Unintended consequences

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If there’s one article worth reading at the moment, it’s How Laura Poitras Helped Snowden Spill His Secrets. Go on, have a read if you haven’t already. I’ll wait. What strikes me, though its never spelled out in that story, is how the NSA was the author of its own misfortunes. When Snowden first decided… Continue reading Unintended consequences

New media

Pickings are thin for freelance journalists in Ireland at the moment. Titles have closed, and freelance budgets are squeezed. Yet in my view, there’s never been a greater need for journalism. A few days ago, I posted here a question I has earlier asked on Twitter, about what readers would like to see in a… Continue reading New media

So I asked a question…

Imagine a new magazine. What does it take to hold your interest? For a while now, I’ve been playing with the idea of a new magazine covering Irish current affairs. One decent investigative piece every issue, half a dozen or so strong analysis pieces, perhaps an extended interview, and a few other pieces to lighten… Continue reading So I asked a question…

Fair, balanced, and objective

Every now and then I get asked to explain twitter to hacks. So far, my presentations are fairly mechanical, explaining how it works, which clients work best, how to build lists, use it to generate leads, or gather followers. I talk about avoiding flame wars, about nice ideas like balance and impartiality. That said, I… Continue reading Fair, balanced, and objective

Disruption

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Last night, I asked a politician a question. And because I was on twitter, as was the politician, I asked it on twitter. The politician answered me, but was also annoyed that I’d jumped to conclusions by posting to twitter. I argued I was just asking a question, not making a statement, but 24 hours… Continue reading Disruption