidenberg A Heart that Watches and Receives – In a commencement speech earlier this year, Hampton Sides spoke about “truth decay,” saying that “the real problem, I think, is not that there’s no such thing as truth anymore. Rather, it’s that there are multiplicities of truth, multiplexes of reality.” At Greentarget, we work hard to convey truth through facts, evidence and informed perspectives. Sides’ take on truth – the various forms and complexities he says it now has – is one that I hadn’t heard before, but one that we should all consider. One perspective, one truth for a single person is not inherently the same as it is for someone else. This phenomenon is shaping the news, it’s shaping journalism and it should be shaping our conversations. – Megan Duero Does Listening to Music Improve Your Focus? – Walking through our office any given afternoon, you’ll likely see roughly half of our employees wearing headphones or, if you listen closely, hear music playing from their computers. In this article a neurology expert delves deep into music’s relationship to language, examining the “Mozart Effect” and deciphering if background music can help you focus on a task. The conclusion: “The effects of listening to music are highly individual and based on experience and pleasure.” – Sarah Rocca Robots will take your job, if you work in warehousing – Fresh off the heels of Jeff Bezos being named the richest person in the world (albeit briefly), Crain’s Chicago Business has an interesting look at the future of Amazon’s warehouses, specifically regarding their robot team members. This isn’t surprising, of course. Industries ranging from transportation, shipping and logistics to insurance, technology and financial services are grappling with their business models and, effectively, their workforce in terms of costs, overhead, efficiency and more. While state and local governments are quick to dole out tax credits and other incentives with visions of job-creation grandeur, Crain’s notes that these jobs may not last. Jobs numbers notwithstanding, the lure of major companies to your city or state may be a positive sign of investment, perhaps spurring future development, if nothing else. Is this enough to roll out the red carpet? Like the businesses looking for a new location to take up shop, legislators across the country may want to take a good, hard look at the long-term ROI on these incentive packages. – Padraic Swanton Would you buy a home from Sears? These people did and they love it – This one’s a video, not a read, but it’s about a weird bit of American history that’s fascinated me for years. Essentially, in the early 20^th century, Sears, Roebuck and Co. used to sell “kit homes” that people would order and have delivered via the railroad. The buyers would then assemble the contents of the kits and make a house. Even more impressive is that some of these homes are still standing (and standing solidly, if this video is any indication) today. If you’ve lived in a town with a major rail line, you’ve probably even walked by some of these homes without knowing it. – Paul Wilson GT Podcast Recommendation The Art of Charm (AoC) – Sometimes I like to mindlessly listen to music on my commute, but other times I think I should be more productive, and this is one of my go-to podcasts for that. In the vein of Radio Lab and Freakonomics, AoC is entertainingly educational. Each episode focuses on self-improvement, but episodes vary in format. Some feature interviews with successful business professionals, some feature coaches and trainers discussing their area of expertise, and others are “how-tos” from the hosts on self-improvement. Regardless of the format, each episode provides listeners with tools to use to improve communication, confidence, mindset, persuasion and overall success. – Tana Watanabe  

It was another blur of a week in Washington, with the president’s son’s emails from more than a year ago coming under scrutiny. We were struck by one article that questioned whether email is doomed in light of recent events. Of course, tales of email’s demise have been greatly exaggerated in the past. We’re also reading about Tinder sending people to Hawaii, interviews that show the Supreme Court is made up of actual human beings, the use of virtual reality to relieve pain and an analysis on why it’s so hard to write. Believe it or not, it comes down to what’s being called “the curse of knowledge.” With that, here’s Recent Reads. What We Lose When the World Moves On From Email – An email chain from Donald Trump Jr. dominated the news this week, making at least one tech writer question whether the cons of email (namely, security) are about to seriously outweigh the pros. I’m not sure if I’m ready to put the nail in email’s metaphorical coffin, as a business world without email seems almost unfathomable. But I also wouldn’t be shocked if security is the thing that turns the tide and forces us to use cloud-based platforms like Slack in the not too distant future. – Paul Wilson Tinder takes matchmaking to a new level – When it comes to online dating, Tinder has a tarnished reputation. But thanks to a promise to one of its users, that reputation has been knocked on its heels. One user tweeted a screenshot of a “belated reply” Tinder conversation that has been a longstanding joke between him and a match for over three years. The two both go to Kent State University and have yet to meet in person. Tinder saw the post and decided to step in, tweeting back, “It’s time you got together IRL [in real life]. You have 24 hrs to decide the city you want to have your first date in and we’ll send you there!” The post went viral and people everywhere are now rooting for this couple. The pair decided to take Tinder up on its offer and meet in Hawaii, and Tinder told them to pack their bags (so long as they don’t wait two years to go). This just goes to show the power of social media in shifting your public image and creating your own headlines. – Jessica McNellis Enlisting Virtual Reality to Ease Real Pain – Opioid abuse and deaths from overdoses are at extreme levels in the U.S., according to a report released Thursday. Could virtual reality curb the use of addictive painkillers or even be a complementary treatment? Researchers at Cedars-Sinai hospital are confident it’s possible based on clinical trials that found a virtual-reality experience can reduce pain by 24 percent. I am fascinated by the lightbulb moment that led to researchers hypothesizing that virtual reality could even be considered an option for pain sufferers. I also can’t help but wonder if the days are numbered for patients who enjoy medical marijuana. – Lisa Seidenberg The Single Reason Why People Can’t Write, According to a Harvard Psychologist – As PR professionals, we are constantly surrounded by writing. Whether it’s our own writing, a reporter’s writing or even an article written by one of our clients, we can’t escape its many different forms and styles. Admittedly, some are easier to understand than others. This Inc. piece explains why writing today can be so unclear and confusing. Believe it or not, just like writing, that reason is not as complicated as we may believe. – Jess DuBrock Law360’s Exclusive Interviews with the Supreme Court – Law360 recently started exclusive interviews with Supreme Court justices. Those on Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Sonya Sotomayor are fascinating, but I was drawn to the two-part piece on retired Justice John Paul Stevens. While many of our appellate lawyers may know these kinds of details about these justices, most Americans don’t, and I find it so interesting to learn more about them as individuals – their thoughts, quirks and ‘isms.’ And if you’re looking for a nerdy laugh, justices crack jokes too. – Agatha Howland

The tale of a woman attacked by a rabid raccoon caught our attention this week. How could it not? We are inspired by her courage. We’re also reading about another amazing woman – Wonder Woman, though the film would be more realistic if she fought a raccoon – along with the end of car ownership, the Chicago Cubs’ marketing techniques and the news media’s struggles when faced with not covering “new news.” Little Did She Know… – I love stories about joggers battling raccoons. This one transcends the genre by opening with the best lead I’ve read in a long time. Rich with detail, every word selected to create a picture in the reader’s mind, the opening sentence perfectly sets up the bloodshed to come. – Brandon Copple Everyone Needs To Read This List Of How Kindergartners Reacted to ‘Wonder Woman’ – We sometimes forget how powerful media can be in influencing how we view ourselves and each other. The list of “Wonder Woman”-influenced happenings in a kindergarten classroom captures this and makes me wonder how much more quickly gender and racial equality could progress if Hollywood made more similar movies. As Uncle Ben (of “Spider-Man”) said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Hollywood and the entertainment industry certainly have great power. – Tana Watanabe The End of Car Ownership – This article caught my eye because it’s been more than three years since our family car’s engine died and we decided to see how long we could go carless. Our experiment was about efficiency and freedom, which, ironically were for years the words associated with car ownership. As this article acknowledges, car ownership has long been part of Americans’ cultural and emotional identities. So it will take a smart PR campaign to move large portions of the population to a new model of ride sharing and self-driving cars, complete with creepy technology that knows your every move and habits. Nevertheless, I’m excited to take my first self-driving car ride someday soon. – Pam Munoz How the Cubs’ Marketing Evolved as the Team Went From ‘Lovable Losers’ to World Series Champs – This piece lays out best practices from the marketing team that evolved the Cubs World Series Champion brand, something we touched upon in a recent blog post. Starting with “honesty is the best policy,” the article breaks down the risks the team took in abandoning the “this is our year” message and asking fans to get on board with potentially waiting a few years to see success on the field, trusting there was a long-term plan. That combined with putting the fans center stage, reviving longstanding Cubs traditions with campaigns such as #FlyTheW and hosting a birthday party for Wrigley Field, and taking advantage of their national audience are just a few takeaways from the article. Plus, it gives us another reason to talk about Chicago’s favorite topic: the Cubs. – Jessica McNellis The Media Bias Toward “New” News Helped the GOP Hide Its Secret Health Care Plan – Fair warning that this contains political opinions that some people might not agree with. But I was struck by how the article addresses a blind spot in the news media regarding what the author calls “new news.” Essentially, without hearings, events, announcements, etc., really important matters just won’t get covered, or covered that much. It reminds me of something a journalism professor once told me about a particular news outlet: “It does a good job of covering the news but not uncovering the news.” – Paul Wilson A Mother’s Death, A Botched Inquiry and a Sheriff at War – A frightening story about how local officials can abuse their power. A fascinating story about how reporters’ questions can change the arc of a story. A tragic story about a grieving family torn apart. This is all those things and, not incidentally, just a great story, period. – Brandon Copple

The nation watched Thursday as former FBI Director James Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee in what will likely go down as one of history’s most notable congressional hearings. We try to be mostly apolitical here at Recent Reads, but we think we can share some great journalism about what, on Twitter, was billed as #ComeyDay. And we’re really not all Comey, all the time in this edition. We’re also reading about the 1967 war, why dieting isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution and important thoughts about “Wonder Woman.” With that, here’s Recent Reads. Day-Drinking to Fox News: Inside the D.C. Bars Showing Comey’s Testimony – Comey’s testimony was the story of the month, maybe even of the year, and it will be a major headline for weeks to come. As PR professionals, we’re constantly challenged to pitch the news as-is while simultaneously thinking two steps ahead about the second- or third-day stories. And while the nature of the publication perhaps allows them to write stories like this one, Rolling Stone hit the nail on the head in terms of finding a unique angle. I might not have been positioning sources to discuss the D.C. bar scene on June 8, but I certainly would have liked to be there. – Agatha Howland How cable news networks reacted to Comey’s hearing – The video footage of Comey’s testimony was, of course, pretty much the same whichever channel you watched. So … what better way to show the biases of cable news than by matching up the chryons – those words that are on display at the bottom of the screen – throughout the hearing? It’s brilliant in its simplicity, and definitely shows how we have different realities, depending on where we get our information. – Paul Wilson 1967 war: Six days that changed the Middle East – Most of us are fully aware of the perpetual land dispute between the Israelis and Palestinians. But we may not know or fully understand how that regional instability became the norm. Many of the region’s present-day trouble can be traced back to the Six-Day War (June 5-10, 1967), which caused a backlash that has become the crux of animosity between Israel and its neighbors. This BBC piece details the numerous sociopolitical factors that continue to play out in the region today. – Rich Petrilli ‘Wonder Woman’ And Gal Gadot Have The One Thing The DCEU Has Been Missing – I love Paul Tassi’s review of “Wonder Woman” because it’s a great example of a man writing respectfully about feminist issues. He acknowledges in the opening paragraph that he’s going to leave the discussion of the importance of this movie (in the eyes of the feminist movement) to female writers and links to a Daily Beast article. His review respects that the movie is a success because of who the character is, not because Gal Gadot is beautiful or because “a bunch of women supported a woman.” At a time when fake news is everywhere, people just want the truth. As Tassi writes, that’s why people love this movie; the filmmakers let Wonder Woman be Wonder Woman, instead of changing her to be what Hollywood thinks that audiences want. – Tana Watanabe The Weight Loss Trap: Why Your Diet Isn’t Working – There are an infinite number of articles about losing weight, but health writer Alexandra Sifferlin takes a different approach. She argues that no matter what diet program you commit to, no matter how tenacious you are, you may not receive the results you’re hoping for. Why? Well, Kevin Hall, a scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), goes into detail about a recent discovery he made: the best diet for you may not be the best diet for your neighbor and, believe it or not, there are people on a diet program that lose 60 pounds and keep it off for years while other people, following the same program religiously, gain 5 pounds. – Jess DuBrock