Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hip Hop’s T-Pain Goes Unplugged on NPR’s Tiny Desk

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Ralph Hanson

Back in 2014, hip-hop artist T-Pain was famous for his creative use of Auto-Tune software, not to put his voice on the correct pitch but rather to produce a sound that was instantly recognizable as his own. But that wasn’t … Continue reading →

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National Banned Book Week Has a Lot to Observe This Year

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Ralph Hanson

Editor’s Note: This week is the American Library Association’s Banned Book Week. The following blog post looks at a history of book challenges in the US and how these efforts have massively escalated in the 2020s. Books are capable of … Continue reading →

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What is “Pink Slime” Journalism, and Why is it Such a Problem?

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Ralph Hanson

Back in 2012, American consumers were grossed out by stories that found ground beef sold in plastic chubs was often supplemented with the meat byproduct euphemistically known as “finely chopped beef.” This collection of “trimmings” is sprayed with ammonia gas … Continue reading →

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After 23 Years, Memories of 9/11 Are Still Raw

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Ralph Hanson

9/11/24 Editor’s note: Yesterday morning I showed the “Welcome to the Rock” clip from the 9/11 themed musical Come From Away as my pre-class video in JMC 100 – Global Media Literacy. I then tried to tell my class the … Continue reading →

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My How Times Have @#%&ing Changed: Politicians, Presidents and Profanity

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Ralph Hanson

As I have previously written, presidents and other politicians using offensive  language is nothing new. (In fact, I wrote about this topic as early as 2006 in a media commentary for the late, great Charleston Daily Mail, now merged into … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking… Maybe – Back To School Edition

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Ralph Hanson

First day of school for Fall ’24 at UNK today! Here are some media questions worth asking… Maybe. Where can I watch big events, like the Republican and Democratic political conventions, without interruption by commercials and commentators? The national treasure … Continue reading →

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WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich freed from Russian prison in massive prisoner swap

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Ralph Hanson

The job of being a journalist around the world can be a dangerous one; reporters literally risk their lives to report the news. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports that in 2023, 99 journalists and media workers were killed … Continue reading →

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Everyone’s gone to the movies – Midsummer ’24 edition

Posted on July 7, 2024 by Ralph Hanson

Remembering the genius that was Robert Towne Legendary screenwriter/script doctor Robert Towne died Tuesday, July 2, at the age of 89. He was most famous for writing the original screenplay for the neo-noir Chinatown (1974) as a movie for Jack … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on closing out the ninth edition of Mass Communication

Posted on June 30, 2024 by Ralph Hanson

As I have been closing out work on the ninth edition of Mass Communication: Living in a Media World, it’s amazing to think back on how different things were back in the spring and summer 2020 when I was finishing … Continue reading →

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Conflicts between newsroom and management at Washington Post

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Ralph Hanson

NOTE: Sorry for the recent lack of posts. I’ve been writing away on the ninth edition of Mass Communication, Living in a Media World that comes out in 2025. Expect to see posts based on some of that material as the … Continue reading →

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