Joshua C.

Re-invigorating a regular writing practice with no set outcome over on Substack. #poetry is giving me life right now. If following along helps you keep a #writing practice as well, here is the link: https://lnkd.in/gwpFNdMF

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Nathan Heller's piece in the New Yorker, "Republican Victory and the Ambience of Information" "Planting ideas this way isn’t argument, and it’s not emotional persuasion. It’s about seeding the ambience of information, throwing facts and fake facts alike into an environment of low attention, with the confidence that, like minnows released individually into a pond, they will eventually school and spawn. Notions must add up to a unified vision but also be able to travel on their own, because that’s how information moves in a viral age. And national media is key. Trump’s command of the ambience of information wouldn’t have been possible without his own platforms, such as Truth Social, as well as allies such as Fox News’ C.E.O., Suzanne Scott, who in 2020 excoriated her team after they fact-checked Trump, and Elon Musk, who, hoping for executive-branch power over his own sector, largely funded more than a hundred and seventy-five million dollars’ worth of pro-Trump outreach, was read into early voting data, and tweeted lies, conspiracy theories, and mistrust of media on his network, X, which boosts his posts. The communications researcher Pablo Boczkowski has noted that people increasingly take in news by incidental encounter—they are “rubbed by the news”—rather than by seeking it out. Trump has maximized his influence over networks that people rub against, and has filled them with information that, true or not, seems all of a coherent piece....... .......In a country where more than half of adults have literacy below a sixth-grade level, ambient information, however thin and wrong, is more powerful than actual facts. It has been the Democrats’ long-held premise that access to the truth will set the public free. They have corrected misinformation and sought to drop data to individual doors. This year’s contest shows that this premise is wrong. A majority of the American public doesn’t believe information that goes against what it thinks it knows—and a lot of what it thinks it knows originates in the brain of Donald Trump. He has polluted the well of received wisdom and what passes for common sense in America. And, until Democrats, too, figure out how to message ambiently, they’ll find themselves fighting not just a candidate but what the public holds to be self-evident truths."

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The greatest journalists are anticipators. Their focus is always on what’s coming down the pipe. Elections happening 🗳 Laws introduced 🏛 Summits kicking off 🧑🏼‍💼 Products or services launching 🚀 And they have a knack for predicting how an evolving story is likely to play out. Where does this info come from? Newswires were my (not so) secret weapon when I was an editor. It’s basically a feed of future news events. Most papers report what’s happening today. A newswire contains stuff that’s about to break. Perhaps this might help entrepreneurs and creatives here. Every week on Monday (or every now and then) I’ll do a little look-ahead. It’s a few things that might be useful for creative entrepreneurs. To inspire and inform. Lifted from newswires. Happening this week. Here goes. 1. Well burger me 🍔 Residents of the US can look forward to National Hamburger Day tomorrow. In an ironic scheduling clash, it happens to coincide with World Hunger Day. Anyone suffering from over-indulgence will be relieved by the arrival of World Digestive Health Day on the Wednesday. (28th May) 2. Changing the world for good? 🤖 The AI for Good Global Summit is an event in Geneva organised by the UN. It’s a platform intended to promote AI to advance health, climate, gender, inclusive prosperity, sustainable infrastructure, and other global development priorities. When the world seems divided into zealots and fear-mongers, a pragmatic take on how AI could improve life sounds like a sensible idea. A good one, even. (30th – 31st May) 3. Manhattanhenge 🌆 Inner cities don’t usually play host to sublime natural phenomena. But this week, New Yorkers will be able to view Manhattanhenge. It’s an evening when the sun is in perfect alignment with the city’s streets, which run from East to West. (29th May) 4. Trailer crash 🎬 The Golden Trailer Awards is a celebration of brevity. The event prizes the creators of trailers and teasers for feature films and gaming titles. It’s been dubbed, “the awards ceremony for the short attention span”. (30th May) 5. Reimagine that 🧱 The London Festival of Architecture, LFA 2024, celebrates its 20th year. It’s a whole month of events about the built environment. Head to the city’s leading cultural institutions for installations, talks and edifying experiences. The theme is “reimagine”. (1st June onwards) 6. Venice bans groups 🚣‍♀️ Venice is to ban loudspeakers and tourist groups of more than 25 people, in a bid to ease the impact of mass tourism on the Italian city. The new rules will come into effect from June. Residents will be grateful for a (slightly) quieter canal-side. (1st June) Is this useful? If so I'll do it again next Monday. #theweekahead #news #events #futurenews

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So, what's next? We can't move forward after this election, or any big change event, without trying to understand what happened (NB: This post is for nonpartisan journalists who have the professional obligation and personal headspace to document the public's values accurately. If that's not you today, that's okay). I found a note in this morning's "The Daily" useful -- "No party has ever retained the White House when so many voters disapprove of the president and think the country is heading in the wrong direction." More here: https://lnkd.in/e5swnDQT People wanted change. Change toward what? Change from what? We can be honest about a candidate's flaws while remaining curious about voters' motivations. What now? The real work begins: Of holding public officials accountable, of analyzing the money, of tracking promises kept or ignored. This would be true of any administration, but it's certainly true of an administration that promised to deliver dramatic change on the economy, immigration and more. I remain hopeful that local media can rise to the moment. We have to be relentlessly accurate, empathetic and creative. We have to be responsive to local readers' skepticism about the media. I have found Joy Mayer's notes from Trusting News useful as I try to remain focused on what my local audience wants and needs. The conservative media landscape in the US is incredibly well-funded, well-connected and well-coordinated, as Taylor Lorenz noted in her newsletter today. The left-wing ecosystem is well-funded and well-connected, but disjointed, and, to my mind, funadementally out of step. I still believe that nonpartisan media can offer an alternative way forward, independent of party and political allegiances, but newsrooms have to truly listen to audiences and answer questions to have any hope of breaking through. I saw Richard Young post this John Dewey quote: “I am inclined to believe that the heart and final guarantee of democracy is in free gatherings of neighbors on the street corner to discuss back and forth what is read in uncensored news of the day, and in gatherings of friends in the living rooms of houses and apartments to converse freely with one another.”

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What kind of news stories spread like wildfire on social media? It's those that provoke us in some way, or inspire us - and it's often misinformation. I had a fascinating conversation with Alan Miller, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Founder of The News Literacy Project. We talked about the role emotions play in the spread of misinformation and, more importantly, how we can protect ourselves from it. How we can navigate the information landscape more wisely? Listen to the clip below. #CreativeCareers #Journalism #Misinformation #EmotionalIntelligence #NewsLiteracy #SocialMedia #FakeNews #confirmationbias The News Literacy Project

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Will Conan O'Brien win an Emmy? "Conan O'Brien Must Go" opens with Werner Herzog describing him as a species of comedian out of sync with the world - a former late-night host driven from his natural habitat on TV, desperate for approval from the mildly engaged fans on his "podcast". A term Herzog spits out with a particular Teutonic contempt. Many people talk about podcasting IP and its translation to TV - but I think more creatives need to think about how freeing the medium can be for their process. Of course, Conan has had a great career, but he is one of the very few Hollywood stars to transition significantly to podcasting. I see a few things here to learn from Conan if you're a creative and thinking about podcasting in your own career: 1. He owns the means of production. Yes - he now has big deals with SiriusXM and HBO, but his podcast started very much on his terms. 2. He invested. No one, not even Conan, with his connections and fan base, becomes a star overnight. He made more than 30 episodes in his first season - at a time when many celebs were looking for big paycheque out of the gate. 3. He became more authentically himself. I don't know him at all - but as a casual fan who has followed him for decades I sense he's doing this for himself. 4. It has allowed him a longer career, and fueled a comedic renewal. He might be a 60 year old former SNL, Simpsons and Talk Show host, but he's red hot right now. Which brings us back to the Emmy - more than a few critics have said he has now found the "best version" of himself on TV. Personally, I've found podcasting has offered me some of that personal freedom as well. I get to take more creative risks, work with a wider group of people, and make stuff I'm genuinely passionate about. I have a few big TV projects coming out this fall that I'm really proud of - they are not directly based on podcasts, but I know they wouldn't exist if I hadn't created a new production team and practice based around the world of audio. Essentially I stopped making stuff based solely on what I thought someone would pay me for. It's maybe not investable in the scaleable way some of the way people hoped in the boom times of podcasting a few years ago - but it's likely the most lasting impact the medium will have on entertainment for those who embrace it. In the creator economy your personal brand can extend way beyond a particular show or relationship with a network, platform or company. But only if you are continually making stuff - investing in yourself - and keeping your passion aligned with your craft. #podcast #tv #career https://lnkd.in/g7_iWHTg

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New book "How Popular Culture Destroys our Political Imagination: Capitalism and its Alternatives in Film and Television" by Eugene Nulman "This book investigates an often-overlooked reason for why society struggles to imagine alternative economic and political systems in our neoliberal age: popular culture. The book analyzes over 400 screen media texts in search of critiques and alternative representations of these systems and demonstrates the ways in which film and television shape the way we collectively see the world and imagine our political futures. It suggests that popular culture is the answer to the question of why it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism." Book link: https://lnkd.in/g4Xv5RkA #socialchange #changedesign #emancipatorydesign #narrativedesign #screenwriting #transitiondesign

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Documentary fairuse is essential.

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At Matriarch, we're always looking for ways to be more practical, hands-on, and responsive to the needs of our audience. We know a lot about women—what they struggle with, what they enjoy, and what they aspire to in their lives. Understanding women as a demographic is our expertise. One thing we've realized is that women often just want simple, direct information on how to get things done. We don’t want to be mansplained to, talked down to, or assumed to have access to information we were never given. We just want the facts so we can move on and get things done. That's why we're shifting our focus to offer more of what women are asking for—practical, pragmatic advice. Yes, we’ll still dive into deep, fun, and thought-provoking conversations in our podcasts. But it’s time to expand, to add more variety and diversity to what we offer. You might have noticed on social media that there’s a lot of video equipment at my house now—that’s because video content is coming. But before we get there, we’re starting with something we can deliver right now: newsletters. Introducing… Matriarch Newsletters! These newsletters are designed to be targeted, specific, and most importantly, practical. They will cover topics that matter to you and offer thoughtful, actionable advice. Here’s a brief introduction to the first three newsletters we're rolling out: WERK SMARTER This newsletter is for women of color in the digital media industry. Whether you’re working in audio, video, podcasting, social media, or any other aspect of digital media, Werk Smarter is here to support you. We aim to create a community where women who are building and growing businesses in this space—can come together to learn, grow, and support one another. From scaling your business to developing your dream project, we’ll cover it all. And most importantly, we’ll build a community where you belong. CHANGE PURSE Money is a tough topic, but it doesn’t have to be. Change Purse offers practical, no-nonsense financial advice for women. We’ll tackle everything from budgeting to building a better relationship with money. This newsletter is designed to be a safe space where we can have honest discussions about finances and take actionable steps to improve our financial well-being. You’ll find information, resources, and a supportive community to help you along the way. A FRIEND We all know that friendships can be difficult to start, maintain, and deepen, especially in today’s world where loneliness is so common. A Friend is a newsletter dedicated to understanding and nurturing friendships. We’ll offer practical advice on how to make new friends, keep existing ones, and become the best friend you can be. Friendship is essential to a fulfilling life, and we want to help you build and sustain those important connections. Go check out the newsletters on Substack. This is just the start, and we’re excited to grow and learn with you. https://lnkd.in/gy7xebaM

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The NYT is asking if Diddy’s arrest is the start of the music industry’s #MeToo moment, and we had a good conversation for this piece. TL;DR: It's not going to happen overnight, but we are hopeful, and it's on everyone to make this moment a movement for radical change in every industry. UV and I aren’t “of the music industry” but we have been a part of most major moments in the fight to end sexual assault and harassment since 2012 and what we see is that this *can* be a catalytic moment. And *because* it’s removed from the spotlight of 2016 (Trump, Weinstein), this doesn’t have to be exclusively about accountability (tho it must also be that). It can also be about building the culture and expectations we all require at work- any work- to be safe and to thrive. We’re hopeful about our conversations with leaders in the industry who recognize this is about safety, equity, fairness and as much about culture as it is about policies and laws. It won’t happen over night but people like Drew Dixon (pictured) who have been sounding these alarm bells inside the industry for years are positioned to move mountains. We’re committed to advancing survivor justice in every area of our lives and every industry. For updates sign up for our list at weareultraviolet dot org https://lnkd.in/e4DFvQ3x  

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In today's episode of "State of Current Affairs," hosts Lillian Cauldwell and Viki Esther Chang explored the topic of "Food Security." They discussed how many countries rely on others to supplement their food resources. When a country stops exporting a staple, the receiving country risks facing starvation or a surge in black market economics. For instance,  Singapore, as an island nation, relies on various countries to import rice  to ensure its national diet isn't compromised if one country can't export to them. Ms. Cauldwell highlighted the paradox of the US's wealth, where excess food is destroyed or left to rot in fields while farmers are paid by  the government, resulting in greed, money, and power. They also  discussed innovative methods of food production, such as growing food from air molecules and chemicals, water-based cultivation, and creating meat from molecules, as maintaining cattle has become too costly on limited land. https://lnkd.in/gMZ-idMv

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Draining the swamp means stopping the corporate capture of all government agencies who's job it is to protect Americans against nefarious profit making agendas that disregard the health consequences of these motivations. As this Dr. will illustrate, the corporate capture of public agencies goes back a long way and has been thriving for decades. The bottom line is that your tax dollars are being used to slowly make you sick. And of course the pharma lobbyist love this arrangement because this activates the second part of their profit making agenda - the selling of medications.

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