Partly because of the proliferation of podcasts, true crime is seemingly everywhere these days. And that’s made it more socially acceptable! At least, that’s what Associate Kyerstin Hill keeps telling herself.
We’re also reading about Judy Woodruff’s new role on PBS, teen activist Malala Yousafzai, nationalism’s rise in Europe’s least ethnically diverse country and … efforts to turn London into a national park. Yes, really.
With that, here’s the latest edition of Recent Reads.
‘My Favorite Murder’ and the growing acceptance of true-crime entertainment – As a lover of true crime, I have always felt somewhat guilty for being so enthralled by these stories/podcasts. With “My Favorite Murder” bringing in over 10 million downloads a month, this article points out that true crime is no longer a creepy interest, but rather a “secret society of people figuring out they’re not the only ones.” In the PR world, it is our job to tell stories, and I’ve actually learned a thing or two from the way the hosts of this show are able to “direct the conversation” and shift the lens of a seemingly awful crime into a story of entertainment and education. – Kyerstin Hill
Judy Woodruff, the Woman of the Hour – I grew up watching PBS NewsHour with my dad, who constantly shushed me as I tried to ad lib over the anchors discussing the top news stories of the day. Back then I was never quite captivated by the show (what teenager would be, honestly?), but I certainly have a greater appreciation for its simple, straight-to-the-point nature now, considering the craziness that is the news in today’s world. This feature paints a nice picture of the show overall, but I especially like it for its behind-the-scenes detail on Judy Woodruff – how she works, exemplifies grit and remains steadfast in her delivery of the news, especially after the passing of her co-anchor and friend Gwen Ifill. – Agatha Howland
What Happens When The World’s Most Famous Teen Activist Grows Up? – My daughter has been enraptured by Malala Yousafzai’s experiences and is shocked that in some places girls are not allowed to attend school, let alone face violence if they attempt to become educated. This article notes that education for girls is an issue that continually becomes buried under other world problems. However, as Malala readies to attend Oxford (she’s 19 already!) and talks with young people in places like Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and around the world, girls’ education will not remain buried for too long. – Pam Munoz
One Man’s Plan to Transform a Major City Into a National Park – Well, it’s all about perspective, right? While my vision of a national park typically involves boot-trodden paths and skylines shaped by trees and mountains rather than buildings, Londoner and “guerilla geographer” Daniel Raven-Ellison has a different take on it. He wants London to be declared a national park, and has argued that a number of the bustling city’s features – namely, its 47 percent green space, its biodiversity (including humans!) and a number of other traditional park-like characteristics – make London a true contestant for a title only ever associated with landscapes that are polar opposites of a metropolis. Is it going too far to name London a national park? Maybe. Or maybe it just takes a shifted perspective to realize that these two “opposites” aren’t so different. – Megan Duero
Poland’s populist government let far-right extremism explode into the mainstream – If the unending pace of daily news in the United States has understandably kept you from monitoring current events in Poland, this article is there for you as an (unnerving) crash course. The nationalist trend lines in Europe’s most homogenous country are, frankly, disturbing. But this is a compelling and well-crafted read with some details that sadly ring true in America. – Paul Wilson
What Brad Pitt Could Learn from Prince Harry about Life’s Tragedies – Writer Melissa Braunstein reflects on interviews Brad Pitt and Prince Harry gave about struggles in their lives. The two are very different in nature, as Braunstein points out; Pitt’s is emotional and revealing, while Prince Harry’s is “dignified and uplifting,” according to the columnist. She uses these interviews to reflect on what we, as readers, as non-celebrities and as people, should be demanding of others’ (public) vulnerability, particularly those in a position of fame, as both men are. Braunstein provides an interesting dive into the positives that can come from suffering a tragedy. – Erin Wojcicki
Blog
What’s a “Shultz Hour,” you ask? Well, former Secretary of State George Shultz used to block off an hour a week in which he could only be interrupted by a call from the president or from his wife. In this edition of Recent Reads, we’re sharing an article that argues that such a practice is something we all could use in this connected day and age.
Generally speaking, Recent Reads contains some pretty meaty subjects this week, including reasons why women thought leaders go unquoted in the news, how the media became increasingly clustered around big cities and some racial questions about Earth Day. Oh, and we really, really hate that dumb Facebook meme about bands that people have seen and haven’t seen – and we found an article that digs into why we hate it.
Also, Greentarget’s Lisa Seidenberg blogged earlier this week about the importance of press freedoms. She spoke with Courtney Radsch, advocacy director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the piece is definitely worth checking out.
With that, here’s Recent Reads.
Why we should all adopt a ‘Shultz Hour’ – Safe to say in the age of smartphones, 24/7 email alerts, social media and constant activity, setting aside time to disconnect can seem both unrealistic and unproductive. We have all experienced the article’s comment calling out people who “humble-brag” about how busy they are, whether we are the culprit or the bystander. But why not set aside an hour a week for uninterrupted reflection – a practice made famous by Secretary Shultz back in the 1980s? Our society is often focused on accomplishing moment-to-moment tasks as they arise. Finding the time to think about meaningful and strategic questions seems to get lost in the shuffle. The article argues “the only way to do great work, in any field, is to find time to consider the larger questions.” – Jessica McNellis
The Media Bubble Is Worse Than You Think – The fact that economics has driven the formation of a national media bubble is not terribly surprising. According to the article, journalism in America has increasingly centered on outlets clustering around industries and following the money (New York media covering the financial industry, Los Angeles media covering entertainment, Washington media covering government). Again, while not surprising from an economic and practical standpoint, this clustering phenomenon means reporters living and working in urban areas tend to engage in groupthink. The most interesting takeaway is the article’s suggestion to interpret the impact of the media bubble as a social scientist would: “The people who report, edit, produce and publish news can’t help being affected – deeply affected – by the environment around them.” The most hopeful takeaway is that journalists hate to be wrong – a strong impetus for change, and they got this past election totally wrong. – Pam Munoz
When women aren’t quoted in the news, the public loses – This is an important topic, and I appreciate Claire Bushey’s insider perspective on the struggles she has found in getting women spokespeople to participate in interviews. Research shows women often don’t apply for jobs if they don’t meet all the listed criteria, and per Claire’s article, it appears women might feel the same way about speaking with the media. If they aren’t 100 percent confident they’ll be able to address all of the reporter’s questions or they don’t feel like a “true” thought leader on the topic, they more often than not bow out. She perfectly sums up the impact in saying: “Why does it matter if women don’t call me back? Because civil society hashes out issues in print, online and on the air. If you aren’t there, it doesn’t matter how eloquently you air your views on Facebook: Your unamplified voice will peter into silence, unheard.” – Lisa Seidenberg
Earth Day Is Too White and Out of Touch With Reality – The recent March for Science event in Washington, D.C., which naturally took place on Earth Day, thrust the importance of science, the environment and the progress of intellectual advancement to the top of our Facebook newsfeeds. This article uses that as a backdrop to address the historical shortcomings of the environmental movement and the larger, more complex, national issues affecting our communities – racial injustice, urban blight and exploitation of the economic system. – Christian Erard
The ‘Which of These Bands Have I Not Seen?’ Facebook Meme Is Bad and Should Die – Clearly, this isn’t the most serious article ever to appear in Recent Reads. But beyond agreeing (strongly) with the central premise, I think the writer actually does a good job explaining what makes a meme work. “Good memes have a fun, peppy, iterative quality to them – the more time you spend with them, the funnier and more creative and more interesting things get, at least up to the point when you’re ready to move on.” It’s the kind of analysis that resonates at a time when the internet’s effect on life is no longer new but is still not fully understood. – Paul Wilson
At Greentarget, we value the work that reporters do every day, and appreciate the privilege to collaborate with writers and editors who impact society through their journalism. Our belief that the principles of journalism play a vital role in the proliferation of knowledge and ideas is part of our DNA.
Lately we’ve grown increasingly concerned about journalists’ ability to keep covering the news with independence and integrity. In the last year or so we’ve seen high-profile attacks on the press from the highest levels of government and even threats to curb press freedoms.
So we reached out to Courtney Radsch, advocacy director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which promotes press freedoms around the world. Radsch says the news media is in the midst of a “galvanizing moment” that’s showing “how important journalism really is.”
“The press is the Fourth Estate, the only independent check on power,” she says. “Given the lack of forthcoming information [from Washington], journalists have a more important role to play to make sure that the public is informed and that they are fulfilling their roles to its greatest potential.”
Radsch has been heartened in recent months to see the press stand up for the core pillars of journalism, but noted an eye-opening tweet that said, “We’re in trouble when quoting the First Amendment starts to feel like an act of resistance.”
Today’s media-government dynamic is a marked departure from the one that had been in place for decades. Despite the adversarial relationship between the media and the government, Washington has stepped up to support CPJ — and the profession — when it mattered. For instance, if a journalist was imprisoned overseas, media organizations could ask the State Department or Defense Department for assistance, and usually, they got it.
Radsch isn’t sure that kind of relationship is possible in 2017, and the potential for declining press freedoms here has ramifications around the world because the U.S. sets the global tone on press protections. CPJ is working with similar organizations across the country to collaborate on a range of press freedom, media justice and open government issues at every level of government. Later this year, CPJ, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the Knight First Amendment Center and the Index on Censorship will launch an as-yet unnamed news site to track press-freedom violations in the U.S.
Still, the bitter anti-media rhetoric we saw during the election hasn’t softened or dissipated. “We saw the rise in attacks against journalists during the campaign season and hoped the verbal and physical abuse would taper off, but it has continued — and the attacks have increased,” Radsch says. “Women journalists are getting trolled online, and there has been a rise of attacks on Jewish journalists. We’d like to get ahead of these issues and be informed of the true challenges to press freedoms. It’s hard to advocate for change if you don’t know what the incidents are.”
So will the recent attacks on press freedoms intimidate reporters and news organizations, or prevent them from telling the stories they feel the public has a right — and likely a need — to know? Radsch acknowledges that journalists aren’t naïve about the dangers facing them, but she hopes it won’t impact their reporting.
“We hope this isn’t the way we’re heading,” she says.
Two of our entries this week stem from this week’s Pulitzer Prize announcements. We strongly believe in the principles of journalism, so important reporting is something we like to honor and celebrate.
Also, check out what Greentarget Founding Partner Aaron Schoenherr had to say about the still-unfolding situation at United Airlines – which (we think) barely beat out White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer for having the worst week ever.
With that, here’s Recent Reads.
The Fighter – CJ Chivers just won a Pulitzer Prize for this story about a young Marine veteran struggling with PTSD after his return from Afghanistan. Chivers chronicles Sam Siatta’s felony arrest in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, after breaking into someone’s home. The arrest reveals the seriousness of Siatta’s PTSD, anxiety and alcoholism. Lawyers worked for over a year to appeal his conviction and, in turn, get him the help he needs. This hit close to home for me as it’s semi-local, and he also attended Illinois State. – Erin Wojcicki
The journalist who won the Charleston Gazette-Mail’s first Pulitzer still does a monthly night cops shift – Full disclosure: I worked with the journalist mentioned in the headline. But even if that wasn’t the case, the story of Eric Eyre is important in an era of shrinking newsrooms and pressing local issues that would go uncovered without dogged, old-fashioned reporting. You’ll have a difficult time picking your jaw off the floor after reading his 2016 coverage of West Virginia’s opioid crisis. Eric did that while writing around 250 stories a year, covering the statehouse … and still manning the police scanner one night a month. Incredible. – Paul Wilson
How Stephen Colbert Finally Found His Elusive Groove – Calling all of my fellow control freaks! This article provides a glimpse into the benefits of letting go and, more importantly, trusting your team. I admittedly don’t watch a lot of Stephen Colbert, but it’s interesting to think that his willingness to be vulnerable, to give up a little control, boosted his show’s ratings. That extra touch of humanity clearly resonated with his audience. It makes me think that maybe we all need to let go a little more. – Megan Duero
Is Instagram Ruining the Great Outdoors? – At the risk of imploding if I see one more social media post with a sepia filter accompanied by #nature #outdoors, here’s an interesting article on Instagram’s impact on distant places and the increasingly fragile world we live in. On the plus side, driving foot traffic (literally) to some of the most remote locations on the planet, to the point where rangers “began asking backcountry hikers not to post precise maps or GPS coordinates of their adventures on the web,” isn’t a bad thing. – Christian Erard
Smartwatch-making company CEO: Smartwatches are pointless – The other morning, I was admiring my roommate’s Apple Watch and explaining to her how much I wanted my own smartwatch – something to monitor my heartbeat, track calories burned and remind me of appointments. But is it really necessary? As explained by Huawei CEO Eric Xu Zhijum, “when the smartwatch team in Huawei presents their ideas to me with great excitement, I keep reminding them to consider whether there are tangible needs [for these products] in the market.” While he’s right in saying smartwatches are NOT a necessity, his comments make me wonder if Huawei is greasing the skids for something revolutionary. – Sarah Rocca
GT Podcast Recommendation
S-Town – It’s from the makers of Serial and This American Life, so you know it’s well-executed and delivers the expected twists and turns. It begins with the story of a clock repairer, John McLemore, who hates his small hometown in Alabama. John is obsessed with climate change and meticulously cares for his backyard maze, among other eccentric behaviors. From there it takes you down a rabbit hole of Deep South poverty, mental health, drug abuse and murder. – Agatha Howland
It’s been quite a week for United Airlines, and the company remains firmly on its heels. In addition to video of a passenger’s forcible removal going viral, United’s CEO used a term in his first public statement after the incident that was, frankly, mind-boggling:
“I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers.” Emphasis mine.
There are a lot of lessons to be learned here, but the one we’re most interested in is the tension that exists between legal and communications departments in times of crisis. Please check out my full post for more.
