Monopoly is (wait for it) pulling the plug on the thimble. We’ll pause for a moment so you all can catch your breath. One of our favorite pieces of late is an inspired, satirical look at the thimble’s feelings, now that it’s been put out to pasture. We’ll also look at the role of Playboy magazine during the Vietnam War, the changing nature of work in America, an astonishing BuzzFeed investigation about hyperpartisan news and a fascinating analysis of the demise of the grassroots energy that got Barack Obama elected. With that, here’s Recent Reads. Do Not Pass Go: Interview With The Monopoly Thimble – I’m sure all the Monopoly fans were devastated to learn that the 82-year-old brand lets the public decide to replace playing pieces with new symbols. Or at least they’re (probably?) upset that the (beloved?) thimble will be retired. But how does the thimble feel? This Q&A with the game piece discusses his thoughts on being discontinued and what might replace him, including a hashtag. “[T]hat’s not a thing!” the thimble insists. “We were things. Dog. Shoe. Iron. Wheelbarrow. How do you put a hashtag in jail?” – Sarah Rocca How Playboy Explains Vietnam – The most successful publications, in print or otherwise, perfectly capture the zeitgeist of their readers. During the Vietnam War, Playboy became the publication of record for U.S. soldiers with its vivid depictions the lifestyle they aspired to, its advice on the things they cared about, its pre-digital interactive features (letters) and its hard-hitting, smart journalism, including about the war itself. Who knew? – Brandon Copple Medium Launches Snapchat Stories, But for Medium – Medium’s new way of storytelling for mobile devices, “Series,” has a little bit of Instagram and Snapchat (more Snapchat) rolled into one product. This could be a refreshing way to attract an audience that craves images. But my favorite part about this new product is that it allows for stories to unfold over time. It would be nice to slow down the pace a bit and truly consume a story, look forward to the next chapter and gain the satisfaction of adding a bit more knowledge once the story is over. – Pam Munoz Obama’s Lost Army – Ever wonder what happened to the huge grassroots movement that was instrumental in Barack Obama’s ascendancy to the White House in 2008? This insider account is at minimum an important historical footnote of why populism seemed to abandon Obama so soon after he was sworn into office. “Instead of mobilizing his unprecedented grassroots machine to pressure obstructionist lawmakers, support state and local candidates who shared his vision, and counter the Tea Party, Obama mothballed his campaign operation, bottling it up inside the Democratic National Committee.” The author describes that decision as “the seminal mistake” of Obama’s presidency. – Paul Wilson The Jobs Americans Do – An examination of the current state of the American working class, represented by Ofelia Bersabe, a Hispanic woman paid to serve others. Her title is various forms of the word “nurse,” as she cares for children, parents and the elderly. Given the loss of traditional blue-collar jobs – notably to automation – caring for aging Baby Boomers is now the largest driver of job growth in the American economy. If there was any doubt left, it’s clear that service work should no longer be considered a way station for teenagers, mothers and senior citizens. It has become a way of life for many Americans. – Amy Yanow This Is How Your Hyperpartisan Political News Gets Made – Remember a few months back when “fake news” referred to total fabrications, and not just news accounts that public figures didn’t like? Well, it turns out those sources are still out there – and at least one is actually creating clickbait aimed at both conservative AND liberal audiences. The photo at the top of this BuzzFeed piece says it all. The business is outrage. And business appears to be good. – Jackson Pillow GT Podcast Recommendation The Axe Files – Former Obama adviser David Axelrod has returned to his journalism roots with a great twice-weekly podcast interviewing important newsmakers, usually from politics. From Corey Lewandowski to Madeleine Albright to J.D. Vance to Theo Epstein, Axelrod is doing his best to have a candid exchange of ideas (from both sides of the aisle) at a time when the national conversation feels like a screaming match. – Paul Wilson

One of the more troubling trends of the past few months is the growing lack of consensus about the basic information that should be – that used to be – the underpinning of rational dialogue. We’ve written about the rise of so-called “alternative facts,” but this edition of Recent Reads is heavy on the controversial topic of “fake news.” Perhaps relatedly, we’re also looking at new ways information can be consumed – and at how artificial intelligence might not take over the world after all. But it sure seems poised to take a lot of jobs. With that, here’s the latest Recent Reads. The new civic course in U.S. schools: How to spot fake news – For those of us PR pros/news junkies, it can be very frustrating to have conversations with our children about current events. If your kids are like mine, they believe that Facebook or Twitter is the source of what they read, so they trust it. Schools are seeing this troubling trend and are proposing curriculum to support what kids should do to identify and ignore fake news. While fake news has always existed, it is an interesting educational outcome from the 2016 presidential election. – Larry Larsen Colorado Newspaper Vows Defamation Suit After Senator’s ‘Fake News’ Tweet – I’ve been wondering when something like this would happen. A Colorado newspaper publisher is threatening to sue a state senator for defamation after he tweeted that the publication is “fake news.” Of course, threats of lawsuits don’t always end up with court filings – and proving actual damages could be difficult. But considering that public officials (or, really, any member of society) can now compete with traditional news outlets as far as reach on social media – and if we’re all journalists now – why shouldn’t a news organization explore its legal options? Especially when reputation – possibly the most valuable thing traditional media outlets still have – is at stake? – Paul Wilson Donald Trump delivers a series of raw and personal attacks on the media in a news conference for the ages – It was already a volatile week for the White House – Michael Flynn’s resignation, the Labor Secretary nominee stepping aside and rumored staff infighting – but President Trump incredibly and predictably came out swinging during a combative press conference Thursday. From the article, “Trump understands something very important: For his supporters, the media represents everything they dislike about American society.” Whether cracks are forming in the administration or not, Thursday was a clear example of President Trump’s strategy to avert the public’s eyes when things aren’t going his way. Instead of talking about Russia or Flynn, we’re now focused on the press conference. Is this his perceived authenticity in action as we discussed late last week? Perhaps, but maybe the better question is at what cost? – Christian Erard Flipboard revamps its approach personalized news with new “Smart Magazines” – I love the concept of a Smart Magazine from Flipboard. I can’t consume enough material – books, magazines and blogs – and wish I was one of those people who only needed three hours of sleep so I could read more. The choices can be overwhelming, but one needs to commit to actively reading. I hope Flipboard does well with this and am now seeking a B2B version. Smarter, mobile content to replace the laundry lists of blogs, articles and white papers on most professional services websites may have been a pipe dream a few years ago. Maybe Flipboard can make it a reality. – Pam Munoz Can Virtual Reality Teach Empathy? – This headline caught my attention and made me ask how a technology tool can create empathetic feelings. The article describes how a teacher is immersing VR into his curriculum, so students can literally see lessons “from wandering the streets of ancient Rome to touring the International Space Station.” Educators are cautious about implementing VR, like any technology, but this article describes one of its clear strengths – the ability to tap emotions. As VR enters the classroom more regularly, it makes me wonder how/if businesses will implement it into their strategies. – Sarah Rocca How tech ate the media and our minds – Technology has fundamentally changed the way the average individual receives information. This article underscores just how much the environment has changed – and the media landscape along with it – during the past decade. In the B2B world, there is still somewhat of a disconnect about how engaged companies should be and what their return on investment actually is. Do corporations and senior executives truly make purchasing decisions at least partly based on what they read in their LinkedIn or Twitter feed? We think the answer is in the eye of the beholder and we advise our clients not to risk it; you don’t want to be conspicuous by your absence. – Larry Larsen The AI Threat Isn’t Skynet. It’s the End of the Middle Class – Turns out all (or, at least, most) of the fiction about artificial intelligence taking over the world was only half-right. The real concern among scientists these days isn’t a Terminator scenario – it’s economic catastrophe, with a proliferation of automation and technology supplanting middle-class jobs. This is definitely worth watching in the next few years, especially considering how much economic hardship in traditional blue-collar areas played a role in November’s presidential election. – Jackson Pillow

Two articles about making the world a better place caught our eye this week. One is about a legal marketer telling law school grads to succeed by focusing on helping people – the other is about a CEO tackling the difficult subject of diversity. We also have some witty dissents from the man poised to join the Supreme Court, the closest thing to teleportation you’ll likely ever see, new thoughts on Elgar’s Enigma Variations and some trends popping up in recent Medium posts. With that, here’s Recent Reads. An Interview With Cole Silver: How to Succeed After Law School – This is a worthwhile read about legal marketing, based on an interview with a unique member of the marketing team at Blank Rome, Cole Silver. Cole was a GC for 25 years before joining Blank Rome to help with client development. I love his punchline: “Forget sales. Forget business development. Forget marketing. Just go out and help people, connect with people, serve people. That’s it. If you do that, you will have a very handsome book after a few years because people will understand that you have their best interests at heart and they will reciprocate.” – Steve DiMattia Tim Ryan’s Awakening – PwC CEO Tim Ryan takes an unorthodox and uncomfortable approach to driving the diversity conversation. While his method and lexicon would be lacking authenticity for many leaders, his Boston blue-collar roots make it real. What’s more, he’s using PwC’s expansive platform and relationships to issue a call to action to Fortune 500 CEOs to join him in a refreshingly different – and dare I say, smarter – conversation on the topic of race. Those who know Ryan best think he just might pull it off. – John Corey The 4 Wittiest Dissents By Gorsuch – No matter what you think of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, we’ve read again and again that he’s a good writer with clear, mostly concise thoughts, which often come with a creative punch. I think our clients who are inclined to write – op-eds, bylines, written statements on news items, etc. – can learn something from Gorsuch’s style, especially his dislike for the passive voice, his “old nemesis.” – Agatha Howland Meet the Students Racing to Make Elon Musk’s Hyperloop a Reality – Teleportation is happening! OK, maybe not teleporting, but you won’t have to get in a fighter jet to hit 600 mph once SpaceX’s hyperloop competition wraps up. The first round of tests happened earlier this week in California, where teams from universities around the world demoed their pods and, ultimately, learned from one another’s designs. It’s a unique competition, inspiring a drive to innovate, yes, but also collaborate. And as someone who learned how to drive on the hyper-congested, Colonial-era highways of New England, I can’t wait to see the final product in action. – Megan Duero The cult of the paranoid Medium post – Anyone can post to Medium, and it has hosted some great think pieces by authors who might not have had a strong platform otherwise. But it also can provide some credibility to (likely) well-meaning people whose ideas are more cathartic than convincing. As the Washington Post smartly points out, “There’s a weird sort of relief that comes with believing you understand, at least, why a bad thing is happening, even if you’re powerless to stop it.” – Paul Wilson Breaking Elgar’s Enigma – For those of you who liked Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” and Amazon’s “Mozart in the Jungle,” you’re in luck. In Daniel Estrin’s piece in The New Republic, he undresses composer Edward Elgar’s Variations on an Original Theme (“Enigma”), an orchestral work comprising 14 variations on an original theme, and widely believed to involve a hidden melody, through the eyes of a devoted musical aficionado. If you have an appreciation for the classics, you might enjoy this piece. – Christian Erard

We’re really not trying to make Recent Reads all about politics, dear readers. But with the crazy amount of news coming out of Washington these days, much of our collective attention is almost necessarily focused on what’s happening in the Beltway. We hope our national gaze will turn to other matters – pitchers and catchers report in about a month! – as 2017 progresses. But we’re not holding our breath. With that, here’s Recent Reads: BuzzFeed’s decision to publish dossier reasonable – There were plenty of articles this week supporting and decrying BuzzFeed’s decision to publish an unsubstantiated intelligence report alleging that the Russian government had compromising information on Donald Trump. This article probably didn’t garner the most attention, but it’s interesting in that it comes from a PR consultant who works for Republicans and who explained BuzzFeed Editor Ben Smith’s thinking by way of a 15-year-old conversation. I’m not sure where I come down on BuzzFeed’s decision, but this is definitely another instance of the norms of our society changing, and changing rather abruptly. – Paul Wilson Trump, ‘Lies’ and Honest Journalism – Gerard Baker, The Wall Street Journal’s editor in chief, wrote this piece in response to criticism of his comments on NBC’s “Meet The Press” that he would be careful in using the word “lie” in regard to comments made by Donald Trump. Bottom line: Baker is concerned about certain words and their moral implications, particularly in this tumultuous era. – Abby Moriarty Brands Start Planning for Unexpected Criticism of Trump – For years now, smart companies have scenario-planned for activist investors, predictable crises and operational snafus. However, they may not have planned to have their actions – positive or otherwise – scrutinized in the blink of an eye in the Twitterverse. That potential is becoming a reality for many companies, particularly given the big changes in Washington. – Larry Larsen One Man’s Quest to Change the Way We Die – This story is about B.J. Miller, a doctor who has a unique perspective on living and dying due to a near-death experience that left him a triple amputee. We often talk about grit at Greentarget; he has exemplified it in his recovery and now in his work to change the way we approach palliative care. It’s a moving and beautifully written account of his life and mission. – Stephanie Burke Wearables Could Soon Know You’re Sick Before You Do – Depending on your point of view, this news (which is basically explained in the headline) is either really cool or extremely creepy. But we’re apparently not that far from a time when wearables can tell you you’re coming down with something, allowing you to take action. Here’s hoping technology doesn’t make hypochondriacs act even more like hypochondriacs. – Jackson Pillow An Experiment in Radical Empathy – After gathering a group of 16 strangers, half vehemently pro-gun, half gun opponents or victims of gun violence, New York magazine put them in a room, paired them off and asked them to share their personal gun stories with one another. Then each had to tell the other’s story – from their partner’s perspective, even using the first person. The results provide a moving, revealing glimpse of the power of empathy – and its limits. – Brandon Copple