On that subject...
in Internet
The new web - Streaming, Personal, Social Magazines
Flipboard, Zite, Msgboy, Pulse, Taptu, Poptart,... MORE
Bill's Hierarchy of Social Media Content Appeal
So I'm experimenting with a new social media... MORE
"Invalid action type" on Facebook Social Plugins (such as Recommendations)
UPDATE as of 12PM EST: Facebook has apparently... MORE
Zuckerberg says Email isn't cool anymore.
I wonder if this means I won't have to help... MORE
Pardon me while I expound on weekend traffic for Public Media websites
I’ve been watching web traffic from my desk here... MORE
What are those links under the main search result listing in Google?
Ever wonder what the links under the main Google... MORE
Bill's Big Hypothetical Public Media Web Space Question
"What if I started a new public media web... MORE
POV's differ on Google's Oops, "warning visiting this web site may harm your computer!"
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The Haenel Website Doctrine
I recently had the opportunity to review the work... MORE
Using IH2 for ZenCart on a Plesk Server with ImageMagick 6.0.7
So I don't have much time to write here, but this... MORE
Building Successful Open Source Software OR maybe a community?
My good friend John Tynan from KJZZ in Arizona... MORE
Into Amish?
OK, I admit this post might just be a bit of a... MORE
What makes a web property valuable?
Through my work with a number of public... MORE
Webmonkey, I owe you
Remember Webmonkey? "The Web Developer's... MORE
I reviewed a product at Brookstone for 10 bucks
So I got this note from Brookstone after buying a... MORE
The greatest online marketing pitch ever!
This is my new favorite.It's the Washlet, and... MORE
Understanding the Plight of Internet Radio
After reading the Tuesday, March 6th edition of... MORE
Not Again! New Internet Radio Royalties
Sorry to those of you who did not sign up for... MORE
"What hath man wrought? And how will man use his miracles?"
"Billions of signals rush over the ocean floor... MORE
RSS & PBCore: Happily ever after
Still using the hell out of those colons in my... MORE
Public Media 2007: Better Living Through the Use of Colons in Your PowerPoint
Someone at the Public Media Conference who made... MORE
Public Media 2007, Pathetic Blogger
I really am a pathetic blogger. Not sure why, but... MORE
MySpace experiments, and other stuff
I'm going to try something new here at... MORE
Web Master Tidbits: Marketing is Managing and Meeting Client Expectations
As my second installment of Web Master Tidbits, ... MORE
Web Master Tidbits: The web as a timeless medium
I have a CMS called MySiteWorx!, a software that... MORE
NewsForge reports on PubForge/Public Media Manager
Recently I was interviewed by Stephen Feller from... MORE
Yahoo! News reports NPR is no longer "commercial-free"
Everyone knows how much I love public... MORE
OpenSSL on Windows XP: A Follow-up to Better HOWTOs
I don't write a whole lot of HOWTO stuff on this... MORE
Microsoft Point of Sale
Here's one to watch. Microsoft Point of... MORE
More on razor blades...
It seems some other folks (including the New York... MORE
Paid Content: On giving away razors in order to sell razor blades
When will they ever learn? I've been watching... MORE
Internet Radio In My Car
You heard it here first. Or maybe not. But this... MORE
Flash Splash
Recently, I've been requested by a prospective... MORE
Search Engine Tuning - No B.S.
I had the pleasure of reading the recent blog... MORE
Wireless Networking with Linux
If you've never tried it, you might want to wait... MORE
in Soapbox
Bias - the biggest reason why we don't need public broadcasting anymore
There's nothing like guaranteeing a negative... MORE
One more reason why we don't need public broadcasting?
Just finished reading this very brief post on the... MORE
Do we REALLY need Public Broadcasting anymore?
I read a Facebook comment about cutting federal... MORE
Thanks to Juan, Vivian, NPR and Fox
I can't even begin to say how relieved I am that... MORE
Please, reinvent the wheel.
"Don't reinvent the wheel." This is a phrase... MORE
This ain't Hollywood
I haven't said much (at least not publicly) about... MORE
Delegation
Have you ever watched an inexperienced manager... MORE
Peggy & Friends
From OpinionJournal: "He's Got Two of 'Em" Oh... MORE
"There is no spoon..."
Mass Media: An ethical and socially acceptable method of brainwashing Large Groups of People simultaneously, without all the mess
Yep. I have finally stumbled across the news story that has led to my ultimate definition of the media.
It's not that the story itself is so remarkable or exceptional. It's not that it hasn't been done before, or read before, or heard before. In fact, the Martha Stewart court case is nothing more than ordinary. It's just another public hanging.
So why, then, does this story tell me what I have been waiting to know? It's one simple statement that got me. Apparently the judge told the jurors in this very public trial that if they "see a headline, turn the page."
Why? Why would a judge say this to a group of people who are about to embark on the journey of delivering a final verdict?
Jurors are asked to listen to facts, questions, and statements about an issue. The issue is up for judgement, and someone has to decide, objectively, the outcome of that issue. It is important for the jurors to have the opportunity to form an opinion based on truth, on facts.
It is standard practice for jurors to be told that they are not to expose themselves to media reports regarding the cases they are hearing. The idea is, the media would tend to sway the jurors from the facts presented in the case. Each side of the argument is expected to have the opportunity to make the case with their own facts, so the jury might find the truth somewhere in there.
Granted, our legal system today leaves a bit to be desired at times when it comes to justice, but the point is, it is still all about truth, justice...and you know the rest.
Again, the question is, why can't jurors listen to a news story from CNN regarding their case? Why can't they read the paper as it presents an outside, objective point-of-view on the facts involved in the case? Shouldn't that help? Wouldn't it be better to know everything, to be exposed to as much truth as possible, to hear all sides of the story told from a different perspective, a perspective that reveres reality and open mindedness?
Because it doesn't. The newspaper is not outside. The radio is not objective. The television does not present the truth.
The internet is not honest, real or open-minded.
As I listen to the news this evening, I will remember the judge in the Martha case. I'll remember that if I want the facts, if I want the truth, if I want to form my own, honest opinion about the events of the world, based on reality, and formed with an open mind, I will not consult the media and all their spin-centered drama. I will remember that reality-TV is probably as real as it gets in the media. The rest is all...brainwashing.
I think I'll go for a walk.