Latest Posts
Need For Closure: A Reporter’s Journey
May 1st, 2013As a little girl, my town crier tendencies for the mundane — yet all-important — events in the world of a kid were legendary: “David fell off his bike!” or “The dog caught a rabbit!” or “The mail is here!”
And now, as an adult and full-fledged journalist, when life is much more complicated, it’s not enough for me to shout from the rooftops what’s happening. I need to understand why and how. And make it snappy.
It seems I’m not alone.
No matter what the event, there is a proven psychological “need for closure” that drives journalists and the public to learn and process information in a blink of an eye. As Maria Konnikova writes in The New Yorker:
“The term “cognitive closure” was coined by the social psychologist Arie Kruglanski, who eventually defined it as “individuals’ desire for a firm answer to a question and an aversion toward ambiguity,” a drive for certainty in the face of a less than certain world. When faced with heightened ambiguity and a lack of clear-cut answers, we need to know—and as quickly as possible.”
WATCH: Chris Christie Calls Bullshit On Sand Dunes Opponents
May 1st, 2013Chris Christie warned that he was using an indelicate word and told children to cover their ears before calling “bullshit” on those opposed to building sand dunes on the Jersey Shore. Christie made the remarks at a town hall meeting in Long Beach Island, New Jersey.
Fashion Addicts Rejoice! Michelle Obama App
May 1st, 2013The next time first lady Michelle Obama wears something that’s a must-have, there’s an app for that.
Calling all copycats: In the Apple iTunes store style trend watchers and just fans can dress like the Fashionista in Chief. It’s called “Michelle’s Style List” and can be purchased for $.99.
The app is the brainchild of 28-year old Brit, Helen Barclay, according to the Hollywood Reporter, who created a similar Smartphone app to follow the every fashion move of Britain’s Princess Kate Middleton. “I had noticed how Mrs. Obama had a similar impact in the USA as The Duchess of Cambridge has,” Barclay wrote on the app’s website. “I always knew that I wanted an App for the first lady–there was only one thing holding me back…for President Obama to win a second term in office.” Barclay and her team started building the app as soon as the election results were in, launching it in early April.
Ashburn/Kurtz: Paula Broadwell Edges Back Into Media Spotlight
May 1st, 2013Lauren Ashburn and Howard Kurtz on whether David Petraeus’ former paramour is adopting the right strategy to resume her career.
New York Post Facing Possible Lawsuit Over Boston Bombings Front Page
May 1st, 2013Things are about to get expensive for Rupert Murdoch.
When the New York Post published the photo of two teens on its April 18 front page, implying that they were the Boston Marathon bombers, the tabloid embarrassed itself. The two teens pictured were totally innocent and it set off a national outrage. Now, it seems the Post will have pay for its mistake.
El Hussein Barhoum, the father of one of the teens, is consulting lawyers to sue the Post. As Erik Wemple reports for the Washington Post:
Should the family file a civil complaint, it’ll surely address the upheaval that the New York Post has helped bring to the Barhoum household. The son in the photo, Salah Barhoum, a 16-year-old track athlete (other accounts say he’s 17), sleeps one or two hours per night these days, says El Houssein Barhoum, and sometimes “refuses to go to school.” “He says, ‘I don’t want people to ask me a lot of questions,’ ” the father reports.
