Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Friday, July 02, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
"Somnolence au volant : une étude choc à l'approche des vacances" - Sciences - TF1 News
This is astonishing - "sleeping" while driving and not realizing it.
"Editorial - The Court, the Constitution and the Reality of Guns" - NYTimes.com
It will take a very long time to undo a decision such as this one, but we must be patient and press forward, hoping that smarter justices will make the right decisions in the future.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
"Across Street From the White House, Coffee and a Chat With Lobbyists" - NYTimes.com
As a former paid lobbyist for the newspaper business, I find all of this utterly foolish and downright stupid. "Lobbyist" is a dumb term to start. We all have an interest in what our government does and some choose to take that interest in do something with it. It might mean writing a letter or it might mean joining an association to work on our behalf. That works the same way and should not be distinguished in the case of a business which also has an interest in what government does.
We should do away with the whole lobbyist thing and make all contacts with anyone in the federal government subject to mandatory disclosure. Feel free to say anything to anyone in the federal government about anything, but do it on the record. Period.
People in government should ask if the person approaching them is there on behalf of anyone else, and failure to disclose who should be subject to a fine. It could be your neighbor, your boss or your client; it doesn't matter. Disclose or pay the price, and that disclosure, too, is part of the public record.
Either everyone is a lobbyist who voices anything to the government or no one is. End the silly distinction between good people and bad lobbyists.
We should do away with the whole lobbyist thing and make all contacts with anyone in the federal government subject to mandatory disclosure. Feel free to say anything to anyone in the federal government about anything, but do it on the record. Period.
People in government should ask if the person approaching them is there on behalf of anyone else, and failure to disclose who should be subject to a fine. It could be your neighbor, your boss or your client; it doesn't matter. Disclose or pay the price, and that disclosure, too, is part of the public record.
Either everyone is a lobbyist who voices anything to the government or no one is. End the silly distinction between good people and bad lobbyists.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
"Editorial - A Bruise on the First Amendment" - NYTimes.com
The New York Times got it right; the US Supreme Court did not.
Monday, June 21, 2010
"A Slate for the Digital Age" - Gadgetwise Blog - NYTimes.com
Sorry, but I don't get it. If you can't save it, or work with it in some way, other than using less paper, what the devil is the value?
"France Telecom Said to Join Bid for Le Monde" - DealBook Blog - NYTimes.com
This has been idea much discussed over decades - a phone company buying a newspaer - but I think this would be the first major move in that direction? Perhaps Canada is an exception? Others?
"Ink Gushes in Japan’s Media Landscape" - NYTimes.com
There is a tendency to look at this, and other stories, and say that Japan is simply behind the US on this score, or that other countries are ahead or behind. In doing so, we assume that certain things are taking hold in the US and that it is the standard by which others should be judged. What if Huffington Post, for example, has no future? What does that mean? I think there is at least a credible chance that we will learn the answer to that. Who really pays attention to the Huffington Post except out of some curiosity?
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
"Culture et Loisirs" - nicematin.com
Something I saw today in Nice Matin that struck me as a good thing that I do not see too often...
In the section of the paper with information on weekend events, the paper has devoted a full page to telling us readers what Nice Matin’s editorial leadership thinks are the best things for “us” to consider doing this weekend. In each case, they not only say what it is – two concerts (both Irish!) and a museum exhibition – BUT also WHY “we” should go in some detail in each case. That takes a lot of confidence to do this, and I believe it is what a good newspaper ought to be able to do and do it reliably well. By tapping the best of what the newspaper has to help the paper make a judgment like this the paper is doing what a lone blogger or fly-by-night news offering cannot do.
It influenced my judgment about whether to go to one of the events, and I have now decided that I will go in part because of the recommendation.
Imagine if newspapers could channel their capabilities better to help people make smart and informed choices in all areas, not just entertainment and culture. That’s the role I always thought newspapers were supposed to play!
The story is not to be found on the Nice Matin website, however!
In the section of the paper with information on weekend events, the paper has devoted a full page to telling us readers what Nice Matin’s editorial leadership thinks are the best things for “us” to consider doing this weekend. In each case, they not only say what it is – two concerts (both Irish!) and a museum exhibition – BUT also WHY “we” should go in some detail in each case. That takes a lot of confidence to do this, and I believe it is what a good newspaper ought to be able to do and do it reliably well. By tapping the best of what the newspaper has to help the paper make a judgment like this the paper is doing what a lone blogger or fly-by-night news offering cannot do.
It influenced my judgment about whether to go to one of the events, and I have now decided that I will go in part because of the recommendation.
Imagine if newspapers could channel their capabilities better to help people make smart and informed choices in all areas, not just entertainment and culture. That’s the role I always thought newspapers were supposed to play!
The story is not to be found on the Nice Matin website, however!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
"Ultra-Orthodox Jews Protest Ruling" - NYTimes.com
I find myself getting increasingly irritated with what I think is a huge gap between our liberal ideals of equality, integration and multiculturalism and the fanatical commitment of many who call themselves Israelis to some idea they have that they are a special people deserving of some place that others should not occupy. They are precisely no better or worse than the rest of us and I would be a lot more comfortable with the US govenrment if it were in bed with a country that shared these kinds of principles. I find myself questioning whether Israel as a country does, and the no response to that question keeps winning.
When you look at a newspaper home page, what is your first impression?
The New York Times
Nice Matin
Distributing free newspapers
One of the oldest marketing moves by newspapers is to distribute free copies to non-subscribers.
In Chapel Hill, I noticed that one of the local papers was delivering a portion of each paper that covers Chapel Hill to non-subscribing households. Most of these papers sat, untouched, on the driveways. I really wonder if this resulted in any new subscribers. It forces the person receiving the paper to actually look at it without any guidance.
Here in Nice, where I am now, yesterday's local newspaper was not put on driveways, but it was free. They do this periodically when they have support, in this case from a local bank. So the papers appear in all the normal places, and one need only pick it up and it is yours. There is a wrapper on the outside with a little info about the bank and a sailing event that it has sponsored. Instead of wrapping the paper in practical and interesitng guidance, there were just platitudes about how wonderful the paper is; if it does not look like there is something wrong with this picture, you are not looking at the right picture!
What's missing in both of these is remarkable. Where is the "guide" for the customer or the non-customer to what lies in that paper. For the customer, it is a chance to remind about the value and the utility of the paper, and for the non-customer, it is a chance to introduce the paper, creatively, and quickly. The absence of this is one of the reasons why I think newspapers are not going to muster enough creativity to get themselves out of the hole in which they now sit.
In Chapel Hill, I noticed that one of the local papers was delivering a portion of each paper that covers Chapel Hill to non-subscribing households. Most of these papers sat, untouched, on the driveways. I really wonder if this resulted in any new subscribers. It forces the person receiving the paper to actually look at it without any guidance.
Here in Nice, where I am now, yesterday's local newspaper was not put on driveways, but it was free. They do this periodically when they have support, in this case from a local bank. So the papers appear in all the normal places, and one need only pick it up and it is yours. There is a wrapper on the outside with a little info about the bank and a sailing event that it has sponsored. Instead of wrapping the paper in practical and interesitng guidance, there were just platitudes about how wonderful the paper is; if it does not look like there is something wrong with this picture, you are not looking at the right picture!
What's missing in both of these is remarkable. Where is the "guide" for the customer or the non-customer to what lies in that paper. For the customer, it is a chance to remind about the value and the utility of the paper, and for the non-customer, it is a chance to introduce the paper, creatively, and quickly. The absence of this is one of the reasons why I think newspapers are not going to muster enough creativity to get themselves out of the hole in which they now sit.
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