Media ecology is an emerging and progressive field of study that elegantly yet practically weds a desire to optimize the power of ever-evolving communicative tools with a deep and profound humanism. A favorite definition of media ecology comes from a group of young filmmakers visiting Ann Arbor, Michigan during the City’s annual film festival. They…
By Christine M. Tracy I interviewed Tom Hayden in March of 2015 when he returned to his home state of Michigan and his alma mater, The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the First Teach-In To End The Vietnam War. Hayden died Sunday at the age of 76. “In the ‘60s, there was a common reaction to local abuses,” says Tom Hayden, a founder of the SDS and principal author of their political manifesto, the Port Huron Statement. “There was an outbreak of sit-ins at lunch counters that escalated from one town to multiple…
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” I texted Brendan minutes before the start of the 2016 NCAA Finals in Houston. “It’s weird. It’s surreal.” Brendan’s answer was a perfect description of the collective energy in the arena that night and the special magic that brought him to that precise moment in time. The basketball angels worked overtime to turn a life-long dream to go to the NCAA Finals into something transcendent; Brendan was not only witnessing basketball history but realizing a personal dream. Underneath all the plans was a deep desire to see our team, Villanova, win the tournament.…
The 2106 election will be the most fact-checked in history, but will people believe the truth even when it’s verified? Much like an army of truth-telling Geppettos, fact-checking journalists are battling the global pandemic of false and misleading claims so easily spread by the ubiquitous use of smart phones and sophisticated social media apps. While…
Let’s blow up the story and create new forms Politifact Founder and Journalism Professor Bill Adair urged his 2012 Ted talk audience. And that’s exactly what he’s done. Together with with David Caswell, former product manager of Yahoo, Adair is “atmoizing” the news and writing stories for computers to read. They’ve designed a new platform,…
Six Lessons From ‘60s Activists “We had the fervent belief that we could change America. We believed in our country, but we believed our country was making some mistakes,” says Roger Manela, an early member of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), a ‘60s political action group founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Manela…
The Writings of Christine M. Tracy 