Blog

The Black President Trap

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

“For every factual attack, there are a thousand possibilities…and all of them strike down together.”

It’s a line from China Mieville’s speculative fiction novel The Scar, but it could easily describe today’s politics.

President Obama has been described as a socialist and tool of banks and big business; a “racist…who has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture” and someone who “hasn’t done much for their [i.e., African-Americans'] bottom line” because “so-called black leaders are much more interested in invitations to the White House…than in raising any kind of ruckus that might benefit people in real trouble. Read More »

Be the Media You Want to See

Monday, February 1st, 2010

In about half an hour at Yale’s Whitney Humanities Center I’m giving a speech called Be the Media You Want to See: How Social Mediaand Citizen Journalism Are Changing the World.” (Per my usual procrastinatory superpowers, I got my powerpoint done about half an hour before I had to hop on the train to New Haven.)

Earlier today I spoke on WNPR (Connecticut) about how digital technology is transforming journalism, as well as issues of race and diversity in journalism. (My interview begins at 00:23:23; the first half of the show is about the new PBS documentary Digital Nation which premieres tomorrow night.) Read More »