Lots of media people today talking about whether “heated” rhetoric resulted in what we have seen in the past few weeks. But this is the wrong frame. The “heated rhetoric” approach to thinking about public discourse imagines political violence as a barroom brawl. Someone spills a drink. Someone calls that person an asshole. That person… Continue reading

New Knight Foundation-supported study out about college students which very much confirms what we see in classrooms. Students: feel overwhelmed by the “firehose of news” feel unequipped to sort through that news want to read and share truthful accounts believe in journalistic principles of accuracy and verification but fall back on cynicism as a strategy,… Continue reading

Back in 2015, I was blogging less and using a homegrown personal wiki more. And I was thinking about this problem of collaboration and attention. Going through my notes on the wiki from that time, I realized a bunch of my thinking had been formed by a book chapter from 1971 that I read in 2015,… Continue reading

One of my great loves is Dewey. I share his belief that an educated engaged populace is crucial to democracy and democracy is crucial to the profession of those teaching in democracies. I think part of what we need to do is make sure all citizens have the tools they need to sort news from… Continue reading