How social media makes for lazy journalism

A few weeks back I was texting back and forth with my oldest son, Grant, who’s a grown man with a family of his own.  He’s also a diehard baseball fan, just like his old man. 

During a National League playoff game we were watching together, several hundred miles apart, we began sending text messages to each other. 

The Chicago Cubs were playing the Washington Nationals, as I recall.

In one text I sent I said “I don’t like (Cubs manager) Joe Maddon.” 

Grant asked why.

Real journalism: Still on life support

Editor's note: The following is a Facebook post I wrote in November of 2015, after seeing then-University of Missouri Communications Dept. assistant professor Melissa Click take part in threatening a student journalist attempting to cover a campus protest. 
My sentiments haven't changed a bit, so I definitely feel like it's worth re-posting on this blog. 


I won't say journalism is dead, but in many ways the journalism I fell in love with as a kid is all but gone. Those who cared to notice saw the signs of decay worsen over the past few years, but the sickening video of a journalist attempting to cover University of Missouri protests earlier this week encapsulates exactly what's wrong.