Why does "the media" keep "attacking" Trump?

In fact, there is no such thing as "the media" and they are not "attacking" the Trump administration.

"The media" is not some monolithic bloc with a mind if its own. There are organizations that use media and advocacy.  Some of them attack and some of them defend any given political viewpoint, using posts that resemble news stories, except for the advocacy.

But the point of THIS post is to examine the operation of the professional journalistic media organizations, and why THEY keep reporting on possible wrongdoing by Trump and friends.

You Can't Play Music in Podcasts

Podcasts are programs intended to be downloaded and listened to off-line.  They are growing in popularity, but the general public, and some podcast producers, don't understand why it is illegal play music in a podcast.  

Simple Thinking in a Highly Complex World

One of the defining characteristics of conservatives is that they expect things to be basically simple.  They think that once you figure out a problem, there is usually one identifiable cause, and the problem gets solved by doing one thing.  But that doesn't work out too well in a world that is highly complex, in reality.

Same Sex Marriage Legalized in Taiwan

The constitutional court in Taiwan has ruled that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

I believe that this makes Taiwan the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage.

The change will not take effect instantly.  The court directed the Ministry of Justice and the national legislature to write new laws permitting same-sex marriage.

More details at http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3171568 (which is also the source of the photo).

No Action Against Colbert

Photograph: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

The Federal Communications Commission has announced that there was "nothing actionable" about Stephen Colbert's off-color joke about Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, which is no surprise.

Read on for an explanation of why.

Nevertheless, She Persisted

This phrase is cropping up in TV episodes that were probably being written back around February. Tonight, it is the title of the Supergirl episode.

I also heard it mentioned last month in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

(The image is captured from the TV Guide listings page.)

Running Government Like a Business: Not

I have long thought that the idea of "running government like a business" is a fallacy, because they are not the same things. Their reasons for existing are different and as a result their ways of doing business need to be different.

It's not getting better

I haven't posted here for a while, both because of a busy wrap-up of the academic year, and because I have been hoping that things might get better as the Trump Administration made their way through their on-the-job training.

That clearly hasn't happened, plus it is summer and I will need some diversion from my academic writing, travel, and other summertime activities.  

Completely separate from questions of policy, the ineptness of Trump and his inner circle is astounding.  So I may resume making comments, about our political environment, science, and other things that interest me.  :-)

Respect is a Reflection of Ethics

I heard someone say the other day that "respect is a value."  

What the statement really means is that giving respect, or not, is an action based on a set of ethical ideas.  That got me thinking and checking the literature, and it turns out that respect generally increases as people achieve higher levels of ethical development.

Trump Crisis Communications

When it comes to crisis communications, i.e. deflecting attention from scandal, the president only has one playbook - outrageous claims.

How does it work?  Why does it work?

Three things to like or dislike about Trump

In coming to grips with everything that is happening, it seems to me that there are THREE different reasons to be happy, or unhappy, with the president.  What are they?

The Role of the ACLU

I am sure that there is a segment of Americans that is vexed with the ACLU right now, but the ACLU serves a vital role which every democracy needs.

Laser Snow

OK, so maybe this is a little weird. But when it's snowing at night, how do you know how much it's snowing?

You shine a laser pointer out into your back yard, of course, so every flake passing through makes the beam show.

(No airplanes or rock stars were targeted.)

Scammed Again

The news media got hoodwinked again this weekend.

The REAL story Saturday was millions of people turning out to advocate against promised policy initiatives of the Trump Administration.

The Trump Administration successfully turned the news cycle around to be about accuracy in media reporting.

Trumps Brand

By definition, a "brand' is what customers think about a product, service, or person. A "brand promise" is what you WANT your customers to believe.  So what is Donald Trump's political brand and how much value does it have?

Ice Storm Photos

Today was the aftermath of a big ice storm in much of the Great Plains.

This guy was perched in a tree near the road as I drove home, camera and 300 mm zoom lens always ready.

It was the first nice weather in about three days, so no doubt he was keeping his eyes open for a meal.

Legitimacy vs. Credibility

I'm worried more about credibility than legitimacy, when it comes the presidency of Donald Trump. What do I mean by that?

What's REALLY going on with Trump's Tweets?

As bizarre as many of them seem, there is an astute political strategy behind the tweets of the president elect - deflecting the narrative.

Rejecting Ideas we Don't Like

When we receive information that conflicts with our pre-conceived notions (as happens all the time in politics), we often struggle to avoid admitting that we may have been wrong. But how does that work, exactly, and how can we overcome this resistance in others?

Managers versus Leaders

What do you do when someone is making bad decisions that affect you?  It is a particularly tough question, particularly when it happens in the workplace.